Ian Baelish | Desert around Dolen | 6:30 There still was dust on his gloves from when he’d blown through the Sanctum’s wall, white and chalky over the back of his hand and in the worn patches where the old leather had cracked. Perhaps it would be time to get new ones.
Once they got out of the desert, of course.
At least there was no more of that blasted rain, and less humidity in the air. Ian had hated the feel of it, how it seeped through clothes and cloaks—but now it’d stopped, just because they’d taken a shiny stone away from its favoured pedestal.
Magic, so much magic in it. So much that could be done with it, surely: so much that could be coaxed, baited, poked out of it, all that power and possibilities so close and yet so far...
And nothing yet compared to the well of knowledge that was Nicolae, who would not speak, or share, or hint, at anything he knew more than was strictly necessary for the success of the mission. It drove Ian mad, mind whirring like clockwork gears and grinding empty against the lack of information.
His horse stumbled, and he scowled as he tried to recover his balance from a near-fall. Having mounts beat getting back on foot, but they weren't the best way of tranport, as far as he was concerned.
That detour was going to add to the pain, though, and while he wasn’t going to protest that part of Nicolae’s advice, he found himself sneering at his injunction to hurry. “This would be home turf for the Guards, or close to. The odds they’ll catch up with us are—” he could probably crunch up the numbers if he had some paper and writing implement at hand, as well as some time, but in the absence of those he’d make do with “—high.” Topher could probably do them in his head, anyway.
He supposed in a bind Aislinn might come in handy. He hadn’t quite made up his mind about her yet, but all that mattered was her mastery over ground—and, one hoped, sand.
“By the time they do, we’ll be far enough they won’t have that advantage anymore.” Topher was quite chatty today. Though Ian supposed he had a point. “And since we’ll know when they’ll be coming” a nod towards Nicolae “we can prepare a suitable welcome for them.”
Fair enough. A press of his heel against the horse’s flanks sent it forward, past Topher and up to the oracle’s level, grumbling under his breath about how he was an alchemist, not cavalry, and preferred to face opponents on a terrain he’d chosen instead of waiting for them to catch up.
It meant passing by Lorcan though, and Ian eyed him, or, more accurately, that thing that was riding with him, still uncertain how he felt about it. Curious, of course, always curious and itching to take this flesh-and-bones shell and take it apart, turn it inside out and dig until he knew everything about it, but there was also a healthy dose of respect for the man that stayed his hand, not to mention a foreign sense of fear: of a cliff just in front of him, not outwardly threatening but there, and if he were just to take a step in the wrong direction—
He didn’t mind falling, but he needed to know how deep the abyss was before he leapt.
Lumi: they stand no chance against the JAG SAFETY BLANKET
All this time Eli was rambling about his powers, Laenaya was quickly eating away at her breakfast. She almost spat out the scrambled eggs that were in her mouth out of laughter when he was trying to convince everyone around him as how “artistic’ and “helpful” his powers.
“So Eli,” said Laenaya, as she was chewing. “How exactly is inducing plant growth all that useful? Do you think the Black Mages are going to spend some time admiring your little shrubs while they leave themselves open to an ambush? Seriously man, how many magic mushrooms have you been smoking?”
The table momentarily erupted with laughter. Laenaya took the opportunity to chuck a loaf of bread at Eli.
“Bloody idiot you are. We should just use you as live bait. It’ll suit your present qualifications.”
As she turned back to her breakfast, she saw the sorceress, Mireille scurrying for the Black Mages’ whereabouts with her glass of water. How surprising. So this girl has some knowledge of divination. In this day and age, not many people would have bothered to learn this particular branch of magic, because of how unstable and needless it was. Only seers and those who were still into traditional magic had seen any use to it.
However, scurrying had its limitations, as Mireille would soon find out when she had told everyone where the Black Mages were.
“Mir dear, just relax and eat. It hasn’t even been an hour yet. And besides, that little trick you just did doesn’t exactly give us the exact location of the Black Mages. So what if you can see what they’re doing? We are meant to find and arrest them, not watch their every single movement. And I don’t think there’s any water in the desert, so your powers will be kind of useless to us too.”
No way was Lae going to show case her own dowsing skills in front of everyone at this moment. This was meant to be breakfast, a time to get some grub into your belly and to relax. Besides, Mir had already given them a place to start heading to once the hour is up, even if it's not all that precise. When they were in the desert however, this was when Lae would prove to her that in missions like these, dowsing was much more effective than scurrying with water.
Leaning back against her chair, Laenaya signaled the leader. “Hey K, fetch me another glass of water will ya? I'm thirsty here man.”
Last edited by Squall on Tue Sep 14, 2010 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"To the edge of the universe and back. Endure and survive."
