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 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:38 pm
I shall now demonstrate the Law of Sacae…
Tribesmen fighting with all they have for the sake of one another! ~)Sue(~ Sue noticed the movement, just as Rath had. Like tracking, sensing their enemies, the various flying fighters was another part of her nomadic training. Out of instinct, since she was the intruder's wings, she drew out her silver sword. Sure, it wasn't as effective as her preferred weapon, and her heirloom, Miugre was nowhere to be seen, but it was better than nothing. She noticed the masked Raven have a little... familiar aura about her, but there was no time to figure out who she was. Sue kept her silver sword's hilt gripped firmly, prepared to charge like a myrmidon if someone freed the Kilvas Raven's hostage. She wouldn't allow anyone to be hurt... not now, not ever. These were her tribesman, and the invader was threatening them. ~)Nomad Trooper(~ Tell me, is your reasoning bent? If so, allow me to
straighten it with my >--arrows-- > and o=|lllswordll> ~~~ Leon just KNEW that he'd made this costume out of scrap armor and carried his real poleaxe in the event that something like this would come to pass (and that it wasn't paranoia). And here he was thinking that Learania's days of tyranny from chaos and horrid things on holidays was over. Boy, was he dead wrong. The first thing the Lieutenant did was sheathe the prop sword, for it would be useless in the current circumstances. The axe stayed put though, in his right hand for good swinging measures.
He moved slowly and steadily towards Vika, alongside Charice and various other undercover Watch officers. He wasn't so swept up in rum that he'd lost his senses. Again, as many times before, Leon gained the awareness he always possessed in times of crisis, scanning the entire room and thinking of what possibilities would come as a result of the current situation.
This required no words, all that was necessary was a firm, ready-to-strike grip on his poleaxe.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:41 pm
We're part of a story, part of a tale... ... Sometimes beautiful, sometimes insane... ♫ ◄NILS► ♫
◘══════════◘
One moment, Nils was blushing with embarrassment. The next, the color drained from his face, worry for Ninian eclipsing his other feelings.
And the next? He found himself automatically stepping in front of Ninian and Roy, golden flute in hand. There was no doubt in his mind what he would have to do; he had to protect his family in whatever way he could. Sure, his flute wasn't the best of weapons, for it was rather light and would take a lot of force behind a swing to really do some damage. Said force could only be achieved with an adrenaline rush. The flute overall didn't seem threatening in the slightest, but with his new ring... He stared at the ring on his finger for a moment, noticing how it was still as bright and vibrant as it was the day that he got it.
... I've got a new trick or two to use if needed.
The flute rose to his lips and he stared at the person (Vika?), waiting for some sort of action from her or another. He wouldn't dare begin to play until someone else made a move first, for his music would surely draw attention to himself...
He could only hope he'd be able to play fast enough if he was required to.
◘══════════════════◘ ... No one remembers how it began...
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:48 pm
 →→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me......Well, this was an interesting development. Not that it was good, obviously.
Annis watched the proceedings cautiously, her arms still folded across her bust. She moved to the side, hyper-aware of her form being out in the open as her fingers twitched. She could duck behind a banner, draw her daggers, and then she could protect herself... but then wouldn't Rath just get pissed at her for having weapons?
Screw the rules, but it wasn't worth also being branded an enemy. The fact that this new arrival was also a Kilvas raven didn't exactly help her own image.
Annis substituted her weapons for a single wine glass off of the refreshments table. If she shattered the cup, she could use the fractured neck as a sharp weapon, no problem. The best hope, though, was that she wouldn't have to use it.
The raven watched her fellow flighted laguz in silence. Her form was tense, wings twitching nervously before folding tightly onto her back.
What are you after?  We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:00 pm
Now I'm stuck here
But I don't belong here 
~Ninian~Despite her headache, Ninian felt the urge to protect her family, as well as FD who was soon to join that family. Slowly she adjusted her scarf so that one end was held securely in her free hand. Glancing down, she made sure that all four rings were still on her fingers. That was the one thing she had made sure of while she was in the infirmary--that she did not once let those rings out of her sight, and rarely did she let them leave her fingers. Rolling her wrist on the side that clutched her scarf, she adjusted her body so that she would be ready to stand and possibly run at a moment's notice if necessary.
Then a thought struck her--she had never before used this particular scarf. Siegell had given it to her a few months prior, but she had always used her original semi-sheer white one before now, else. . . .
