|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 10:14 am
Sarielle's face lit a bit, as she squatted to ruffle the pristine white strands of Rand's hair; but clearly the hint of melancholy was still there in her grey glance, as it always was.
"Bye Rand," she told him, playfully mimicking his wave with a glance and a wink at Owle. "And bye Owle." Her smile, she hoped, expressed her desire to see them again better than her words had.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:28 am
Rand grinned up at Sarielle, but didn't say anything else as he pulled his shoes back on.
"Bye," Owle said, returning the smile. "Take care of yourself."
She picked up the jar of salve again; she'd feel like such a moron if she forgot it. "And thank you again," she added to Sarielle. She slipped her own shoes on, then knelt down to hoist Rand up onto her shoulders. If nothing else was said, the two of them departed, heading for home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 9:26 am
Lost
Stage: Messenger Reborn ((When Owle arrives at the mountains, Flare is holding her rapier to the throat of an angel named Mavrik, and Rage is snoozing on top of a cabin. Gaia was glitching on Flare and I, so half of our posts are pictures. It should be easy to figure out who wrote what, though.))  "Just Flare is fine," the demon said to Mavrik. "Just what were you doing out here, anyway?"
She glanced toward Owle as the auburn haired woman arrived with her entourage of kids. "Owle. It's about d*mn time.""Well....Im trying to not get kill by getting rejected out of Heaven... Other than that nothing at the moment" "Mavrik," Flare answered. "Mavrik, this is Owle." Without further explanation, she scrutinized Owle. "You're a mess. What have you been doing with yourself?""Living around the Firebrand," Owle answered, a hand coming up to clasp her left shoulder, where there should have been an arm. She didn't want to have to explain the guilt she felt, or her self-inflicted punishment for it. Flare already knew.   Flare's sense of Owle suddenly winked out, just as it had when the girl had died. She didn't know what this purple-haired thing was and what it had done with Owle, but she thought it was best to put a rapier to its throat before it got any further.   "Owle?" Flare asked, feeling their connection flare back to life. "What the hell was that?""Huh?" Owle blinked, confused. Slowly, she uncurled from the awkward position she'd found herself in. "I always blank out..."   ((In the mean time, Rand was left unRPed...so he wandered off into the mountains...and I have to write what happened to him, cause I haven't yet.)) Rand had gone toddling towards the cabin his mommy had pointed out to him...and kept walking right on past it, a concerned Verde trailing after him. There were so many interesting things out here to see, he couldn't stop at just one. There were trees, and there were birds in the trees, and there were leaves on the trees and on the ground, and there were rocks on the ground, and - oooh! An eggshell! Rand toddled over to the little bright blue shards, picking them up in his hands. "Birds made breakfast," he observed wisely. After all, he always saw mommy breaking eggs open to make breakfast. So if there was a broken egg around, someone had made breakfast. Oh! A hill! The eggshell forgotten, Rand ran full speed down the incline, dodging past trees in his mad rush. "Wheeeeee!" At the end he slipped on some dead leaves and fell flat on his back on the earth, cushioned by fallen leaves and needles. The boy lay there, laughing, rolling around in the sweet loamy smell of it. Until, that is, Verde flew over his face. "Too far!" the dragon hissed at him. "Verde not see friend! Rand go back now?" "No!" Rand shouted. "More whiles!" He pushed himself off the ground and ran forward, not listening to the protests of the dragon flying reluctantly behind him. ---- Rand had been having a wonderful time on his adventure, just walking around without his mom guiding him...even if Verde was still following him around, at least the dragon seemed to have given up on getting him to go back. But slowly the little boy was getting tired...he wanted his mommy to come and put him in his little makeshift bed in the Firebrand. "Dark now," Verde commented. "Rand go back?" The child nodded, and turned around. It was getting dark, and the trees were starting to blur into bits of black. But, somehow, it seemed the smells were still alive...as long as he had that, he didn't have to be so frightened. --- "Tired!" Rand exclaimed, sitting down in the middle of the woods. It was hours after he'd decided to go back, and he still hadn't found mommy. He didn't even know where he was. "Lost," Verde conceded, spiraling down to hitch onto Rand's small shoulder. "Your fault," the dragon accused. "Verde can't find mommy?" Rand asked, his blue eyes raising sadly to the dragon's gold ones. "Verde not see friend! Verde not see