A New Chapter

[DarkStrike]

Guess I should have put this in the title, generally it's second nature, buuuttt.... yeah this is an open quest, for anyone interested.

It was raining.

The leaves blew violently in the trees, yet, in the way that only nature is capable of, the leaves still maintained a grace that other beings tend to envy or look upon with scorn. Beauty comes from many things, and in many forms, but such thoughts were not to be made outside.

Indeed, the being who these philosophical thoughts belonged to, was sitting inside a small tavern. The tavern itself was made of a simple oak wood, that gave off a simple sheen of gold and amber, from a finish, not long applied. A blaze crackled merrily in a small hearth located in the eastern wall.

The table that the newcomer sat at, alone, was made of the same wood that the tavern was made of, with the same sheen, and served to add a homeliness to the atmosphere. Of course, as is the way of such places, identical tables were scattered about the room, all filled.

The customers were a motley assortment, some elves, some dwarves, some humans, and of course the misfits, including half breeds, mutants, and even an undead. But all were apparently here with nothing but goodwill upon their minds, and all enjoyed the company of others...

Except the newcomer.

It was not that the others harbored ill will towards him. Nor was it that he harbored any ill will towards them. The newcomer merely made the choice to be alone. One of the men at the bar, looked over at the newcomer, but there was not much to describe.

The newcomer was apparently tall, even sitting down he was big, the man guessed that he was somewhere around six and a half feet. At his side were two blades hanging in sheaths of soft velvet, probably no newcomer to a sword, especially if he was carrying two, but then again, who wasn't able to use a sword these days? Most children were able to use swords with fair proficiency anymore... but that was getting off track.

The reason it was so hard to make anything out about this being was because he wore a large billowing robe of what can only be described as pure white, and it hid his features completely.

Of course there were rumors about this newcomer, as he had been coming to the tavern for the past few days. Some said he was a mutant, so horribly deformed, that he could kill a person by his looks alone. The man considered this to be nonsense, but one never did know.

Of course there were other rumors, but the only one that remained consistant, was that the...thing was from Alerar, or at least that's where it had been last. A name of course followed these rumors, the only thing that was known for sure: Nenal. The man stopped and contemplated these ideas for a minute, shuddered and then returned to his drink.

Nenal had of course seen these looks from the man, but cared little for it. Settling deeper into his cloak, he looked out of the window by his side, and reminisced of times long past...Of his family, his dear friend, and the burden that haunted him.

[Kai]

((I missed this characters antics!!!))

The peaceful promenade, the man who was walking to the door would soon be turning that place upside down, maybe even inside out. There was a terror about him; all who knew him had been close to falling into fits of depression, suicide, even a loss of sanity. Of cause that was all in the past now, he would no longer cause that effect anymore, no, so far the only major talent he still has from then has been the fact that he has a knack for getting into all but the strangest trouble. He also possessed the dumb luck to escape from the trouble he could unwittingly start, his mere presence in a town could eventually lead to a riot, and this was proven fact.

The doors swing open on this calm place of rest, and stepping inside and pointing heroically to the bar he shouted out with a naturally loud voice.

“My beer, my beer, my kingdom for a Beer!”

He possessed a grin like no other, so full of mischief, and possibly an infinite supply of energy, that or he was on a sugar rush and had ventured here to balance the force within him. By all means he looked young, he still might even be thrown outside for being too young, but no doubt everyone was openly dumbfounded, and openly staring at the strange newcomer.

He rushed over to the bar, shortly followed by his tail which wagged frantically like a dog about to receive a bone from its master. Although he possessed a tail, he was not of the Neko variety, or any of them for that matter, the rest of him was as human as the bar keeper, better looking too. His hair was wild and layered, but surprisingly straight and healthy, a small part of it had been allowed to grow as long as it could, that part was wrapped up like a rope letting the loose end just breeze off from touching the ground.

“… err … what will …”

“Jacky D for me’o … can’t stand that weak crap, doesn’t work”

“…”

The loss of sanity mentioned before was literate, and already it would appear the room had been turned upside down. And this was him toned down, but even still as soon as he got his drink he would be hanging upside down from the suspension beam across the ceiling by his tail, minding his own business while looking too cheery to even be real.

He got served because unfortunately the barkeeper had the pleasure of dealing with this customer a few years back, although he was quiet back then, the barkeeper knew at least he was aloud to drink, he was also contemplating of making him the first person to be barred from the peaceful promenade. Still he was unfortunately a paying customer, and so the barkeeper got his drink ready, the monkey like boy almost swallowed his hand, he could not get to the drink quick enough.

“I tell ya, it’s been nearly 40 years for me, and in that god forsaken place I missed the taste of the strong stuff”

“… Why do I care?”

“Cos I am the best customer you ever had” kai said with that cheeky larger than life grin, he toasted the barkeeper then proceeded on to drown himself.

“… your daughter passed by here a while ago, she started a fight with a vamp, please don’t repeat what she did”

… His request fell on deaf ears

[DarkStrike]

"Don't worry about it." She laughed and gave him an approving look.

Nenal could not help it though, he felt that the building had gone up far too fast. Looking around he thought, home.

"Home" was actually the floating city Angelus, what one of the beings below might call heaven. With magnificent architecture, and friendly citizens, it certainly did pass off as what one might call, the "perfect society."

Of course as with all places, it was marred by occasional crimes, but they were quickly dealt with and the Elites, otherwise known as the Angel Guard, would restore order to the city quickly.

"I just think the building went up to fast, didn't they say that the average building in Angelus takes 20 years to build?" Nenal asked looking at the girl anxiously.

"The girl," was Nenal's best friend and childhood companion, Talia. Talia looked at Nenal with a loving skeptisism.

"You worry way too much Nenal, but that's why I love you."

"Love-" Nenal began.

"Yes, love, you stupid cow," Talia cut him off, the playful glint in her eyes.

Nenal stopped for a moment to look at her, and assess his feelings for her. Talia was tall and slim, with the graceful hourglass curves that would make any other angel drool. She had long hair, reaching gracefully down to her waist, with bangs, and possessed that "bounce" that all girls seem to crave.

Her face was beautiful in every aspect of the word. Full, pouting lips, gorgeous, bright lilac eyes, that displayed a warmth to melt the sorrows of the heart. Talia had a nose that, was not large, small, or any other distinct size, rather it just seemed to be there, enhancing her other features. She also possessed a brilliant white smile, that caused most male angels to fall over themselves, because of its bright, but mishcievious quality.

Nenal never got the chance to say anything about her, because she leaned forward to kiss him, and in a way beyond friendly, with...passion, with...love...

Nenal was brought out of his reverie by the door. It swung open and Nenal saw a flash of green eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a loud proclamation.

“My beer, my beer, my kingdom for a Beer!”

Nenal was slightly annoyed, wondering why the stranger couldn't have waited but few more minutes...just a few more...

Sighing uncontentedly, Nenal pushed his annoyance away, thinking about how it did him no good to sit reminiscing on the past like he had been a moment before. Instead he turned his attention to what lay beyond the window, out in the rain.

Nothing interesting was happening among the trees, so Nenal instead chose to let the rain luu him with the ever present pitter patter. It was so peaceful...

Refocusing once again brought Nenal's attention to the conversation that the... Silvet? Yes, the Silvet and his conversation with the barkeeper.

“I tell ya, it’s been nearly 40 years for me, and in that god forsaken place I missed the taste of the strong stuff”

“… Why do I care?”

“Cos I am the best customer you ever had”

“… your daughter passed by here a while ago, she started a fight with a vamp, please don’t repeat what she did”

Those last words shouted danger in Nenal's mind, but he knew that he was not of the temperament to involve himself in a fight, but...the manic grin on the Silvet's face just had trouble written all over it.

Nenal decided right then and there to ignore this creature, for to talk to it only meant trouble for Nenal, and Nenal didn't like trouble. Reaching carefully, he loosened the bone blades in their sheaths and prayed that he wouldn't be forced to use them.

He wouldn't start something, but if something did start, he sure as hell would be the one to finish it.

With that mindset, Nenal turned his attention back to the soft tapping of the rain on the roof, and watched how the gentle bath, that Mother Nature was giving to her offspring, seemed to rejuvinate Nenal, as he lapsed back into thought.

