|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:18 pm
((Continued from pm's))
Nicolette's stared fixed on Ryuu's boots. While she would have preferred something a little more comforting then just a firm hand on her shoulder, residual pride kept her from reaching around her brother's middle and sobbing against his tunic. But as Ryuu began to talk, she did gain a little comfort. "T-there's a way to reverse it?" She asked, her voice soft and broken, cracking slightly at the end. Finally the young girl smiled. And by smile, it was really just a small twitch in the corner of her lips and a brightening of her eyes as she looked up at Ryuu once again. "How long will you be gone? How hard will it be for you to get everything? Will it be enough for both of us?" Nicolette suddenly bombarded Ryuu with questions. This was their livelihood they were talking about after all. Ryuu couldn't be a king like that! And Nicolette certainly couldn't be married off to a handsome prince some day.
From the way Ryuu was talking, it didn't seem like it was going to be a couple day trip or anything. That made Niccy's heart sink again a little. But she didn't her best not to break down at the idea of being stuck with this transformation for god knows how long it took for Ryuu to come back. Slowly, she nodded. "T-thanks. I-I'll go steal some of your clothes later." She murmured softly. She had a distinct feeling that she would be taking great advantage of the offer to hide in his room as well while he was gone. As a princess she had her own duties, and people would come looking for her eventually. But hell would be on earth before she let anyone see her like this! Except for her Mother and Father. And well....maybe...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:44 pm
Ryuu sighed a little, closing his eyes to try and think of the best way to answer this, he knew how she was feeling right now, after all he was in the exact same position, but the difference was that he was going to be doing something a little more proactive about it. ”…that I don’t know, squirt. If the ingredients are as easy as I’m hoping to find then I shouldn’t be gone much longer than a couple of months. But if they are going to be as hard to find as I expect, I might be gone more than a year. I doubt that that’ll be the case though. I’m just as motivated to find it as you are desperate to get out of this situation that you’re in. So… 6 months tops.” Ryuu may have been stretching his numbers a bit, but he really didn’t want to tell his sister that her would be getting these things right away, then having her worry and fret for a needless amount of time. 6 months sounded like too long to him but then again it was going to take a month’s travel time to get to his furthest destination. His hand reached out and ruffled the hair on Niccy’s head before he pulled it back and let it slip under the cloak again. He chose not to say another word before exiting his sister’s room and heading towards his own. He felt bad for his sister, she was suffering with this far more than he was. Oh well, she would get her potion too and then they would put this all behind them like some nightmare that you wake up from, scared and a little paranoid, but not sure that you remember what you were so frightened of. Ryuu tried to sleep a little while but he was just having a hard time relaxing enough to do so, so instead he gathered the things that he would need for her journey and put them in his saddle bags. It wasn’t even dawn when he left for his task. He had brought some mundane equipment and armour so that he wouldn’t be pegged for the royalty that he was. It would be hard enough to get around without people recognizing him as he was. Traveling alone had its dangers… travelling alone and cursed was almost outright suicidal.
It was early morning when he placed his things on Nightshades’s back and began to head out towards his first destination. He paused for one last look at his home before he left. He noted that his mom’s light was on and that she was standing in window, he raised his hand to her before taking Umbra and going into a full gallop out into an unexplored world. If it was under different circumstances then he might have felt exhilarated, but right now he was too focused on his tasks and the ingredients that he needed to make things right and make everything normal again. He would have felt a little more comfortable taking someone with him, but he didn’t feel right asking. This was his problem and it concerned only him and Nicolette, and he wouldn’t ask her to come with him. She wasn’t experienced enough with blade and element yet for him to have invited her. Though, he did promise her that he would bring these things back for her. His knights were needed in the kingdom and asking Tobi felt wrong. So it looked like it was going to be only Umbra for company. Well… things could be worse, he supposed. Besides… going on adventures was a passage in its own right. His mom went on one and now it was his turn, Nicolette would go on hers someday so… this wasn’t too bad, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:50 pm
That wasn't quite what Niccy was hoping to hear. Her heart had been set on maybe only a few days, a couple weeks even. But a whole year?! She couldn't stay stuck like this for a whole year! People would find out in that time. The conflicting look of the remnant of hope, swirling into a black despair. But it was out of her hands. Niccy cold only nod, and let her brother go off and rescue both of them. "Good luck." Niccy whispered softly, stepping away to let Ryuu go.
