Ink and Tongue

Zilo

After Embertongue left, a silence fell over the woods, the only sound the crackling of the fire as it hungrily devoured the wood. The woman moved closer to the flames as she continued to shiver. I watched her silently for a while. She was probably about Em's age, perhaps a bit younger. Still a few years older than me either way.

"You're not from around here, are you?" I asked quietly, picking at a blade of grass and avoiding looking at her. Em's behavior had put me on edge. I'd rarely seen him act like that.

She looked over at me and shook her head.

"Well, where are you from?"

She only shrugged and looked away again. "Not around here. I don't know how I got where I was when you found me. I was just...all of the sudden...there."

Her words puzzled me, but I didn't let it show. Instead I asked, "What's your name?"

"Isabella," she replied quietly, turning to look at me again. "And you?"

"Everyone just calls me Zilo, or Z. Embertongue is the one who just left," I informed her.

"Embertongue?" she said, her brows lowering in confusion. "That's an odd name."

"That's not his real name, it's his performing name. Everyone calls him Embertongue, or Ember or just Em."

"Who are you? And who is Embertongue?"

"I'm a guide and a servant at the Laughing Prince's castle. Embertongue is a friend of mine who looks after my little sister and I. He's a fire-eater."

"A fire-eater?" she repeated, her voice full of surprise, amazement, and confusion.

I nodded. "And a good one at that. You should see some of the tricks he does! When he comes back, I'm sure I could persuade him to show you a few!"

She nodded and smiled. "I'd like that. I've never actually seen a fire-eater perform before."

"Well then today you will," I told her, smiling.

Grace

The flames twisted around my tumbling body, and gently licked my skin. I felt no pain. They danced with my feet and played with my spinning arms. They wove through my hair. I bent back, and the flames that spun around my torso spiraled down over my chest and hair and onto the ground. I whispered silently to them, and the flame was extinguished.

I straightened up to see an awestruck audience. Smiling gently, I bowed and sauntered offstage.

"Wow, Grace. You were... wow." I turned to see Jonah, my little glassman companion, hanging onto a tent pole.

"Hey, Jones. The leg thing didn't have quite the affect I thought it would.... Why didn't you tell me to save that move for a less critical audience? I feel so stupid now." I blinked back tears.

Jonah smiled knowingly. "Grace, it's called the Sparkfoot Maneuver, and it dazzled them. You couldn't have done better. No one could have done better."

"Oh, Jonah." I smiled. "You kid."

"No. He doesn't." Blazefinger, a middle-aged, fatherly fire-eater walked up behind me. "You are possibly one of the best fire-eaters I've seen besides Flameheart." Flameheart was a now-senile fire-eater who, in his prime, was the best-known at flame-dancing, which is what I do.

"Look, Grace... a few of the intermediate-advanced fire-eaters like yourself are going to the Inn of Strolling Players to perform. I was wondering if you could be the feature."

I was shocked. " A feature? But I'm not good enou--"

"Don't you dare say that you're not good enough. You are, by far, the most talented of the fire-eaters your age that I have ever seen. This would be good for you, Grace."

"Jonah?" I turned to ask him what he thought. He was already nodding vigorously.

I sighed. "I guess I'm going, then."






Yay!

~Noah~

Isabella

"This place is so strange..." I murmured, more to myself than to Zilo.

"How do you mean?" he replied, watching me carefully.

"Well, where I come from...it's more technological. We have cars, and electricity, and a lot of other complicated things....and we don't have fire-eaters....unless those guys in the circus count for anything."

Zilo nodded, but I was pretty sure he didn't completely follow.

There was a rustle in the trees, and I immediately scooted closer to Zilo nervously. He pushed himself slightly in front of me.

Em stepped out of the shadows, and Zilo relaxed. I, however, remained tense, slightly frightened by Em's appearance.

Cyril Miles

"You shouldn't go around scaring old men like that," Cyril lectured with a half smile as he observed the two. They were clearly brother and sister, the male taller and probably older than the female. Both with tight, fine features and red, blazing hair. The male looked wary, his body tensed in a fighting stance, the horse's reigns held in a fist while the girl appeared to be relaxed and filled with confidence.

"Sorry about that but... we were lost," the girl shrugged, her shoulders rolling easily as she smiled at him. Cyril smiled back, still not quite sure what to think or believe but he was willing to give them a chance. He wasn't about to see them left to starve in a place they didn't know.

"You'll not make it back to town tonight," Cyril said. "But if you follow this path, it takes you to another village pretty soon. I'm sleeping here for the night but I suggest you go find yourselves beds at an inn." As if to make his point clear, Cyril rolled up in his blanket and pulled a large backpack closer and laid his head against it.

"Wait," the girl said with a frown. "But how do we get back home?" The boy was standing close to her, trying to catch her eye. Cyril sighed. Sometimes he hated being a good person.

