You think you've got problems... (Closed to Elijah_Morendale)

[2-in-1]

Delta was walking around aimlessly. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. It wasn't her fault that she was lost, though. Although she didn't know it, a long time ago she had been fused together with her friend via a spell from a powerful wizard. This had led to the problem of two souls fighting for control of one body. The look of the body changed with the conciousness of the soul that was in control. Whenever one of the two bodies got majorly hurt, the other would come out and take over. Thus, if Delta were attacked on the road, Venus would come out until she got attacked on the road where Delta would take over again and while that could be a week or longer, with Venus out, to Delta it would seem like she had just warped to wherever Venus had roamed in that time in a split second.

That is why at the moment, Delta never had any clue where she was or how she got there. Heck, all she knew was despite it being mid-morning, she was dead tired, her legs were extremely sore, and at the moment she could see a town about three miles away. The town in question was rather small and after walking most of the way there, Delta's legs gave out on her from walking so many miles on end without direction and she collapsed out of exhaustion just outside the town gate. She would be fine when she woke up, all she needed at the moment was a little sleep.

Please note that because it wasn't really a serious injury that brought Delta to an unconscious state, she did not transform into Venus.

[Elijah_Morendale]

Nadia was annoyed with me again. "You know, I'm starting to get sick and tired of all this aimless wandering that you're so keen on doing. We're young, happenin' people! We should be out doing interesting stuff, not plodding around looking for a nondescript village that, for all we know, could've been burned down by the Church the day after you left! It probably would help if you remembered the name of that village, instead of trying to describe it to anyone who will listen like the idiot that you are!"

I furrowed my brow. "It would help if that village ever picked a name to begin with. But I can't just go around saying, 'Excuse me, but have you seen my unnamed settlement? It's about three square miles big, and has an icecrafting master residing in it.' Do you know how many unnamed settlements there are out there? Knowing my luck, we'll be pointed in the direction of a band of nomadic orcs who don't really like humans."

"Let's hope we do. I'd absolutely love to see you get hung from a tree and used as a pinata. That way, next time you leave the place where you lived for however many years of your fuckin' life, you remember how to get back!" Had Nadia been real, I probably would've thrown a heavy and blunt object at her by now, putting her out of my misery. But alas, other than medication, hara kiri, or possibly magic, there's no real way I take care of my split personality.

But, she was absolutely right. It's been a month since the flaming chef Christoph and I had parted ways. I wandered the Salvic countryside, hoping to find the place where I was raised. I had enough adventuring for a while, so I decided to seek some more training from my old icecraft master, Gilliam Ornost. As it stands, I can only create a small amount of ice--I can't do any of the cool shit, like create a cloud of ice shards and fire them all off instantaneously at my target, or even surround myself with a shield of ice. As it stands, all I'm really good for is keeping drinks cold.

This village, whose name I later learned was Ghalven, was the fourteenth I've stumbled into along my journey. Just like what I remember of my own, it was quite an unremarkable stretch of land: A small cropping of houses, a few places of businesses like a blacksmith shop, a grocery store, and--of course--a tavern or two. The residents were kind enough, just like my old friends and "family". I guess that the further away from the cities you are, the more pleasant you become. The road dissected the village in half, and as soon as you reached the gates, you were instantly greeted by the barren stretch of cold nothingness that was Salvar. If you were lucky, there'd be a small forest to break up the monotony.

Nadia and I were on our way out of the village; my footsteps crunching on the frozen gravel, my imaginary friend just sort of floating. She shook her head, sending her crimson bangs flying all over her face. "I can't believe that you don't even remember what that place even looks like."

I dug my hands deeper into my jacket and shrugged. "It wasn't exactly a place that would stand out in anyone's mind. You'll just have to--what's that?" About twenty feet away from the town's gate, there was a body. A sprawled, unmoving, possibly dead body. My good guy instincts suddenly taking over, I rushed over to whoever it was. She was breathing shallowly, which meant she was at least still alive.

I began to reach down when Nadia caught my hand. "Hey, chief, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to help her, can't you see that?"

"Nossir! Remember last time you tried to help an elf in a situation like this?" Nadia quickly pointed at the pointy ears that jutted out from beneath the scattered mop of long blue hair. A small shiver crept down my spine as I remembered the events in Scara Brae; I came upon a dark-skinned elf who was bleeding all over the place, and tried to help her. Instead of accepting my assistance, she lashed out and tried to choke me. Of course, I'm not the kind of guy to just stand there and take strangulation, so I clocked her upside the head with a ball of ice. Feeling bad, I took her in and stayed with her until she was feeling better--but she repaid my kindness with a few dagger swipes to my face.