~~~
The next morning, the kingdom saw the reappearance of one of its frequent visitors. Tobias had taken care of things in his own lands. Being a marquis with plenty of underlings in a peace loving country, where your land boarded that of your best friends, his position was fairly easy. So long as he kept an eye on the books and the comings and goings, his father let him be. That being said, Tobi was a very good boy as of late. Everything in his estate was in order and planned to run without a hitch for at least a couple months. So, of course, it seemed like a good time for a vacation. He gave his father some long winded story about he should better his relations with foreign royals. Which meant months of traveling! Traveling that he fully intended to do as God intended, on horse back with just the bare necessities. No stuffy fancy coach and parade of servants for him. No thank you.
He was riding up to Ryuu's kingdom rather early in the morning. Dawn almost. Tobias spent the night in a nearby inn, and was planning to continue on his traveling in the morning. But as he was in the area, he decided he would pay his friend a visit, and perhaps see if he could persuade him to come along for a little while. A couple weeks perhaps. Surely the courts could handle things without their crown prince to annoy for a little while.
Just as Tobias could see the kingdom, he heard the swift sound of hooves thumping against the soft forest ground. Tobias moved aside on the path, expecting it to be some random messenger or some such. But no, it was not. Much to his surprise it was none other the the man he was going to visit, riding like a bat out of hell. "Whoh boy! Don't you think it's a little early to be going out for a race?" Tobias called, waving his arm so that Ryuu would stop and talk. If he didn't, well, Tobias would just need to chase him now wouldn't he. Ryuu wasn't exactly an 'up with the birds' sort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2013 7:40 pm
Ryuu was powering towards the furthest destination where he was planning to gather his ingredients, he wanted to hurry and he wanted to get their now. Sadly, things never went as well as someone planned, he was stopped short by someone who he was both relieved and discomforted to see. Tobi was barreling down upon him where he rode. Though he didn’t stop, Ryuu did slow his horse for his friend to catch up. Ryuu was noticeably uncomfortable and was shifting in his saddle slightly ever so often. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell his friend about the curse, this was more of a family problem and he was sure that Tobi’s father would have something to say to him disappearing for months at a time to go on some wild adventures. He would love the company, but he certainly wouldn’t want to make his friend feel forced to choose between his early morning romp to… wherever he was going, and having to help his friend. Ryuu didn’t know his friends plan but he took to the opportunity to hide his features a little more from his friend, he would probably never hear the end of it if his friend saw how androgynous he looked right now. Not saying that Tobi was shallow or anything, but being a man, anything remotely feminine was grounds for teasing right off the bat.
Still, it was good to see his friend, as always. ”You’re one to talk, Tobi. What are you doing out here so early in the morning?” Ryuu tried to push the question off for as long as he could, not wanting to tell his friend that he was turning into a girl and his sister was turning into a boy, but… he was his friend and he didn’t really want to lie to him either. When the question was going to be unavoidable he gave a little bit of a sigh. ”I have… an errand to run that will take me a while, my friend. So I will be gone for quiet possibly a long time. I’ll try and be as quick as possible though.” Ryuu fell into something of an awkward silence for a while. Answering questions very directly, as though he was afraid to speak or something, and it wasn’t a far off guess, if that was the case. Ryuu knew that he was turning into a girl, and he had a feeling that it was only going to a matter of time before his voice was going to go up a few octaves and give him an embarrassing moment that he would never ever be able to live down.