She subconsciously leaned closer to Roy, uneasy. The one weapon she might have been able to use was locked up inside her room. Head still pounding, especially now that the person had a hostage and Rath had called the guard to surround them, she wished she had brought Briseschal, even if she did not have the faintest idea how to wield it. All she could do was hope that if things came to a fight, she would be able to dance.
Something told her she wouldn't. I wanna be where you are
Maybe I'm not so far from home
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:03 pm
Still lost in her thoughts, Tristai tried to shake away the panic that enveloped her- if she could only focus on some other emotion, focus on how stupid and angry she should be feeling that she just caused a scene in the middle of a crowded ballroom... but her flight had managed to calm her just enough that as one of her heels caught in the floor tile and she lurched forward, catching herself on her hands and knees, she heard Victoria's voice.
She stopped cold, mouth even open slightly, her hair hanging in a stringy curtain in front of her face. Her gauzy skirt was tangled up in her legs, one pointed stiletto pump left on the floor at least a foot behind her and one still halfway on.
"...V-victoria?" She squeaked, turning to look behind her. The loss of the crowded room and the less than graceful tumble she took had at least driven the oppressive feeling from her- however her face flamed with embarrassment at her entire reaction and how she'd just completely made a fool of herself. She wasn't one to eve show emotion, ever, and she'd just shown enough of it for 500 archetypal maidens in distress to shake a fist at.
She sat back against the wall, her dress moving in a frothy wave of fabric. Her hair was askew, and for a minute she sat blinking in a daze... until she noticed another presence had followed along with Victoria. A red-haired... man.
She glared, reached over to her discarded shoe, and threw it at him. Rather hard. If he didn't manage to dodge it, well... it would leave quite a mark, if the heel of it didn't impale him first...
"Leave me alone, swine." The last thing she wanted to deal with, her temperament was short. Perhaps because she didn't show emotion in any daily aspects of her life, she was taking everything to impossible extremes at this one moment.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:03 pm
He was lost in his own little world, walking absentmindedly down the street towards the castle. His pace was a sluggish crawl, a rather short step each few seconds. His mind couldn't help but wander, more than occupied with the past. One short year ago, he was so... so different. Before he could follow that more, he managed to stumble into a bench next to a building of some kind. He'd nearly gotten caught in the steel spikes jutting from the ground, whirling around and landing right on the bench, without a scratch on him or anything else. He brushed the dust off of himself, snapping back to reality to regain his bearings.
His hair was a slight mess, though he hardly cared enough to fix it, when a simple shake of the head would right it to the point of satisfaction. He rotated his shoulders, wiggling the shirt about his body. If that overly fancy thing stayed in one place for too long, it began to itch like crazy, so he preferred to keep that itching from happening. His pants were a dark purple, made with fine silk, a pocket on each side. Granted, they were both empty aside from some pocket lint, but it wouldn't hurt to have pockets, would it? Around the pants were a black leather belt, the colors blending with the darks of the rest of the garb. Fastened onto said belt was a staff, a dark brown one, with a red gem. Rei had been encountering dizziness prior to his excursion to the party, so an easy-access support would be a boon to have, if needed. But, most people probably wouldn't even see that, for he wore a jacket around his person. This jacket was the darkest purple, a midnight shade. Though it started out rather plain, the bottom was quite ornate, decorated with silver designs on the inky base. Overall, the jacket reached down to his ankles, rippling softly in the autumn breeze. On both sides of the jacket's inner layer, there were pockets. Though the left was empty, the right had a book in it, a tome to be precise. Rei was doing as much learning and research as possible, so why not have some reading material at the party? It could turn out to be quite boring, if he had to resort to reading. While he could have the jacket closed up tight, the breeze felt nice, so he left it alone. Topping it all off were a pair of brown boots and a cape, because he needs shoes and capes were fun.
Well, everything seemed to be in good shape, so Rei smiled just a bit and stood up, resuming his slow stroll to the castle. He'd definitely changed from a year ago. If he'd had that mishap back when Madriana was around, he'd likely have kept spinning around, giggling like Amara. But now... why would he even amuse himself with the thought? It just seemed silly. And this type of thing was exactly why he was doing all of this research. Well, that, and to become more powerful. But learning why he was how he was then, and why he is how is he is now would be fantastic to determine, as well. The Druid conjectured that something had to have caused the shift in personality he'd gone through, but what? Maybe he'd-
Thunk.
