|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:28 am
Maximos No sooner than Grace seemed to think it, did Walter respond. Was it a lucky guess? Maybe. A skill? Possibly. A mystery? Definitely. If the Madam would like a serving of Arcalu tea does wonders for inner magical disturbances, pains, and symptoms felt by most mediums." Tea would be quite pleasant at this point, thank you Walter." At the least it would allow Grace to continue to think things over..
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:41 am
Excellent!
But first came lunch, there was this large spread before them it would be simply of them to walk away leaving it all there. Beside the shinys werent going anywhere. So grabbing a pair of tongs Maximos got to filling his plate with a few entree's.
Any plans for your new life, Rae?
---
Very good Madam, this way.
He turned making his way toward the buffet. The very last section of the table was dressed with pitchers, and teapots of various sorts and shapes, and sizes. None were labeled but Walter knew where to reach. He grabbed a small black teapot and a black teacup and filled it with a healthy serving of gentle blue liquid before turning back to Grace.
Cream or sugar?
---
Maximos smiled for a moment on the opposite side of the door. He felt good, accomplished, and turned to make his way down the hall past a set of double doors into his room.
For Maximos a nap was all he could manage, sleep never came easy for the shadow. Dreams, visions, flashes, horrors all plagued his mind. Though they existed far before Barton. After an hour, Maximos was awake, a glass of cold Life Leaf tea resting beside his bed, 4 cubes of ice and a hint of lemon. Walter always knew...always...
A shaky, wet right hand gripped the glass taking a sip as he began switching out the bandages of his right arm. It always bled in his sleep, staining his sheets in black, he could only be thankful that Walter managed the sheets.
Twenty minutes later, the all too familiar sound clings and clangs echoed through a quiet section of the house several halls away from the sleeping quarters, as swords and armor clashed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:59 pm
Maximos Excellent!But first came lunch, there was this large spread before them it would be simply of them to walk away leaving it all there. Beside the shinys werent going anywhere. So grabbing a pair of tongs Maximos got to filling his plate with a few entree's. Any plans for your new life, Rae? " I think I need to learn to fight all over again..." Rae munched on something that she thought was a vegetable as she thought over his question " and I think making friends with all the people who might have been missing me these past months would be a good idea as well." " But I should also try and stick around the big guy." She nodded towards Tomorrow. " See if we can not figure out exactly why Verandi brought me here when your own Hono is apparently alive and well, even if she is out of reach at the moment..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:55 pm
Maximos Maximos smiled for a moment on the opposite side of the door. He felt good, accomplished, and turned to make his way down the hall past a set of double doors into his room. For Maximos a nap was all he could manage, sleep never came easy for the shadow. Dreams, visions, flashes, horrors all plagued his mind. Though they existed far before Barton. After an hour, Maximos was awake, a glass of cold Life Leaf tea resting beside his bed, 4 cubes of ice and a hint of lemon. Walter always knew...always... A shaky, wet right hand gripped the glass taking a sip as he began switching out the bandages of his right arm. It always bled in his sleep, staining his sheets in black, he could only be thankful that Walter managed the sheets. Twenty minutes later, the all too familiar sound clings and clangs echoed through a quiet section of the house several halls away from the sleeping quarters, as swords and armor clashed.
The giant cat under one arm, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Slipping quietly out of her room she headed in the direction of the sounds. It took her a little while to navigate the corridors, but when she arrived hugging the cat stuffy, just blinked in curiosity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:19 am
Maximos seemed concerned at that last comment. Fighting was good and well, while he had never versed Raven he had heard stories of her battle prowess and seen her a few times in action. And it would be good for her to enjoy her friends yet again, for the first time.
But...
Hmmm...
He said, going still and silent looking forward for across the horizon and then down to his plate. He wanted to say this, but he didnt want it to sound wrong. He didnt want Rae to get the wrong idea when the very idea of her condition was to form her own idea's. Still, he couldnt stand the idea of her being hurt for being naive.
Be careful, around him....Rae. He has a habit of diving recklessly into situations...and...I dont want to see anything happen to you.
---
Combat.
Perhaps Teira's first introduction to the unfriendly side of this world. Maximos might have been sad, if he knew she was watching. He had hoped to shield her from this side of reality for a bit longer, but it was an evil he had to indulge, and this indulgence may in turn cost Teira a tad bit of the innocence she had attained.
The halls of Shadow Island had long been a place of acoustic excellence. Sound bounced off thee corridors like a super-ball off of...anything. And for someone with such instinct and experience as Teira...tracking was cake.
