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 Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:45 am
The harley sped right through the gates leading into Latent's Outer City. The guard on duty just stared bewildered as a single gold coin spun it's way into the entrance fee's funnel.
Smoke rose from the ground and a faint trail of blackened flames could be seen, following the tire tracks.
This place....again..
How much had happened... ever since HoH had finished.
From his defence of the city, to the deal he made with Yaits... to finding his way to the Firebrand, and then defeating Chaos itself (with help of course).
Was this the road to redemption?
"....There's still a lot I have to do Owle, before I can rest."
The bike was traveling well under the city's speed limits, so his words wouldn't be lost to the wind. "Still people I have to find... and someone I have to stop."
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 7:56 am
"I understand," Owle said.
She was relieved the bike had slown down, and her voice seemed a lot calmer than it had been. Though maybe that was cause she wasn't shouting anymore.
"And..."
Maybe this should wait till they stopped. Till they had breakfast, till she had time to think it over.
"I want to help you, if I can." Or not; Owle had never been prudent before, so why start now?
"I can't bear to sit around when both you and Rafe are in trouble. I can't do anything for Rafe right now...so I want to help you, however it is I can." Just move on, like it never happened. Or maybe like it did and it didn't change anything at all.
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:08 am
"There are things about me you wouldn't understand."
The harley idled in against a nearby sidewalk, landing a free parking spot in between two pick-up trucks.
"Not to mention you have better things to do than tag along with me. You have a child to give birth to, your "adventure" liscense is temporarily revoked."
He smiled faintly, and got off the bike, extending a hand out to her.
"There's a place near here. A friend of mine runs it."
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:17 am
"Try me," Owle said, a challenge if there ever was one. "Even if I don't understand...that doesn't mean I won't want to help you."
Oh, they had stopped! Thank the powers that be! Land, glorious unmoving land!
"Hey, that's not for another seven months!"
Indignant, she folded her arms across her chest. She might have considered not taking his hand if she hadn't been so eager to get off the bike. So she put her hand in his, letting him help her to solid ground.
"And I've got at least another three before things start getting so bad I can't do stuff..."
She grumbled, then smiled up at him. "I swear, I'll go stir crazy if anyone tries to stick me in bed before then."
At the mention of a place nearby, she nodded. "So, lead the way."
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Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:38 am
He waved her off with his left hand idly, while leading her with his right.
"Yea, yea..."
His mind was racing with thoughts, and his feet carried him forward solely out of habit. He could feel a dull ache in his heart every now and then, but it wa sso subtle, he barely paid it any mind.
"Have you ever seen a Siren?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:43 am
Owle sighed, heavily. She hoped he didn't think he could get rid of her that easily...but maybe that was what he wanted. Maybe she should...
It might even help what was happening in the Dreaming, if she got away from him, now. Just looking at what Rafe was doing...just looking at what she had caused...it made her stomach want to hurl.
Or maybe that was just the morning sickness, kicking in.
Still, she tried to keep in good spirits. She knew, no matter what she told herself, that she wouldn't leave Vahn without a fight...maybe it wasn't that she loved him, and maybe they couldn't be together, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy his company.
"A Siren? You mean...like the women who sit on rocks and lure sailors to their deaths?"
Why was he asking something like that?
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:27 pm
"Ehh.. I suppose it would be something like that. Although I've never seen her do that bit..."
Mingling into the crowd, everything just felt.. normal for once.
He even fooled himself into imagining things like this-- some semblance of a family just enjoying their day out in the town.
Idiot...
He shook himself out of the stupor, even as they entered the Inner City of Latent. It wouldn't be long before Feimurgan loomed itself before the two.
(after your post, I'll be posting in Feimurgan next.)
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:02 pm
"Oh...so this friend of yours is a Siren?" That was a bit weird, and the discomfort Owle had at the idea registered in her voice.
Things weren't -quite- normal. She was following Vahn around instead of dragging Rage or being dragged by Flare. And she was going to eat somewhere that wasn't the Firebrand. That in itself was a change of epic proportions in her life.
But you know what...she would be okay.
For a moment, she even allowed herself to think that Vahn was fine with things, too, until he made a sudden return to...whatever it was you'd call that emotion. It was a subtle shift, but a noticeable one...like he'd stopped worrying for a minute and now everything was gnawing at him again.
"Hey, cheer up. We're going to eat breakfast, not to a funeral or something."
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:47 pm
Shouyin was walking through the town, looking for a few odds and ends before he went off again. Some guy was holding some tournament off in some crazy stadium, and while the media publicity seemed slight, the half-golem was certainly itching to get back in action. The prize pot was pretty hefty too, not as much as Heaven or Hell's had been, but Team Glacier had split that one four ways, so it paled in comparison to this individual prize.
The thoughts on fame and fortune certainly seemed to dull his character though, but one had to consider the life of a man unemployed. Fame meant the possibility for endorsements, though that wasn't really the half-golem's thing it obviously made for good revenue, and fortune meant he could eat something good and sleep in a hotel room instead of rummaging in his backpack for a sandwich and laying down in the back seat of his car. Grinning stupidly, Shou cupped his chin with his left hand, massaging the lower half of his face while looking at some of the merchant stalls.
