Fantasy The Chosen of Seven

[SepiaInk]

The last thing Phoebe wanted to do as they flew above the Hyperion woods was to look down. Alas, it wasn’t with her eyes closed that she would find Dr. Silas’ cottage, so she swallowed down her fears and squinted past her swaying boots. Bright green foliage covered most of the town, but the old man’s place was hard miss. Sitting right on the outskirts, an old watchtower casted a shadow over the canopy.


“There. The watchtower.” Shouted Phoebe, tilting her chin up to make sure her voice reached the harpy.


As they approached it, the realisation that they would have to land on top of the tower made her stomach churn. So far, the concept of a smooth landing had proven to be an almost mythical one. And now they were expected to land on a small stone surface high above the ground.


The list of things that could go wrong pilled up in Phoebe’s head as she shut her eyes and tightened her hold on then young harpy. But to her surprise, she was dropped on her feet without even a stumble and Fekitoa was beside her the very next minute, tucking his wings behind his back in an almost nonchalant manner, as if he had just done the most mundane thing in the world.


Flying was mundane for this person. Of course, it was common sense that a harpy would make nothing of flying. But Phoebe had such bad experiences with being off the ground and her fear of heights was so blinding that the very thought of someone feeling the exact opposite seemed impossible at times.


These musings occupied the former librarian’s mind as they made their way down the stairs of the watchtower, the few windows along their descent providing them with little light to guide their steps. Coming out, the sunlight filtered through the canopy was almost blinding to her sensitive eyes, but Phoebe didn’t have much time to adjust before someone grabbed her wrists and whisked her forward.


“Phoebe, my dear. I found it!”


The shapeshifter blinked at the wrinkled face of the old man she’d grown familiar with these past couple of days. Dr. Silas' smile stretched out across his whole face, swallowing up all of his other features and leaving only a row of bright teeth, plus a few metal ones, shining back at her.


“Wha-“ She stammered, blinking a few more times.


“The Red-Tailed Lizard, my dear, the Red-Tailed lizard! I found it and caught it at last. They thought I was crazy. Well, I showed them.” Dr. Silas was rambling by this point, talking miles a minute as his old but sinewy body jumped up and down. There was a twinkle in his sky blue eyes as he tightened his hold on her wrists and began to spun her around. “And you’ll do the honor of being the first one to classify it, won’t you my dear? It’s your main field of study, is it not? I wholeheartedly trust your knowledge on this. You can even help me name it!”


Phoebe had been at a loss for words, but the old man’s request was just the thing to open the floodgates. “Yes!” She beamed. “Yes, of course. This is great.” The excitement was contagious and soon enough she was the one spinning the old man around as they jumped about. "I knew you would be the one to find it, you crazy genius old man. We have to publish the finding immediately. Are you sure the description doesn’t match anything else? We have to-“


The words died in her mouth the moment she looked up and locked eyes with Fekitoa.


Letting go of Dr. Silas’ slender hands, Phoebe stepped back and coughed into her hand. “Silas- I mean, Dr. Silas, this is Fekitoa Cynrwig. He’s my… new partner.” She gave the man a significant look, hoping it’d be enough to get the message across.


“Ah.” A look of understanding flashed across the old man’s face, the excitement that once filled the air fizzling out. His inspecting gaze fell on Fekitoa for a brief moment before he turned back to her, stroking his white beard as a new, more serene sort of smile tugged at his lips. “I see. Of course, of course. It was about time, though it is a shame. No, don’t look at me like that. I’m just glad you’re finally moving your but, my dear deer.”


And then he burst out laughing at the same lame joke he couldn’t seem to get tired of, shattering whatever sentiment had been taking shape between them. Phoebe’s eyes twitched, arms crossing as a pout threatened to form on her lips, but she remained silent as the old man went to greet Fekitoa in his usual excited manner, though she noticed he made no move to shake his hand, despite his roaming eyes speaking of overwhelming curiosity.


Conscious of their deal to make this interaction as short as possible, Phoebe made quick work of storing the small bag of items she’d bought for Silas inside his cottage and then bid her goodbyes.


“Ah, none of these sappy farewells, we both detest them so why bother. We’re colleagues and I’m counting on working with you once more.” He stepped closer to squeeze her shoulder, his voice lowering to a much more somber tone. “Best of luck for you two. And remember, if you need any help in the Islands, I have colleagues there that will be glad to help any good friend of mine.” At that, he let go of her shoulder and stepped back, beaming at them both. “Well, off you go now. I have an important discovery to announce.”


Smiling back, Phoebe bowed and turned around to face Fekitoa. “We may go now. I apologise for the detour.” She murmured absentmindedly, rubbing her neck and sighing as she took one last look at the little cottage and watchtower and the old man with the big white grin.

@Jayus​

 

[Jayus]

The air was fresh and the wind let for smooth sailings in the sky. The clouds were slowly dissipating overtime and the endless green river of trees beneath his feet stretched on into the endless horizon. It was almost relaxing except for the fact he had no idea where he was going. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Phoebe had managed to scrape enough bravery together to point out where they must land. He hovered a good five feet before dropping her. He could sense she was annoyed with him, but he looked around innocently enough clearly paying no mind to his recent actions or choosing to ignore them.


'That wasn't very nice.'





'Oh look she's fine.'





'She seems mad at you.'





'Mad is fine.'





An old man bounded from out of nowhere and happily embraced Phoebe as though she were a long lost daughter of his. Fekitoa watched with a raised eyebrow from the side. Not wanting to bother the twos animated chatting and a little amused with how happy Phoebe looked for a moment he allowed himself to fade off into the background. She certainly hadn't looked that excited from what he saw of her. They spun each other around and laughed like they were kids again. They talked of plans that were to happen soon and that she were to be a part of.





'If she knows what's good for her she better turn him down.'


'It sounds fun!'





The two stopped and looked at him and he could see a sad twinge in her eyes. Was it of responsibility or regret that she had to join him? Whatever he was joining her in any case not the other way around. It still wasn't a pleasant look in her eyes. The old man greeted him, eyeing his arms with a curiosity that immediately left Fekitoa to tuck them behind his back and fold his wings over them. It wasn't that he didn't trust Phoebe's judgement in people more so he didn't trust people period. Fekitoa let the two say their goodbyes. Despite how short they kept it he could see how much they cared for each other. Like the crazy old uncle he never had, but had often wanted as a kid.