After a few hours of some good riding, he stopped and let his horse have a rest, Tobi seemed to interested in sticking with him for a while longer yet. Ryuu was grateful for that, who knew when he would see him again. Ryuu lowered himself off of his horse to stretch his legs. Umbra happily grazed on the grass and watered herself in a nearby stream. Ryuu took a seat on a rock and relaxed for a few minute. He didn’t even think, despite his worrying, that Tobi was going to notice his changes that were a little more obvious, like his loss of high and his more curvaceous form that should be more or less hidden in the curtain of the cloak. He rested his head back against a nearby tree. ”Well, if you’re going to have your little adventure bouncing from Princess’ bedroom to Princess’ bedroom, now would probably be a good time to separate ways. I’d hate to drag you down from your fun and adventure with my boring errands.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:16 pm
Tobias grinned at the inquiry. "I happen to be taking a vacation. As in, an extended vacation. Not one of the regular one to two days hiatuses I usually do." He began to explain, flashing his white perfect teeth at Ryuu as if his being able to get time away was some kind of major accomplishment. Which, it was. "I was coming to see if while it is still in the general time of your birthday, if you wanted to come with me for a couple weeks or however long you were able really. I plan to travel around for a couple months at least, though I never set an exact time for my return."
The young marquis' grin became somewhat quizzical at the evading tone of Ryuu's voice. Like he was trying to get away from him or something. Well, Tobias hadn't been friends with the prince since birth just to be shoved aside like yesterdays trash. So, like a mule like stubbornness that was the nature of Tobias, he turned his horse and began to follow along. He tried to ask questions about what the nature of this errand was. "Where are you going?" was met with a brief, silencing answer of a kingdom that Tobias recognized to be quite a ways away. "Well then, perfect! It'll be an adventure for us." Oh yes, Tobias was quite certain that Ryuu was getting rid of him just yet.
When they stopped for rest, Tobias loosely looped his horses reins around a tree branch, before pacing in small slow circles to work out the threat of bow leg. For the first time on this budding adventure, Tobias frowned. "As true those intentions are for me....the tone was just a tad insulting." He admitted honestly. With a sigh, Tobias moved closer to Ryuu, "What's up? Your dark and broody self is currently more dark and brooding then usual."
That answer wouldn't come right away. For at that moment, there was a chorus of shrieks around them, before an ambush of bandits were found surrounding them. "Oh lookie here at the lost little royals." One of them said, waving a rather sharp looking dagger at them. Tobias glanced at his horse, where his own sword was tucked safely among his luggage. Not in his hand sadly which would have been more useful to him at that particular moment. For the time, Tobias mearly backed up closer to Ryuu, and waited for someone to make a move.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:06 pm
Ryuu looked at his friend and sighed. ”Sorry, I didn’t mean to bite, things have just been… a little off… for me as of late.” He honestly didn’t mean to put so much bite into his words when he meant it as more of a playful jab instead, though having Tobi admit that that was pretty well what he had planned to do was something of an eye roller to him. Yeah… he should have saw that one coming.
Ryuu paused when his friend was pressing him about what was going on, he knew that there would be little that he would be able to hide from him at this point in their relationship, and having him more or less invite himself along regardless of how Ryuu didn’t want to ruin his friends planned vacation, he would find out sooner or later anyway. He might as well hear about it now and then he could get the teasing done and over with so that they could go and get what was needed to undo this curse. Ryuu took a few deep breaths, he was having a hard enough time trying to come to terms with it himself, his mom and sister knew, and now it looked like Tobi was going to know soon as well. Swallowing his pride Ryuu was about to answer when he was suddenly saved by a swarm of bandits. Ryuu stood up slowly, at least he was going to have some means to get rid of this build up frustration… he felt sorry for the bandits. The darkness started to swirl and come towards Ryuu as he eyed the man with the knife, there were about half a dozen men or so, all armed by the looks of things, though he was more than willing to dwindle those numbers down.
Dammit, this was why he wanted to travel alone, he wasn’t exactly dressed in Princely attire at the moment…
Ryuu drew his arms back to finish summoning the darkness to do his bidding, like Tobi, his sword was on his horses saddle and she was safely tied down so that she wouldn’t get away. The seeming leader of the gang lunged forwards with this blade. Tentacles of darkness shot up from Ryuu’s shadow and pushed back against the man, though he still managed to get his blade to remove the top buttons on Ryuu’s top, he had also seemed to catch the medical binding that he used to flatten his chest and as the shadows threw the Bandit leader away the raveling came undone.