Rei ran headfirst into a streetlamp, staggering about as he regained his balance, shaking his head in disbelief. It was dark, and he'd have to hold the musings off until later. He couldn't very well research if he ached all over from running into everything on the street, could he? So, he stuck his hands into his pants pockets and hurried ahead, determined to get to the party at least somewhat close to when it ended.
Of course, that wouldn't be the case. That'd be too easy and simple!
He hurried up the steps, passing a wary gaze at the empty gates as shouts echoed through the night. Shouts were never good. And during a party? Ugh... not another fiasco... Rei's inner voice groaned. Well, at least until realization set in. Wait... things are going on in there. And I'm out here. So... nothing terrible is going to happen to me... Huh. He made a note to point out how his studious tendencies benefited him to Amelia and Nils, and continued hurrying up the stairs. Sure, if things were going wrong, the guy coming in would be in danger, but who cares? He'd been through so much already that a simple party brawl seems like nothing at all!
Vika.
Really, Vika?
Rei looked through the open window, watching the raven girl (because who wears clothes like that in a medieval setting, has wings, and has long black hair like that, honestly?) Why was it always the nice ones that went into angry bloodthirsty rages? Nils, Abel, Tibarn, himself, and now Vika? Really? Must be bad to be a nice guy in Learania, nowadays. But the disembodied voice here digresses. Rei just stood there, in front of the window, staring at the raven as she waved around what looked like a bloody sword, since, you know, swords reflect light and blood is easy to spot. He let out a sigh and put his hand to his face, expecting this holiday to be as disastrous as the last one. And the one before that. And the one before that, too. Oh, and the one way back one entire year ago. At this rate, the kid would have grey hairs before he hit twenty... And oh, would you look at that! Vika went and took a hostage! Very devious. Rei would have changed his stance somehow, maybe done something, but he didn't even recognize the guy, let alone feel that he was obligated to save him. There had to be other people around who could do it, so...
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:04 pm
 Chaos ruled the kitchen as Tibarn sheltered his daughter behind a pan. Vah, for her part, was loving life, and nibbled on a sandwich as her father engaged in fruit artillery, blocking meatballs with a pot lid shield.
This went right up until the screams came from the ballroom, and all kitchen combat ceased immediately. Tibarn paused for a moment, then pushed open the door slightly and glanced at Isadora. "Watch Vah," was all the King of Hawks said before he stood, tossed, the pot lid away, and quickly grabbed the most potent long-range weapon he could think of.
Seconds later, he burst through the kitchen doors to the ballroom. He glared around darkly until his eyes locked on Vika, with her sword-- sword?-- at Ziaram's throat.
A brown bottle of ginger beer whipped through the air, right at Vika's face, and rushing right behind it, wings spread, feet barely off the floor, the Hawk King came at her low, swinging his fist toward her stomach.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:16 pm
John had a very tough time on deciding what to wear. He was always kind of troublesome with this kind of thing. He finally decided on a fine tunic made from some nice Silk. Like the one he had used on his wedding day. He frowned for an instant and put on his wizard Robe and Hat like the ones Octavio liked. He had picked up a real heal staff to fit the costume a little better. He wandered down the hallway to go down to the Ball room and noticed that that the gate had been sealed off. He rushed over and asked one of the guards what had happened. "Some masked person rushed in and wounded some of us with a rapier. The assailant then sealed off the gates behind him."
"Well..Huh..This party is going to be a bit interesting then. Hand me one of those bows.." he said to the guard as he pointed to the silver bow in the corner and the guard immediately obeyed and handed it to him as John placed his staff on his belt and took the bow and quiver and waited for the door to open so the marauder would have to face his barrage of arrows.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:21 pm
This was not good. The stranger had Ziaram as hostage. The guard were surrounding the stranger, but the paladin had a bad feeling inside. She saw that the intruder had wings. This meant that melee weapons were useless to attack if the intruder decided to take flight. What to do now?
Suddenly, the kitchen door was opened and out came Tibarn.
"Ti-" Isadora was about to say when Tibarn told her to watch Vaherianslyeri and went back into the kitchen.
"Wha..." was all she could muster. Since when did Vah enter the kitchen? She didn't remember her being in the kitchen when she last checked.
Suddenly, the kitchen door burst opened and made the paladin jumped as the blur zoomed passed her. What was that? Isadora thought as she looked at the blur.
Turned out that it was Tibarn and he seemed to be holding something as he charged at the stranger.
"Tibarn! NO!" Isadora cried. However, it seemed that Tibarn had handled the situation as he punched the stranger.