*I apologise, I am creatively dunced at the moment.*
Kiro Reece - Plaza Cafe - 6:25
Kiro stretched his arms up and locked his hands behind his head. Four pieces of toast, three sausages, two eggs and three hash browns. He smiled to himself and briefly closed his eyes, then remembered the yogurt that sat next to his plate. Carefully he peeled it back and licked the lid before putting it onto the plate and glancing around for a spoon. All he could find on the table was a knife, and so picked it up.
He glanced around quickly for any watching staff, then morphed it into a teaspoon.
'That could be useful.' Laenaya said, staring at the spoon. 'You can do that with any metal?'
'Only what I can touch,' Kiro answered. Laenaya's interest quickly faded and she glanced around the table. Kiro pulled a thin chain that he had around his waist and flicked one end across the table to the menu stand. The tip made a connection and the menu stand morphed, each side into a half flower shape without creasing the menu's. 'Even indirectly.' It quickly returned to its origional position and he withdrew the chain.
'Uh-huh,' Laenaya said.
'I can purify gold.' Kiro added, showing the cross that hung around his neck. Mireille lifted her head attentively.
'Can you forge coins?' Eli asked.
'Yes.' He nodded. 'But I won't. Undeserved wealth is as bad as stealing.' He looked down to tuck the necklace back in long enough to hear someone tut under their breath, though he couldn't tell who it came from.
Purify gold... Kade stared ahead at the shifting metals, furrowing a curious brow as decorations came and went like seasons in the dingy iron. Thin, pale fingers drummed on the table as he contemplated the potential usefulness...and risks. Kade absently nudged his full glass of water to Lae, not bothering to watch her eyes; no, he was much too focused on something else, something beyond the inn and the people. Something tugged at his mind like an irritating stitch that refused to release its hold on a sutured wound. The blonde man pursed his lips, focusing out on the point of interest in his mind.
At first, he believed it to be Jaser, but no; he had already proved his 'inexplicable' lack of power on Kade. But he knew better; it was exposure to purified energy. Energy that cloaks the mind and brims from the fingertips and lips. And soon, Kade would see the sheer might of purified energy...
...but to the matters at hand, he must have seen.
Kade reached out a hand and delicately sustained a strand of hair from Mir's bangs, holding it outward as the young woman's eyes turned to him in curiosity and disturbance. From his spare fingertips came a quick zap of electricity, just enough to burst through the tiny hair painlessly. And, without an emotion on his face, he turned to Lae and nodded, suspending the lock in front of her.
The dark-haired girl eyed the hair for a moment as if synchronizing her mind with Kade's. And suddenly, she nodded, understanding. She placed her fork down and took the small strand of hair, burrowing down into her dark leather bag for a tiny doll. She placed both on the table and knotted the hair around the neck of the doll just tightly enough to maintain its position. And, with prime focus and a moment of meditation, she stared at the doll, stroking down the front of the head portion with an elongated fingernail.
The table fell silent and watched, lost to what was going on. But the questions began to be answered as Mir began to rub her forehead, then her nose, and her lips. After a few moments, a quick gasp of pain came from her lips. Each eye (besides Lae's) turned to Mir and watched her writhe in her own little invisible torment until a single drop of blood fell from her forehead into her glass of water, staining the entire depth a pitiful rose hue.
With that, Kade snatched the hair from the doll and dropped it to the floor, nodding to Lae. "Well enough, but could you do that to an enemy without being given a connection?"
Lae stared at Kade, then dropped her full eyes to the doll, which she held in two delicate hands. "Hardly."
Kade merely looked away, not caring. From what he had seen, their ragtag amalgam of warriors and witches would need a bit of experience before dealing with anything of a higher class than a stray dog. The emotionless blonde peered away from the mass, out the window. Deep within him, in his core, he could feel the power of the rain stone shifting directions. And the Black Mages, they were heading towards the Mokrav Ravine.
The mage rose from his seat and pulled on his overcoat to his shoulders, fastening his belt around his waist. "We must set out now," he prompted, pulling his leather bag from the floor. He pulled open the bag and grabbed each fork and knife from the table, stowing them in the leather before hoisting it onto his shoulder. The taller man, the one named Eli stood and began to follow his lead and the psychic did the same, but the other three just sat and stared at Kade in what he assumed to be stupidity coupled with ignorance.
He merely pointed to the door, staring the hoodoo witch straight in the eyes, his expression stark and lifeless. "We have a mission to execute," his voice fell to the floor, too heavy and light at the same time, ready to combust in its own contradiction of power. "Go." His eyes narrowed and the younger girl, Mir, stood from the table and gathered her things, heading for the door with the other two. Lae sat and stared, but Kade merely stared back; thunder rolled nearby.