[Yamihara]

Crackle-! Boom!

Uwa~! Not again~!!!

It was that time of year again, the time where winds from the southern sea drove dark clouds up north to shroud the sky, dumping gallons after gallons of water onto the hearty little lumber town. The locals knew when and how long these things would normally last, a yearly fact most people keep track of as markers for reminder of special occasions. Even then, that didn't mean a non-native would know the same.

A certain non-native of Underwood was apparently caught by surprise the sudden shower from above, running for cover wherever there was to hide from the rain. The first attempt ended in disaster, the foliage of a mighty redwood failing to shield her copper hair from the devilish drops of water. Another attempt landed her under the canopy of a house near the outskirt of town, peppered by the wind-swept droplets and soiling her leather travelling boots.

"Oh, great. Now I'm all wet..." Asuka muttered under her breath, shrieking in surprise a second later as a stray bucket of water landed on her head - turning the mildly-wet gal into a drowning puppy in an instant.

"Alright, that does it!"

It was bad enough already that she had been caught off-guard by the instant downpour. Now she had to deal with drying herself off as well as get a decent shower to wash away the "woodbark scent" and wet leather.

A few moments later, Asuka found herself standing inside the sanctuary of the Peaceful Promenade. The homely tavern held many fond memories within their amber-colored walls, from friends long lost and rivalry begotten. There were other not-so-happy times as well, but the Akashiman preferred not thinking about them.

"Pops" was tending to the drunks, as usual, with his stern fatherly remarks and incessant mumbles about people getting too drunk all the time. Asuka stifled a chuckle as she walked up to the bar, knowing full well the barkeep also took his time with dipping into his own taps from time to time. At least the service here was good and not overly crowded compared to the more "lively" taverns across Corone. However, the balmy atmosphere was what kept the young girl coming back again and again.

But it didn't take long for trouble to start brewing, as with all pubs and taverns around Corone. Or around Althanas, for that matter...

"My beer, my beer, my kingdom for a Beer!"

Asuka winced from the ear-splitting laughter, nearly dropping the cotton towel Pops had given her to dry off a moment ago. Immediately the lass turned her head to meet a raucous individual, shooting off his mouth and generally throwing beer down his throat. The girl merely stared uneasily at the "kid," unsure whether or not the funny person was indeed as old as he was.

Then again, as Asuka was able to glean from the brief conversation he had with Pops, 40 years was quite a long time. Especially if this "kid" already has a daughter rowdy enough to start a fight with a vampire.

"Mm, hey, mister." Asuka cleared her throat, trying to get the attention of the new arrival while not stirring up hostility as best as she could. She had also taken note of a rather dangerous-looking individual, clad entirely in white, seated by the window who looked like he didn't give a thought to the situation at hand. But the indifferent shell outside might hide a boiling temper within and having a fight break out now could spell disaster for the tavern. "Could you keep your voice down a bit? Eh, he? Some of us are a bit put of by that..."

The lass chuckled nervously, trying to hide the irritation inside her was well. The last time a fight ensued here, the bar had to be completely refurnished and restocked. Another one could spell a drought of drinks and food for the locals. As a frequenter, it would also mean no place for food for her except by raiding the local gardens.

Wandering around without a place to call home was already bad enough. Being branded a thief would certainly push her over the edge.

[Kai]

ai emerged from his pint of jack denials, he sighed with contempt as he savoured the last but in his mouth, he had forgotten how fast it could warm the belly up, the ridiculously strong taste, the amount he had gulped down was almost enough to knock him out, but he held onto reality and survived the spinning room. Well it definitely counterbalanced the rush he was having, being home never felt so good, well one of his homes at least, the only one still intact too.

“… So you say my daughter passed by … how did you know she was my daughter”

“White tail”

The barkeeper replied to kais somewhat surprisingly serious question, true enough that was all kai needed to hear, there were few people with a white tail and a human appearance. But on top of that she had started a fight with a vampire, although possible, the last time he checked, she was just very competitive and easily agitated, the vamp must have been trying to make a move … the bastard.

“Mm, hey mister”

"Could you keep your voice down a bit? Eh, he? Some of us are a bit put of by that..."

Came the request of a drenched girl sitting not to far away, the copper hair was a dominant feature she had, and she appeared as much as a tomboy as his own daughter, but she was right. His antics upon entering were wild, contradicting the name “peaceful promenade” but he was happy, excited at being back in a warm environment, even if there was a squall outside.

“Aww, don’t worry about it, you guys love me here right”

He asked looking over to the barkeeper who had heard the drift of what was being said, and with a stern face he replied to the silvet.

“… No”

“See told ya … hey, what do you mean, who else consumes illegal amounts of alchahol?”

“Dwarfs”

“… very valid point, but I am still not convinced … ok actually I don’t have the money to even compete with one”

Kaiser sighed in defeat, and raised his hand for the same order, he casually took a swig and sighed with the warmness, and he put the pint back down on the table and looked back at the young girl who had requested that he keep his voice down. Although with him around, chances are the four horsemen of the apocalypse would be attacking this establishment, or at the very least a bar brawl break out, if he was her, he would have made the silvet get out and run away. His attention then turned back to the barkeeper after he toned himself down into a respectable customer, although now, no doubt if he would meet people in this place again, they would not take him seriously.

“So, any interesting bit of gossip going around”

With a sigh the barkeeper leaned in closer to hush down his voice, good that meant the gossip was in the room. Although kai really wish the barkeeper had not moved closer, he reeked of foot fungus, poor guy had that problem since the last time he was here, his breath also smelt like stale cheese, it wasn’t pleasant to his nose, or the beer swirling around in his stomach.

“See that guy in the white over there?”

“… Didn’t notice, what about him?”

“Well, he has been coming here for a good few days, been keeping to him self; no one has ever seen his face and all”

“… This is hardly gossip of the century” Kai said not being impressed by the eary war the barkeeper was telling him the gossip

“Listen … word is his name is Nenal, and he is from Alerar,”

“… What’s Alerar?”

Kai asked with a sense of confusion, it was enough to make the barkeeper pull back growling almost ripping his hair out in the process. He returned and although his voice seemed louder with anger, he did well to keep it to a whisper.

“Don’t you know anything; it’s a city in the sky. We don’t know why he is here, but he sure is an intimidating foe, the way he is just sitting there like that, ignoring everyone”

“… my daughter didn’t point her sword at you did she?” Kai countered the serious barkeeper with his own stupid humour, he even added his larger than life grin, and the barkeeper was slowly loosing his cool with his most annoying customer.

“Trust me on this … for your sake, behave yourself,”

“… How does it float?” Kai asked referring to the place where that man had presumably come from, a city in the sky, not the first time he heard something like that, but he never quite figured out what makes the darn things stay up, they must be filled with a large amount of helium or something.

[DarkStrike]

“Mm, hey mister”

"Could you keep your voice down a bit? Eh, he? Some of us are a bit put of by that..."

“Aww, don’t worry about it, you guys love me here right”

“… No”

“See told ya … hey, what do you mean, who else consumes illegal amounts of alchahol?”

“Dwarfs”

“… very valid point, but I am still not convinced … ok actually I don’t have the money to even compete with one”


Nenal listened to the conversation with great interest, and at the Silvet's apparent defeat, Nenal laughed softly. What's the holiday? he thought, It's not every day you see a fire like that doused.

Nenal looked up so that he might pay better attention to what was being said. The Silvet and the drenched, copper haired girl resumed their positions, the Silvet, over his tankard, and the girl... well, from the angle he was at now, he couldn't see the girl, as the corner of a wall, as his table was situated in the alcove, blocked his view, so he couldn't assume that the girl had gone back to what she was doing prior to the brief conversation.

“So, any interesting bit of gossip going around”

Nenal saw the barkeeper lean forward, which probably meant Nenal was about to be brought up as the subject. He knew the rumors, and he knew the fear that he sparked in people, with just his presence alone.

The barkeeper started talking and Nenal couldn't help but feel irritated, he had no intention of talking to people, but how in hell was he going to quash rumors if he couldn't even catch them in the act. The funny thing was, he didn't need to get closer to hear...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A very old man sitting at the bar, quite drunk bellowed out harsh laughter, as he was sitting close enough to hear what the barkeeper Willie had told the Silvet. Turning to the Silvet he began to speak in an obnoxiously loud voice.

