Johnny on the Docks with Benedict (Open)

[Antipracticality]

"Perhaps we could stay awhile, upon the docks at midnight! Listen to the moonlight glow, until the sea gives us sight!"

The singsong nonsense wasn't quite in rhythm with the washing of the waves upon the sandy shore. It didn't matter much to Camarie, who sat in front of the small fire. It sputtered now and then, throwing up acrid smoke and a few unsure sparks. The few hours spent finding driftwood that was above the tide line and dried out by the day's sun had been difficult. Her feet were cut by rocks and itched from the grass that grabbed and stung as she'd tried to pull in wood from the brush higher up near the boardwalk. Behind her, the lights of the city and the sea-side taverns were slowly dimming, the sounds of family life giving way to the raucous laughter and catcalls of taverns and the dock. The horizon had almost melted into the sea with the coming of true night, and she could barely make out the figure of a barge, deep black against the glittering navy waters.

A rock, placed on the edge of the fire, glowed hot as the eggs sizzled on it. Above the flames on a spit a few small fish roasted. It wasn't Benedict, but it would have to do right now. She'd managed to get away from her prison with some silverware, and as she scraped what she could of the eggs onto another sea-scrubbed clean rock, she couldn't help but feel that eggs just weren't eggs without a good biscuit.

Camarie pulled the pipe from her mouth, used it to scratch at her cheek before placing it carefully on her small pack by her cane. The world just wasn't kind to an old man.

And the eggs were awful.

[Jaleco]

The night was dark and still, but for the waves pounding on rocks and the spectacle of a young woman sitting by a fire. The girl wore a pair of dark blue suspenders over a white shirt. Atop her head sat an old black hat. She say there, eating a meal of eggs and fish as Jaleco peered at her from behind a few bushes. His wings rustled as he moved about trying to get a better view of her. Beside her sat a cane and in her hand an old pipe. The two sat there for a time, neither making a move, when finally Jaleco gave up his curiosity and silently moved away.

The cold wind blew across Jaleco's face as he stumbled through the woods, wishing he had a fire of his own. He continued on, unsure of what he was heading for. He remained in this state for a long while, giving his thoughts time to assemble themselves. They all led back to the girl. The girl full of oddities, ones that seemed all so familiar. Then he gave in to his weariness, settling down into the comfort of a nearby tree. Sleep came upon him swiftly and forcefully. The dreams unlocking new memories of the past.

"Something just isn't right with this world," Jaleco spoke to a man sitting in a chair beside him. The fireplace before the two of them was lit, shining its light upon the man. His face was full of wrinkles and his grey hair was cut short and combed back.

"There are just some things we weren't meant to question, and you'd do well to remember that, my boy," The old man replied.

Jaleco looked up from the fire and gazed upon the man's wings, they were as bright as they had been since Jaleco first met him. "But don't you think that there are secrets being kept from us, Clyde? Things that we should know about?

With a sigh Clyde said, "Listen. There are always things that we believe we should know, but its not in our hands to have any control over those things. One shouldn't bother with something that they can't control," a moment of silence passed, then he continued, "I may look like an old fool, but at least I know better than to question the word of God."

Jaleco looked back at the fire, waiting for the man to say something more. The light flickered around the small room as the grandfather clock against the wall ticked away. "Why do you do it?"

"Do what?" Clyde responded in suprise.

"Stay the way you are; you don't have to look like an old man you know," Jaleco answered.

A weak chuckle rang from Clyde's throat and he said, "I suppose, like you, I like to prove people wrong, I-" The dream was cut short as Jaleco awoke, startled. A squirrel ran up the tree that he rested on, squeaking a warning as it went.

[Revenant]

William Arcus gripped the railing of the Crystal Mae, the barge he had booked passage on with his meager funds, and gazed across the inky water of the bay. The lights of the approaching town flickered in the night air like drunken revelers, and a passing deckhand told him that the Mae was only a few short hours from docking in port. William feared that those hours would not short enough.

He had been in his cabin when he had felt the familiar rush of energy that precipitated one of his rages and William had quickly gathered his meager possessions and headed topside, hoping that the cool night air would help to calm the beast within him. Before embarking on his week long voyage, William had utterly given himself over to the demonic spirit that howled within him, hunting long into the night and feasting on the raw flesh of his victims until the berserker rage of the demon had been sated. He had prayed that his hunt would tide him over long enough to ride out his time aboard the Mae but as he looked upon the approaching lights of the harbor, William knew that it would not.

William cursed the spirit within him and forcibly reminded himself that he refused to allow the demon to release its fury upon the simple, hardworking crew of the Crystal Mae. Reflecting on the fact that even if he did manage to hold onto himself until the ship made port, the rage would overtake him before he could get out of the city, William chose the only available course left to him and leapt into the dark waters below.