"I'll tell you what. Find somewhere to sleep tonight and if you come by here early tomorrow, I'll have left my cart with some people I can trust and I'll ride back with you. But it's got to be early, alright?" Cyril's moustache twitched as he smiled at them, head still on his backpack. Who are you fooling, old man? You know that if they don't come find you in the morning, you'll go searching for them. Soft old fool. This is going to get you killed if they're assassins or fire raisers under cover.

"Fine. But we're sleeping here," the boy said. "That way you won't leave us behind." Cyril nodded reluctantly. He began to shift around in his cart, moving things about and then jumped down.

"Well up you go then," he said, moving out of the way to reveal the spare blanket he had unravelled and the coat he had folded into a pillow. He hoped they didn't snoop, didn't find the secret compartment filled with weapons and armour, filled with memories and grief.

"And where are you sleeping?" The boy raised an eyebrow as his sister began to tie her horse to a tree and reluctantly he did the same.

"At the front," Cyril said. "The cart seat's comfy enough for me. And I got my liquor to help me sleep." He shook the flask of whiskey with a grin as he made his way back to the driver's seat.

"What's this?" Cyril's heart thudded as he turned. The girl had climbed into the cart and was touching the lid of a large chest. Cyril grinned.

"That, dear. Is my life's work. I'm a scribe. You'll find stories of everything in there! In fact, there's almost as many stories in there as are in my head." He grinned again and his moustache twitched as he flicked his cloak back dramatically.

is it too late for me to join in ??

Zilo

Embertongue stepped into the ring of firelight and glanced at the fire with disdain before crackling to it and and watching as it grew to twice the size it had been. Isabella watched with fascination, though I noticed she still looked tense.

There was another rustle in the bushes behind him as one of the cloaked women emerged quietly. Embertongue didn't seem aware of her as he clicked his tongue, calling the small marten back to him. I gave a cry of alarm as the woman stepped up behind him. Isabella saw her too and let out a soft sqeak.

"It's alright Z," Em said, not even looking at me or the women. Prick had come running out of the bushes and was attempting to clamber up his arm, and Em was trying to help. "She's not with that other one. I found her around the fire-elf nest."

The woman nodded and removed her hood. "I'm known as the Shadow Princess. And I don't mean any ill."

Embertongue half-smiled and glanced at Isabella, then back to me. "Has she said anything yet?"

I nodded but Isabella cut in before I even got my mouth open. "The Shadow Princess?"

She was looking at the other woman, who in turn nodded again. "Yes." Isabella nodded back and smiled to herself, looking pleased. She looked like she knew more than she was letting on. I gave her a funny look, but she wasn't looking my way. Her gaze had shifted to Embertongue.

"You got a name? I assume Zilo has already told you mine," he said, watching her was a slightly bored expression.

"Isabella. And yes, Zilo already told me all about you."

He cast me a warning glance but didn't say anything else. I continued to watch his face, wondering why he was acting so strangely, while at the same time keeping an eye on the woman who had sat down on the other side of the fire. I still didn't trust her.

-Serenity, you're free to join, but you're going to have to find some way to get your character in yourself.

Shadow princess:

She felt eyes. She looked up to find the boy, Zilo watching her with his green eyes. He glanced away quickly, trying to hide the fact that he had been staring with suspicion. Guess you can't fool them all. She gave a smile and looked back down. Very uncofortable. She felt out of foucus with herself and she was stuck in the middle. She was going to be killed if she didn't at least get back to the castle before mid day tomorrow.

She glanced up again and found him doing it again. Se gave a half atempted smile as he started to turn away. The others were talking and she hadn't been paying attention. He looked as though he know the whole conversation. He nodded as Em, the man asked him a question. He turned back to me and stared once more. She looked down with emberasment. She didn't like blocking out whole coversations but she'd gotten used to it with the laughing prince and his anoyance he gave her.

Cara:

I squealed. "I love books! I hardly get to read them though." I blushed.

The old man laughed. Cameron looked reproachfully at me. I sighed. "Would you mind if I take a look?" I asked gently.

"Cara..."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, if he says it's okay, then it should be fine. Stop being such a worry wart."

Name:Leon Jonas

Age:15

Gender:male

Race: human

Appearance: http://www.drawings.gr/emo-boys-2.jpg

Personality: sweet friendly young boy, has a hidden geeky side.

Special Abilities: umm.... he can whistle out of his nose

Group(s): none

Companion:none

History: Just came to inkworld though being nosey and reading his geeky sister Saras book.

Other: weapon: A razorblade up for love


Name:Pandora

Age: 18

Gender:female

Race: Royal, ahadow princess

Appearance: http://www.imageandstylenews.com/wp-con ... l-hair.jpg

Companion: Fire elf called Amelia

History: Brought upas a royal princess but turned bad when her dad died.