Kiro left the table for the others and the staring match continued. Finally, Kade shirked from her stare, leaving her at the table in an odd, lonely silence.
I am a forest fire and an ocean, and I will burn you just as much as I will drown everything you have inside.
-Shinji Moon
I am the property of Rydia, please return me to her ship.
Mireille was usually a calm and collected person. Oh, she was, alright. But that Laenaya had crossed her line, and Mir was certain that the voodoo witch would pay in due time. We've got plenty of time, Lae; and I've got things up my sleeve, things that you'll find out soon. She fumed as she stalked out of the cafe, nearly bumping into Jaser and Eli. Her head was still aching and reeling from the impromptu attack, so she massaged her temples, closing her eyes to concentrate on something else other than the pain.
We need horses.
"Horses," she suddenly repeated out loud. "We need horses." She opened her eyes and stared at Kade with what she hoped was a cold and unrelenting glare. She would never forgive him for prompting Laenaya to attack her. But revenge would come later --- the mission was their first priority, and she would never endanger their chances of taking the stone back just for some trival childish arguement.
"Come on, Kade, we do need transportation --- how else we can get into the desert, huh? With our two feet?" she said coldly, still hoping that no-one could see that she was still hurting. Badly. Their great leader nodded and beckoned for them to follow him. "The horse ranch is down a few streets," he said, briskly striding down the cobbled street.
The other followed suit, hurrying behind Kade. Mir winced as the headache worsened. It's going to be over any time soon, she chanted in her head, it's going to be fine! "You okay?" a voice broke into her thoughts. It was Eli.
"I'm fine," she snapped, her violet eyes drilling into his. She immediately felt ashamed of herself --- the boy had meant well. "I'm sorry --- I'm a bit cranky today, and my head hurts. I didn't mean to be rude."
The brown-haired boy smiled. "S' okay." He rummaged through his bag and Mir looked on curiously, never breaking her stride. He took out a seed out of a pouch, and held it tightly in his hand. He stared at the seed and meditated for a moment before the seed suddenly bloomed into a familiar dark green herb with little light purple flowers. "Here," he offered Mir the herb.
"Peppermint," she breathed and took it from Eli, holding the herb up to her eyes. She delicately sniffed the mint, the intense scent wafing into her nose and calming her headache. "Thanks," she said quietly.
"No problem, Mir," he grinned, "Any time." She grinned back and continued on their way in silence.
After a while, they arrived at Lucien's Horse Ranch. The owner, deeming the Royal Guards as people with Lots Of Money, immediately ushered them in, chattering about his "finest horses." Mireille rolled her eyes and walked away from their group into another lane of stalls, where the fillies were kept.
As she was about to walk down the path, a whinny stopped her. She instantly turned her head, looking for the source of the noise. Then she saw her.
A chestnut filly, nearly a mare, whinnied. Her rich copper-red coat stood out from the black and bay horses, and her white markings fitted her bright blue eyes. Mir, as if in a trance, walked towards the filly and stroked her mane. "Hey girl," she whispered and reached for the filly with her mind. Hello, human female, the filly said. Hi, Mir replied, and broke into a wide smile. She hadn't spoken to horses for ages.
The filly was surprised. You can understand me? "Of course," she said out loud, and continued running her pale hands through the horse's mane. What is your name, human girl? "Mireille. Mir for short."
Well, Mireille, the filly replied, you are a very queer person. No human has ever conversed with me before.
She grinned. Not every human can. And so Mir told the filly of her quest, excluding Laenaya's little attack. She didn't want the filly to harbour bad feelings for the voodoo witch.
I see. That is a very noble quest, Mireile. It would be an honour to join you.
"Thank you," she whispered, and she said louder, "I must have this filly." The owner hurried over with the others, who all had already picked their own horses. "A fine choice, my lady! This Trakehner is very special---" Mir cut through the owner's little speech, and said, "How much is she?"
The owner gulped and told her the price. Even the normally cool Kadence raised an eyebrow. "That much for a filly?" he asked. The man gulped again, and explained, "You see, this filly is very valu---"
"I don't care." Mir once again cut in. "I will have her, no matter what. I must have her." She levelled her eyes at the quivering man. "Cut your price half, man." Her violet eyes penetrated the man's weak mind, and in a few seconds, the man immediately agreed.
"Of course, my lady," he blabbered, "The saddles are free too! Now if you excuse me, I must prepare the paperwork for the horses..." The man bumbled out of the stall, leaving the group behind.
The filly raised her eyebrow and flicked her tail. What a pushover.
Mir giggled out loud. Jaser, who caught that remark as well, laughed along with her. "What's so funny?" Kiro asked, both him and the others looking confused. "Oh, my filly here just said a joke," she giggled, and turned serious. What shall I name you, filly?