She would reach a set of half opened gym doors easily taller than Maximos. The gym was at least 3 times the size of the dining room. And Teira would enter just in time to see Maximos', five of them, engaged in intent combat, and focused on a each other. Five figures clashing swords and fists. There seemed no real way to tell who was Maximos proper and who wasnt, and they were so intently locked in combat he seemed to miss Teira's arrival entirely!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:28 am
She watched wordlessly as something dark lurked behind golden eyes. Something that in the past had been associated with a darker self, a soul separate from her own. But as Maximos had feared, this was a darkness all her own.
Teira... or rather Sierra, was born of fire and darkness, elements that are innately destructive if not channeled or harnessed in some manner. Those elements had the doors of power slammed tightly shut on them at the moment, thanks to the artifact on her finger... a gift, from Walter.
But this... this was another element of her life, equally as dark and deadly. A missing piece from the puzzle of her lost memories. She had been trained in the ways of the sword since she was old enough to hold one. The ritual performed at birth, where a priest or priestess read the newborn's stars... It had been announced then that she would train in the arts of sword and dance, for the gods had written it in the heaven's. And trained she was, in the elven sword form Bil'aken Die'na (meaning bladed dance). They say that if the body repeats an action enough times, the action will become a subconscious reflex...
While her mind was trying to make sense of what she was seeing, her body was tensed, alert.... poised and ready to enter the fray.
She watched in awe until one of the Maxi's scored a hit on one of the other Maxi's... she unsure of who was was the real Maximos, but it didn't matter. They all had the same face, and seeing a person you care about get hurt--
"MAXIIIMOS NUUU!"
She screeched angrily, dropping the cat ploosh and tackling the offending Maximos and then--- then what? She didn't want to hurt him either! This man was also Maximos! Rolling to her feet her eyes flashed wildly unsure of what to do...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:41 pm
Maximos Maximos seemed concerned at that last comment. Fighting was good and well, while he had never versed Raven he had heard stories of her battle prowess and seen her a few times in action. And it would be good for her to enjoy her friends yet again, for the first time. But... Hmmm...He said, going still and silent looking forward for across the horizon and then down to his plate. He wanted to say this, but he didnt want it to sound wrong. He didnt want Rae to get the wrong idea when the very idea of her condition was to form her own idea's. Still, he couldnt stand the idea of her being hurt for being naive. Be careful, around him....Rae. He has a habit of diving recklessly into situations...and...I dont want to see anything happen to you." No worries Maxi... I think Hono and I are both just as reckless as the big guy, in our own way!" Rae wasn't looking at much of anything now, she was busy looking through her memories and finding a lot of different instances when she had been a complete idiot xp " But, I will be watching my back this time around!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:50 pm
Its true, he was hit. While he wasnt foolish enough to fight with sharp weapons the sting of pain gave him the lesson and the urge he needed. He stomped forward, bringing his blade up deflecting the business end of the oncoming sword while grabbing his opponents wrist and pulling the sword downwards behind his back. With an audible clang it deflected a slash aimed for his spine. With a kick he sent the shadow back, tightening his grip as to steal the weapon as the man was sent away. He stepped forward, but immediately arched his back swing both legs in a scissor cut, sending the second shadow to the ground as it was "sliced" across the gut. Without delay as the slice finished he arched his back even further planting both blades in the ground as he performed a quick backflip spreading his legs wide to deliver two kicks to the opponents on either side of him. The moment the balls of his feet touched the ground he sprung forward leaving two cutting slices across both men, sending them to the ground. This left only the one unarmed opponent who by now had stood, and who he was able to impale when.... ....he froze. That voice! Here! It meant that....a dull blade slammed into his chest knocking him back, and delivering a "killing" blow. It meant he had lost. All four Maximos' vanished in tufts of black as two jet black long swords dropped to the ground and his eyes locked on Teira with utter shock on his face. T-teira?! W-um....what're you doing here?! How did you find me?!Walter couldnt have told her, he just couldnt have! ---As long as you know what your heading into...He said cautiously. It was the very most he could do, it wasnt his place to play father here. That would be immensely rude of him. But he didnt want her to be hurt by some half brained scheme that served almost no purpose other than to glorify-- Well it was a thought best left alone for now. Alright, but if you have any problems, you know your always welcome, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:16 am
"M-Maximos? MAAAXXXIIIIII!~"
She blinked warily as the shadows disappeared and then she flung herself at Maximos with worried affection. For a tiny elven woman, she had a lot of strength and clinging to him, hugging him that tightly would be like being wrapped in a bear hug strong enough to crack your back. She nuzzled his cheek happy to see he was okay. Yet he looked unsettled.
"How did you find me?!"
