Makeing Progress

[Rosie]

Rosie quickly retreated as Tobias directed her in, her hands covered in crimson blood. Had she really just done that... Did she really just kill a man... As she came to realization of what she had just done Rosie froze, almost paralyzed with a hurricane of emotions all swirling in her brain. Screams of panic fallowed by harmonious laughter, disbelief and excitement. To Rosie the feeling was indescribable.

The man whose throat she had just sliced open could not speak as he thrashed on the ground, only whimper in agony. Eyes staring dead at Rose as the light faded from his convulsing body. Then nothing, he was gone and what remained was a worthless corpse bathing in a pool of warm blood. Rosie could only let her jaw drop as tears billow from her eyes. She only capable of letting out only bitter half screams. Cupping her face with her blood soaked hands only to keep from completely loosing her self.

"Ahh..." Rosie took a shallow breath. "Wha- What have I-I-I done." She said quietly. Sobbing as she stood back away from the others. Not needing an answer for she already knew it. She had just killed a man, never had she done anything like this. But even the amount of panic she was showing on the outside, deep down she knew it had to be done. Less the man would have killed Tobias. Tobias the man who had gone out of his way just to try and help her out, even getting mixed up in her own past. There was something about him that made Rosie feel safe, that made her feel better.

"Get out of here you worms!" yelled Tobias as he ripped the man's sword from his hand and delivered a swift kick to his chest. "Before I slaughter the rest of you." He added as he threw the blade behind him in Rosie's direction. The men looked around to each other, and back at Tobias. He was convincing enough so far that he wasn't to be fooled with, but was their mission and Rosie more important than their lives.

The mercs all exchanged a series of signals before the elf spoke up. "Alright, lets get out of here." He reached down to grab his comrade and he and the others began to retreat back into the city. Soon they were out of sight, and for at least a few moments they were safe. Feeling their minds drift away from her, she also felt a wave relaxation come over her. Still stunned by the horrific sight she had created, Rosie slowly began to drop to her knees. She was not crying any more but was still in a state of shock and disbelief. Tobias must have seen as within moments he was right next to her, even dropping his blade to console her.

Crouched next to Rosie, Tobias cupped her face ever so slightly and made her look at him. "Rosie." She said to her in a southing tone, or what her felt appropriate. "Listen to me, you did good." He told he trying to calm her.

Rosie looked up at him through tired eyes, she felt his calming touch. "I.. He was going to--" Rosie started to say.

"You did good. Rosie you did what you knew you needed to." Tobias interrupted. His voice was more stern now, seeing as she was no longer panicking. Tobias stood Rosie and himself up and began to walk both of them back to the brush. Once there Rosie was still shaken but back to herself as far as that can ever be considered again. She reached down to retrieve Lucius who had been guarding her cloak. She grabbed him and the book she hid in her cloak.

Good, at least this is still here. She thought. But I still need to get back to Elias, where ever he is. Maybe I can stay with him for a wile...

[Tobias Stalt]

With a quick pat to her cheek, Tobias left the girl on her knees. "We don't have time for sulking," he urged. "They'll be back. With more men." He had enough of a soft spot to show a half instant of weakness, but it faded just as quickly. He was a veteran of a grisly war, and even lives he didn't take directly had been lost upon his orders. That made him just as guilty. He muttered to himself about the choice words he'd used, laughing softly. "Worms," he said, "I must have sounded like a real prize ass."

Rosie watched him uncertainly as he carefully wrapped Blackheart and replaced the weapon on his back. When he drew his hood, his amber gaze floated back to her. "Well?" he asked her expectantly, as he made ready to leave. "Are you coming along? They're not like to forget you. Rock illusions won't save you a second time."

She flushed. "I panicked," she retorted hastily, rattled, "I would have chosen something better, otherwise." Tobias noted the quickness with which her transgression had been forgotten. He chuckled. She would certainly relive it later, but for now, she could join the march. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Tobias narrowed his eyes. "First rule," he told her slowly, "we don't talk about my past unless I initiate. Got it?"

She glanced away. "Y... yes," Rosie replied. She sounded like a kicked puppy. Tobias groaned at that. "Well... you can teach me, right?"

"You want to learn to survive," he iterated, his feet crunching sticks and leaves with each step. "Keep walking. Keep your eyes open." She hung on his words, careful not to stray far from the Tactician's side. "The second you give an opponent an opening, he bares his teeth."