Phoebe approached him and Fekitoa nodded accordingly.





"Whenever you're ready... Dear deer."


He cut her conversation short before she had even the chance to reply.





"After this war is in the History books I'll bring you back here. Now are we off then?"





Getting her consent he once more wrapped his arms around her waist and took off to the empty sky. They travelled for sometime, until the passive gray-blue of early morning burnt away into a bright gleaming azure. He had guessed it had been a few hours since they had been in the sky and his breathing was starting to heavy. Warning her they were going to land for a bit he looked around for any place they could stop at. Seeing a rather peaceful piece of yellows and purples he landed in the middle of a dense flower patch still deep in the forest and the area was adorned in jagged rocks and leathery vines. Once Phoebe was 'safely' dropped, or that much was debatable, he lay chest down in the warm ground, soaking up the sunshine and stretching his strained wings that were slightly shaking under the pressure of the immense journey.





"You go get some food." He breathed, clearly exhausted. Calculating in his head they were roughly half the expected distance they were to make today.





"Or water or lie down or whatever. We'll leave again in half an hour." He rolled over onto his back and was met by an endless scene of blue with a few colours of floating petals dancing across his eyelids. It was serene enough for the Harpy. A small thought of curiosity that he'd been wrestling with Kito finally escaped his mouth.





"... And what's so special about a Red Tail? I've read enough on Blue Tail Lizards and even the more uncommon Yellow ones. Why is the Red one so important?"





@SepiaInk

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Mayweather

May blinked in surprise a few times. Was Severis actually asking her for advice? Previously, he refused to listen to her pleas for him to rest. However, she was glad by his sudden possible change of heart. A beaming smile graced her features. "I think it would be best if you just let yourself rest for today. If you don't move around much, we should be able to leave first thing tomorrow." As May spoke, she cleared up after herself, taking the old bandages to be properly disposed of. Just as the elven woman had told her, she sprinkled some Naru Root powder on them before throwing it in the fire. The flames went several shades darker before returning to the usual warm orange glow.


"Are you hungry? You were out for a while, so it would be good if you eat something. It would help you-Ezi! What are you doing?" May dashed over to the raccoon who was intently sniffing at Severis. The small girl reached the two just in time to stop her companion trying to clamber up the channeller's arm. "Oh, um... I'm sorry about that. He's really curious." May hastily apologised before sending the furry animal a scolding glare.


@The J

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali

Chilali was so giddy that she almost hugged the spider. Almost. She knew well enough that the sudden physical contact would probably end badly for both of them. "I swear to Lady Lacus that I will fly carefully." She stated, completely serious. "Since we will receive a hameling, I need to go inform the stable manager. I will be back shortly." The mage quickly dashed off to speak with the head of the stable. It was agreed that there would be a hameling ready for them by the evening, saddle bags and all.With that sorted, the ice mage returned to Sylvanus's side with a slight bounce to her step. She was excited to finally get going again.


"There are a few other things that we need to sort out, like food supplies and whatnot. But that won't take too long. Is there anything else you want to do before we leave? They will only have a mount ready this evening, so we have a fair bit of time to pass." Chilali left the option up to the hybrid. She would be content to go along with most things as long as it wouldn't strain Sylvanus too much in case his wounds reopened. So if he asked for a spar, she would have to decline.


@minismurf

 

[SepiaInk]

Of course they had to land on a patch of flowers.


As expected, her stomach began to growl and she could feel all of her thoughts converging to the single potent desire to nibble on that delicious looking bed of buttercups Fekitoa was casually lying on. The feeling was distracting enough for her to miss most of the harpy’s words, which she was sure were addressed to her. As she willed her muddled brain to focus on the other’s voice, she managed to catch his last question.


“You read about those.” It wasn’t a question, but the surprise still seeped through.


There were very few books written about the coloured tailed lizards, not only because they were found in two very specific areas, but also because their camouflaging abilities made them one of the hardest animals to spot. Back at the Grand Library, there were three books that mentioned the creatures and only one dedicated entirely to them, written by none other than Dr. Silas himself. Phoebe wondered if Fekitoa had read the one she’d helped write.


A twinge of pride settled in her stomach at the thought.


“It’s a new species, that should make it important enough.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. They sounded a lot more bitter than they should. And why exactly? Here was a person that was actually interested in listening to what she had to say about a subject she loved, and this is how she chose to repay that attention? That was not how a proper librarian acted towards other curious souls. They should encourage questions, not dismiss them.


Rubbing her neck, Phoebe sighed and moved over to where Fekitoa laid, careful not to step on his wings as she sat down on the flower patch next to him, or as close as she dared. Legs bent, she locked her arms under her knees and admired the vast blue above them.


“If I had to say, the Red-Tailed Lizard is special because it’s a species whose existence scholars predicted from analysing the habitat of the other coloured tailed lizards.” Her hand dropped to burry itself in the flowerbed, pupils dilating slightly at the strong smell that rose from the motion. “And there is nothing else that scholars like more than getting those kind of predictions correct. To them, to us, it’s further proof that the world is structured. That there is order in the chaos and that we can explain everything if we can just find out what that order is.” Picking up one of the bigger buttercups, she twirled it in her hand before chewing on it, a smile blooming on her face at the burst of flavour on the tip of her tongue.


“Also, all the other lizards’ tails have incredible medicinal properties, specially when it comes to poison remedies. We don’t expect this one to be any different.” Struck by a sudden bout of good mood, Phoebe turned to smile at Fekitoa, tilting her head to tuck a few stray locks behind her ear. “Then again, it might just end up being a Blue-Tailed Lizard that learned how to change colours and decided they liked red better. Who knows.” A brief, low chuckle escaped past her lips at her own words, the thought of Silas finding that he had a Blue-Tailed Lizard all along a bit sad and funny in her mind. She could just picture his over the top reaction.