[Antipracticality]

Pressure pushed against her jaw as her teeth gently clenched into the old wood of the pipe. While she had never filled it with tobacco, the gentle earthy smell of it was burned deep into the bowl. Her mind had emptied for a moment, just time and the ever-present call of waves behind her touching upon her senses. The sharp call of a gull broke her reverie as it dove down for the bit of egg she'd flung into the cold, dark sand. Why had she chosen to stop here?

She supposed that it had just seemed like the place she should spend the night. Happening upon the beach late in the day, it seemed almost magical. The light danced in her eyes and sparkled on the top of breaks in the water's surface. She'd walked up to the ocean's edge and let the icy waters play over her feet, giggling despite herself when the waves pulled at the sand under her feet. The seashells she'd collected were now placed delicately around her campfire, in small piles as if they were the cairns of the day, meant to honor and mark the passing of a glorious afternoon where she had fought hard for her freedom. That was, perhaps, the entire point of the thing. She was free to stop and sleep and eat whatever she wished.

The fish sat upon an egg strewn rock, cooked and cooling. She could eat it if she wanted, but she had never really cared for the taste of fish without a lot of sauce and lemon. She could curl up and sleep under the stars right now, continue her journey, or even go bobbing naked in the breakers of the ocean if she wished. Gone were the herbal infusions, the inquisitions. Leaning back in happiness, it was great to just be - bad food and all.

[Jaleco]

Jaleco laid still against the tree. Unable to find sleep once more, he listened to the sounds of the night. As he listened the sounds grew with the coming dawn, the noisy crickets and treefrogs were replaced with the sounds of the waking birds and the sailors bustling about, readying themselves for the day ahead of them.

A barge marked the Crystal Mae approched the docks slowly. From the corner of his eyes Jaleco saw a dark figure leap off of the barge and into the dark waters with a splash. Intrigued, Jaleco pushed himself up from the ground and walked towards the edge of the trees. The figure swam furiously away from the barge, as if it were fleeing from something.

With wing spread, the angel lifted himself off the ground and continued to gain altitude until he was out of sight of the docks. He soared over the waters, looking down upon them, only to find that he had lost sight of the figure. He dove closer to the surface, drawing attention from the sailors as he did so.

"What the hell is that?" The men below collaborated, startling Jaleco as he realized what he had done. He thrust his wings down with force, pushing himself away from their sights as fast as he could. He hoped that they would not chase him, that they would not see the blasted monster that he had become.

"You can't keep running," Clyde's voice penetrated Jaleco's mind, causing him to lose balance and fall to the depths below.

"I have to run! If I don't, then there's nothing to keep them from catching me," Jaleco heard his own voice raise above the others in retaliation. Just as the water met the tip of his head, a vision came to join the voices.

Clyde stood by the archway leading in to the livingroom where He had sat with Jaleco so many times in the past. "What do you think will happen if they catch you?"

"Then I'll be forced into a life of servitude, into a life away from what I've grown to love!" Jaleco responded, his voice thick with emotion.

"The very same things that you now choose to run from?" Clyde knew that nothing could change the boy's mind, he was leaving, and that was that.

"Please, don't make this harder than it already is..." Tears began to form in his eyes as Jaleco looked upon his old friend's face.

"You know that I can't give up on you, my boy," Clyde left the room unexpectedly, and when he came back, he was holding a crown. The crown was silver, with gold lines tracing their way around it. The five points at the top of the crown each held a different, sparkling jewel: One of ruby, one of sapphire, one of emerald, one of diamond, and one of onyx.

Clyde held the crown out towards Jaleco, "This, as you know, has been passed down through my family for thirty-four generations. It seems only fitting that it should now be passed down to the only living heir to our throne, besides myself, of course."

"What are you talking about!?" Jaleco's face became locked in a state of confusion, confusion that soon turned into anger. "You-you can't be telling the truth," after a moment of silence, he continued, "Why'd you keep this from me!"

The water filled his lungs as Jaleco gasped. He thrashed about wildly as he cursed the flashback that now left him drowning in a cold body of water. He swam with what little strength he had left towards the surface. He burst out of the water, coughing furiously. Screams of rage entertwined with sadness filled the air. The tears of his vision became the tears of his nightmare as he carried them through to reality. He lost himself in his emotions, and headed for land. Once there he stalked off towards the docks, "I'm not running this time, old man."