Tobias reached into his cloak and produced his pipe. Placing the apparatus between his teeth, the youth lit his stock and took in a breath of sweet poison. "Should you be smoking?" The girl asked. Tobias glanced over at her pointedly. She blinked, looked away, and the young man pulled the pipe from his mouth. He offered it to her.

"Go on," he told her, "it'll help ease your nerves."

Rosie shakily took the pipe from his hands and put it to her lips. She took a breath. With a series of horrible coughs, she passed it back to Tobias. "How do you use that stuff!?" She asked between hacks.

"It gets easier," he told her. That was true of many things, as she would soon learn. The first of many difficult lessons. "We'll march for half a day, then rest. Three days time til Eluriand."

"What," she seemed alarmed. "Eluriand? Why? It's crawling with the living dead!"

"I've got a job," he answered. Tobias had no qualms with the circumstances or difficulties surrounding his destination. The reality was that he had an objective, and he had to complete it. "I'm meeting some business associates on the outskirts. From there, we might be able to find you safe passage to wherever you want to go."

Rosie studied him quietly, gently stroking the mouse she cradled in her hand. The day was still young as they moved deeper into the forest, and Tobias kept an eye out for any movement. "Be aware of your surroundings," he instructed her. "If you see or hear something, make it known, but do so discreetly."

Their eyes met for a moment. Tobias looked away. "You don't want the enemy to know you're aware," be elaborated. "Knowledge is as sharp a knife as any. If you keep it concealed til just the right time..." Tobias made a thrusting motion with his hand. Rosie flinched. "See?"

The girl nodded slowly. Tobias turned from her and pointed down the path. "This way," he said. "Your weapons," Tobias recalled suddenly. "Practice with them. Whether you have a partner or not, drill constantly." He patted a dagger softly. "No matter how sharp they are, they're nothing without a guiding hand."

[Rosie]

Rosie and Tobias continued to walk along the dusty path, she meditating on what Tobias had told her. To drill herself, but for what... To kill others, to end lives. She had a hard time grasping his calm composure when he was fighting, he seemed to be completely at peace when wielding Blackheart. It was because of him that she killed that man. The image still staining her psyche, like a wave of red washing over her white dress.

"Umm," Rosie started as she reached into her satchel putting away her dagger. "Tobias..." She stopped lost for words. Tobias leading the pair turned his head slightly to acknowledge her. "You saw his weapon didn't you?" She asked

"Aye, it was a miracle that it missed." he said, his tone obviously alluding that he has sensed Rosie had something to do with the hand canon's miss fire. "But the way he was wielding that thing he seemed rather confident." Rosie seemingly slouched as she continued to trail behind Tobias. She wasn't ashamed of her powers yet, many people have shown some aggression towards her gifts.

"I haven't told you everything Tobias, those men were indeed after the tome I possess. But Elias and myself left Corone not just to run from the Titans, we left because of me." She said softly feeling safe enough to reveal her true self to Tobias. Quickly she made her way in front of Tobias and motioned for them to stop for a moment. He obliged only if to entertain Rosie's story, she paused for a moment and then looked up into Tobias' eyes. "My brother and I left our home because..." She stopped, this was harder to explain than it was to simply show. Instantly Rosie started to pick her way into Tobias' mind, feeling guilty doing so. She hadn't revealed this to him yet but she was indeed hard at work making a connection. "Do I have permission to connect with you."

"What!?"Tobias said with a tint of poison on his breath. He passionately despised magic of all sorts, she had already displayed an aptitude for the art and for all he knew was planning something malicious with it. "Connect with me, if its magic no." He said sternly.

"Ok, then let me just explain myself." She said with a slight look of fear upon her face. "I- I can influence the world around me with only my thoughts, watch." There were a few rocks scattering the path the traveled and with only her mind five started to lift of the ground. Slowly the rocks started to levitate around Rosie, "I can also read minds, and allow telepathic communication between people." She had open herself up to this man, maybe he wasn't like the rest.

[Philomel]

Name of Thread: Making Progress
Judgement Type: No Judgement
Participants: Rosie and Tobias Stalt

Rewards:

Rosie receives:
565 EXP
77 GP

Tobias Stalt receives:
616 EXP
66 GP

[Hysteria]

GP and EXP added.