"Either way, it’s exciting.” She plucked a few more flowers and nibbled on each one, feeling weightless in the midst of fresh air, heady flower perfume and clear skies.


“What other sort of books have you read? And where did you find them?”

@Jayus​

 

[Jayus]

Fekitoa watched as she spoke about the lizards. She blocked the path of the rays making it easy enough for him to look up at her. She was clearly enthralled with the topic. A smile gracing her lips and a halo of light surrounding her. He had seen her smile before through Kito's gaze, but he was trying to think now. Was this the first time she was smiling with him? The other didn't care that much.


'She looks really pretty with the light.'





'She looks like she's eating flowers.'





He blocked out Kito's ramblings and focused on her. He snorted. How that old man danced around, if that lizard was just a colour changing Blue-Tailed Lizard... he wasn't sure if he'd want to be in the room or not. It would probably still be funny either way. Picking up a nearby flower, he looked it in the light. Like holding another sun between his darkened fingers. For a moment he contemplated eating it since Phoebe made it look like the most tasty thing in the world, but he realized he was not Phoebe and that it was a stupid idea. Not wanting to waste it he handed it to Phoebe since she would find more of a use for it than him.


He hummed in agreement it should probably be exciting for the old man. And then a different hum when she asked him a question. He tried to think of all the books he's read overtime and there was quite a sum of them. If he had to list them all one by one then they would have overstayed their break. He half toyed with the idea of not replying at all. It was far too much effort, but Kito insisted effort had to be made with their new partner for the hundredth time in the last day. Tilting his head up to Phoebe, the light catching his ruby eyes for a second making him squint, he spoke.





"All kinds really. More non-fiction than fiction if I had to say. Wildlife, history, theories and the world and all that jazz. Haven't found a story that's really gripped me though. Been meaning to change that eventually. Where do I find them?" He repeated the question aloud for himself. That question was almost as vast as the books his read.





"My dad used to bring them home on his travels. He only brought books on the places he visited so that's where I started reading. Mom gave me her own as well. I preferred stories when I was younger strange enough. Oh, in the Hyperion woods there's this shop that looks like a bunch of rags and a flea market strung together, but in the back section there's this vast shelf of books. She gets a copy or two every now and then and sells them for nothing. Never questioned her on it. Think she mentioned once you can't put a price on knowledge. Still, I'd like to visit those places she gets it from one day. See all those books. Prefer them to people. Probably won't go because, you know. There's people."


He was tired now. He hadn't realized how much he had to say about books. Looking back to the sky he closed his eyes and placed an arm over his eyes to shield the light. The warmth was enough to lull him into a nice sleep, but the light was another story. Kito reminded him that he couldn't afford to go to sleep and he argued with him all the talking made him tired and he wanted a quick ten-minute nap, but Kito insisted they chat with Phoebe some more. Visible irritation could be seen on his face as the two went back and forth. Eventually he allowed his arm to drop to his side and looked over to his partner. He racked his brain for something that would satisfy Kito's need for bonding and his own need to grasp the situation.





"So, what do you do, Dear deer? And what's my weapon like? I read the stories awhile ago so I don't remember much."





@SepiaInk

 

[TerraBooma]

Romon's whole body ached, and despite his knowing this was probably uncomfortable for Adruo, he found himself having a hard time moving anything at all, yet alone getting up again. Despite this knowledge, Romon did indeed protest when Adruo suggested applying the ointment, he didn't need it...he could get on by without it, and the last thing he wanted was to deprive someone else of medicine down the line. When he turned around to protest further however, he saw the look on her face and wisely decided to keep his trap shut until further notice. When Adruo motioned for him to remove his shirt however, Romon weakly let out a chuckle, a smirk on his face. "I can't move, let alone take my shirt off, you'll have to do it."


After a long pause from Adruo, the procedure continued. Romon nodded to Adruo, and was preparing to feel the sting of her claws as she applied the ointment, but there was a surprisingly pleasant lack of pain. The salve appeared to have a relaxant in it, so to speak, and as it soothed Romon's wounds it also calmed him, a painkiller of sorts taking the edge from the worst of his wounds. Romon's back was tough to the touch, as if it was scarred in a way, the roots and various parts of the tattoo also felt warm to the touch, almost hot at different points. Where the faded out root was however, was a cold spot devoid of warmth, and somewhat tender to touch as one would expect of an elf's smooth skin to feel like. Romon sighed softly as he felt the medicine drift into him, nodding his thanks to his dragonkin friend. "Thank you Adruo...I apreciate it."


There was a comfortable silence for a few minute, as Adruo continued to apply the salve, until Romon broke it abruptly, voice quiet. "Adruo...I..I am sorry. You were hurt because of me...as were most of the Pagans. Including children. I failed you all...forgive me."

 

[SepiaInk]

"So, what do you do, Dear deer?"


Hearing that blasted nickname Phoebe was torn between glaring daggers at Fekitoa and throwing up her arms in despair. In the end she settled with the glare, making sure the other knew exactly what she thought about being made fun of. She was about to voice her disapproval but then realised she'd just be falling into the trap by making a big fuss about it. That’s something she experienced first-hand with her fellow librarians during that first year at her new job. If only it hadn’t taken her one full year to realise that back then.


Softening her face, Phoebe tilted her chin up and placed a hand a top her heart, where she would’ve worn her long damaged emblem, pride tugging at her lips as she proclaimed, “I’m a librarian at the Southern Archives. But I also study and do research on taxonomy and stellar classification, my two specialities.” That same pride soon withered, not for the first or last time, as she remembered to add, “Well, right now I’m simply one of the chosen. For the moment, at least.” A subtle flinch as it dawned on her not a second later the much more morbid meaning those last few words could have.


When did death start to invade her thoughts?


Putting that question back on the shelve for later, Phoebe lifted the hand that wasn’t still playing with the flower Fekitoa had handed her and busied herself with chewing her thumb as she thought about how to answer Fekitoa’s much more pressing questions.