Well, at least now Ryuu wouldn’t need to explain what was happening to his body to Tobi…
Ryuu was stunned for a moment, it only took him a few moments to snap out of it and convert it to full blown, mindless aggression as he reached over and brought his top back together with on hand. This was going to end in bloodshed and Tobi knew this… that is if Tobi actually pulled his eyes away from what Ryuu was trying to cover up. The bandits jeered and wolf-whistled at Ryuu, thinking that he was a princess in disguise and that they had struck pay dirt. Ryuu held out his free hand and the darkness brought his blade to his open hand. He couldn’t help but note that it felt… heavier… somehow, ugh, he needed to get this errand over with as soon as possible.
”Hey Tobi… mind if I make this quick?” He asked with some restrained rage in his voice. Ryuu briefly let go of his shirt and reached out with an open hand. The darkness started to swirl around the leader of the bandits and entrap him in a cocoon of darkness, the other bandits started to make their moves too.
”Night-terror Funeral.”
A sickening series of snaps and breaks along with a dying scream came from the coffin of darkness and crushed the man beyond recognition. Ryuu brought his blade up to parry a short sword from another and frowned somewhat… Ryuu really didn’t have time for this…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:22 pm
Yeah...this was why Ryuu would be one scary yet powerful king.
That was just about Tobias' only thought for the first few moments after the bandits arrived. As the darkness swirled through that area in the woods, Tobias felt a chill begin to slid down his spine. There was something awe-inspiring, and yet terrifying about that power. Like if Ryuu was just a little less trained, it would consume him and destroy them all in a lust for flesh and screams being cast into an eternal nightmare. A concept that wasn't altogether lost on Tobias, and so he gave great respect and distance whenever Ryuu happened to be getting his dark on.
And soon, Ryuu's control of the dark shadows wasn't the only thing rooting Tobias to the spot. He happened to witness the first knife wound of the ambush. As the buttons of Ryuu's shirt were sliced off, Tobias saw a hint of some kind of bindings and then....holy s**t Ryuu had boobs?! Small ones but still. As a self proclaimed expert on the female anatomy, Tobias knew his boobs. And those were defiantly boobs. That, mixed with the fine fine a** that Ryuu was toting around, Tobias was getting very confused with his sexuality all of a sudden.
Though with a dozen bandits around them, Tobias didn't exactly have time to dwell on the dilemma. Tobias jumped back from an incoming blade, a throwing dagger belonging to one of the bandits in the back. The edge had skimmed his arm, but there was otherwise not much damage. "Oh by all means Ryuu. Don't let me slow you down." Tobias gritted out, glancing towards his useless sword for a moment again. In a moment, Tobias made a move for his horse, but every step forward was met by two steps back by an onslaught of dancing metal. The close calls were steadily becoming closer, having now a deeper gash in his leg from a saber. The young Marquis cursed under his breath, eyes casting to the hidden sword one last time before accepting his next actions.
Tobias was avoiding this. But the bandits didn't seem to want to let him near his sword, and he wasn't about to start fist fighting. A grey tinge had been spreading across his hands for the last several minutes, starting from blackening fingernails and creeping up his arm. A wispy blue substance, that looked remarkably like fire formed in the palm of his hand. "You should have just let me have my weapon", Tobias hissed, his voice dramatically altered from the carefree playboy tone. It was deeper suddenly, almost taking on a rasping note at the edges of his words. With a lightly maniacal grin, Tobias swung his arm around. Blue flame arced out in front of him, spreading like a half ripple from a pond, sweeping over the bandits. A good half of them were now found screaming as bits of their clothes were set aflame in the searing blue fire. With a laugh unlike Ryuu probably ever heard from the young man, Tobias swung his second arm back, flame encasing both hands now. "Come play little kitties."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:18 pm
An arrow in his shoulder pulled Ryuu attention to a smaller group that was in the trees, he hissed and pulled the arrow crudely out of his arm, his pain fueling his rage. That was the last straw… not more kiddy stuff, he was more than ready to add some punches of his own. Ryuu planted his sword threw the abdomen of a bandit trying to attack him from the rear. He took some deep breaths and made a clenching motion with his palms face up, he inhaled deeply and he tried to pull upwards, his muscles strained as he did so, as though there was a heavy force that he was having troubles with. He felt another arrow plant itself in his leg, but his Zen-like concentration wasn’t broken, he took another deep breath and pulled upwards a couple of times until he was suddenly able to raise his hands above his head. Four dark pillars that looked as though they were wrapped with the screaming leering faces of the damned emerged around him. Spinney tentacles reached out and plucked the men from the tree and even a few from the ground, they wrapped themselves viciously around the men before pulling them into the pillars. After horrified screams meaty skeletal corpses smashed against the trees after they were rejected from the pillars.