"I remember you lad," There was a large slur to his speech, "You're that Kai, fellow aren't you? I remember everything from my life, and I have to say I remember you, and your daughter too for that matter."

The room had gotten deathly quiet, the ancient man's son, a burly man somewhere in his forties, turned to him and tried to get his father to hush, but his father wouldn't be quelled.

"And Alerar ain't no stinking city in the sky...it's a goddamn region. Home of them dark elves and dwarves, with the most dangerous mountains, especially them ones bordering Salvar.

"That city you be talkin' about ees the city called Angelus, home of da angels." The man's slurred speech was becoming more prominent.

"Don't be teelling heem no lies Villie, that creezy fellow named Neenal-"

The ancient man's son yelled to speak over the old man, attempting to drown out the voice of his father, vaguely telling the barkeeper that they had to be going, but the old man continued, "And ye be right teelling heem to stay away from this here Neenal fella, beeecause," the man had started to sway, while his son kept glancing fearfully over at Nenal, who watched with interest, a small smile playing his lips, of course no one could see it, "he's dangerous I tell ye!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's when Nenal laughed, loud and strong, and the room went deathly quiet. It was a soft musical chord, played loudly with strength and confidence, and it floated through the bar like an echo, as no one was even breathing.

Nenal stood up, and then even the silent, fearful glances that were being passed along ground to a halt. Walking swiftly over to the bar, he stood besides the old man and the Silvet, who, he wasn't going to make any assumptions about, name or otherwise, since an old drunk man can hardly be trusted. Turning to face the rest of the bar, careful not to trod on the delicate white tail of the Silvet, Nenal began to speak.

"That was a most amusing performance, but seeing as rumors are getting out of hand..." Nenal's voice was just as soft and musical as his laughter, "I think I will try to clear them up.

"My name is Nenal and I am from Alerar as previously mentioned.

"Many are wondering exactly what I am, and as to that, I will refrain from answering, but suffice to say, I am a pure blood, and not some ridiculous mutation, although I have undergone a transformation because of my past, in short, it marks me.

"...And to answer the next question, I am not evil, in any sense of the word," His stance allowed anyone to tell that he was grinning, not actually see, and not malevolently, but with pure joy, like a child.

"That is all," Nenal gave a waving hand gesture, and then returned to his seat, and the common room burst into life with excited talk, and more than one person had noticed that Nenal had not disclaimed the fact that he was quite dangerous.

[BatMoon]

Later he would say it was pure accident, but whether it was or not, it was certainly effective. He slammed the door of The Peaceful Promenade open in time with a simultaneous crash of thunder and flash of lightning, making for quite the dramatic entrance. He glared around the room at the people who had turned to stare, his silver hair streamed water down his face. Taking a blanket from it, he chucked his bag to land on the nearest tabletop, the fact that it was already occupied not concerning him. The man quietly picked up his mug and moved to another, the men there silently making room for him.

Whipping the blanket over his head, he scrubbed vigorously at his hair. He uncovered his head and shook his hair back with a grunt, then tossed the blanket to hang, sopping wet, over the back of a chair.

At first glance he was human, if with an odd appearance; dark, nearly black skin, silver hair, wearing only soaked trousers that clung to his legs and twin hilts that peeked above his shoulders. As he turned his back to the room, the occupants noticed his hair was not that long, but in fact grew on his head, down his neck and to the small of his back. The hilts belonged to two scimitars, strapped diagonally across his back. He ran his fingers through his hair and glared upward at it. He hated being indoors, but he hated being wet even more, especially if it wasn’t planned.

He stood there near the doorway, not moving for nearly a full minute, as if he had to remember what to do in a tavern. Finally he snorted, blowing air out sharply, before stalking over to the bar, leaving a trail of puddles as he continued dripping. He gave barely a glance to the tailed man, and gestured to the barkeep. “Hot cider.” His voice was low and gruff, as if he didn’t use it often.

The barkeep placed a mug in front of him, but could obviously sense he wasn’t the talkative type. He snatched the mug and went back to his table, to brood and stare out into the storm.

[Yamihara]

Tension rose and fall with the solid footsteps against oaken floorboards, all eyes trained upon the white figure addressing his origins. Asuka herself felt a threatening aura surrounding this person, but the feeling was vague and fleeting. All the same, his address put the lass on edge and she proceeded to back away just slightly from the counter.

Of course, Asuka could almost immediately tell this "Nenal" person was no Aleran native. Or, perhaps, not a dark elf at all. She had been to Ettermire herself just a little while before and was more than certain no true Aleran would dare wear anything darker than a shade of grey. Living under the constant cloud of smog and dust would do that to a native, but to a lesser degree for those who were not.

As soon as the white-robed figure returned to his table, a flash of lightning marked the entry of an imposing figure who literally plowed through the entire room as he made his way towards the bar. The Akashiman was not one to be faint of heart, but she wasn't stupid either.

She was relieved, however, that nothing urgent occured in between these two events. The supposedly Aleran man bothered little to stir up a fight while the new-arrival, possibly an out-of-town mercenary escaping the downpour outside, did not seem to care for much trouble either. The lumbering scruffy-hair man merely grabbed his drink and went away, leaving the Akashiman and the jovial drunkard to their peace. All was well for time being and Asuka heaved a relief sigh.

"Boy, those two sure look like they mean business." The lass seated herself at an empty stool near the strangely jovial man, carefully avoided tripping over his snowy tail as she spun around to face Pops and ordered a glass of water. "I think that Nenal guy's up to something. No one comes to the same place day after day unless there's something to be had..." She muttered under hushed tones while leaning close to her new chatting partner. This guy looked like someone worth getting to know, even though he looked way too young to already have a daughter capable enough to fend off a vampire attack. He must really be something special.

"And I don't think he's a true Aleran either. What do you think?" Asuka whispered, making a wary side-way glance towards Nenal. The question was a trivial one, but old habits were hard to break. Living as a noble for 19 years would do that to anyone.

[Kai]

Kai simply stared blankly at the old man who suddenly appeared claiming to know who he was, the feeling wasn’t mutual, kai honestly had no idea who or where this guy had come from, he chose to ignore him and the correction he made, out of a simple fact.

‘it’s hard to believe that I am older than that nut basket ’

But things seemed to go from strange old men one moment to the sudden outburst of the one he had just heard about, he announced his origin, even so much as to state he wasn’t ugly. He ended rather too awkwardly for kai as he had turned around full 180 to watch the man, and as he sat down the silvet wasn’t sure if he should just openly stare, or go back to his drink, which for some reason seemed to have lost its potency.

Shortly before he made his choice someone else made there entrance, kai would have laughed at the uncanny timing of the slammed door, with a bolt of lightning. the one entering wasn’t what he expected, this place was famous for bringing them all in, all shapes sizes, hell kai would bet that the barkeeper served a dragon or two in his life time. The worst thing about the stranger, he stank, or more accurately reeked, like a wet animal caught in the storm, hell even his own tail stank when wet.

“ … Well … this just suddenly got week ”

He thought with an inner voice, holding up his pint and letting what was left inside swirl about, secretly thankful when the centaur left with his drink to go and do whatever he wanted to.

“Boy, those two sure look like they mean business”

Come the voice of the young girl who moved over to sit closer to him, well at least he was thankful that not everyone on this tavern were freaks, himself and the barkeeper included on that list of cause, but she balanced it all out. But her statement did make him think of the one called Nenal, the way he had openly addressed himself to kill off annoying roomers, suspicious hell yeah, but kai didn’t think too much about how intimidating he was. The Stranger seemed a natural at that, but wearing white really wasn’t an intimidating factor, if anything he was closer to being a paladin, the comment also made him think about something else too.

“Its not always the serious ones you have to keep an eye on … Yeah, they seem a little too serious, if they keep that up there gonna get old before there time ”

Her questions were interesting, a little to nosy on someone’s business but interesting, true enough Nenal was suspicious, hiding something probably, maybe he did something, or simply got his ass whooped in the citadel and is secretly hiding his shame, whatever. Kai grinned as he looked into his mug, keeping from making eye contact with the girl, that guy got up last time during his interest for the latest gossip, this time he wasn’t going to find out what happens a second time.