“There isn’t that much information regarding the gods’ weapons and I’m far from an expert on the subject. I know someone who would’ve gladly told you everything you need to know about your weapon, but sadly she’s accompanying another chosen. So, for now, you’ll have to do with this.” After a brief search through her bag’s contents, Phoebe fished out her little notebook. A quick skim of its pages and she had found the exact one where she had drawn a sketch of Semino’s weapon. “Here,” she handed it over to Fekitoa, eyes lingering on the ebony hands and claws as she once more thought about the oddity of actually being able to hand something over to a harpy. “Your weapon is the Claymore. Supposedly, it holds the power to heal bodies and nature. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

@Jayus​

 

[The J]

"Fine then." Severis said, resigning himself to not being able to do anything but wait. He hated this, there was nothing he could do to help himself, but to wait and to rest until tomorrow. He supposed that it was only a day, but he suspected that he wouldn't enjoy the rest of today - his mind wanted to do something, so it would keep him from sleeping until late evening, following his body's natural clock.


It was then that the little raccoon started sniffling at him, getting closer and closer. He was about to snarl at it and swat it away from his arm, when Mayweather grabbed it and scolded it herself, glaring at it as it almost looked guilty. He was almost glad she'd done that, he suspected that in his deprived state the animal could easily have clambered all over him and that there would be little that he could do. Luckily Mayweather was perceptive and quick enough to prevent that.


Little more to do, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a whetstone, which he used to sharpen his daggers, looking with intent at the raccoon from time to time. Hopefully the time would pass quickly, and they'd be out of here tomorrow, away from the frustrated elf woman.

 

[Jayus]

His eyebrows darted up for barely a second, but the surprise was clearly reflecting from his widened eyes. Those fancy libraries. His mother used to describe them to him with a wistful smile like it was some far off fairy tale. Unatainable and just good to think about when time moved too slowly. Yet here was his new partner who not only had been there, but worked daily as a librarian. The initial spark of excitement fizzled out instantly, suppressed by the half that was in control. He wasn't about to let her see how many questions he wanted to ask, so instead he just gave a minute thoughtful nod.


Phoebe rustled through her bag and within no time pulled out a small notebook. Taking it from her with the utmost care he carefully held the paper in his grasp, as though it would crumble through his fingers if he moved even the slightest bit off. Fekitoa had a tendency to be more gentle with books than people. The sketch itself was quite a marvel. He wasn't expecting much to begin with, but she could definitely draw far better than he had initially thought. A nervous flutter could be felt at the pit of his stomach. Realizing all too well the source of it was not him he addressed the problem first hand.


'What's the matter, Kito?'


'Oh nothing to worry about! It's just I was hoping for a weapon more suited for harpies.'


'What weapon on this planet is suitable for harpies?'


'I don't know, but not a sword!'


'We're not exactly an average harpy, Kito.'


Despite this Fekitoa knew what he was getting at. Kito struggled with his arms, it was his own right to be worried. He could barely hold a pile of books for very long how was he to use a sword?


'It isn't a written rule to wield a sword with your hands. I'm sure our feet could work just as well. Our talons on our feet are compared to dragonkin claws after all. With practice I think you'd be fine.'


'You really think so?'


He sounded more hopeful. The dread that had been hanging behind every word since yesterday slowly seemed to lighten up and be disappating. A feint hint of a more confident Kito showing through again. These were rare for him and Fekitoa knew better than to discourage him.


'With practice I don't see why not.'


Kito went off on an energetic babbling that showed no sign of stopping. A long period of time, however, had past since he had lost spoken to her. He never really noticed how quiet they could go until he was forced to interact with others. Closing the book he handed it back to Phoebe.


"Healing huh? Well that's alright. Nature I can work with. How long is the sword? Do you know?"


Rising up into a sitting position he slumped forward and ran his hand through his hair, combing out the flower petals and dandelion fluff caught between his dark locks. Noting the position of the shadows he sighed. It sounded a bit disappointed. Almost as though he didn't want to leave just yet, but he knew better than to stay much longer. Still it was pleasant enough while it lasted. He reached for his own satchel and pulled out an apple. Taking small bites he absentmindedly rolled his eyes over to Phoebe and spoke with cheeks full of the fruit.


"If there's nothing more you want to do I do believe we should leave. Otherwise, no more than ten minutes."


@SepiaInk

 

[SepiaInk]

“Its length?” Phoebe scrunched up her nose at the question, rummaging through the stacks of information pilled up inside her head and coming up with nothing.


The thought that there was a subject she knew so little off left a bitter taste in her mouth, but there wasn’t much she could do about it other than wish she’d asked Adruo more questions before they had parted. That said, discomfort crept up at the thought that she had readily accepted a scroll with detailed information on her weapon, but hadn’t even thought about asking the dragonkin girl for at least a piece of parchment regarding her partner’s.


No. That was beyond unfair. Why was she made to feel bad? It hadn’t been her responsibility at the time. Was she really expected to look after someone else’s interests after spending less than an hour with them? Yes, it was a shame that Fekitoa ended up having so little information to read upon, and through no fault of his, but that’s just how things turned out. They would simply have to do the best they could with what they had.


“I apologise, I know nothing about the weapon’s size. All I know and learned about your weapon, Forest Edge, is in my notebook. You can request it whenever you wish to read it, even if it’s not much.” She said while storing the notebook in her bag.


Request it, really? She almost snorted after she caught herself. You’re not in the archives anymore, Phoebe. People outside of a library don’t request things, specially if those things belong to you. They borrow from you.


The former librarian was startled out of her musings when she felt Fekitoa get up on his feet beside her. On reflex alone, she held out her hand and caught a few of the petals that fell from his hair, crushing them in her fist so their sweet smell would rush over her. Her oversensitive senses also picked up on the red fruit before Fekitoa had even pulled it out. Fruits were like candy to her, tasty but far from nutritious, and therefore not something she allowed herself to indulge in. That said, she was still glad for her lack of hunger, otherwise her stomach would’ve definitely responded.


Phoebe had this feeling that being surrounded by so much sweetness and fresh air was starting to rot a few necessary cords in her brain. Her head was beginning to feel hazy and the urge to shape-shift had been building up to the point of becoming a distraction. So when Fekitoa suggested they leave to resume their journey, instead of arguing over being more or less ordered around, she all but jumped to her feet in her haste to comply.