Ryuu was now free enough to see how his friend was doing, and when he saw he was wide eyed with astonishment, was that… Tobi? Where did this ability come from? All those years as friends and never once did he ever show such an ability before. He wondered what kind of element it was? He had never seen a blue flame before, whatever ability he possessed it was certainly unique, perhaps even more so than his own element. Tobi’s change in demeanour was also noted as the fight when on, the boy that was fighting alongside of him was certainly not the boy that he knew and grew up with. It didn’t scare Ryuu per say, but it did make him wonder if his friend was one of those warriors that went into a blind frenzy when they entered combat. Tobi was fighting like an enraged tiger. The question of whether or not he was perhaps stronger than Ryuu crossed his mind, though Ryuu quickly pushed it away. He trusted his friend, and he was confident that whatever this was, it was well under his control.
Ryuu was pulled from his thoughts when a blade came towards him, he brought his own sword up and parried the blade before grabbing the man’s shirt and pulling him into a vicious head butt before spinning on his heel and taking the man’s head clean off. Though Tobi was more than capable in a fight, as it seemed, it didn’t stop Ryuu from watching his friends back. A hand of darkness grabbed one of the bandits that was trying to sneak up behind him and wrenched him into a tree with a scream. Ryuu lashed out with a violent fury at a few other men who were trying to subdue him, they clearly though that Ryuu was a princess or something and were obviously trying to capture him to have their way.
Boy, where they in for a surprise… even if they succeeded…
”You know what I love best about Bandits, Tobi?” Ryuu called out as his b*****d sword took another life. ”I love that, no matter what you do to them, you never feel bad.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 4:21 pm
((Tobi: OH YEAH!! I AM THE TIGER! RAWR! ))
The idea of using a sword was so beyond Tobias at that point. The confused yet determined bandits that hadn't been burnt to a crisp were still coming onward, attacking the two men relentlessly. Wow, they didn't know what was good for them did they? As two more rushed him, Tobias grabbed the wrist of the first, and tossed him carelessly at the second. Mind you that Tobias's hands were still aflame, so the dirt encrusted tunic of the tossed bandit easily started burning as well. As they detangled their limbs, and put out fire, the burnt one rushed Tobias again in a blind fury. It was just about that time when Ryuu spoke up. "Absolutely." What the marquis' only reply. He swiped out to the charging bandit, his nails raking across his chest, biting deep into the fleshy organs below. The bandit stopped, dumbstruck, as his innards fell over the ground, and he fell to his knees. Tobias simply set the bandit on fire before stepping over him and moving closer to the other.
The few that were left seemed to be loosing their fire. Tobias noticed one, backing up frantically, with his breaches soaked through between the legs. One or two remained blood thirsty. "Finish this Ryuu." Tobias roared, voice deep and booming with the faint rasp around the edges. Tobias flung one of his arms back again, and with another wide sweeping swing, sent another arc of fire at the remaining bandits.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:46 pm
Ryuu smirked, that was the one thing that he was waiting to hear from his friend. Closing his eyes, Ryuu concentrated and brought the darkness closer to him as he prepared for his coup-de-grace of the remaining bandits, with Tobi covering him he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, a maelstrom of darkness and blistering negative energy started to dance around Ryuu and slowly started to push him into the air. Ryuu spread his arms out and let the feeling of the inky darkness wash over him. The vortex of energy started to gnaw and pull at the bandits surround them, clawed hands came out of the darkness and started to grab and pull at their legs and their begins dragging them towards the middle of the fountain of darkness that Ryuu was commanding right now, the terrified screams slowly died down as more and more were pulled into oblivion or simply cut their losses and fled into the forests again, never likely to be a bother to anyone after the scarring that occurred here. When everything was said and done, the darkness slowly died down and Ryuu was gently put back on his feet where he lowered his arms and collected himself though his fatigue that came with controlling the darkness. The only sounds where coming from the forest right now, Ryuu was solemnly looking down at what he now had on his chest, well… there was no escaping the fact that Tobi had seen them. Ryuu walked over to his bandage that he used to bind his chest and rewrapped himself before buttoning his shirt back up. Again, there was a long pause of silence before he continued on.