Fearing that the stranger might take another hostage, Isadora rushed into the kitchen to do what Tibarn ordered her: to watch over Vah. However, she didn't expect to see Vaida inside. Nor would she remember about the creature that she had tried to remove from the party.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:28 pm
Vika paused for a moment, hesitation showing through in her stance. Then she immediately stiffened, as if a command had told her to regain her composure. This wasn't going well at all. There was really no way she'd get out of here with her hostage. Worse yet, the Hawk King had hurled a bottle at her and was now hurtling towards her!
No matter, though. Sharply turning towards Tibarn, she focused a moment, and the bottle seemed to poof into thin air. Then she quickly shot around Ziaram, the rapier slicing into his shoulder. It was a fine cut - he'd live. She shoved him into the hawk's path, ditched the rapier, and shot into the air herself. Up was the only way to get out of here. And up she quickly flew, smashing through the conveniently nearby window. The glass cut her badly, but she could bear it just a little longer, just long enough to escape...
Higher and higher, and-- wait, what was that? Two figures stood upon a balcony above the ballroom, a man and a little girl. And they were alone. There was no way she would be leaving without something to show for it. Vika altered her flight so she would be soaring directly at the two. The man would be too much to deal with, but the girl was perfect! And so she brought herself down with great speed, and she slammed into him with enough force to send him crashing through the glass doors behind. He wouldn't be getting up for a bit after that.
The little girl screamed and dashed on through the doors. Vika spread her arms in flight, capturing the girl as they found themselves back within the ballroom. Everyone's attention was focused on the window the raven had just escaped from, but all eyes turned back towards her and the girl at the sound of the smashed doors. Hands quickly moved to capture Vika. The raven laguz stood straight, clutching the girl, and in a swirl of eerie magic, both were gone.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:33 pm
Oh god so many people around reacting to the intruder holding Ziraam hostage...yet then the slash on his shoulder...oh that hurt, then getting shoved towards Tibarn...oh that would hurt, yet after a bit, he watched the raven shoot up, and go after...what looked like a small girl, so he dashed, and grabbed the rapier, since he could use swordsmenship, yet then...suddenly that raven disappeared with the small girl...oh the mother would not be happy about that. "Dang it...that raven will pay."
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:42 pm
Please don't be ashamed whether you win or lose... ... I just want you to know that I'm proud of you. ♦ ◄ALIHI► ♦
————————————————
Amara's mind screamed to run. As soon as Abel was knocked aside quite forcibly, she ran, moving as fast as she could, screaming, hoping that her mommy would hear her, that someone, anyone would hear her and help her and save her--
She was quickly yanked backwards and, with another scream, vanished completely, leaving behind only the hat she was wearing on her head...
She was too late. Even with as quickly as Alihi moved as soon as she heard that first scream, she was too late.
She could not save her daughter. Amara was gone. Gone. Gone. Gone... The word echoed in Alihi's head, taunting-- no, torturing the tactician, causing tears to roll down her cheeks as she muttered denial under her breath. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It was all just a terrible, terrible nightmare... She'd wake up soon... right?
Though the pain set in quickly as she repeatedly smacked her wrist, the scene did not change. Amara was still gone, and she was still left behind.
Everything was still the same. Her left hand continued striking the right, the spot growing redder and redder by the moment. "Wake up... wake up..." She said aloud, first softly but with growing intensity. Her sobs were unrestrained and her body shook. "Come on..."
No... No! This can't be real... It can't be! It's too cruel...
Promises ran through her mind, words that she spoke to her child to comfort her.
"Don't worry... I promise... I promise that you will be safe here."
No...
All of them were true. She meant those words from the bottom of her heart.
"No one will hurt you, as long as I'm alive..."
No...!
Alihi fell to her knees, clutching her head tightly. "Amara... AMARA!!"
"... I promise."
————————————————
♥ ◄AMARA► ♥ Don't be afraid when your fight is through... ... I just need you to know that I'm here with you.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:49 pm
 Blossom could only stare. It was difficult to determine what exactly was happening--first Tibarn was attacking, there was that bottle flying, and then the bottle was gone? Wait, what? Blossom found herself gasping as she crashed through the window and seemed to be gone. Was it done yet? No one had relaxed. Had Vika left, or was something else going to--
Now, really, things happening on cue like this really shouldn't happen, but Blossom didn't consider that as she watched the scene unfold, shaking nervously. There was poor little Amara running from the masked raven, but before anyone could reach her, Vika snatched the redheaded child into her arms and... poof. They were gone.