“No, if you feel you are ready to take flight once more, then we may go.” She brushed off the petals and grass blades off her clothes before walking up to the harpy. “It’s best if we stop at nightfall. Oh, and I have a favor to ask.” Here she hesitated, gaze shifting to the massive black wings that cast a shade over them. “I was wondering if perhaps we’d both feel more comfortable if I held onto to you from behind during the flight. Only if you’re alright with it, of course.”


She really hoped he’d agree with it. The whole being dropped routine was getting tiresome.

@Jayus​

 

[Jayus]

Listening to her speak his brows furrowed slightly. How did she not know how long the sword was? Surely her and her last partner would've spoken about such things. Especially since they were heading over to his weapon first from what he had gathered. Wouldn't that have been a topic they would bring up? Still the topic itself was still a bit too sensitive for him to talk about and he really didn't want to deal with anymore emotional situations for a while. Hearing her next request he stopped mid-chew.


'Oh gosh do you think she doesn't like our arms? Is that it?'


'No Kito,I'm sure if that were the case she would've mentioned that awhile ago.'


Whatever had caused the sudden change he decided not to leave to too much thought. If it was his arms he really didn't care what she thought about them anyways. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and started to finish his apple.


"Whatever. I didn't offer before because I thought the flapping would be an issue."


To demonstrate his argument he spread his wings open and flapped them quickly once then twice, the force pulsing the grass into waves and throwing the petals through the sky like colourful confetti. His wings indeed needed to catch some air and in order to do so they had to get very close together. Not to mention Fekitoa's flying was a lot more strenuous than Kito's.


"If you want that I'll just have to glide a bit more, but the take off may irritate your ears. So whichever you prefer."


Once Phoebe had made her decision he nodded and took off. They flew for a while. Every now and then he could feel her tense up from the height and with Kito's complaining they would stop for five minutes and engaged in what could barely pass as small talk. He tried his best to keep his pace, but his breathing slowly grew heavier with each passing hour. The everblue sky above them slowlyndrifted into gradual shades of pink to a restful lilac when he had decided it was eventually time to stop. Landing in a particularly open space of forest he hovered over the ground for a moment.


"Are you going to jump down am I going to have to drop you?"


It was pretty clear she liked neither idea. With a roll of his eyes he flew to the floor and waited until her feet were on the ground before he could relax a bit. Still hovering he looked around in every direction with a cautious glare. He took in the trees stretched up above into the night sky, forming a thorned crown for the ever darkening night. The trees themselves were contorted and bent by both nature and animals alike. The area was quiet, not suspiciously so luckily. The sound of insects and the hum of small birds were a constant song and the rustling of leaves were left to the winds job. Deciding their spot was indeed safe he dropped to the ground. Taking a few moments to breathe he rose into his full height once again, his chest still rising and falling from the long travel, but he did his best not to make his exhaustion too obvious.


"We should probably start a fire soon. Once we have light setting up camp will be easier and looking for wood in the dark is an idiotic idea. I'll go look for some."


Remembering the events the night before he halted in his step. Listening to his own thoughts Kito agreed strongly it was the better decision. With a sigh he continued his train of thought.


"If you want to help that's fine. If you want to stay here thet's fine too."


@SepiaInk

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus could see the great joy that his decision had given the mage, and to her question he just shrugged. "Well, suppose we might as well start with the packing then, starting with provisions and food maybe?" He wasn't sure how they would store their belongings on the mount, however he was pretty sure that Chilali would know. "So, I suppose that you'll show the way to the dining hall, or whatever you call it" He actually hadn't ever been to a proper castle, or anything like it, however he'd heard that a building where a lot of people lived there usually was a dining hall, not like those in the taverns, but one proper, large room made merely for consuming food.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[SepiaInk]

“I’ll help,” Phoebe answered immediately, barely reigning in a sigh of relief as the harpy’s words loosened the knot that had been getting tighter in her stomach.


But it wasn’t nearly enough. Everything still felt wrong.


She thought it’d be alright, that her mind was strong enough to not let a past event take hold of her being and dictate how she behaved. Turns out she might have overestimated herself a bit there. It was disappointing, to say the least.


Hands snuck under sleeves, nails sinking into the skin of her arms to soothe the goosebumps and avoid the temptation to gnaw at her fingers. Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow, despite the more alert half of her knowing with absolute certainty that, at that moment, there was nothing out there that warranted their concern. “If you don’t mind,” she began, words rushing to fill in the quiet hush of the forest, “I haven’t shifted in a while.” As soon as the words left her she felt ashamed, like she’d just admitted to some deep flaw in her character, something disgusting and personal shared only in a moment of weakness.


But it was the honest truth.


No matter how hard she tried to deny half of her nature, it was and would continue to be half of her. Like a missing limb, an emptiness that only served to remind you what was supposed to occupy its place and the phantom pain that would make sure you’d never forget, that you’d always yearn for something to fill in the gap that had been left. She couldn’t just ignore it. Specially not here, embraced by the forest in the dying daylight. And specially not when all her troubled mind wished for was to escape from itself and drown in the simple pains and desires of an animal.


“It’ll only be for a while. My animal form can easily carry the wood for both of us. Its - my antlers are strong enough for that.” As her speech began to fall into a ramble and her gestures turned a bit more exaggerated, Phoebe was able to face the harpy once more. “We won’t be able to communicate verbally, but neither of us will probably mind the silence that much.” The realisation of what she’d just uttered was enough to knock her back into a more sensible state, though not after pinching the bridge of her nose in an almost self-punishing way and muttering an apology.


Though she gave Fekitoa space to voice his opinion on the matter, the outcome would be same no matter what he had to say. It was inevitable, and asking was merely a courtesy.


Making sure she was at a reasonable distance from the harpy, Phoebe breathed in and began the process of emptying her head of all thoughts. She hesitated only for a moment, as she remembered to add, “My deer form responds better to the name Ghost.”