“In all honesty kid, its not our business … But that doesn’t mean I ain’t curious, best guess I got, he either got dumped, and is moping around drinking away his sorrows … or he is looking for some love … probably with a guy too … who knows”

He said in a hushed voice, and with that cheeky grin of his too boot, he took a hearty swig of his drink and sighed. It was a cruel guess, he knew that, but hey, if he was right, then this may be a stepping stone he needs to see if he could awaken that strange skill.

[DarkStrike]

Nenal rolled his eyes as the centaur came plodding through the door. The tavern was beginning to become to crowded for his taste. As he watched the stranger plod across the room to the barkeeper, Willie, and Nenal decided that it was time to leave, besides he wasn't achieving anything here.

...Not that he actually wanted to achieve something.

Nenal stood up for the second time, which was two times too many as far as he was concerned, and walked across the dull golden oak planks that made up the floor to the door. Opening the door revealed a light rain, a cobblestone path, and the town directly ahead, not 50 yards. Turning, noticing the silence that swept the room once again, Nenal nodded towards the barkeeper, and left the tavern, closing the door behind him, which fell into place with a reassuring thud.

Standing upon the doorstep, with rain merely running off his cloak, rather than soaking it, Nenal heard the common room become very loud. Sighing, and then shrugging to himself, Nenal moved down the path leading to the cobblestone path.

Reaching the end of the path, Nenal saw that the cobblestone road ran to both the left and the right. The left, led to the quiet forest, which he had been staring at all day from his window. The right, led to the small but bustling town. Not wishing to deal with anymore people, Nenal headed left, his boots making small splashes as he trod upon the tiny puddles that the rain had left.

It didn't take long for Nenal to step into the semi-shelter of the forest. Stopping to listen Nenal was fairly sure he heard footsteps, but he dismissed the thought, he had been paranoid his whole life, and there was no reason to be paranoid on a public road.

The forest was quiet, although not too quiet as to alert someone that something was amiss. A few chirps from small birds could be heard, and the scampering of squirrels and chipmunks as they gathered nuts could be heard if one listened, and thus, reassure themselves that nothing was wrong.

Nenal began to walk, and soon he discovered that the cobblestone road was gone, and that he was now moving among only nature, and this added a level of calm to Nenal's already calm nature, creating a rather lethargic effect that one might experience after far too many ales.

Nenal continued to walk slowly for a good three hours, until he happened upon a clearing. The rain had long since stopped, and the sun was getting well on in the sky. The distant chirping of birds was all that there was to be heard and Nenal decided that this would be a great place for him to stretch his wings.

Stepping directly into the clearing, where the sun shone down like a spot light, which gave it a very dramatic appearence, Nenal began to change.

His cloak began to wrap tightly around his body, acting much like a layer of spandex, and the back of the cloak bulged dramatically. Hunching over Nenal tensed his back and the black, angelic wings burst free, and flexed themselves, which added to the truly majestic sight.

Then it was over, and standing in the place of the cloaked figure was a majestic, yet featureless angel, he was white, much like a cloud, and his wings looked probably even more cloud like, and the two blades remained attached to his sides. The only item, though, that wasn't white, were his eyes.

Nenal's eyes were pitch black, much like a shadow, with no pupils, they were...just black, no white's of the eyes, no nothing...just black, and they seemed to glow with an inner fire, and they narrowed as he heard the twigs snap.

"So..."he said softly, "This is what you wished to see, you wished to see what I am, and what I have become, does this now satisfy that desire?"

Turning to the source, Nenal looked directly into the shadows of the woods at the stalkers, and said, "Step into the light, and state your purpose for following me."

ok Im kind of hoping that the people who followed me are Kai and Yamihara, and then Batmoon, I want your character to follow shortly after, make your next post something like you begin to follow after Kai and Yamihara, but then you stumble across me, so you might wish to wait and let them post first...

if you guys don't want to have followed Nenal...then, well I'll make something up lol. Have fun!

[Yamihara]

Asuka gave the "kid" a curious glance for his reply, mulling over the words carefully while trying not to misinterpret the hidden meaning if there was one at all. This guy certainly had a wild imagination, but it appeared things could go either way. It was a wild guess, but she was inclined to agree with the last guess the Silvet made.

"Hehe. Maybe he is looking for some guy love."

Chuckling to herself as she took a sip from the cold metal glass, the lass let the cool liquid take her mind off her troubles. The water here, though not as tasty as the kind she had back home in Akashima, was refreshing and reminded her of a crystal-clear spring in the summer. The chilly liquid gave the lass a tingling sensation as it passed down her throat and she simply sighed in content. Nothing like a glass of clean water to wash away the worries.

The roomy tavern picked up its jovial atmosphere once again and a couple more lumberjacks wandered in, toasting to a lucky friend who had just succeeded in wooing the daughter of a local baker. The air returned to its homely sensation - of joyful reminders and light-hearted cheers. This was what the Peaceful Promenade had to offer anyone who wandered in from the turmoils of the outside world. No matter what kind of conflict set apart one group against another, this welcoming tavern was the middle ground for all.

"I'm Asuka." The redhead girl blurted out of the blue, turning to face the white-tail guy next to her. Comfortably resting her head on a hand, the tomboyish lass stared at her conversation partner directly in the eyes. His emerald orbs were a peculiar sight, especially when a good number of Akashiman locals sport the same shade as well. Getting to know more about him was probably worth her time spent here, since he could have come from Akashima. "And you are..."

After greetings have been given and laughs shared, Asuka caught an interesting movement out of the corner of her eye. It was tall and white, seemingly gliding towards the door and just stopped there for a moment before disappearing outside. Looking around the room, she saw that the creaky old table by the window was unoccupied.

"Well, looks like our mysterious Aleran took his leave." A sly glimmer sparkled in her chocolate eyes as she turned to speak to the Silvet. "Are you as curious as I am?"

Not a moment later, Asuka found herself outside in the light drizzle walking down the cobblestone path with the sound of light footsteps guiding her forward. The maiden made sure she was out of sight at all times, hiding behind building corners and once under an adandoned fruit stall. She wasn't sure if that Silvet was following or not, but she had to know this white-robed man's identity.

And, like the old saying goes - Curiosity Killed the Crow.

Right in front of her eyes, the robed man transformed himself into a majestic angel with a burst of feathery wings shooting out from his back. Asuka, hiding behind a large redwood just fifteen paces away, felt cold air beating at her face as the angelic figure completed his transformation.

Almost immediately the lass felt her legs suddenly losing strength and fell over backwards, landing on a dead twig as she hit the leave-covered ground.

Wha... what... what is he...? Her eyes were transfixed on the glowing white angel in the sunlight. The sight of such a majestic being sapped all strength from the maiden and she couldn't even muster enough courage to reply when it was apparent she had been found. All she did was just sit there on the ground, staring awkwardly at the winged creature in the clearing.

A- a- An angel?

[Kai]

Kai noted his last guess had raised a chuckle, it was a good realisation to him, despite recently Bering trapped in a hell hole, his ability to converse with someone had remained intact, unfortunately he still had not matured as much as he would have liked too. Suddenly from nowhere the young girl announced her name, and a slightly odd one at that, he had to repeat it in his mind after missing the almost silent A, almost calling her Oscar

‘ Oscar … Ascar …Asuka! Yeah that’s right ’

“And you are”

“Heh … its Just Kai”

That made one hell of a turn around, usually when introducing him self; he usually gave his full name and then simply gave a note to shorten it. It looked like something was happening, the strange man, Nenal got up, alerting the whole tavern again, and hurried over to the door and left the confines of the warmth of the bar. Without the seemingly dominating presence, the customers seemed to liven up more to kai’s tastes. Kai sighed, taking in a deep breath of the warm and slightly damp air coming in from outside, why couldn’t they be cheerful with his presence, guess they all didn’t have his experience.

"Well, looks like our mysterious Aleran took his leave."