I hesitated as these memories resurfaced. Nadia, had she gotten her way, would probably just leave this elf to freeze here. But then again, I'm not Nadia, am I... Well, in a sense that I'm not actually her, but in a sense that she's only a part of me, and not fully me... I think you get the picture.

Kneeling down, I draped the girl's arm around my neck and my own around her waist. With a grunt, I hoisted her up--oof! She's heavy! I took a look at her. Noticing the lack of a spare tire, I couldn't help but to wonder why this girl was so heavy as I half dragged, half carried her to the nearest inn. With each passing step, Nadia had another new complaint to shout at me. Once inside, the innkeeper quickly showed me to an empty room. I laid the elf down in bed, covering her with every blanket I could find.

Taking a seat in the corner, I silently hoped that this elven popsicle wouldn't wake up and want to kick the shit out of me.

[2-in-1]

Delta got up and looked around. As usual, it seemed she was in a place she didn't recognize.

"Not again. Don't tell me I'm lost again." Delta muttered under her breath. Last thing she could remember, she had been headed for a city to get some rest when she collapsed. Now she was in a bed in what she guessed was an inn. Suddenly her eyes stopped on a human male that was sitting in the corner. That explained a few things.

"Sorry if I am imposing on you sir. My may I ask your name, as well as where we are? I am Delta Retla by the way. By the way, Thank you for dragging me in from the cold." Delta said this last part as she got up and hugged the man. It was her way of saying thanks to the man who most likely saved her life.

[Elijah_Morendale]

Well, at least she doesn't seem hostile. That's always a good start.

I stood up and took a few steps forward, removing myself from the shadows cast by the setting sun peeking through the small window. "My name is Elijah," I said with a calm smile. "I can't say I know where we are exactly, since I'm kind of lost at the moment. You know the drill; adventurer goes on a long journey and can't find his way home..." Embarrassed by my lack of sense of direction, I scratched the back of my head and looked away.

"And now that the formalities are out of the way, it's time to pass through that awkward phase, right chief?" Once again, Nadia points out the painfully obvious. My redheaded companion was curiously eying the bedridden elf, wondering as much as I was whether or not the frail creature was going to try and kill us in our sleep--quite the buzzkill, seeing as I've come this far in my travels.

I took a moment to actually take a good look at the woman underneath the patchwork comforter. Her gorgeous--

Hold on. Did you just really say "gorgeous", chief?

Yes, I did. The elf's gorgeous--

What a lame word! Come on, use some more complimenting adjectives for this fine specimen! Sexy, fuckable... Seriously, Elijah.

Fine, whatever. ...The beautiful elf's sharp features seemed to brighten up the room. I almost got myself lost in her eyes as I gazed at her lithe figure--last time I even got this close to a girl was back in Radasanth, after Nadia led me to a nightclub called the Flesh Failures. I paused, realizing that I was thinking more like Nadia with every passing day. I derailed my train of thought before it could depart from Lust Station, opting instead to do what any gentleman who had just rescued a damsel from the harsh cold of Salvar would do: I offered her my hand and said, "You look hungry. Care for a bite to eat downstairs?"

[2-in-1]

Delta took a minute to consider this proposal. It sounded like a nice way to get to know this Elijah person, and she was famished, but Elijah had already done enough for her. He really didn't need to go out of his way for her.

"Sure. Food is always good, but would you mind if I paid? I still haven't repaid you for dragging me out from the cold." Delta finally replied.

She checked her wallet as she said this. a lot of times money had mysteriously appeared in or dissapeared from her wallet between the times she was conscious. right now, she had more than enough money to buy a quick meal for Elijah and herself as long as he didn't go for anything too expensive.

"So, you have any place in mind that you want to eat, or you just planning on having food at this inn?"

Delta tripped and fell down the stairs after saying this, nearly breaking her arm and fracturing her head on the floor as she said this. Okay, forget nearly, but it really didn't show, because at the moment her head hit the ground, there was a bright flash of light and Venus' soul and body came out of hiding once more as Delta's soul and body hid away to rest.

Venus was a bit more skeptical and observant than her counterpart, Delta. She had noticed that everytime previous to this when She had woken up, somebody dangerous was nearby, trying to pick a fight, she noticed the blood on the floor from where Delta's head hit the ground, and after a bit, she noticed Elijah. Incorrectly piecing together what was going on, Venus pulled out her weapon and stared at Elijah without blinking.

"Like, I don't know who you are, but you, like messed with the wrong woman, kid." Venus yelled at Elijah waiting to see if he'd attack.

[Elijah_Morendale]

They say that no good deed goes unrewarded. With the way that Nadia was cautiously yet lustily surveying the attractive elf's body, I could only imagine was kind of spoils were going through her half of my mind. But, since I'm a man of simple needs, I didn't argue when Delta offered to pay for dinner.