The shifting, though swift, was followed by a few aches and pains, like waking up a muscle that hasn’t been used for some time. But that stopped mattering once the transformation was finished. The barrage of scents, so much stronger to her wet nose, hit her first. Phoebe's efforts to make sure she'd become familiar with her new travelling partner’s smell paid off when the initial flash of alarm that ran through the Giant Deer’s body was gone as quickly as it came, turning into recognition and then trust.


Ears twitching to catch each and every sound coming from the forest, the deer slowly walked up to the harpy, head lowering for a brief moment to sniff at the wings and feathers covering his arms. Satisfied with the lack of any trace of distress from the other, she straightened herself, standing tall and proud as she waited patiently for the other to move, following alongside him once he did.


The sky got darker with each step further into the heart of the forest, but that was just fine for the deer, as the glow from her body got brighter as time went on, the soft fire in the back of her head flickering to life and illumining their path. If Fekitoa showed any signs of being startled by it, Ghost paid it no heed other than inching a bit farther to the side even though the white flames were pretty much harmless. They didn’t burn or warm up wood either, as she demonstrated during their search when she made a point of scrapping a couple of trees they passed by.


Marking territory was a hard habit to shake off, but in this case it actually helped to deter the more curious intruders. It got the point across pretty well. No other Giant Deers would visit them in the middle of the night at the very least.


With Fekitoa’s sharp eye and her efficient nose, they were able to collect all the wood they needed in no time at all. By the time darkness had settled in and a veil of stars covered the sky, they were both heading back to that clearing. It felt nice, just walking like this through a forest, a comfortable silence stretched out between them and not a worry in their minds. Even with the added weight of the stack of twigs and branches on her antlers, she felt … content.


Everything felt right for once. It was the same feeling she got when she was snuggled up in between shelves, nose buried in an old dusty book no one else had read in years.


The sudden need to share that feeling was what prompted her to lag a bit behind and nip at Fekitoa’s side. Blowing and snorting, she jumped back and turned her head away in a mock imitation of alertness as if searching for the “culprit”, all the while her red eyes shone with a kind of mirth that no animal should have.

@Jayus​

 

[Jayus]

Her odd tone took him aback. He masked his concern for her fidgeting under a blank expression. Devoid of any emotion he cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow warily. Her eyes were the colour of black mountain water in the sunless sky and swimming in suppressed emotions. Her request left him more surprised than what he determined as her unusual behaviour. Was she asking him to allow her to shapeshift? Why? After all this time he had simply assumed she was more comfortable in her human form. Seeing her now showed that that was clearly not the case.


She began giving reasons, or for what felt to him like excuses to her actions, that left his other eyebrow to rise up. Displaying a combination of unamusement and slight shock for what she was saying. She was rambling now, yet he couldn't help wonder why. Why was she so ashamed of being a shapeshifter? She was silent. Seemingly awaiting his opinion on the matter. He still didn't see how his was of any importance to her instinct. He shrugged offhandedly.


"If it's bothering you go ahead I'm not your boss."


He barely had time to register her advice when she started to shift. A brilliant white that shone as bright as a fallen star in the darkened forest forced him to shield his eyes for a moment. Shapeshifitng was not meant to be this... magical. Lowering his arm he was no longer staring at Phoebe, but a white deer with flames licking and dancing amongst the ethereal creature. He felt slight awe for being able to witness something so unlike anything he's ever seen and for another moment hesitation. Once he was recognised and they began moving he felt more comfortable with her presence. With her by his side it made searching for the perfect dry wood so much easier. Her natural glow let them find the best wood in no time. Though irritated at first by the constant nipping it soon dawned on him she was being playful. A peculiar sight to see he found it comforting. Almost entertaining, but he silenced that thought before Kito picked up on it.


Once they had enough he gestured for her to walk back with him. He made sure the wood was not bothering her and once certain of that they soldiered on. The silence of the woods and the cool night air was well received. A heatless fire and only the sound beneath their feet was not only relaxing, but good for all the hasty thoughts rushing in and out of his head. He was hovering off the ground at this point, preferring flight over walking, but landed once they were near the campsite.





"Silva." he called out to her, but she didn't react immediately. Realizing his mistake his mouth parted to let out a small breath of air as he recalled the name he was now given.


"Ghost." His eyes locked on hers and for a moment he had forgotten what he had wanted to say. There was so much familiarity with what he was seeing before him. Whether it was from a book or a dream he decided to leave it for when she could respond, but right now what had to be said needed to be said.


"I don't know if you can understand me, but whether you're an animal or human or anything in between you're my partner now. And whatever you do and whatever you are don't expect any change or special treatment from me. Phoebe or Ghost you're still you."


He wasn't so sure on that last part. He wasn't completely positive that Phoebe and Ghost were like he and Kito or if they were the same person or shared a completely different head space. Either way.


"Whenever you want to shapeshift do it. Got it, Dear Deer?"


Not knowing if she could start a fire in her form now or if the flames were just for show he started the fire and the red hot flames danced into the evening sky like flecks of jewels that dissolved into the absorbing darkness. The flames flickered from side to side touching the world around them with living warmth that left his blackened feathers shining with a deep bronze. He moved for his bag and placed water into a curved bark they had collected for Ghost and lay down on his side waiting for her to drink the water or shapeshift back, but he wrestled with the tug of sleep. He knew once his eyes had shut Kito would take control tomorrow and for some reason the relief had waned slightly.Watching over the nightsky that seemed to move like a deep pool with shimmering rocks he called out for her once again.


"It was... pleasant meeting you."


@SepiaInk

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

ANNOUNCEMENT

I am putting all my RPs on a temporary hiatus due to not being able to post and keep watch over them. Hopefully, this will only last the maximum of two weeks. I apologise for my absence up until now. I do not wish for this RP to die, so I ask for your patience.


Thank you.

 

[TerraBooma]

WE SHALL HOLD FIRM

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo

Adruo was thankful that Romon didn’t attempt to argue with her for long. However, his mentioning of his inability to move caused her back to stiffen. While they were comrades, she wasn’t exactly comfortable with removing the elf’s clothes. She had to bite back a protest and summon up some courage.