”I’ve been cursed, Tobi, I’m going to collect the ingredients needed to make the potion to turn me back… what’s worse is that Niccy is has been cursed like I have… only she’s becoming male. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I need to get this done as soon as possible. I… don’t want to pull you into my problems and interrupt your vacation that you planned so perhaps we should split up here. I can’t ask you to risk your life for me and my own quest.”
Ryuu couldn’t shake the desperation that was in his sisters eyes, a desperation that he had never seen in her before. Sure, she asked him for help on occasion, but there was something different about this and it left an impression on him. Ryuu reclaimed his sword and started to repack a few things that were either loosened in the fight or were taken off when he decided to take a break. He just didn’t have what it took to ask his friend to come with him. Maybe it was pride, or maybe it was that he did not want to risk his friends life for something that was more in line with Family business… or perhaps he just didn’t want to let his friend see him suffer or have moments of weakness. Whatever the reason, he mounted his horse and looked down at his friend. A soft, small smile graced his lips.
”Well… I know you said that you wanted to come with me, but… I’d hate to be the one to ruin your vacation with my problems. I’ll… see you later, my friend, I’ll hopefully be back to normal the next time you see me.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:25 pm
Tobias snarled and snapped at the bandits as they were pulled into Ryuu's conjured fountain of darkness, one by one, until their screams were choked from them. A satisfied little smirk pulled at the enraged royals lips. Oh how he wanted to just rip them all limb from limb. To watch them plead and bed while he slowly tore off arms and jaws. But he held back, some still sane part of his mind knowing that if he kept on he wouldn't have been able to stop. When the last terrified cry ended, and the darkness receded, Tobias finally ceased his growls, and turned away from Ryuu. Ryuu would likely only hear a ragged breathing, while Tobias fought with the beasts will, eventually pushing it back completely.
When Tobias turned back to Ryuu, Ryuu was finished dressing, and Tobias looked as normal and carefree as his normal self. It it wasn't for the hint of char and smoke at his fingertips, no one would guess he had really done much in the fight at all. Also, it seemed he had turned around just in time to miss a chance to once again ogle Ryuu's chest in a highly confused fashion. Confusion was soon explained away after the long pause. "I've been cursed, Tobi,...." Tobias listened to the explanation. Well as much as it explained really. Not much to be completely honest. "So...where are you going exactly?" Tobias asked, motioning to get his horse. The animal likely would have run away already if it wasn't for the fact that the reins were knotted in a branch.
As Tobias untangled his horse, and calmed it down, he caught was Ryuu was saying. Tobias turned, and looked at his best friend of 16 years with a look mixed with hurt and disbelief. "You...don't want me to go with you?" Tobi asked, thinking that he perhaps didn't hear it right. But then Ryuu said it again and Tobias's stubbornness kicked in. "Where did you say you were going?" He asked, mounting his horse in the process. Ryuu would barely get a chance to utter a syllable before Tobias clapped his hands together in a gleeful manner. "Oh what a coincidence! I happen to be going there as well. Thought it would be nice to visit some far off places." He announced as if it had been his plan after all. "Well Ryuu. Seems pointless to seperate here if we'll still be on the road together for the next couple weeks at least. I guess your stuck with me." Ryuu should have guessed that he wasn't going to brush Tobias off that easy after that...display. Speaking of displays..Tobias was more then happy that Ryuu was so preoccupied in his own dilemma that he didn't ask about Tobias's little fire show back there with the bandits. It was one of the few secrets between the two friends, and one that Tobi wished he could have held on to just a little longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:10 pm
Ryuu had gently tried to shoo his friend away in order to go and have a relaxing vacation instead of risking his life, but his friend would have none of that and Ryuu eventually accepted the helped thankfully, though he still felt guilty about ruining his friends vacation… he would have to make it up to him later. After a few weeks of some solid riding they finally saw their destination, Ryuu had pretty well kept to himself, it was obvious that he had a lot on his mind though he still made time for some small talk and the typical manly gossip that he and Tobi would constantly partake in, though as time went on, the more Ryuu’s voice started to become higher pitched and the less he talked, he had taken on a more androgynous tone that could be confused with a deeper woman’s voice, though slightly deeper. His body was also taking on some minor physical changes as well, his hair was growing rapidly and now reached the middle of his back and – as Ryuu and Tobi quickly discovered- when he tried to cut his hair it would just rapidly regrow to where it was before. Ryuu had given up after the fifth try. To add to his displeasure, his hair had taken on a slight curl, becoming full, thick and silky… it would be the envy of any female that would come across it.