anyone! Verde only see..." The irritable little dragon was going to go on to list the trees, the dark, the leaves on the ground and Rand just sitting there. But all of a sudden, through the branches, it could see..."Light! Come on, come on! Light mean people! Maybe good people! Come come!" And the dragon took off, whizzing after the dim glow it could see through the branches. Rand sat there a moment longer, staring after him. "Tired..." he complained. Then he started to realize that he was alone. "Verde, wait!" And he got up and started toddling as fast as his exhausted feet could take him after his brother. --- "Ahhh!" His foot slipped over an unseen root and Rand went sprawling face first into the leaves, skidding into a pool of golden light. A hearty laugh boomed out from above him, and the child jumped up on all fours, frightened. "And you must be Rand!" Strong hands surrounded him, taking him by the torso and lifting him up until he was face to face with a red, shaggy beard. Curiosity overcoming fear, Rand reached out to touch it...he'd never seen anything like that on someone's face before! "Ahaha!" The moment before he reached it he was swung around and placed on the big man's back, legs straddling this gigantic person's neck. Rand had to grab some fistfuls of bright red hair to keep from falling off him. "Verde tells me that you're lost," the man's voice issued out from in front of him. "And where might you live? I know these woods better'n anyone, little Rand. I'll get you home." "Firebrand!" Verde's strident voice popped up from Rand's left, and the child looked over to see the dragon also perched on the man's shoulders. "Place called Firebrand, on beach! Big mess now, getting repaired." "The Firebrand..." the man mused. "I think I know that place. It used to be called the Memorial, didn't it? And before that it was Montage's..." The earth seemed to shake beneath him as the man started walking, and Rand began to sway on his perch. Tiny, new made wings fluttered uselessly as the boy strove to keep his balance. Somehow he clung on. "Verde not know. Firebrand now." "It's in Gambino, right?" Verde nodded. "Not to worry, I'll get you there. So, what's a little guy like you doing up in these mountains all by yourself..?" Soon, Rand got used to the motion of the man's feet, the swaying his body took to accomodate them, the sight of the branches passing by and occasional glimpses of the stars, and the sound of Verde's talking to the man's quiet boom. Slowly, slowly, the exhausted little guy drifted off to sleep... When he awoke the next morning, it was in his own bed, and Verde was lying next to him, snoring gently as the dragon was wont to do. The little boy rolled out from under the covers and landed on the floor with a thump, then leapt up. He wanted to tell his mommy all about his adventure! He ran all throughout the bar, and even went out on the beach searching for her. He'd circled the place twice, and checked everywhere she could be hiding more than three times, before he came to the startling realization... Mom was nowhere to be found.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:11 pm
((Post reserved for finishing transcribing RP that starts here: http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9792677&page=92))Walking the shores of Gambino always allowed Gabriel to experience his preferred method of isolation. The waves sending water up to lick at the base of his boots as they sunk ever-so-slightly into the sand beneath him.
He walked rather slowly, simply basking in the solitude that the remote coast offered him. His hands were jammed into his pockets, his head turned towards the horizon that the ocean rested upon. His eyes, hidden by sunglasses, focused their gaze upon that most remote point, where tiny boats could be seen dotting the landscape, at such a distance that they seemed to remain stationary, frozen in time as if they were painted on to the ocean's surface. This brief solace was only marred by the constant playback of his current situation concerning the events that happened at Carter City.
"We here at Selba Corporation do not tolerate failure, Mr. Danan"
"If I was going to get that core from that dead robot I would have needed a little bit more than that pea shooter you guys gave to me."
"I thought you said you could handle it."
"Yeah? That was before I ran across a group of people that had enough artillery to take out the entire subway tunnel I happened to be in. What do you want me to do about it?"
"I want you to get me at least one of those cores. The man who sent out the bounty for those things has gone missing, which means there is still time."
"Forget it."
"You don't have a choice, Mr. Danan, we funded the research for that little suit you're wearing, and we funded your surgery. You owe us your life."
"If I'm going to work for you, I expect double what we agreed earlier."
"You'll get nothing. Your life will be your reward."