“Yeah. Poor anti social guy … all he wanted was a little luvin”

Kai knew his teasing eventually led to someone punching him in the face, but it wasn’t like that would happen when the object of his teasing had left, he was free to continue until it became old and stale, with no point to it.

"Are you as curious as I am?"

“… no … why? …. Oh hell no, don’t even think about it, bad idea”

But she must have ignored his words as she stood up and too left, this left kai to slap his own forehead, it brought back a memory, one of himself scolding his own daughter for that exact reason. Curiosity, while it may lead to knowledge, also leads you into all kinds of trouble, oh-no flashback time.

---

“You know … Curiosity did kill the cat right”

For such a quick flashback, the room they had been in at the time wasn’t shown, it was instead a simple white cloudy background, kai stood there with his hair, shorter and let loose, his own daughter stood in front of him with a nervous grin.

“Yah … but didn’t satisfaction bring it back”

Kai openly sighed and pointed to the cat that had recently died for being curious, of cause how was the cat supposed to know the mother wyvern was right behind it, looking annoyed as the cat played with the necks of its brood.

“No … No it didn’t … its dead, done extra crispy …. “

“Just the way I like it”

“… we are not eating a fried cat”

---

That was a time before kai had taught his own daughter about being able to stay calm under pressure, before he moulded her into the little too serious fighter she was now. Well her daughter wasn’t here, he was, and right now that girl may be getting herself in such amount of danger it would not even be worth saying “don’t say I didn’t warn you” of cause he wasn’t sure what he had said qualified as a warning.

Kai jolted up to his feet, and slammed a few gold coins onto the bar; in his hastiness as he dashed for the door he grabbed someone’s cloak, ignoring the yell for him to return it. As soon as he was out of the door he stopped to tie it around his neck, the weather was getting worse since he entered, and the cracks of lightning made the whole thing seem worse than it should be. He spotted Asuka up a head in the old street. And quickly he followed trying to catch up as soon as he could, who knew what he would say once he caught up, or why he was even chasing her, that Nenal guy was way to suspicious to let anyone follow him he guessed.

[DarkStrike]

No answer left the lips of the girl.

Apparently the girl was too stunned to say anything, which Nenal found fitting. Striding forward, not bothering to be quiet, Nenal pulled the two bone blades from their sheaths. He approached the girl, and recognized her, the copper haired girl from the tavern. Well, isn't this most interesting? Nenal thought. The one person Nenal thought might have any sort of common sense had failed him.

Nenal stopped and listened, he could tell that someone else was close by, but Nenal ignored it for now, merely marking "its" position. He would make sure that it didn't end up behind him, but for now he focused on the girl in front of him.

Nenal had chosen his spot most precisely, he was far enough away from her so that she wouldn't be able to kick him, yet close enough to lunge and end her life if need be. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, he knew that he was an item of interest at the tavern, and as they said, 'Curiosity could very well kill the cat.'

Feeling merciful, Nenal sheathed the bone blades, which had an odd gilded, and curved look to them, and as they sheathed with a soft rustle, one of the blades caught the sun's rays and gleamed merrily.

"Despite my actions," Nenal began, " I mean you no harm, I am just curious as to why you have followed me.

"My name is Nenal, and...as you can see, I am an angel, a fallen angel, but an angel none the less."

Offering the girl his hand, he said, "...And you are?

"...And those of you in the woods; however many their are, had best step forth, before I get violent."

These last words were no idle threat, and any could tell. As he awaited an answer from both girl and stalker, or stalkers, Nenal noticed that a light breeze picked up, and the sun finally disappeared behind the trees, bringing dusk, with night hard on its' heels.

[BatMoon]

He slammed down his mug with a snort. This was absolutely pointless. He’d been reliably informed by one of his contacts that his current target would be here tonight. Of course that was before the storm started. Any sensible person would’ve stayed home on a night like this. But then again, such a person had to have a home to go to. He hated being cooped up indoors, yet it would’ve been dangerous at his campsite, what with all the lightning strikes.

He still sat though, glad of the warmth of the room, and of the liquid in his belly. He sat low, leaned back, to all observers he might’ve gone to sleep. Yet he noticed as a white-cloaked figure headed out in the storm, a figure whose movement was followed by nearly everyone. Only when the door shut behind it, did the noise level return to normal.

He propped his bare, muddy feet up on the table, heedless of the disgusted look he earned from the barkeep, and yawned widely. He hadn’t slept an entire night in years, and he probably wouldn’t get any sleep until the storm was over, which, from the look of things, might last for days. He dozed for a little, not truly asleep, but for a small while relaxing the guard he had up for most of his life.

He was jerked into alertness only a few minutes later as a girl with copper-colored hair rushed out into the lessening storm. He vaguely remembered seeing her sitting at the bar, but since she obviously wasn’t the target, his eyes had barely skimmed over her. At the third departure, this one of the thin man from the bar, who snatched up someone else’s cloak and dashed after the girl, he dropped his feet back to the floor. That was it. Curiosity might not be one of his better qualities, and anyone who dashed out in this weather might or might not have something skeptical on their agenda, but three spoke of something bigger.

He stuffed his blanket back into his rucksack, heedless that it was still soaked and might ruin the last bit of bread he had. Putting the strap over his head, then adjusting it so it wasn’t in the way of drawing his scimitars, he threw open the door and stepped back out into the storm himself.

Though the thin man and the girl were already out of sight, he had others ways of following them. His sense of smell, as well as his hearing, was better than any normal human might boast. And though the rain would've washed away all trace in less than an hour, it had stopped for the most part and the trail was fresh.

The further he followed the two, however, the more certain he became; he knew where they were going, and it got his temper up. As someone who owned nothing except what was on his person, he became very territorial when he spent more than a night anywhere; and these people were trespassing on his campsite, his territory. Granted, the patch of ground was most likely a puddle of mud, and now worthless for that particular purpose, but his temper was not one to heed that sort of reason.

He moved quicker and reached the edge of the clearing as the girl fell down in shock, staring at the angel in the clearing. The dark man was already moving as the angel demanded ‘the others’ show themselves. Though he wasn’t stupid, the dark man was too focused on his temper to stop and think how to handle things more delicately. His temper was also his defense; it was hard to get to know someone who had such a volatile personality.

He strode into the clearing and straight for the bright white angel; he stopped a few feet away, stiff with anger. “All this, this huge area, and you had to stage your little show in my campsite?” He threw his arms wide, pointed a finger at the angel at ‘your’ then transferred the finger to himself at the word ‘my’. His voice was hoarse with disuse; he was accustomed to going months without needing to speak, but the hoarseness of his voice did not detract from its intensity. “Take yourself and your little fan club outta here, now!”

He had enough sense not to draw his own weapons, at least, balling his fists at his waist. An angel certainly could tie him in a knot if it perceived a threat. Unfortunately his blood was up and he would not back down quietly.

[Kai]

The weather wasn’t pleasant, but it was already the last thing on the silvets mind as he rushed on quickly catching up when the girl, ‘Asuka’ had caught up with this so called angel. Kai had already rushed out into the open, but the sight of an angel with wings as dark as the night alerted him to danger, and without thought he rushed his whole body behind a tree, but his careless movement made way too much sound, making it almost pointless to have jumped into cover.

‘is … that a dark angel … no its totally different, and it can’t be an angel can it.’

He approached the girl with those unorthodox swords of his, and kai didn’t know what to think, Kai hated this kind of situation, if he did nothing then he would face something worse than his own death. However if he did do something there was a chance he would anger it, and that could lead to something even worse. Kai was sure that the whole world knew his current location, but he preferred to think that they all knew the area he was in.

‘No one here but a little old monkey’

Kai then slowly began to move away from behind the tree, staying silent, staying quiet, and most importantly keeping his head down, but it would not be enough. He slowed down looking from his cover of view, and slowly he reached under the cloak, and under his oversized shirt and pulled out a hook with a rope tied to the ring. It was not a weapon, but it sure as hell could be used like one, the hook could pierce, and the thick metal frame of the hook made a destructive small scale wrecking ball.

But there seemed to be no need for the action he had decided to make, he so ‘kindly’ put his weapons away declaring that he would not harm the girl, well that meant she was safe, kai thought. He then announced that he knew someone was in the woods, although he didn’t know how many, his comment about himself getting violent was like pushing a button in kai, in short it pissed him off.