The dragonkin took a deep breath before carefully removing the injured elf’s shirt. Once the salve had been sufficiently applied, Adruo let out a sigh of relief. There were no new injuries on Romon’s back. She had been so focused on preventing her clawed hands from hurting him further, that she hadn’t paid any attention to the different temperatures that the tattoo seemed to cause.


Her pride over her decently done job was cut abruptly by Romon speaking. She blinked a few times in confusion before peering at the elf’s face. She couldn’t see well, but it seemed that he truly believed what he had said.


“What are you talking about? You don’t need to apologise for anything. None of what happened was your fault except for one thing.” She paused to give him a smile. “Unless you want to apologise for everyone being safe.”


Noticing that Romon most likely wasn’t going to move for a while, she draped his shirt over his back. “The children… they would have died if not for you. You saved a lot of people.” She rubbed her arm as the memory of the pain she had felt reared up.


“I got injured due to my own mistakes. I was too weak.”


She shook her head quickly. Sad thoughts were plaguing her mind but she wouldn’t allow it. There was no point on her dwelling on the past if she was only going to wallow in it. The past is used to better the future.


“For now we should rest. You especially.” Her voice was soft and motherly, yet stern enough for Romon to know that he wouldn’t win an argument.

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Mayweather

Mayweather was giving Ezi a hard look before getting distracted by Severis. He was sharpening a dagger, occasionally looking at her raccoon with a dangerous look. Both Ezi and May were worried by it. “Um… Severis, is something the matter? You seem... irritated.” She knew that was an understatement. His body language clearly showed that he was not pleased about something. However, she couldn’t exactly read minds. It could be a multitude of things that caused Severis’s foul mood. She couldn’t help but worry that she was the cause of it.


A dark shadow moved in her peripheral vision, causing May to look towards it. The dark-skinned elven woman stood nearby, arms folded over her chest. She stared at Severis with a bone-chilling gaze, yet said nothing. May watched silently, expecting the elf to fling the channeller across the room again. However, nothing happened. Instead, the woman nodded to May then left again. The tamer looked at where the older female had been, then to Ezi and lastly at Severis. She was rather confused as to what had just happened.

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali

Chilali nodded and began walking back towards the building of the Mage School. She was content to walk in silence and gaze at what had once been her home. She worried that the longer she spent here, the more difficult it would be to leave. From the kitchen to the courtyard, every place brought up a variety of memories from the recesses of her mind.


Soon enough, the duo reached the bustling kitchen. An array of aromas greeted them once the door was opened along with a wave of warm air. Chilali called over to the head chef, stating what they would need for their journey.

 

[SepiaInk]

When the flames atop her head flickered and died, Ghost knew dawn would soon break across the horizon. The stars had left them a while ago to brighten up some other distant sky, and darkness followed as it fled from the first arrows of sunlight. The glow of her body began to wane until it too died, out-shined by a warmer light peeking through the trees.


It was too harsh for her eyes, so she lowered them to the mass of black feathers resting against her. The bird-human was still asleep, cocooned in those large wings of his in order to trap warmth. It must’ve not been enough though, as she had felt him shift closer to her side in the middle of the night. As nice as it felt, the rise and fall of his wings as he breathed made the feathers ghost over her fur, and it tickled. Also, it was time to wake up. Or was it? It was hard to tell with humans and human-like creatures. But all the birds were up. Surely that was a good indicator.


With her nose, she nudged the spot where his head should be, though she wasn’t so sure, as his wings where in the way and made it hard to track subtle smells like that. She needn’t worry though, as that accomplished absolutely nothing.


Impatience growing by the second, she snorted and blew at him, ruffling his feathers, before resuming her nudging with a bit more force. The bird-human whined and made a couple of incoherent sounds. They might have been words, or even actual phrases directed at her, but she couldn’t tell and didn’t care all that much, to be honest. However, she did detect something a bit more interesting and puzzling. There was something off about the male, something different that she couldn’t quite grasp. It wasn’t smell, or maybe it was. Anyhow, the creature mumbling at that moment did not feel the same as the one who had walked with her through the forest.


The creature… he had a name. And there was something about there … being two. Two of what? Why couldn’t she remember? Why couldn’t she care?


Phoebe. Your name is Phoebe. Wake up! You’ve been in this form for too long. Spending the entire night like this in a forest after so long without shapeshifting was a terrible idea. What if you forget who you are? Like your-


Before the human side of her could break through and destabilise her animal side long enough to shift back, the bird-human - no, Fekitoa - gave a long and load groan. The wings fell like curtains to reveal the slightly flushed skin and tousled hair of the harpy, his eyes struggling to open in the harsh morning light. Ghost remained in her resting position, legs tucked under her large body, and kept still, not wanting to frighten the still barely conscious harpy. For some reason, she felt nervous about the whole situation and wary of what was to come.


Then she remembered.


It was pleasant meeting you.





Oh, no.


After a series of movements that might have been purely to wake up his sore muscles, the harpy’s eyes fluttered open. And then ruby met black.

@Jayus​

 

[Jayus]

The two wrestled in their sleep. Mentally and physically. Halfway through the evening the boys managed to swap places when Fekitoa had suddenly been jerked awake from a reoccuring nightmare. Beads of sweat still falling down his face he looked over to Ghost to make sure all was okay and once certain the world around him was indeed the real one he conceded they had waited long enough for Kito to be in control again. Their minds drifting in and out of control like a black tidal wave flowing back and forth. By the time the blackened skies had burnt away into a hazy pink Kito had regained control. He was aware of his muscles aching under the stress of all the flying Fekitoa had hidden away and was now tossing and turning trying to get comfortable, but failing. Unlike Fekitoa he was an early riser and slowly his eyes fluttered open to gaze around at his environment. His vision was blotchy. The world around him in merging colours of browns and greens and ... white?


He tried to focus on this new white blob in front of him. Pulling himself up to a sitting position he rubbed his eyes with both his hands and occasionaly tried to focus, accepted he was still half-asleep, and rubbed his eyes again. Eventually the creature took on an animal shape, and the specks he wasn't able to truly place a shape on blossomed into white flames. A moment of panic sieged his body and with a high squeak he jumped up and took a stumbling step backwards, only just able to catch his feet.


