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 Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:15 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:38 am
Lorenna and Carmine moved around the ruins in relative quiet until they passed the first large structure. For no reason that Lorenna could see Carmine had decided that now would be the perfect time to start singing. Lorenna winced. It wasn't that Carmine had a bad voice it was that whenever she couldn't remember a word she replaced it with "la." It should be noted that Carmine's songs consisted mostly of la's with a few words tossed in for flavor. For a short while Lorenna tried to pick up her pace or slow down enough to at least move directly out of Carmine's line of fire. The girl was impossible. She seemed to instinctively match Lorenna's pace without looking. Eventually she gave up and resigned herself to enduring the wind's song in silence.
When they stopped in front of a building that had completely collapsed in on itself Carmine finally stopped making noise to stare. It was smaller than the other structures in the area but it was made of the same dark stone. "It looks like the supports were to weak to hold the roof up." Lorenna said approaching the rubble. She'd seen enough buildings in her time to know what she was talking about. Not here but where she had been born. "We might be able to find something under the debris." With any luck this area hadn't been picked over. Cave ins like this made the ground unstable, perhaps that would keep others out.
"Just, step lightly Carmine and if you feel the ground shift take to wing." Flight would be their advantage here.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:09 pm
As Lorenna discussed what had happened to the building and what they might find Carmine wondered if there might be skeletons under the rubble. If there had been people to leave things in the building there could have been people in it when it fell. She noticed that Lorenna didn't seem to feel the need to mention how long ago it might have collapsed. That was either because she didn't know or she didn't want Carmine to think about corpses. If it was the later then it was a bit too late for that.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it Renna." She said lightly as she hopped up onto the pile. "I'm not stupid." Though the matter of her intelligence seemed to be up for debate by many.
She didn't wait to check if Lorenna was following, the only way to find treasure was to look and they were losing daylight already. She moved carefully over piles of stone and toppled columns keep her sharp eyes to the ground. She was going to find something special here. Carmine had a feeling about it and she always trusted those.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:52 pm
Lorenna sighed and shook her head. Perhaps Carmine was not stupid but she was reckless and that was just as bad. The girl was the reason why sayings such as 'look before you leap' existed but who was Lorenna to try and make a spitfire cautious. It was her reckless, and flamboyant, nature that drew people to her in the first place. Trying to change that would mean killing everything that the UnderGround ever was or could be.
"I'm not helping you when you when you break a leg." She called knowing full well that Carmine would just laugh it off as a joke like she always did. Then she made her up onto the debris and set off in the opposite direction choosing her steps carefully. Every now and then she'd shift a small pile to check for things that might lurk beneath but each time she found nothing.
~*~*~*~*~
After a few hours it was beginning to seem like they really wouldn't find anything here. It was what Lorenna feared, the area had already been picked over for valuables. With how long the place had been around it was hardly surprising. She looked to the setting sun, it was time to meet up with the others.
Just as she was about to take to wing she heard Carmine shout her name followed by a string of nonsense that Lorenna couldn't make out. "Carmine?" She called as loudly as she could feeling legitimately concerned. "Carmine what happened?" Without wasting another second Lorenna flew off in Carmine's direction to find the pink maned mare.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 6:37 pm
Treasure hunting had gotten boring. Carmine never thought that she would think it but she was honestly sick of looking for treasure right now. She was hot, tired, hungry, thirsty and hadn't seen so much as a quartz crystal all day. In a huff she kicked at a small pile of rocks before gasping in horror as those loosed rocks set off a chain reaction. She took a few steps back coughing a bit in the newly stirred up dust.
"I'm so lucky." She muttered to herself taking in a deep breath to calm herself. She hadn't just been squashed by falling stone. That was amazing. What was more amazing was that, with the dust settling, something was glinting at her in the light of the setting sun.
"LORENNA!" She shouted hastening toward whatever was shining. "Lorenna I found something come and see. Right now! Oh man I am so so so lucky!" She exclaimed. Lying in a hole near a crumbled pillar was a bag of gold balls. Carmine could barely contain herself. This trip was officially looking up.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:56 pm
"Carmine. Carmine what is it?" Lorenna asked landing next to the wind mare who currently had her head stuck in a hole. Lorenna sighed aggravated. "You got your head stuck in a hole? Did I not tell you to be careful right before we started this?" Perhaps those had not been the exact words she had used but the sentiment was the same. "Is it really that hard for you to listen to a bit of friendly advice for once?"