And that was how it ended. Granted, Gabriel did understand that those cores were worth a great monetary amount but, surely there had to be something else that attracted so many other adventurers.
Power.
It dawned on him. If Selba managed to have his way and gain the core, he would have incredible insight into the field of robotics. That was why he was so interested in the Carson City crisis. Whether or not that was indeed the case, Gabriel didn't know. But he intended to attain one of those cores and find out for himself.
Thunk.
Gabriel's head smacked into a floating sign just in front of a stone structure on the beach. Agitated, he turned his attention towards the source of the sign. Amazingly, Gabriel had somehow transferred from sand to stone and ascended a flight of stairs without realizing it prior to striking the sign.
"Firebrand Bar and Grill."
He read aloud before turning his eye to the door. With a shrug of his shoulders, Gabriel placed a hand upon the wooden structure, forcing the door inwards upon its hinges with a slight push.
Perhaps he could find some information in this place.A small child was sitting inside the Firebrand, playing with a big red ball. His white cotton shirt and pants were soiled, dirty, and torn at the knees, and his fluffy light hair looked as if no one had washed it in days. Still, the child seemed content, his blue eyes sparkling as he played. It seemed, though, that the child was not human...two small wings, their brown feathers flecked here and there with black, protruded from his back. Every now and then, a six inch long dragon would fly off the child's shoulder, trying to get the ball before he did. When the stranger entered, the child caught the ball and held it. His wide blue eyes turned toward Gabe. "Who?" he asked. "Have you seen mommy?" Gabriel tilted his head to the side upon entering the bar. Of all things, he had not expected to see a child playing with a ball, let alone with a dragon for a pet. Stepping away from the doorway, Gabriel's gloved hand left the door, allowing it to fall shut of its own accord. The ensuing wind sent his hair billowing forward, some of the bangs falling onto the lenses of his sunglasses. In response, Gabriel lifted his right hand, his index finger and thumb resting on the right lens. Drawing his sunglasses away from his eyes and resting the lenses atop his forehead, the mercenary did his best to offer a reassuring smile.
"Afraid I don't know who your mom is, kid."
Gabriel walked forward. There was no malice in his step nor in his voice. It appeared that he was, for the most part, a gentle soul. Upon reaching the child, he lowered himself to a knee, looking at first the red ball, then the dragon that rested upon the child's shoulder.
"My name is Gabriel. What is yours?"
To be honest, Gabriel did not expect a response. He, as a child, would never have divulged that information to a complete stranger, particularly one wearing a black combat suit such as his own. "Rand!" the child answered, proud of his name. "Mom's, well, sometimes she's short, like a little higher than me, and her hairs all purple, and she's got funny scales and a big tongue. But other times she's taller, and she's got really long hair, and wings like mine!" The small green dragon turned to glare at the stranger, looking him up and down. Rand was all innocence; he had never been around violence before. What few fights had happened around him had seemed a game, and no one had been injured. The dragon, however, had nearly been destroyed the moment he was born... "You friend?" the dragon asked suspiciously. Well, at least the kid was eager, and gave a fairly decent description of the mother. Unfortunately for the young child, Gabriel had never even seen someone vaguely resembling either form he had chosen to describe. After the description, he slowly shook his head side to side, his eyes downcast.
"Sorry Rand, I haven't seen your mom."
The dragon, at the very least, caught him off guard when it addressed him. This had been his first real encounter with any of the scaled creatures, and he was fairly glad that this one didn't make up half the length of his arm. Still, he had meant no harm when addressing the child, and so he responded in kind to the dragon.
"I don't want to hurt the kid, so yeah, I'm a friend."
Still, a part of him began to wonder if he could turn this lack of fortune into opportunity. However, the child could simply be just another orphan, with no real significant value other than his life. He shook the thought from his mind. He wasn't going to resort to kidnapping. Not when so much was at stake and he had so little knowledge. No, he'd help the kid instead.
"Do you know where your mommy ran off to? Perhaps I could help you find her."Espyn rose from the ocean waters on the outskirts of the tavern and shook himself thoroughly, smiling at the early sun and running over the sand that was sticking to his feet towards the door. The youth burst in, light flooding in behind him casting shadows all about past the chairs and tables, and without saying hello to anyone he ran to the bar and ordered a bottle of strawberry vodka.