Recalling the night before he was relieved to realise he could place a name to the face and breathed out a heavy sigh, doubling forward at the sudden shift from drowsiness to alertness.


"Oh P-P-Phoebe! Y-y-you scared m-me!" He said in between breaths trying to laugh it all off. When she didn't respond immediately he could feel the panic he had felt only a moment ago rising up again below the surface. Was she not happy to see him? Did she prefer Fekitoa's company... somehow? Was he annoying?


'Ghost.' A familiar groggy voice sounded at the back of his mind.


'What?'


'Ghost. In this form she prefers Ghost.'


A light blush crept up on his face out of embarrassment. It had completely slipped his mind and yet he paid extra careful to people when they approached him. Coughing into a bunched up fist hoping to get rid of his nerves he tugged on his own fingers nervously, not entirely sure how to approach 'Ghost'.


"U-um... Ghost... I-if you wanna stay longer that's all okay, b-but if you're ready to go I guess I'm ready to." He asked and waited patiently for an answer, slightly praying he'd get any word or indication soon. Otherwise he was going to have to rely on whatever Fekitoa's advice was and he really didn't want her to not have a choice.


@SepiaInk

 

[TerraBooma]

Romon shook his head slowly, and gave a sardonic, weary chuckle. "It's not...not that simple." He groaned slightly, the pain and the tired bones that he had been forcing on his march were slowly catching up to him. The ointment was helping, but seemed to have it's own interesting effect. As Adruo applied it to the scorched elf's back, he felt a calming sensation, a feeling of warmth combined with that of relaxation. He felt himself slowly begin drifting off into sleep, the call of darkness beckoning calmly as the elf's screaming muscles pushed him to rest.


Gritting his teeth, Romon focused on fighting the feelings off, even if it was a temporary fix. He couldn't fall asleep, he needed to take watch after all.


"I still...failed." he said in a pained voice. "Too many people hurt, you almost lost... your arm." Romon felt the beggining of tears well up in his eyes, but he shut them tight. He couldn't cry, he was the Elven blade. True Blades never cry, that was what the tales had sad. It was something Romon had taken to heart ever since he was a kid. He hadn't cried since...


Well, now wasn't the time to think about that.


"I wasn't fast enough. I killed so many, but people were still hurt. If it wasn't for Kiara and the Walker...well, I think that would have gotten a lot worse." The ebb and flow of darkness fought to gain control of Romon's mind. The ointment making progress and causing him to fall asleep faster than he could fight it off.


"I need...to..." Romon shook his head, before looking up at Adruo with weary eyes. It met hers, and his voice stopped quivering, his eyes closed, and he relaxed in her arms. "I...am sorry." He said, voice quiet and slowly falling to nothing "It is...nothing, I simply...need rest."


A few moments later, Romon was fast asleep in Adruo's arms. Behind the Dragonkin, Beatrice let out a caw as she swooped back into the clearing, landing on Adruo's shoulder and letting out a quiet but determined squawk.

 

[The J]

Severis continued sharpening the already razor-edged dagger, his strokes becoming more aggressive as he went on. Eventually, with a frustrated sigh, he answered May's question.


"I have always had something to do, some goal to accomplish, some problem to solve. Now? There is nothing I can do. My mind has been honed to never be at rest until I sleep, and from the moment I wake I've forced myself over the years to become alert and ready, always moving and always doing something.


"For Caedis' sake, give me something to do. Anything!" This final word was punctuated with a final, aggressive stroke of the dagger, slamming it down into it sheath.

 

[SepiaInk]

For almost a full minute, Ghost remained silent and unmoving. Her mind was a bottomless pool where thoughts burdened with complex feelings and concepts were dragged into its murky depths. None escaped, and so she latched onto a more simple one as a lifeline.


With slow movements she got up, shaking leaves and feathers off her white coat. Then facing away from the bird-man, she began the shift. It took longer than normal; instead of a flash, the light cocooned her, and in her head the human memories and thoughts had to be pulled from that pool with a rope that seemed like it would break with each tug. Pain lingered, like a slow burn, as her body morphed, bones receding and rearranging, skin and hair growing where once there was fur. Shifting shouldn’t feel like this unless it’s one's first time.


At the end, she was there, as human as one can be when one isn’t human to begin with. It felt like breaking the surface of the water for the first time in a long while, and she had to take a deep breath as soon as it was over, or she felt she would faint right there on the spot. It was dizzying, but she managed to keep the wobbling at a minimum as she turned to face the harpy. She held his gaze for a moment, getting used to seeing him with more human eyes, before stepping forward to grab her bag and settling it over her shoulder.


“You-” She stopped to cough, trying to adjust her voice. “You’re the Fekitoa whom I’d spoken to first, I assume.” All signs, from the way he spoke to his posture, pointed to that conclusion, so waiting for some sort of confirmation on his part was merely a formality. And an excuse to utter his name, as those were the last memories to come back to her whenever she shifted back, so it felt comforting to do so.


“Welcome back,” she offered with an awkward half-smile, not knowing what the proper etiquette in this situation would be. A second later, she regretted that choice of words and groaned, rubbing her nose to hide her blush. “Sorry, what I meant was…” After a long sigh, she mumbled a curse under her breath before giving up altogether. “Let’s just go. I’m ready when you are.”


Stepping closer, she offered her arms, waiting for Fekitoa to take flight. Then a thought popped up in her head and her curiosity was great enough to give it the push it needed to be given a voice. “You… both sides of you communicate with each other and share experiences, is that correct? That’s why you knew what to call me back then. It’s the same as shape-shifters and their two forms in that regard, I suppose. Only…” Phoebe’s tone grew pensive. “You’re not the same person.” That last part was still difficult for her to get her head around. It was obviously the case, but still, it begged a few questions. How could two people inhabit one mind and body? And why? In what circumstances would that happen?


She wanted to know more about it. Observe and experiment. And who better to do it than a shapeshifter, arguably the one race who could relate to such a duality. Alas, unfortunately, they had more important things to worry about. Some other time, perhaps. Though she hoped that time would come soon.

@Jayus​