Lorenna turned around with a huff. Yes Carmine was Carmine but Lorenna was beginning to wonder if a little caution from the mare would really hurt their business all that much. She greatly doubted it.
"One of these days you're going to wish that you listened to me more often Carmine because one of these days I'm not going to be able to help you." She turned back around to stare at the other mare's back. She didn't seem to be listening at all.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:13 pm
While waiting for Lorenna, Carmine had stuck her head into the hole to retrieve the orbs and quickly discovered there wasn't a lot of room to move. She could just reach the bag but some of the spheres had rolled out. She needed to get those into the pouch before she pulled it up though or they'd be lost. Well, maybe not lost but they wouldn't be Carmine's. If she sent Lorenna in to get them then the flutter could claim them as her own and Carmine wanted all of them.
She heard Lorenna land but stubbornly refuse to pull her head out of the hole. This was her treasure. Renna could she it when it was claimed. As Lorenna chided her, Carmine set to work sticking out her tongue and rolling the few scattered orbs into the bag. A few times she nearly bit her tongue as Lorenna said something particularly harsh but Carmine was resolute in her mission.
Just as Lorenna finished Carmine let out a triumphant cry, seized the bag and straightened up. "Hicoory hees ine!" She said proudly turning about to show Lorenna her discovery. They glittered beautifully in the sun and smelt like success...and metal.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:47 pm
Lorenna just stared at the bag of gold hanging from Carmine's mouth ignoring the incoherent babble coming out of her mouth. Carmine had found something. Just when Lorenna had thought this place would turn up nothing but rocks Carmine had struck gold, literally. Lorenna smiled a truly genuine smile. "Well done, Carmine." She said sincerely. Perhaps this venture wouldn't turn out to be a total loss after all.
"Now." She said quickly turning her attention elsewhere. This was not the time to be having some sort of strange emotional moment. There was work that needed to be done. "Where has that bird gone?" The sun was setting and everyone needed to start heading back to the meeting grounds for the night. It wouldn't do to have people going missing.
~*~*~*~*~
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:46 pm
He moved silently in the shadows of the trees watching the pair of mares below. He wouldn't be able to stay in this small form for long so he would have to make the most of it. His wings flickered as he landed on a large branch just above the mares. At the moment neither of them realized just how lucky they were.
This was not the first time Phibrizzo had been to these particular ruins. He had been here just a few weeks ago looking for signs of the others or any change in their situation. In the end he had found nothing and had been forced to depart. While in another region, however, he had noticed that a certain object of value had gone missing and so he began retracing his steps eventually ending up back in these ruins.
He looked down at the mares focusing on the one with the pink mane. Currently she was in possession of what he sought. True he could have just killed her and her little friend as easily as the wind moved leaves but he was beginning to think that might be a bit wasteful. An idea was forming in his mind but he needed a little more information.
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:12 pm
"So you really didn't find anything Renna?" Carmine asked as she trotted along cheerfully after the flutter mare. Shortly after they had sent Khaa off to collect everyone they had begun making their way back to the meeting ground to check in. While Carmine was in no real rush Lorenna seemed hell bent on getting back first.
Lorenna rolled her eyes. This was the fifth time Carmine had asked. It was like she felt bad that Lorenna had turned up nothing but rocks all day. "Carmine, if I had found anything you would have noticed when you checked my bags earlier." How Carmine managed to balance the desire of seeing her friends happy and her own greed was a mystery to Lorenna.
As they passed by a tree Lorenna paused and looked around allowing Carmine to take the lead. Something didn't feel right.
Carmine stopped not long after Lorenna and gave her a quizzical look. "Somethin' wrong? I thought you wanted to get back..." Had she upset Lorenna somehow or was it something else? Carmine took a few steps closer. "If you need to...ya know go...I can go back myself."
Lorenna contemplated kicking Carmine right then and there but resisted. "Everything's fine...it just felt like we were being watched. Come on, let's get back."
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Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:22 pm
His eyes widened in shock at the flutter mare's words. She'd noticed him? that hadn't taken very long at all. He'd have to be careful around her, she seemed naturally suspicious. Oh well, it wouldn't be that much of a problem. The wind seemed content to dismiss every suspicion. That worked out well for Phibrizzo.
He grinned.
Oh yes, these mares were very interesting indeed. He watched as they vanished up ahead. Carmine and Renna. Treasure hunters. "I'll let you live...for now." He said before laughing and flying off to find a new place to watch from.
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