‘I forgot, that’s the type of person I enjoy using as a punch bag … bastard, so high and mighty, I ought to teach that young whipper snapper a lesson in humility ’

While he gritted his teeth, and boiled with annoyance, it evaporated like mist when someone else stepped forwards, he had not expected a fourth to this whole ordeal, but even more so when it was the stranger, the stinky one at that. It had just gotten interesting, especially when he declared that this land was his and was determined to move the angel along, possibly the girl too.

‘Everyone is right … I bring bad luck to those around me … come on Asuka, no is you best chance to get out of there”

[DarkStrike]

While this was approved by both Abbie and Osato, I'm going to ask you Kai, if you want me to change this because you think im bunnying you. Im just ready to have everyone in the open, and have a little bit of small talk, peace between all of the characters, and then a conclusion.

Sound good with you all? Oh and Batmoon I use a bt of irony when my character fires an insult back at you (Nenal says you have the personality of a centaur).

Nenal simply shook his head.

Looking at the human who had declared the area, in which he stood, his territory, Nenal snorted, "Your campsite? Hardly.

"If you were so precious of your 'campsite,' you would know not to leave it unattended, so don't be such a fool as to think that you may tell me what to do."

Nenal was beginning to get angry, this human's appearence had thoroughly surprised the angel, and it had not been the person that he had been trying to trace as it had made its way through the woods.

Calling out to it again, he said, "I know someone is still in the woods, and between being followed and having this fool here who acts like a centaur, I am at my wits end, and I ask you to come out before I really lose my patience.

"I do not like killing, but presently I have already spoken far more than I am used too, and I merely look for a place to relax, away from the stares, and this is not what I bargained for. So come out now."

Nenal's stance, the way he flexed the beautiful, feathery wings, the way he stood so rigidly, one could tell that the angel was indeed losing his patience, and the angry glow of the black eyes, would cause even the bravest to take a step back and reassess the situation.

This was the stare, that told others that Nenal meant buisness, and Nenal had only lost his temper once, and it had resulted in his banishment from Angelus. Any being, with any sort of wisdom, would know that it was now that they needed to reveal themselves, because otherwise, there would be hell to pay.

Nenal looked at the girl, and said, "You'll pardon my temper, I am simply irritated, and..." Nenal's voice trailed off as something caught his eye. In a gesture that looked as though he were rolling his eyes, Nenal raised his voice, so all could hear, "...and it might be wise to tell your Silvet friend to remove himself from those trees because now I am really starting to get pissed off."

Indeed, Nenal had seen, for only brief second, the white tail of the Silvet from the bar, its whiteness, standing out in contrast to the dull earthen colors of the woods.

[BatMoon]

Sounds good to me.

"A fool am I?" The man retorted. "I'd like to see how you could both guard a campsite and do business within the city while traveling alone." And I resent that remark, he thought to himself, about acting like a centaur, but even in his rage he knew better than to repeat that comment aloud; he'd have to explain why.

Deliberately turning away from the angel, shaking in anger and not sure he'd be able to resist the urge to lash out, the man stomped over to a particularly large puddle. Giving it up as lost, he moved to one side and pulled a knife from his bag to dig a shallow bowl into the muddy ground. He used the puddle to clean his knife then moved over to what looked like a large pile of brush. He'd woven enough branches together that the firewood he'd cut the day before was fairly dry, under the first layer anyway.

He still wished to kick them all out, but truth was, he feared the others would take the angel's side, no matter how insulting the creature was. And as well as he was able to fend for himself, he had no illusions that he could take on all three.

Instead he blew off steam by kicking apart his carefully piled wood, then took a deep breath. Now more in control of himself, if not calm, he piled tinder in the center of his bowl. Then he carefully piled some small sticks around it, leaning them all into the center to construct something like a teepee. He repeated this several times, going up a size in sticks each time. Retrieving his flint and steel, he flicked sparks onto the tinder, and carefully fed the tiny flame until it began to catch the wood around it.

It burned fast and hot once the wood dried. He carefully circled it, using a long wet stick to adjust the wood as needed. He finally went after some good sized oak logs to place in the fire. Once they caught, he sat on another log and settled in to wait for the fire to die down a little, for good cooking coals.

Though he still fumed nearly as visibly as the fire, he was dtermined to ignore them. He rummaged in his bag, cursing to himself as he realized he only had enough dried fruits and vegetables to make one pot of stew. He'd meant to restock or at least do some gathering in the woods, until they screwed up his plans.

[Yamihara]

I'm good with that.

... I... Ah...

Asuka felt like a helpless mass of flesh, just sitting there on the damp grass even as the strange being walked over wit weapons drawn. The lass shivered at the thought of being skewered alive, or even just the notion of it. She was partially relieved that the angel with abyssmal eyes desisted, suing for peace.


It was rather ironic, really. This angelic being was, after all, proclaimed by the smelly mercenary type as an "intruder" on his campground.

But the lass yet remained powerless in front of this formidable being, still unable to get up onto her feet. She even heard the white-tail Kai urged her to get out. The maiden knew she needed to get out of there as well. If only her body would respond. All right... C'mon, Asuka... Just get up... slowly...

Slowly and cautiously, the lass pulled in her left leg and got up into a crouch, her hands still shaking visibly as they rose from the rain-laden grass.

Her eyes remained fixed on those deep, unfathomable pits where the fallen angel's eyes were supposed to be. She even forgot Nenal's question about her name - snapping back to her senses at the mention of the Silvet, her mind finally cleared up for the most part. At the least, she was feeling more like her usual self again.

"Err, I, ermm... Name's... Asuka..." The Akashiman maiden replied in a shaky tone, her eyes darting back and forth between the irate camper and the irritated fallen angel. The lass felt as if the angel's eyes were drilling through her and she felt helpless but to comply. "...A- And my fr-friend... here... is Kai..."

"We... We mean you no harm, either..." The normally cheery lass slowly backed away, keeping a sincere (albiet frightened) smile across her face. "We were just... curious... that's all... Right, Kai?"

Asuka ended her small speech with a nervous giggle, nudging the hiding Silvet with her elbow. She was too afraid to say anything more than what was already said. Having two parties that visibly wouldn't get along well in the same area - much less being branded as intruders as well - was more than enough due cause to start a fight. She wanted to just stay out of it and get on with her life.

Hey, Come on, Kai. I don't want to die here just yet...

[Kai]

Blah ^_^ "Translation: Ok have a nice day"

The ball was in his court now, no doubt about it, his next move seemed like a fork in the road, but who knew how many paths lead from it. He was sure the stranger would throw that so called angel off him, but that wasn’t the case, he had him marked, and he was growing more impatient by the second. From his point of view he watched, the fourth one, start a fire, even go as far as to carefully set it up, ignoring what was going on, at least for as long as possible.

Kai leapt from his hiding place, up into the tree he hid behind, and carefully traversed the branches heading higher, then he moved on out, so that he would soon be above them, as far out on the branches as he could go without them snapping under his weight. But before he decided to reveal himself he had his grappling hook ready, although by all means it would simply appear like a tool. Kai wrapped his tail around the branch he was sat on, and fell backwards, his harsh movement was a dead give away, and if they missed him this time he would label each one of them as idiots.

To all appearances, he looked like he was standing upside down on the branch, but a closer look showed that he was hanging by his tale, and keeping himself stable with his feet, a move only a typical silvet were known for. He looked down while crossing his arms, or looked upwards, depending on your point of view, he also grinned that cheeky grin of his.

“As the little one has said … my name is Kai … and your Nenal right”

At first he had planned on teasing the fallen angel a little bit, crack a joke, humiliate the poor guy for having the same appendages as a pigeon, the reason he didn’t wasn’t because of the fact that he could counter saying he had the appendage of a monkey, because kai accepted that, instead he found himself quite serious about the situation.

“Funny … Although I once knew a person who named himself THE fallen angel … he was as angelic as my middle finger … I guess this is my first time seeing a true fallen angel eh? … “

Gideon Xerxes … that was the true name of the Fallen Angel, and his battle brother Canen Darkflight, although that was only a nickname, much like the way he himself went under the Alias of Lance, and Canen, Falcon. It had been a long time since he had seen either of them, the last he saw Gideon was over 80 years ago, and maybe even longer than that, Kai felt a little Nostalgic by it.