She just grinned at him and tugged the tips of hear ears indicating she had listened her way to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:02 am
"Problems with what?" Donner asked as he led Grace over to the table, sitting her down in the chair next to Rae, before walking over to the...buffet to grab something to eat, standing back for a minute to boggle at the amount of stuff to choose from...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:10 am
"Snack stealing...overprotectiveness, bad B.O.?" xp that was rather an interesting question, what kind of problems could come up if she hung around with John.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:15 am
Grace smiled her thanks to Tomorrow as he led her to a seat, to no avail... "Just sugar please and thank you Walter." sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:00 pm
Teira might be surprised to hear her back popping strength had done just that. Three or four pops jumping from Maximos back making the shadow wince a bit.
Her answer made him feel like a complete fool. Elf, of course. He should have taken that into consideration. Just a day of innocence longer, an hour, a minute...But Walter was right, his council always wise.
How long have you been watching?
---
Maximos stayed noticeably silent. If he were to list the "problems" he saw, he risked being a poor host. And especially with Walter right there, he would never. He wouldnt want to disappoint his stately butler and friend.
---
Of course.
A few lumps not too many, just enough to add flavor without being the flavor. This particular blend was very sweet to begin with. What Grace did not know is that Arcalu tea was brewed of the Arcanalu root, a magical root of a blue branched tree not exactly native to Gaia. The soil it required to thrive since could not survive on such a magically depraved world as Gaia. The root was used by the natives in its realm to quell the effects of magical addiction, to release aches and pains from magical overuse, but most importantly it was a defensive tool. Arcalu root much like an antacid pill, coats the magical circulatory system in a defensive coating, keeping it smooth, clean, and safe.
It was a quick remedy for Maximos after a day full of enchanting and spell crafting, and it would be perfect for an easy recovery from what Grace had just experienced.
Walter would only reveal that it was sweet tasting tea, admonishing that Grace..
...Enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:35 pm
HonoRaven " Snack stealing...overprotectiveness, bad B.O.?" xp that was rather an interesting question, what kind of problems could come up if she hung around with John. Donner scoffed, grumbled and muttered to himself. Snack stealing...he hadn't stolen a snack in over three months! And so what if he was overprotective...would she rather the sky fall on her head? And as for the B.O.... ...He was working on that. He began loading a plate full of pies and cakes sullenly. He knew exactly who had the problem. And the fact that he had chosen not to voice it, amongst friends, made Donner feel like Maximos had changed for the worst all over again. If he had a serious problem, they should discuss it like the men they were. Not pussyfoot about it. But then...if Maximos had a serious problem with it, he would have said something, perhaps denied...whatever it was that they had been talking about. And whilst it didn't make Donner feel any better, it did give him some comfort. He wasn't a complete loss yet. His plate piled high, he turned and sat down on the grass next to the table. He would've sat on one of the chairs provided, but he feared destroying them under his immense weight, and seeing as his being here was a gift unto itself, he didn't want to cause any more stress then he already had. So he sat quietly and ate, looking about himself at the surroundings whilst he stuffed his face. He was actually quite hungry...and the food was delicious... "...It still puzzles me why you live on this island. Why not just find a place on the land? There are plenty of places quite like this where you could live comfortably..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:01 pm
Of course, on the other side of the same coin, if John knew what Maximos was thinking and felt so strongly about how it should be handled why didnt he say something, instead of pussyfooting around the issue?
Hypocracy. Another habit to toss on his list of reason for having written Tomorrow out of the Shadow Island defenses.
Now he was being questioned on his motives? There were the simple questions you asked to start conversation "Where did you find this land? How long did it take to make it fly?" And then there were the clearly jealous questions that were sapped with that vile green flow from ones aura. Tomorrow was not just questioning, he was provoking, trying to make convince Maximos not to do something against his will. Obviously against his will as if Maximos wanted to live on the ground, he would be. It was not just simple conversation. And even if it was, what sort of reaction did he expect from a man who during their last meeting left him to wallow in the waste of his own life? Friendliness? No.
Simply put, while Maximos had tried his best to remain civil, Tomorrow was being a bad guest. And the issue he struck was private, for close friends only. These habits were beginning to rub on the Shadow. Walter would have to forgive him, he had yet to manage the butlers constant calm. Instead he turned back to Tomorrow just as his fork slipped from his mouth.
His eyes turned to Tomorrow sharp as knives. His tone flat, cold. There was a clear definition here as to who was friend and who was not.
It still puzzles me why you dwell on that issue. Is that really your concern? Do you have to live here? Are the affairs of myself and the people who live and work here, suddenly your business? No. In fact Johnathan, you really dont even have to be here, if its that much of a problem.
His tone never grew hostile, instead it was direct. To the point. A stern way of saying "Mind your business", and putting the hulk in place. Although he would tack on afterwards.
Mind your business.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