"We could probably just eat here, if that's cool with you," I said to her as I led her out of the stuffy inn room, making sure to close the door behind us. As I turned to make sure that it was locked, I heard a small, feminine yelp, and then a bunch of crashing. I spun around in time to witness Delta rolling down the stairs, her limbs being tossed around like a ragdoll's.

I stood at the top of the stairs, covering my wide open mouth with my hands, frozen in place. I felt helpless as I watched Delta's less than graceful descent down the staircase. Nadia grimly chuckled beside me. "Heh. That was none to slick. You sure you want to dine and bed this chick?"

Blood. There was blood on the ground, a slowly growing puddle. I ignored my imaginary friend as I bounded down the stairs to see if she was alright. I stopped in mid jump when a bright white flash eminated from Delta's body. Shielding my eyes with my arms, I continued down the stairs. When I was sure that I could see again, I opened my eyes, seeing someone else lying on the floor. Her hair was significantly darker, and seemed a bit shorter and slightly heavier.

"What the fuck just happened?" I wondered out loud.

This new woman slowly picked herself off the wooden floor of the inn. She shook the stars out of her silver eyes (I could of sworn that they were green before), and noticed the pool of blood near her. A look of surprise crossed her face, a look that turned to a deep red rage when she spotted me several feet away from her. I threw my hands up in front of me in defense. "Don't you remember? You tripped down the stairs! I didn't do nothing to you!"

I'm such a wordssmith when put on the spot like this.

The situation felt all too familiar now. Just another case of incorrect perception. I'd explain everything, we'd shake hands, and then go our separate ways after this girl, whoever she was, bought me some dinner.

"Look, um, let me make something perfectly clear here... I don't know who you are, but there was this one girl, blue hair, green eyes, and so on... Sh-she was going to buy me something to eat, and she tripped down the stairs..." The pissed off woman grabbed her weapon. Not good Without realizing it my hand grew cold as I defensively crafted an eight inch dagger out of ice.

Nadia, aware of what I was doing, screamed at me excitedly. "This bitch is going to attack! Take her down! Make her blood run like a river!"

Not good at all!

[2-in-1]

Venus stayed her hand for a bit. She wasn't willing to believe it, but there was something about what he said that rang a bell. Had he just been talking about Delta? Was she alive? Venus needed to know.

"Suppose I were to believe that rediculous story of yours, I am sure that this woman you discribed must have given you a name. What was it?" Venus asked cautiously, weapon still drawn in case this man attacked.

She knew it was too much to hope for. After all, she had been there. Delta sacrificed herself to save her. There was no way that her best friend could still be alive, was there? Still, Venus just had the feeling that there was more to the story than there appeared.

[Elijah_Morendale]

Oh, what the blazing shits is Elijah waiting for? Can't he see that this whore who is no less than a sharp object's throw away from him was gonna' lash out if he kept on talking about her "friend" or whatever?

"Her name?" Elijah looked at me for a brief second, as if I was gonna' say it for him. He then looked back down at the girl. "She said her name was Delta... Delta Ratlaw, Right-lah, something like that." He was clearly becoming increasingly nervous.

As was I. The girl lying at the bottom of the stairs was still clutching her sword like a security blanket. She was getting ready to try and kill us, I just knew it.

I made up my mind. "To hell with this," I said as I assumed control of the chief.


***

I opened my eyes to see the woman still lying there on the floor. A smile cracked my lips, bearing my teeth at the poor girl. "If you're gonna' threaten someone by waving a sword with them, I highly suggest that you, you know, actually swing it at them or something."

My hand grew cold again as I forced the ice dagger that Elijah held into his hand into to grow into a shape that closely resembled the thin blade of my katana. In a flash, I moved down the staircase, taking the trip two steps at a time until I reached the fifth step. I then leaped into the air, intent on gutting this chick before she could harm us.

[2-in-1]

"What the fuck? Delta Retla's alive? That's, like, impossible. She lost her life protecting... The Fuck?" Venus said as she was suddenly attacked by the man. Something seemed different. He seemed possessed. Venus quickly rolled out of the way of the attack, but it was so unexpected, that she didn't escape without a gash across the top of her left arm. This was enough to trigger the change again. A bright flash of light brought Delta back into the fray.

"What the hell is your problem? Put your weapon away, Elijah." Delta said obviously confused. For some reason, her head hurt, and so did you arm. At th bottom of th stairs she was on, there was a pool of blood. Come to think of it there was a similer pool of blood under her arm.

"Tell me, do you allways attack people when they offer to buy you food?"