The three of them had been close friends; they had been through so much, so many fights, so many losses, the days of the Castagar war was long over, as was the defences of the realm of Karak, and the miss match family he had forged within the Red Dragon Clan. Just the thought of one of them was enough to make him remember, the grin on his face now was the thought of his own daughter, after seeking out Canen, and currently driving him up the wall, and it would be ironic.

“ … I told you being curious was a bad thing Asuka, but truth be told, even I wasn’t expecting this,”

He made light of the situation, if only to loosen up the Asuka who appeared way too intimidated for her own good, it was almost silly, now that kai knew what this Nenal guy was, he felt a little disappointed, it really wasn’t what he had expected, then again, with kai’s history, he found little could genuinely impress him these days.

“ … but I wonder … what technically makes you a fallen angel, surely it can’t be the colouration of your wings … could it?”

[DarkStrike]

Things were just moving too fast for Nenal. He watched in a dull haze as the man who had irritated him stalk over to an area near the center of the clearing and bend over and begin to do something, probably starting a fire to make himself some food.

He caught the girl's name, Asuka, as she staggered to her feet and glanced at Nenal nervously, as though he were some crazed serial killer, and then breaking out into a grin. This odd change in mood made the girl, Asuka, seem bipolar, and Nenal could only shake his head, frowning slightly.

She did; however, tell Nenal the name of the Silvet, Kai, who was now approaching slowly, but with a steady confidence that irritated Nenal. If that wasn't enough, instead of apologizing for following him, the Silvet introduced himself formally, as though they were passing each other on the side of a street!

Kai began to ramble other things about fallen angels and such, so Nenal began to tune him out, keeping his hands near his blades. Then quite suddenly, Kai turned his attention to Asuka and sort of reprimanded her for her curiosity, followed by a proclamation of his own surprise.

If Nenal had pupils and irises' this would have been the part where Nenal rolled his eyes in exasperation, but seeing as Nenal's eyes were completely black, glowing black, that is, Nenal treated himself to a little sigh.

The Silvet didn't appear to catch on. Instead Kai had the nerve to ask him what made him a fallen angel, disclaiming the possibility of his wings being the reason.

Irritated now beyond reason, Nenal flared his great, jet black wings and leapt into the air, his wings beating powerfully. Hovering a meer four feet off the ground, he spoke calmly to Kai, "I had a falling out with my superiors, thus I am a fallen angel.

Hovering, he gave two more powerful pumps of his wings and landed in a large tree where he might look down at the surroundings, making sure Kai was the last of his stalkers.

Seeing nothing, he called down, "Well now that we have discovered that you followed me out of curiosity, I am tired, and it appears as though that man is intent on claiming this spot as his, and I, for one, do not wish to deal with it. perhaps it is time for me to take my leave."

Nenal was tired, and needed to sleep. He was also hungry, and the nearest town was about four miles to the southwest. Judging quietly, he figured he would just be able to make it there before his wings gave out.

Turning his attention to those below again, Nenal said, "I am heading southwest and I ask you not to follow me again, and with that I bid you good bye."

Leaping forward off the branch Nenal swooped down acros the clearing and began to take altitude as his wings powerful strokes did their job. Lifting higher and higher, Nenal cleared the tree tops...barely, and soon was heading fast for a small little village, with the sun to his right.

The sun's golden rays blazed across his black wings, and the fallen angel, with only sleep and food on his mind, left everything behind, as he always did when flying, and went back to reminiscing about the time when he flew in Heaven's Cradle, with his family and with Talia, careless and free.

But a shadow crossed his mind, and the voice was there once more, saying, "Those times are dead, and you will never have them back."

I know it seems sudden, but Nenal's personality dictates that he is a loner for the most part, and that wherever possible, he leaves company. Just make your exit threads, BatMoon go last, because I'm assuming your character is going to stay in the clearing, everyone else go away IC

[Kai]

Kai silently watched as the fallen angel flew upwards and told him that he had a falling out with his superiors and that made him a fallen angel. This was why kai doubted most of the order of the world, that angels or anything like them were not of a superior species, and that they just thought they were. This doubt had been plaguing him ever since he found out what his own high and noble race had turned into, mindless religious cults hell bent on sacrificing him for forgiveness to there own god.

“… Whatever … if that’s all there is to it ?”

Kai silently spoke as he watched the fallen angel beat his powerful wings and taking flight leaving the clearing, it didn’t appear to be a trick, and there was a genuine expression in his face, a tired one. With the absence of the fallen angel the clearing was calm, and as it appeared a sunrise in the east, it gave light to the surrounding area, revealing more than just tree’s and shrubs, but flowers too, not a bad scene as the rain seemed to stop.

Kai looked down, or rather up from his point of view, to Asuka still on the ground, he felt a little pity, to be so scared like that, but at the same time he doubted he could understand how she felt, long ago he had lost that fear. From his position on the underside of the branch he loosened the cloak around his neck and removed it folding it rather awkwardly too.

“… My god I missed this kind of action”

A grin returned to his face as his tail loosened and he fell towards the ground, his agile frame allowed him to control himself allowing him to land on his feet and left hand while his right still held onto the now folded cloak.

“ … Angels, demons, devils, fallen angels and gods … I just don’t buy it anymore … if he is a Fallen angel just because he had a little spat with someone … then …”

He stopped his own ranting as he stood up and looked at Asuka, he simply then just shut up, he knew he could say nothing, or rather he had no idea what to say, only his actions could do anything now. He simply walked up to her and placed the cloak beside her, he after all didn’t know her well enough to feel like he could do anything else.

The other one, whom he had not yet met, seemed to be soundly ignoring them, but still he seemed weary, and on guard, ready to tackle anything that should approach him, so kai kept his distance.

“I wonder what you make of all of this.”

Kai then looked in the direction the fallen angel had flown off too, and silently he thought for a moment, then realisation hit him, he fumed with anger and held his fist up clenched tightly.

“That Jackass!!! That’s the only town on the way to the harbour!!!! I don’t want to see him again, but there is no way I am going to let him accuse me of following him! ”

Kai stood there a few moments, calming down, before silently turning back to Asuka and the other one, and then slowly back to Asuka, before sighing, and holding out his hand to help her back to he feet and said with a sincere voice.

“… Come on … stop playing in the mud…”

[Yamihara]

Asuka thought the worst had already come to pass when tension seemed to dissipate in spite of some lingering hostility between Kai, the smelly camper and the imposing Fallen Angel. But she sighed a breath of relief a little too soon for her own good.

As the black-winged angel Nanel took flight, the lass yelped and fell back in surprise, landing unceremoniously into a shallow puddle of mud near the tree. She genuinely thought the angel was about to do something very bad and feverishly tried to scramble away even as he disappeared beyond the treeline. At the end of the event, all that was left were the rustling leaves and the light pitter patter of the beginning rainfall.

"Umm... Thanks, Kai..." Asuka, still shakened from the ordeal, gratefully accepted the Silvet's hand as he hauled the lass up from her muddy seat. Today was just too much for her to take it all in.

The weather seemed to be thinking the same thing as well and the light drizzle turned into a downpour, drenching the wooded area with a blanket of water.

"I think we should get out of here..." Asuka mumbled and rushed out of the clearing, wanting nothing more than to return to the homely warmth of the Peaceful Promenade.

Fallen Angels on Althanas?! What is this world becoming?!? But that was as far as she wanted to think. Anything more eventful than that thought was enough to send chills down her spine.

[Kai]

((OOC: meh I am done))

After helping up the lass Kai crossed his arms glancing over to the camper, it wasn’t a hostile look, to keep him away but rather, more curious about the camper and how he could be so territorial, a strange trait to possess. Asuka spoke of just simply going, and while the idea had already crossed his mind, the silvet had no intention of returning to the peaceful promenade, he knew his untameable spirit would be too much for the place, that and he needed a little time to think.