Ragnilda will suit me just fine, Mireille.
"Then Ragnilda it is," she said out loud.
you'll never find another sweet little girl with sequined sea foam eyes ocean lapping voice, smile coy as the brightest quiet span of sky and you're all alone again tonight; not again, not again, not again. and don't it feel alright, and don't it feel so nice? lovely.
Eli didn’t much like what Kade and Lae had done to Mir, but he let go. After giving her the peppermint she did seem better. He pulled another seed from his pouch and focused on it allowing it to blossom into a fully fledged tulip. He examined it carefully. The yellow pedals were a perfect length and size coming up like a perfectly crafted upturned bell. He held the flower by the stem with his thumb and forefinger and twirled. The rotating petals slightly separated creating a blur of yellow that mesmerized him for a few seconds. Happy with the results of his flower, he put it in his right pocket for safe keeping until he needed it.
The stable offered a variety of strong fine horses. Like a lineup of ladies in a bar there were too many to choose from. Eli couldn’t dream of saying that he liked one over another. Realizing he’d never be able to decide he closed his eyes and spun around a few times until he was dizzy enough. He struck out his hand and his finger brushed up against the snout of a horse. Eli opened his eyes to see a chocolate colored horse staring at him quizzically as it sniffed at his outstretched hand.
“Hey, you’re a friendly one aren’t you?” He turned to the owner. “What’s her name?”
“Sunflower,” he answered.
Eli turned back to the Horse. “I grow sunflowers at my home occasionally. Of course you are much more beautiful than them,” he said patting her neck while looking around to see the others pick their horses. Mir’s selection was the most interesting to watch. She stood in front of copper toned horse whispering to it with the same animated expression one gets when caught up in a pleasant conversation. The moment was perfect for drawing.
The way her violet eyes shined in the light when she smiled, contrasted by her dark air that flowed down her back. Her petite form contrasted to the large horse that her hidden charm had apparently already affected. She was cauldron of contrasting images at the moment. Eli couldn’t help but be fascinated.
If he could catch a moment of her like that on paper it would be truly breathtaking. At some point he would draw her face however. Her eyes were to beautiful not too as was her smile. From what he already knew about her getting her to smile would be difficult. A challenge he of course was willing to take. He shook his head remembering why they were here. He had a job to do. His usual methods of wooing were a bit impropriate for the situation.
With everyones horses picked and the papers in order the group headed out. Eli didn’t like the idea of heading into the desert. The desolate silent dunes that sloped like a grainy tan sea was fascinating, but Eli felt naked with the lack of vegetation. His hand slipped into his bag and he counted his pouches. He had plenty of seeds, but still it was far better to be connected to the wild plant life. It was like being part of the earth as its heart throbbed. In the desert he would probably barely even feel a pulse. He pulled the tulip from his pocket and rode up beside Mir. He had his winning smile ready and was prepared to give the flower to his teammate when his sister’s voice interrupted his train of thought.
“How did you become a Royal Guard? You’re more interested in the ladies then your job. One of these days you’re going to be flirting and bang, shot in the heart with an arrow for you lack of alertness. A fitting end it would be, considering you never think with your brain or your heart.”
It was a conversation he had many times with his sister. He of course did not agree with her statement at all. First, he was very aware of his surroundings even if a pretty girl was present. Right now he was aware that the cloud above them was shaped like a donkey. He was aware that a flock of birds were flying north and that one of the birds had broken the V pattern and was severally dragging behind. He was aware that precisely two miles away a woodpecker was hammering at a tree. He also noticed that the horses apprehensively trekked forward as if they sensed the dangers that were to come in the desert. All this he cataloged in his mind. He guessed it was the artist in him, always searching for new pieces of art designed by nature. Second, he thought with his brain and heart plenty of times. His brain knew not to flirt with married women and his heart knew not to settle for just one.
Eli looked over to Jaser, the mind reader. Eli wondered if the man had heard any of his musings about Mir. He didn’t really care if he had or not. The idea led him to his next decision. Who cared what his sister thought. He leaned over on his horse to Mir and handed her the flower. “A tulip as bright and lovely as you,” he smiled at her. Before she could react he righted himself and addressed Kade.
“So we know nothing about these Black Mages? Shouldn’t we gather information on them before running off into the desert with no idea what they are capable of?”
Kade nodded. “I’ve thought of that. Gathering information would be ideal, but I think we lack the time. To understand their inner team workings and abilities would take a level of observation that could take days if not weeks. We must approach them with caution and test out their skills on the field.”
This is one little planet in one tiny solar system in a galaxy that’s barely out of its diapers. I’m old, Dean. Very old. So I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you.
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