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 Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:51 am
(( Kekekekekekekeke. **starts a thread for some RP groodness** :B ))
"I still say you've completely lost your mind."
The sandy-blonde haired woman in question just rolled her eyes for the upteenth time. Aiko and her none-too-thrilled roommate (though he wasn't so much of a roommate as he was a general moocher), Nigel, strolled down one of the paths that joined Durem to Barton. Dressed in unseasonably warm clothes to cover some... unsightly things, Aiko had decided to go out on a walk.
With her shiny stone.
What posessed Nigel to follow her was anyone's guess. He'd tagged along behind her, reminding her of what he thought of her taking her pet rock for a walk.
"So, what's new?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her lips. Hands cupped around her moonstone, she held it slightly ahead of her.
"It's just a rock. You don't need to take it for a walk." He rolled his eyes as he looked down -- way down -- at the woman he towered over. 6'4 wasn't exactly a small height.
"Not true!" Aiko snapped right back, frowning. "I think there's something special about this rock.
Nigel snorted in rebuttle, shoving his hands into his oversized pockets.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:04 am
"Ying, I think we're lost."
Ying tightened her grip on her basket, which was still sadly empty. The pair had been walking for a while, with no sight of rivers, or many trees for that matter. "But I checked the map before we left! There's got to be something nearby. That facility in Durem has to get water from somewhere!"
Bobbing nervously around Ying's head like a sparkly oversized bug, Tsavorite couldn't resist emitting a feeling of smug disagreement. She was certainly nervous about the predicament they were in, but any opportunities to make her bond nutty had to be taken.
"No one asked you," Ying hissed grumpily. Her feet were starting to hurt. They had been training before they left, and the day's activity was starting to catch up with the normally energetic girl.
Yeine shook her head. "I don't hear any running water. Maybe we should ask them for directions." She gestured at the approaching pair, then shied away. One of them looked a little creepy.
It wasn't the ideal solution, but Ying had to agree that they would be better off asking for help than wandering around. "Excuse me!" she called. "Do you know your way around here?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:13 am
They two obviously had been arguing for a little, by the way the shorter woman with cat ears and tail was glaring at the taller. Seeing the girls, however, caused her to dramatically shift. She smiled warmly, holding the Moonstone to her chest.
"I should say so," she said, her voice hinting at a Japanese accent -- it was painfully obvious where she was from. "I live around here. Well, in Durem."
"Which is distinctly not here," Nigel reminded her, giving her a side glance with crystaline blue eyes before looking back at the girls. His face didn't change from his stern and stony look. He seemed like the type of person who didn't change facial expressions that often. "But even I have to admit that she and I both know our way around."
"Anyway, can we help you girls? Lost?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:22 am
Ying held Yeine's hand comfortingly. While she knew the Cathar was uneasy around strangers, especially male ones, these two looked fairly trustworthy. In fact, Ying found the young man's attire interesting, and would have inquired about it were she not on a super important mission.
"Not lost, exactly. Yeine, do you have the letter?"
Nodding, Yeine reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "We're looking for a Lilicai fruit. It's supposed to grow on trees near rivers, and we thought there might be one near here, but we can't find any sign of running water or the trees."
Of course, she had wanted to bring the map with them, but Ying insisted they didn't need it. Which meant they were stuck asking oddly attired passerby for directions. Remembering her slight fear, Yeine squeezed Ying's hand tightly.
"So that's what we're looking for. Have you seen any?" Ying asked hopefully, trying to ignore her curiosity, as well as the other thing that was pulling at her mentally.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:30 am
"Well, the Durem Water Facility's just down the path a little ways more, though I'm not sure what good that'd do ya," answered the man, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder. "And there's a full river on the other side of Barton." He pointed down the path and toward Barton town.
"Lilicai fruit...?" Aiko blinked a few times as if trying to place the name.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:37 am
"Other... side?" So they weren't going in the right direction at all? "But the water in the Durem Facility's got to come from somewhere, right?" That was they way things went. Streams went into rivers which went into oceans, or something like that. All Ying really knew was that at home there was a lot of water but no rivers, just saltwater.
Yeine looked off to where the man was pointing. "Oh no... it'll take all day to backtrack like that." At the young woman's question she shrugged. "We don't know what it is, really. We just need it to help someone."
All the boring chitchat was driving Tsavorite nuts. Someone needed to stir things up. So she set about doing just that, by flying directly at Aiko. Maybe that would make things interesting, and if not, at least she'd fall over or something.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:43 am
To this, he rubbed the back of his head, closing one eye and diverting his gaze.
"Pipes underground, yeah. I think there might've been a river there at one point. Uh... d'ya know what a Reclamation facility is, kid?"