Suddenly, the young man heard a song. Despite Sokugoku, he couldn't see the one who sung it though, not even a wisp of hair disturbed by the vibrations of her voice. He assumed it was a she, from the sound and whatnot. Infinitely beautiful and sad, certainly a lament that'd cross time and space to be perceived by all.
The half-golem stopped, a pained look appearing on his face.
But in an instant the music ceased, and he continued walking.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 3:35 am
The two zoomed through the streets as fast as Knights long legs could take them, evening was rushing in and the crowds were thinning, much to the larger man's chagrin.
They pelted past Shouyin at full tilt, a green and orange blur. Even when an empty cart was placed in they're path, Knights didn't stop.
A leap, and a crack.
And large wings were reflected off the setting sun. Just for an instant, before they were withdrawn, the extra boost gained, and the two were headed out the city again.
Followed closely by an extremely pissed off Vahn Kyonuske and a curious Owle Isohos.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:14 am
Dammit! What is this?! What does htis mean!??
He found himself running, only to slow down even as he caught sight of them taking flight.
"No---!" He turned his head and glanced back, the veins on his forehead standing out as he gritted his teeth. Owle was coming up right behind him. s**t! If I didn't have to worry about he---
He stopped himself short and bit down on his tounge.
Idiot. What are you thinking?!
"Right.. my bike."
He gave a last glance to the pair, before grabbing Owle by the wrist and hefting her up into both arms. "Come on! It's faster if I carry you--"
And with that he was off, running again, before leaping in a single bound and making his way down the street, looking as if he were running on nothing but air from time to time, as blasts of heat and steam gave off.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:41 am
"Ah!" It was about the only thing Owle had the presence of mind to say as she suddenly found herself lifted up into the air, her tiny wings flailing about as she desperately tried to regain her balance. Then she was settled, into Vahn's arms, and he was running off again.
"I'm going to get smaller, make it easier for you to carry me. Just don't drop me!" she sent to him. She would have spoken, except for the fact that her features were already melting into blackness.
The change went slowly enough for him to adjust his grip as he ran, and looked and felt very strange as a result. At first it was as though Owle had simply turned black and gooey, all of her details preserved in this strange shiny black stuff. His hands would seem to sink into her a little, as though there were more give to this material than flesh. The material would feel much like the water's surface, but his hand would not break through.
Then the details would melt and blur together, until nothing but a shape was left. Even that would change, as what had been her legs started shrinking slowly upwards and the rest of her followed suit. As she became smaller and lighter, the now amorphous Owle would seem to be trying to balance herself on only one of Vahn's arms as she became smaller and lighter. Once she had reached the appropriate size, a shape would start to define itself again, first in simplified structures. A sphere for a head, an oval for a body, four dangling legs and a tail. Then the details would emerge again: the face, the paws, even down to the texture of her short fur. Finally came the color, and the material; the cat Vahn held was still largely black, but she was no longer shiny, and she no longer felt like a strangely solid liquid beneath his hands. No, she was most definitely a creature of flesh and blood as she yowled a complaint - no matter how he was holding her, it was too rough.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:56 am
"Knights..."
"I know Jean..."
"They're gonna close the gate soon, Knights..."
"I KNOW Jean!"
The much smaller outter wall had hundreds of gates that went around it's course, mostly for organizational purposes. People wanting to enter the city were issued permits based on colour, stating their reason for coming into Latent and how long they planned to stay. It was a fairly new buisness overall and prone to bugs, but things were safter that way.
That was mostly for traders however. Pedestrians were still allowed to enter and exit as much as they liked, so long as they stayed within curfew.
A curfew that was only about fifteen minuetes away from being enforced.
"Don't worry we've still got plenty of- WTF?!"
"Eh? I can't see? What's wrong."
Of course...with that many gates, it was hard to find volunteers to man them all, so a few were locked and opened just for special occations like tournaments.
Knights twitched at the "We're sorry for the inconveniance..." Sign that started to loom.
"We're gonna have to go over..."
"Should I blow it up?"
"No, I'll use mine..."
"You hate using your's, though."
"..." The ground started to shake.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 2:47 pm
"Ah--- right." He slid to a grinding halt as he rounded the block, having made his way right back to where his Harley had been parked.
"You can find them right!?" He was still holding the newly transgifured feline against his chest, trying to be as gentle as possible about it all, while straddling the bike and starting the engine.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 3:24 pm
"Yeah, lemme go, I'll shift back and sit behind you...more comfy for both of us."
The moment he loosened his grip she squirmed out of his arms, walking over his lap to jump behind him. Within a second, the more human Owle had landed on the motorcycle, her arms encircling his waist and her head pressed against his back.
"I'm going to show you what I see...two golden lines that go straight to them. I can't tell what's between us and them, but the lines will always point the right way."
It took but a second, just a tiny bit of meddling on the surface of his mind to allow him to see her snakes. In a moment, it would seem to him that two large golden wires had appeared from nowhere, stretching outwards toward the southwest. The dimly glowing tendrils seemed vaguely alive, undulating in the air before him. They could not touch the physical world, going through everything including his own body. If he looked behind him, they seemed to be comign from the back of Owle's head.
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