When they arrived to the base of the mountains in this territory, Ryuu pulled out a thick book that held multiple loose pieces of paper and started to riffle though it. He found what he was looking for and pulled out a map, a couple of pieces of paper with sketches of a plant that Ryuu needed, along with various notes and cross references from various sources. Ryuu followed the map through the mountains and to a field of thousands of plants. Ryuu stopped and looked at the field with almost a defeated look on his face. It lasted only a few moments before he got off his horse and looked over at Tobi, a smirk crawled across his face and he quirked an eyebrow.
“Still glad you came, Tobi?” He mused, then cleared this throat as though he was trying to get his old voice back. He reached up and tied Umbra to a tree where she could still eat and drink. He looked over at Tobi again and brought his notes over to his friend. “I need to find about six of these for the potions, they are in this field… somewhere…” There was a pause and Ryuus face soured again. “We might be here a while…”
With that, Ryuu got on his hands and knees and started to go through the weeds that were in front of him, the problem was that the tops of the plant he was looking for was similar to about thirty others of the same plant species, so he had to go through them all to find what he wanted. The plant that he was looking for was a fairly uncommon species of the plant that was here, but they were known to grow in this area more than any other, so Ryuu was more than strategic when he chose this spot, though it was still going to be a lot of work to find it.
“I don’t understand you sometimes, I mean, you work your a** off for years, you complain that you hardly get any time to get to do things that you want to do… and when you do finally get that time off, you choose to come with your cursed friend to hunt for a bunch of needles in stacks of needles. I gotta know… what makes you want to do that? I mean… I would do the same for you in a heartbeat but I’m a prince and all I have to do is demand time off and I’ll get it. So… why give up freedom and relaxation for jobs like this?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:32 pm
The longer this mission went on, the more Tobias constantly struggled. In his head, Ryuu was still just Ryuu. The same stubborn, moody Prince that he had been weeks before. But Tobi's body didn't seem to be getting the memo. There were times when he was a hairs breadth away from doing something that would likely alter their friendship in some very complicated ways. So maybe it was a good thing that as time went on, Ryuu kept a little more to himself each day. They didn't talk as much now, and Tobias could almost just simply day dream while they rode to some unnamed destination with the first ingredient. Part of Tobias was also selfishly overjoyed for Ryuu's current pre-occupation putting it lightly. Ryuu was so often lost in his own worries, that the topic of Tobias's startling transformation back at he battle against the bandits never came up. Not once did the question rise as to why Tobias was a fire tossing fiend in battle, and in action and appearance just a regular flirtatious human the rest of the time.
On the note, as they moved closer to the mountains, Tobias kept getting this strange sense of being home. His actual home was close to the sea, and far from the likes of the towering stone that rose in the horizon. But still, there was something soothing about the area, and it irritated him to no end.