Aiko tried to reach over to pinch Nigel, her little reminder that he was being rude, but didn't get there. When the creature came flying at her, she let out a squack of surprise and took two stumbling steps back. Unfortunately for her, her hold on the moonstone slipped, and she didn't have enough time to regain her footing and stick out a hand to catch the falling stone.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:51 am
"No," Ying admitted reluctantly. She just figured it was a place water came before it went to people's houses. "And don't call me a kid," she added. "I'm not some- SAVVY!"
As soon as the stone dropped it was as if time slowed down for Yeine. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she knew that if it fell, it would not be good. Too late to reach it in time, she still thrust a hand out in front of her.
And somehow, the rock stopped.
Panting with the effort it took to use whatever power she'd found, she motioned for someone to pick up the stone with her head.
It had been fun at first, but that annoying girl stopped that trinket from falling. And now she was going to be "punished." Tsavorite slipped into sulkiness, trying to hide in the shadows of the two strangers.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:57 am
Things were still and silent for a moment before Nigel reached forward and took the stone from the air, gave it one toss before catching it again, and glared at Aiko.
"This is what you get for taking your stupid rock for a walk."
"And no one asked you to come along said walk with me in the first place!" Aiko shot back, momentarily forgetting that she was around almost complete strangers. She snatched the moonstone from Nigel and held it to her chest and looked at Yeine. "Thanks, though. I appreciate it a lot." To be honest, she wasn't sure how exactly that had happened, but then again, she didn't quite care.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:53 am
As soon as the rock was being held, Yeine gave a shudder and let her arm drop. How had she been able to do that? She wasn't being trained for it at all, since the academy had shut down...
"I'm just glad it's okay," Yeine breathed, flexing her fingers that had somehow gone stiff.
Yes, definitely time to make a graceful exit. Tsavorite inched behind the strangers, hoping to come around the open side without anyone being the wiser.
Unfortunately, broadcasting that plan through a bond was not the best thing to do as far as keeping it secret went. Before the fiend could get far, Ying plucked it right out of the air. "I can't take you anywhere!" she shrieked! Her purse was at her side, and she shoved the stone in it, next to the glowstone she kept there, and zipped the bag shut. The glow was relatively dim, but at least Savvy wouldn't be comfortable. "And think about what you've done."
The business with Savvy's misbehavior had been so much to deal with that Ying didn't even notice much of the direct result, instead disciplining her bonded. "I'm sorry," she finally said, bowing to Aiko. "She's got a bit of a mean streak. Is everything okay?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:00 pm
Being Japanese herself, Aiko returned the bow.
"No, everything's fine. Me and my 'stupid rock.'" She gave Nigel a glare.
Nigel just rolled his eyes and folded his arms.
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:44 pm
Nigel's indifference made Yeine uneasy again, and she edged behind Ying, massaging her stiff hand. She was still too surprised to be of much use, so she decided to let Ying handle the talking. She was better at it anyway.
"No such thing as a stupid rock," Ying commented. "Even Savvy's not stupid, just annoying."
The stone was pretty though. Ying always lost herself in the beauty of gemstones, and this one was a gorgeous iridescent one that reminded her of Rinsei a little. Before she knew what she was doing, the teen put one hand one the stone.
A jolt raced up Ying's hand, and she withdrew it quickly. "A core!?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:53 pm
Aiko blinked at Ying's sudden exclimation.
"Nani...?"
Nigel, however, noticed the other girl's uneasyness and shock at what he assumed was herself. Hey may have been an a**, at his usual, but he wasn't completely mean. He tried a (small) smile.
"I'm Nigel, by the way." He nodded at Aiko. "She's Aiko."
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:01 pm
"It- it's nice to meet you, Mister Nigel, Miss Aiko." Yeine recognized one of Ying's trances when she saw one and knew that the Jumi would be staring at the rock for a while. So she took it upon herself to accept the introductions. "My name is Yeine, and my friend is Ying."
Even at the mention of her name, Ying did not look up. Instead she stared at the moonstone. How did she not feel it earlier? Worry, probably, and haste, and then her anxiety over Tsavorite's behavior. All of that had clouded her senses, so that she actually had to touch the gem in order to feel its potential.
"It's a core. How come you're taking it with you? It's not ready yet."
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Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:05 pm
Aiko sent a look at Nigel, one that said 'see, it's not just a rock... obviously.' Then she looked back at Ying.
"G-gomen... I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're talking about."
Nigel nodded at Yeine, then looked at the exchange between Aiko and Ying with a sigh.
"There'll be no living with her now," he muttered. Not that there ever really was to begin with.
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