[Revenant]

William paddled furiously towards the faded shoreline, fighting against the ebbing current that threatened to pull him back into the depths of the bay. His heavy woolen clothes had completely soaked through, and the pack on his back felt like a stone, pulling him down into the abyss. The cold of the bay seeped so thoroughly into his joints that every movement he made stung bitterly. William could only grit his teeth and pant heavily with the exertion of his swim. Time became completely meaningless to him, and his determination focused his will to a point focusing only on the dull throbbing rage of the demon within him. He had spent most of his life as a woodsman and wasn’t the most proficient swimmer, but found that the raw ferocity of the demon kept him afloat and moving forward at a decent pace. Though the rage had almost completely overcome him now, William hoped that the rigorous effort to gain the shore would help to mitigate its effects.

A soft, gritty feeling broke William out of his trance. With heavy breaths and burning limbs, William dragged himself out of the surf to lie panting in the sand. William remained in this state for a full minute before the incessant throbbing of the demon within his mind forced him back into motion. As he had hoped, the rage had been all but drained out of him during the long swim, but the demon still screamed its hunger and fury throughout his body. As he stood, William noticed a lone figure sitting in the shadow of a small fire farther up the shoreline. William’s hands twitched involuntarily with violent urges as the sight of prey, and the promise of drying himself out by a fire sealed his decision.

With heavy limbs William began trudging towards the shadowed figure, demonic claws pushing through sodden bandages. As he approached what he could now see was a young woman, William let his heavy scarf fall away from his face, revealing wicked dagger-like teeth.

“Hungry,” Williams rasped.

[Antipracticality]

The thrashing of water sounded no different than waves until the man had made it to the shallow water. For a moment as Camarie stared at the shape dragging itself along the sand, she was sure that it was her captors coming to take her back to the hospitable prison she'd escaped from. Shanoir had only been logical, though, and it made no sense for them to come from the water. She began to relax, wondering if she should talk to the fellow when he pulled himself up and stumbled towards her. A monster's grin belied the simple statement of hunger, and she slid the rock that bore the cooked fish in his direction with the tip of her cane.

The muscles betwixt her shoulder blades were tensing, and from far away she thought she heard the whispered echos of the sailors yelling about something. The port, however, was inconsequential as anything else. Taking the pipe from her mouth, Camarie gave her own tooth-bearing smile, waving nonchalantly at his mouth.

"You, boyo, could use a dentist. They have very good ones in Radasanth, I hear." Tossing another piece of driftwood on the fire, she took her eyes from the stranger and seemed to talk mostly to herself, "Well, I hear they have everything in Radasanth, anyway."

[Revenant]

The young woman seemed almost nonchalant as William steadily approached; a trait that was not common among William’s prey. The oddity of her reaction struck William’s consciousness through the demonic fury that rode his body and with startling clarity into what he was about to do, he started struggling against the mounting urge for violence within him. He had always despised the ritual that the dark sorcerer Kal’Necroth had performed to bind the demon within his body and since regaining control over his soul, William had struggled vainly to overcome the demon’s urges. He had learned to channel the rages, to give himself over to them under his own terms so that he could maintain a semblance of control, but every now and then the rage would rise unannounced to overwhelm him. This was one of those times.

Though William screamed his protests internally, the demon would not be denied. William snarled his fury and leapt towards the young woman sitting opposite him, but was cut short as he unceremoniously crashed into the sand.

[Jaleco]

The sailors chased Jaleco away from the docks after discovering the lifeless bodies of three of their own. Jaleco ran hard, too sore to fly, when at last the men stopped and returned to the docks. He stopped for a breath, the newfound calmness announcing the occurances about him.

As the sailors examined the bodies, Jaleco stared ahead at the girl he had seen before. She looked curiously at a figure that hurled towards her from across the fire. Jaleco quickly reached for his sword and shouted, "ANGEL BLADE!" A streak of light emerged from the tip of the falcutta and sped toward the target. With a crashing sound the light rammed into the figure and knocked it away from the girl.

Jaleco approached what now became defined to him. Through the fire he saw that it was a man. The man cracks running through his skin that glowed in a faint red color. A demonic aura surrounded the man, making its presence known to all eyes that were to rest upon it. Jaleco sheathed his sword and reached toward his pack. Out of it he pulled a white and gold crucifix that began to shine slightly.

"It is the duty of every angel to banish the foul beings of this and any other realm. Nothing shall stand in the way of your abyss, your awaiting purgatory foul demon! Light of the valor, may you guide this spirit from our sights, may you release this man from its grasp. Let its own darkness consume itself, sending it into the deepest crevices of the calamity of the nether," Jaleco repeated these words in a commanding voice. The man in front of him glared with dark eyes. His chanting seemed to have no effect on the demon, as if it were bound to the man not of its own will. All the while the lady sat an watched the scene unfolding before her.

Shouts of men carried towards the camp from the docks. The sailors were returning in more numbers towards the three. Many of them held swords in their hands, shouting curses like only a sailor could.