"Strawberry fools!" he shouted rather irritated as he scanned the bar for anything he was interested him. "Oh forget it." he sighed, jumping over the tables and dashing around the back grabbing two bottles: one of vodka and one of some tequila, and then jumping into the air just near the ceiling. Fooling some into thinking he was going to crash through the ceiling, he melting into hovering water that passed through the nooks and crannies, did the same through the roof, and was off.
"Merci!" he cried as he knocked loudly on the top of the tavern.
He was an ex-thief. It's what they did. "Oh..." Rand looked crestfallen, the corners of his mouth drooping into a frown. "I was hoping she'd be here, but she hasn't gotten back yet." Well, the dragon reflected, at least the man didn't look like he was bad people...he wasn't going to make things go boom, or give Rand any booboos. The dragon nodded. Verde decided he could trust this man for now. "Me Verde. Friend Owle get lost." "Um..." Rand had to think for a while. "We were in the mountains, going to see mommy's scary friend. And then mom said we should go play with Rage, and then Verde and I decided to explore instead, and then we couldn't find mommy, and then a nice man with a red beard helped us find where we'd left mommy, except mommy wasn't there. So then we came here, but mommy wasn't here, either."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:16 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:21 pm
((Reserved for meeting Lind in town))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:24 pm
((Reserved for getting Rand a babysitter.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 9:20 am
((Reserved for playing with Lind over Sari's.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:34 am
((Finished up with "Lost." Now reserving this post for eventually picking up Rand from Sari's house.))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:45 pm
((Out of sequence, but I was inspired))
Nothing ever happened here, Rand thought, kicking a rock against the wall. It bounced off the outside of the bar & grill with a thunk. Mom always had stories of grand adventures, but whenever he tried to find out what was going on, she shoved him aside.
She forgot about him a lot. She took care of him and all, made sure he was fed and watered, and acted like a good little dog. Every now and then Rand thought she must think of him like a pet...something that could just be left up to its own devices, instead of someone that needed attention and a playmate every once in a while.
Rand liked the freedom, but every once and a while he longed for her to pay more attention to him. I mean, who cared if some girl was making mushy faces at some guy? It was gross, yeah, but no need to get mom all upset and distracted. And Verde was no fun, either.
He thought about running away pretty often nowadays, but where would he go? The only place he could think of was back to Taka's, but Taka had just given him back to Mom when she'd come to reclaim him. When she was done with whatever was so important that she'd abandoned him for a week.
And Taka's mom was gone, too, longer than his was. That had to hurt. Maybe Taka was lonely? Maybe she'd want to see him?
Could he find the way back there on his own?
Maybe...if he tried real hard...or followed mom the next time she left...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:29 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:34 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:38 pm
((Just a random little excerpt from the Firebrand to show how Rand eats his sandwiches.))
Owle completely missed all the drama that surrounded the newcomer's entrance. The elegance, the fire, the shadows...all were lost on her, as she was in the kitchen tending to more important things like cleaning and cooking. She did, however, after some time, notice the stranger sitting out in the main room. It looked like he'd already been served, though by who she had no idea...that wine glass didn't look like any of the one's Rage had in the cabinets. And she'd lived here long enough to recognize things like that.
She flipped Rand's sandwich off the grill and onto a plate, turned the heat off, and walked back out into the bar and tavern area. "There you go," she said, placing the dish in front of a small boy with white hair, dirty clothing, and tiny brown and black wings.
The boy immediately started taking the sandwich apart, much to Owle's disapproval.
"Rand, you're supposed to eat the whole thing at once, it tastes better that way..."
"But I want to see what's in it!" the little boy protested, his big blue eyes looking up at her. Owle only sighed.
"Fine...fine..."
"I'll put it back when I'm done," he reassured her, and resumed trying to pry apart the melted cheese and grilled ham.
Owle just shook her head in despair, the motion causing her own long blue hair to swish over her ridiculously small brown wings and the strange, armor like scales that grew from her shoulders.
Done tending her child, who looked nothing like her save for the wings, she headed over to the strange red-eyed man sipping a glass of...she sure hoped that was wine. "Hello, sir, welcome to the Firebrand. How may I help you?" It wasn't often they got customers, she ought to treat the ones they had right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:40 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:24 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