Leaping from his horse as they finally made it to the first destination, Tobias gave a surveying glance over the field while he tied his horse to a low hanging branch of a nearby tree. As Ryuu brought the notes over to him, Tobias gave a bit of a groan as he looked at the detailed drawing of a plant. The whole bloody field looked just like that. How were they going to figure one out from the other? Seeing as there was no better way to find it then just start looking, Tobias got down to the ground, and started combing through the sweet flowers and stiff rushes. He listened to Ryuu as he worked, slightly amused that he was asking that same question, again, for what felt like the tenth time. "You know Ryuu, chasing skirts is fun and all, but its feels sort of....hollow after a week. It would be one hell of a fun week. But afterwards....it would likely get rather monotonous. This is a far better use of my time." Tobias said lightly. "Not to mention, I think after being friends as close as we are for so long, I would hope to think that you could call on me for something like this. You said yourself, you would help me in a heartbeat. Well, that goes both ways brother." Tobias then began to laugh. Trust him not to keep the subject dense and dark for too long. "And besides, someone needs to save your a** from all the bandits and cutthroats that would have their way with the pretty lonely damsel."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:20 am
Ryuu bristled and paused at what Tobi said at the end of his little speech, up and until that point Ryuu was starting to accept what his friend was saying to him, and was about to take it as a blessing… then Tobi called him a lovely damsel. There was something of a sputtering hiss that came out of his mouth before he shot Tobi a withering glare.
”What do you mean ‘pretty lonely damsel’? Who’s a pretty lonely damsel?! And as I distinctly remember, I saved your a**… not the other way around… speaking of which, what was with you in that last battle? I haven’t seen you that enthusiastic about anything other than chasing skirts.” Ryuu went back to searching for the damned plant before something struck him and his head suddenly snapped back over towards Tobi, his eyes wide. ”Wait!! You didn’t come with me because I look like this did you? Ugh!! Am I going to be safe with sharing a tent with you?”
Now Ryuu really felt uncomfortable… and a little self-conscious about his body. He wasn’t ignorant of what he looked like and it was starting to get a little frustrating for him. He pushed the thoughts out of his head the best he could and started to go back to rooting through the plants. He was thankful for the focus oriented activity to take his mind off of all the rotten luck he had been having lately. He also felt bad for Niccy, she really didn’t seem to be having a good time with that either… though he was curious if she would be changing her tone after a while?
Would he?
No… he wouldn’t allow himself to think of that sort of thing. Ryuu was spending his third hour rooting though the growth when he found one of the five plants he was looking for. His eyes lit up and he smiled brightly.
”Hey! Tobs!! I found one!!”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:57 pm
Tobias chuckled heartily as he continued his search, keeping an eye out just in case Ryuu had the mind to throw something at him. But luckily, the raging female hormones didn't seem to be evoking that level of anger today. "Perhaps the bandits would have been more enthusiastic about the fight if they had known of the blooming rose that your dark manly persona was not so carefully guarding. But don't you fret princess. I'm here to protect you!" Tobias laughed again. If they weren't best friends since birth, Tobias would probably need to be worried about being swallowed in a darkness chasm right about now. Though his smooth talking teasing certainly became a little more stammered at the mention of his participation in the fight. Tobias looked back to the ground so that Ryuu wouldn't see the light not quite reaching his eyes as he chuckled over and answer. "Just defending your virtue there Ryuu. Those bandits had awfully lustful expressions once they saw the goods hiding under those bindings."
Yep, blame it all on the boobs. That would hopefully distract Ryuu enough not to press the question again. Tobias looked at Ryuu curiously at his second comment though. "Ryuu...we've been friends since the nursery. I've seen your freaking five year old jewels for gods sake. I'm quite convinced that your a man, and that once this potion is brewed you'll be a man once again. I think I'll stick to girls that have a less...shifty sex. I like knowing what to expect, you know?" Okay so that wasn't entirely true. Tobias had been a good portion of the journey desperately not trying to sneak a glance at the confusingly seductive feminine curves that were starting to develop. The whole situation was just so out of his element. It was too the point he didn't even know if he was gay for thinking that Ryuu had one of the nicest behinds he had seen for quite some time.
The mental dilemma was quickly pushed aside once Ryuu announced he found one of the flowers. "Yes!" Tobias yelled out, rushing over as if he needed some sense of visual proof of their accomplishment. "So that's it huh? How many more do we need?" He asked, examining the sneaky little flora.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