Well, maybe not poof, more like swirlswirlswirl.
But the point was still there--Amara was gone.
Blossom looked over at Alihi. She was going to panic. She knew she was going to panic. Amara was her daughter, and now she was gone, and... things were going to get worse. Much worse. Blossom rushed right over to the brunette, boots tapping heavily on the floor. Her grip loosened on her bottle; the glass shattered on the floor, and the star-shaped stone tumbled to the side, stopping at someone's toe. She collapsed onto her knees next to the brunette and wrapped her arms tightly around her, hugging her close.
Blossom said nothing. There was nothing that could be said, so she offered what comfort she could.What. The. Hell. No way did that chick just kidnap some little kid. No way. This was a joke, right? A practical joke. Songhua or some member of the Crew had a horrible sense of humor and thought that this would count as live performance or something.
No laugh track. No "You've been Punk'd!" No reveal. Nothing.
That little kid was really gone.
Annis slowly sank into a sitting position against the wall, letting the wine glass roll out of her fingers and across the floor. Someone might step on it, but at the moment, Annis frankly didn't care.
Kidnappings were never good, but... ********, a little kid? Annis rubbed her eye with the heel of her left palm. s**t was hitting the fan now. Had she helped? No. And watch, they'll assume I'm involved since I'm a raven, too. ******** considered running out, but decided doing so would only make them view her with suspicion. She sat in silence against the wall, legs folded under her, arms at her knees. Goddess, don't let the kid die.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:52 pm
Rath turned sharply, as he heard Isadora shout, only to see Tibarn throw something at the intruder, and then charge. Actually, Rath hoped that somebody would pull something so reckless as this. But, it didn't really work. The hostage was released, but the intruder was getting away through the ceiling. Was this person crazy? But surely enough, the figure crashed right through the ceiling, sending pieces of discarded glass hurling down. "Take cover!" Rath shouted, hoping that if people wouldn't use their common sense, they'd at least listen to an order. Rath and those near him were safe, as the glass was only over the main crowd.
After all the glass had fallen, he rushed to the front of the crew table, ordered somebody to get healing attention to the former hostage. What a fool he was for getting up and moving around so rashly, after being cut like that. He also ordered a small group of guards to rush outside, and check the skies for any person flying. However, their search would come up empty. Just then, a huge crash came from the doors of the balcony, and a boy dressed in green flew through, and hit the floor hard. Once gain, glass flew everywhere. This time, Rath did need to shield himself. Right after the boy flew threw, a small child ran in, screaming in fear. "What the-" The intruder was back, and flew swiftly toward the child, and snatched her. "Guards! By the balcony!" Rath yelled, as he took out his blade, and rushed over. It was one thing so take a hostage, but to take a small child was unforgivable to him. He would end this person, himself.
However, they would not reach the girl in time. Just as Rath raised his blade to swing down upon the intruder's head, magic swirled up over them, and they vanished instantly. "...." Whatever the hell just happened, it ruined everything that had been planned. Rath was pissed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:53 pm
Now I'm stuck here
But I don't belong here
~Ninian~Ninian could do nothing but watch as everything unfolded almost too fast for her to follow. Tibarn charged in an attempt to stop the intruder, who shoved her (was it a her?) sword into her hostage, flying upwards as soon as the Hawk King was distracted. She vanished from view for a moment, suddenly returning in pursuit of a little girl. A very familiar little girl.
Without realizing what she was doing, Ninian stood, crying, "Amara!"
Ninian's head pounded, her heart racing for fear of what the intruder might do to Alihi's daughter. Before Ninian had the chance to take even one step, both girl and intruder had vanished.
"No! Amara!" Ninian screamed, though she knew it was futile. The intruder was gone, yes, but so was Amara.
And she wasn't the only one screaming.
"Amara... AMARA!!"
Ninian felt the blood drain from her face. "Alihi," she breathed, her good eye searching to find the tactician.
She stumbled over to her, knees still hurting from her earlier fall. Collapsing on the floor beside her, Ninian wrapped her arms around the tactician and mother. Blossom had already rushed over, her being uninjured.
What else could they do but hold her? There was no comforting a mother who had lost her child. They would comfort her now as best they could, but even as her mind reeled, Ninian knew they had to get Amara back. No matter what.I wanna be where you are
Maybe I'm not so far from home
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