[Elijah_Morendale]

The flash of bright light blinded me as my sword passed through the woman's flesh. I dropped my frozen katana and raised my hands up to try and protect my eyes a split second too late. I heard a loud thunk as I backed up into the staircase wall. "What the hell!" I shouted as I furiously rubbed my eyes back into a state of usefulness.

The girl spoke again, her voice a bit more recognizable this time. I could barely make out the features of the elf that Elijah picked up outside of town. The messy head of blue hair, the bright, childish green eyes, those damned pointed ears... That rack...

I fucking knew that saving her ass from becoming a pale popsicle would lead to trouble. But did the chief listen to me? Of course not. Why would I ever say anything wise and intelligent?

The bitch was yelling at me about something, I think it had to do with the sword I dropped. I snatched it off the ground, quick to put the tip of the frozen blade a few inches from the tender flesh of Delta's throat. I tilted my head up slightly and scowled at her for all I was worth. "Look, I don't know what kind of shit you just pulled, but if you pull a weapon on us again..." I lowered my voice to properly convey my little threat. "I swear to the gods that your blood will stain every single inch of this place."

A cheery smile erased any trace of rage that I had. "Now, play nice, you two!"


***

I blinked a few times as I regained consciousness. One by one, my senses returned to me. I could hear the relatively quiet conversations taking place in the tavern, feel the cool, smooth touch of ice in my right hand--wait.

My eyes shot towards the ice in question. It was a sharpened blade, reminiscent of Nadia's katana. More disturbingly, there were traces of blood on it, and the tip of it was pointed at someone who lay helpless on the floor. Someone very familiar-looking, with blue hair and... Oh, shit!

The ice sword let off a few dull clangs as it hit the wooden floor. I put my hands up to my mouth when I realized what had happened since I blacked out. I knelt down, reaching out to Delta to help her up. "Oh damn, I'm sorry! Please, tell me what happened! Did I hurt you? Oh fuck, I'm so very sorry..." I was frantic. Nadia had fucked up something fierce this time. I hoped like hell that I could make Delta understand what was going on here.

[2-in-1]

Delta tried to think back. Did Elijah hurt her? Not that she could remember, but then again, she couldn't remember anything after she had fallen down the stairs. She checked herself over for wounds quickly. she had a few, but none that appeared to be slash marks.

"As far as I can tell, you didn't scratch me up, but I do seem to have done a number on myself. Mind explaining to me why your weapon is drawn and pointed my direction?" She said, bringing herself to her feet.

[Elijah_Morendale]

I looked down at the floor where the ice katana sat, tainted with blood, then back at Delta in wide-eyed confusion while she stood up. My words fumbled as I replied. "Okay, uh, when you fell down the stairs, there was this bright flash of light, and it was like another person took your place."

I briefly looked at the bloodstain on the floor, averting the elf's piercing gaze. "The woman had black hair, and didn't seemed terribly pleased to be lying on the floor in a puddle of your blood. She drew her sword out and said some shit, and I crafted a dagger made of ice in defense." A brief pause filled the staircase. "At least, I remember it being a dagger, and not the katana at our feet. And I sure as hell don't remember attacking you..."

...But I had a damn good idea who did. Nadia sat on one of the steps, hunched over and watching Delta like a hawk, pining for the moment where she would try and kill the poor elf.

However, as much as I would've loved to solve this little mystery, it was time to change the subject. "But let's forget about all this and go grab something to eat. I'll pay now. It's the least I can do to apologize for this little mess."

[2-in-1]

Delta looked at Elijah confusedly, trying to take this all in stride. The person he had described sounded all too familiar, almost as if she should know the person. She thought back trying to remember where in her past she had seen someone with that description before.

"Venus?" She wondered aloud. After realizing that she had spoken, she figured she needed to explain.

"A long time ago, I had an adventuring buddy named Venus Dimone. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were describing her, but that is impossible. She died on this one mission we had together while protecting me. We were sent to take down a powerful wizard, and mid-fight he decided to cast a huge spell to take the both of us out. I jumped between the spell and Venus, in an attempt to save her, but Venus ended up protecting me with her anti-magic shield. Thing is, do to the strength of the wizard's spell, keeping that shield up must have drained not only all her mana, but her lifeforce as well. I'm lucky to have lived through that experience myself. I still got knocked unconcious, but the odd thing is when I awoke I was in a totally different part of the world. Ever since then, I've felt the effect of that battle, because I still lose conciousness and find myself in another part of the world every once in a while."

Delta wanted to question whether Elijah was sure that she had transformed into another person, but the next words to come out of her mouthseemed a lot more important at the time.

"I'm getting Extremely hungry. Where you want to go to eat?"