“ … Asuka … take care of yourself … if you ever want my help or whatever, I will be in Corone”

Corone, a good number of years ago he once called that open space a home away from home, well whatever it looks like now he was sure the Concordia forest had not become a dense jungle, at least not yet. Kai showed his usual cheeky grin and turned towards the direction the fallen angel had flown in.

“I am not following him as long as I get there first … C’ya”

He waved his hand almost like a salute before turning back in the strange direction, and then leapt forwards sprinting off into the dense trees, over the foliage and into the darkness. Kai didn’t really find it difficult to stop himself running face first into the side of a tree, this kind of environment was somewhat his element; the challenge was actually thinking on his feet so that he would not trip up.

‘You still have not lost your touch kai, already your making friends and foes, probably more foes than friends … but oh man did that whiner of a little fallen angel tick me off, just something about him made me want to introduce his face to my fist’

Kai stopped for a moment, looked up the closest tree, after planning his route he seemingly crawled up the side with surprising speed and sure leg work and balance, he ascended all the way until he reached the top and found a view that overlooked the forest and the sun rise.

‘but still … tails rule and wings drool ’

[BatMoon]

He looked up briefly as the angel took wing, his only response, "Good riddance!" He sat by his well-made fire, poking at it as the smaller braches burned down and the logs caught, rearranging them so it would be a good cooking fire. He pulled out a pot, emptied his water flask into it, as well as some dried meat and spices he'd picked up in town. Not the best meal, but warm, very welcome after such a damp evening.

The man with the tail seemed eager to go, yet stopped to eye him. He ignored the look, continuing with his cooking. No way would he offer to share. Soon the tailed man was gone, the girl to look like she was leaving as well. He portioned out some of his soup into a mug and sipped cautiously at it.

Yet, he began to regret his attitude. What harm would have come from some company around the fire, anyhow? His cynical side had an immediate rejoinder that hardened him against further doubt. Familiarity eventually leads to questions; questions he would not, could not answer. Someone would find out anyway, though, and that would be the end of any relationship he might contrive. He'd learned that lesson, long ago.

[Osato]

((DONE!!!))

A New Chapter
~~A Rather… Critical Review~~


Current Mood Depressed
Current Music Scremo – lots of it…


~~Introduction~~ 6
Dark Strike – I liked that you added all the different types of creatures that were at the place, something that’s unfortunately not often done. The way you describe your character is interestingly done (from another’s perspective), but you don’t need to throw that out there so blatantly. I suggest that you, instead, use your self description as part of the sensory descriptions. For example, you could have said that “The man shifted slightly, the dual swords at his sides tapping against the chairs. The taut steel would have made a loud click if not for the soft leather sheath’s they were in.”

Kai – I must apologize, but I did not understand anything that was going on. I got that you were in the tavern, at least. However, from that point on it seemed nonsense… I suggest adding at least a little character, or maybe some description, and a reason why you are acting the way you are.

Yamihara – you did very well with your introduction. The first few paragraphs were very well done.

Batmoon – I enjoyed your entrance, particularly for the simple fact that it was original. Though I did not get much about your character, it was intriguing. I would suggest giving a tad more background, maybe a reason for him being in Corone, or Underwood for that matter. Other than that it was well done.

~~Setting~~ 6
Well done on all parts. I don’t have much to say in way of setting, other than use it and “feel” it more. If you are describing a scene, make sure that the setting is part of the senses that you use (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell). I’m sure that a bar, and its people, could make plenty of noise, look interesting, and even smell a little funny.

That’s not to mention the sounds and smell of rain… but that’s fine. You did well, nothing on anyone’s part specifically.

~~Writing Style~~ 5
Dark Strike – when you write read over the post again, just for small things here and there. Remember to try and not overuse certain words too often. Example (first post) “Of course there were rumors about this newcomer, as he had…” beginning of a paragraph, next paragraph beginning: “Of course there were other rumors, but the only…” You should also try and not use contractions in your writings. Instead of “can’t or couldn’t” write it out as “cannot or could not”.

When you write a paragraph, try and put more than two sentences or so in them. A bunch of little paragraphs not only looks odd, but is also somewhat hard to follow sometimes. And be careful with the ellipse (…) and using it too much. You will notice that I use it a lot in common speech, via IM or PM or OOC, but hardly ever use it in IC writings.

You too need to be wary of run-on sentences as well. This is taken from post 6: “The Silvet and the drenched, copper haired girl resumed their positions, the Silvet, over his tankard, and the girl... well, from the angle he was at now, he couldn't see the girl, as the corner of a wall, as his table was situated in the alcove, blocked his view, so he couldn't assume that the girl had gone back to what she was doing prior to the brief conversation.”

It would look more presentable as this: “The silvet and the drenched, copper haired girl resumed their positions. The silvet returned to his tankard. The girl, well, from the angle he was at now he could not see the girl. The corner of the wall, with his table tucked in an alcove, blocked his view. He could not assume that the girl had gone back to what she was doing prior to the brief conversation.”

Kai – you do this with Kaiserin too… when you type make sure that you write “course” and not “cause”. It comes up a number of times in your writings when you intend to write “of course” and instead write “of cause”.

You should also watch for run-on sentances. Some, I understand, are for literary purposes. However, in your first post for example, you have this: “By all means he looked young, he still might even be thrown outside for being too young, but no doubt everyone was openly dumbfounded, and openly staring at the strange newcomer.” That could have been better as maybe three sentances: “By all means, he looked young. He still might even be thrown outside for being too young (repetition of a word, sounds odd). There was no doubt, everyone was dumbfounded and openly staring at the strange newcomer.”

Again, my last example of run-ons: “His hair was wild and layered, but surprisingly straight and healthy, a small part of it had been allowed to grow as long as it could, that part was wrapped up like a rope letting the loose end just breeze off from touching the ground.” This could have looked better as: “His hair was wild and layered, but surprisingly straight and healthy. A small part of it had been allowed to grow as long as it could, that part was wrapped up. It was like a rope, letting the loose end just breeze off from touching the ground.” (Though the end of that last sentence did not make much sense).

When you write, make sure that the words you are using make sense. In post number 5, the very first paragraph, you used the word “emerged”. Personally the only way I could see someone “emerging” from a bottle of “Jack Denials” is if you were a genie.

~~Character~~ 5
“The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.” – as defined by dictionary.com

From my perspective you all did well sticking to a specific type of character, in general.

Dark Strike – your character seems aloof, reserved, and rather macabre. Your random speech in the tavern was rather out of character, I’d be careful about that in the future.

Kai – you did well keeping in character as a drunk, while in the tavern. However, when you went to the open field it became disorienting-ly out of character.

~~Dialogue~~ 5
Dark Strike – not mandatory, of course, but it is awfully annoying when people put the dialogue that was just said again. Instead of putting what Kai said in bold, just react to it, or throw something up there that is your character’s thoughts to the words. It is annoying reading a piece of dialogue more than once, especially when you do not put a reaction to it. Take Yami’s opening post as an example, or talk to me and I’ll help you with that.

Kai – when you write dialogue, please say who is talking. They way you have it set up I have no clue who said what, and have to guess at it. Also, please be careful about the overuse of ellipses (…) as well in your dialogue. It becomes redundant and annoying very easily.

Yamihara – your dialogue was original and well thought out, not cliché or overused. I enjoyed the character that you expressed through it as well. Good job.

~~Strategy~~ 6
Strategy is near impossible to judge in a thread like this, since it is more of a personal and character based roleplaying adventure. I’m going to give you the general average for the score, since all-in-all you did very well with what little strategy there was.

~~Rising Action~~ 5
Not much to speak of, but that does not mean much considering the nature of the thread.

~~Climax~~ 4
Climax, unfortunately, does not work well in this thread. I’m very sorry.

~~Conclusion~~ 5
Sudden, though in character. Well done by all, no real comments other than working a little better about what you possibly got out of it more.

~~Wild Card~~ 7
Because the rubric sucks ass for threads like this I have given you a 7. Unfortunately it seems to be geared around fights and quests which are basically long fights, so one without fights has a problem with the rubric. Good job to all.

Score
54

Rewards! 146

Dark Strike – 425 exp, 50 gold
Kai – 420 exp, 50 gold
Yamihara – 420 exp, 50 gold
Batmoon – 325 exp, 50 gold

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

EXP and GP added!