Other: weapon: a wooden staff with black soulstone attacted to the to[.

Isabella

I ran the name Embertongue through my mind a few times, trying to figure out why it felt so thoroughly familiar.

"Um...d'you know Dustfinger?" I asked quietly, remembering the man who had been my good friend for a long period of time in the other world. He had taught me what little I did know of the Inkworld, and it's inhabitants.

Em gasped slightly at the name.

"Yeah, why?"

"He talked about you."

"How did you meet him?!" Em was obviously doing his best to remain calm, and having a very hard time doing it.

"A few years ago he appeared on my front porch, needing a place to stay. He told me he had come there from another world, the Inkworld. He told me all these fantastic stories; his friend, the amazing fire-eater Embertongue, talking ferrets, and bunches of other things. He ended up staying with me, or at least stopping to visit, for the years to follow. I never believed him, until a few days ago when he took me to meet the man who brought him out of this world. That same man sent me back into this world on accident...." I feel silent.

"Dustfinger is alive..."

"Yes, so far as I know of. He spoke very highly of you," I added this when I saw the broken look on Ember's face. He obviously had a very close bond with Dustfinger.

I shivered again, despite the heat from the fire, but was too concerned with Em and his reaction to worry about myself.

**so like what happened to my character? I'm confused.***

-October: Your character is still out in the forest. You can have her run across either party at the moment, or head towards the Inn of the Strolling Players where everyone should be meeting sometime soon.

Embertongue

So Dustfinger was alive. But, in a way, he was gone. There was no way to find him now, no matter how far I looked.

I turned my attention back to Isabella and smiled weakly. "Thanks for telling me, at least. It's good to know he's doing alright."

She studied me closely. I didn't meet her eyes and instead watched the flames dance and flicker in the night. So much for getting to the inn before sunset.

After a minute Isabella frowned slightly. "You don't look much like he described," she commented.

"A lot can change in nearly ten years, I would imagine," I replied. "I would bet my lucky coin he looks different as well."

I picked up a small branch, broke it in two on my knee, and fed it to the flames. Zilo turned from staring at the other woman and picked up the sleeping Prick that I hadn't even noticed was curled around my neck. The young marten blinked sleepily and fell asleep in the boy's lap.

"How long did...have you known Dustfinger?"

I shrugged. "Since we were kids. I don't measure it in years, but it'd probably be about twelve years now, maybe more."

She nodded slightly and Zilo leaned against my arm, yawning but never taking his eyes off the girl. I almost laughed, but turned back to the flames instead, running my hand through the blaze slowly, letting the fire lick my skin. Isabella watched for a moment before grasping my arm and bringing my hand out of the fire.

"Sorry, it's just...I can't watch someone burn themselves."

I smiled and held up my hand, that was completely unharmed save for a few red blisters. She stared at it a moment, confused.

"Bet even Dustfinger couldn't do that," I said. "Though then again, the fire always did love him more than me, so I wouldn't doubt it."

We sat together in silence a few minutes more. Zilo began snoring softly and the Shadow Princess even lay down a short distance away.

"Looks like we're camping here tonight."

***yeah.... I still have no idea what's going on... ***

Isabella

I nodded slightly, still feeling slightly awkward. I didn't know how well I could trust either Ember, or Zilo. And I wasn't even ready to consider trusting the new comer...Shadow Princess. I felt some sort of feeling toward Ember, but was far too shy to pursue it - that and I had no idea how he felt.

My God! I hardly knew they guy and already I was thinking of him in that way. Oi vey!

Getting up slowly, I walked over toward a tree a little ways away. I felt Ember's eyes on me as I moved, and when I turned around to sit down, he was watching me intently.

Pretending to not notice him, I sat down, leaning against the rough bark of the tree, and closed my eyes.

I knew sleep was unlikely. I was too nervous, too cold, and all in all too uncomfortable to sleep. I could move back to the fire, but that would also subject me to be near people, and that would make me more nervous and even less likely to sleep.

Go figure - my thoughts were running wild again.

Baylanna-assassin

I stalked towards the inn, the last time in hell I ever help someone I pulled my white hood cloak back over my head. I walked my boots clinking with the movement. I felt my swords at my sides still my fingers felt frozen I came here to kill not to save I had no idea in hell why I was going to the inn just a gut feeling I hope no one would reconize me as an assassin, my cover would get blown and then they'd kill me now what would be the fun in all of that? I walked into the inn, mudd dripping from my boots and rain water dripping from my cloak. I noticed that everyone had a weapon, like I said no one was safe arond here anymore. I saw a group of people sitting at a table I wanted to just run up to them and stab a knife into the table. But I kept myself under a level.

**can someone talk to her? Pretty please?**