Y.Z. [PG-16]

[Alter Ego]

As Ella suddenly burst into the room, stating in a panicked voice that they had to leave right now, Faewyn was a bit bewildered at first. Only one of what? Safety? A small frown spread across her childlike face as she carefully deposited her notebook on the belt and tucked the pencil behind her left ear. Was someone in danger? Of all those present, she was probably the only one who hadn't realized that they were dealing with none other than the sacrifice of Tylonstus nor what this implied, and so she impulsively reached for her staff, preparing to protect the woman who had been so kind to her from whatever it was that there apparently only was one of. Just then, however, Reid barged in as well, Rosaline immediately skittering over to the boy's side as he proceeded to demand escort to the edge of Alta without as much as a 'please'. A normal person would probably have taken offense at such lack of manners, but Faewyn was quite used to people addressing her like that...well, the ones who bothered to address her at all, that was. Besides, she had promised to teach Rosaline how to fly; that promise would be hard to keep if she didn't know where the younger girl was at.

"Alright." Faewyn replied, looking slightly more determined as she nodded towards Reid before darting off in what she hoped was the right direction, "This way. But..." she hesitated, casting a worried glance towards Ella, "They'll be okay, right?" the girl asked Reid with just a hint of anxiety in her voice, "I mean, whatever is there won't hurt them if we're gone, right?"

 

[parallelzero]

Reid looked at his feet. This wasn't exactly what he needed, especially another detour to Azern of all the godforsaken places. "I can't make any guarantees for their safety, since I don't know who was just here or why, though I imagine they'll be safe as long as the attackers get what they want. Besides, Faewyn, it's not like I'm asking you to come all the way to Meredy with us. We only need an escort to the edge of the island, you can come back here after that." It was shocking that nobody had yet to ask why so many lives were being put on the line for the life of one, single girl, who would most likely die regardless. Yes, regardless. Chances were that her immune system and such were fairly weak from how she was raised, and Reid had taken the mission knowing full well the chances of her survival were only about twenty percent. Even if they got her to Meredy in one piece, what would happen then? Reid had his suspicions, but he prayed that they were incorrect.

He was quickly snapped back to reality when the room lit up, flute music playing in the background. Reid raised his head, and little balls of what was apparently materialized Lionus flew around the room in sync with the music, colours changing from time to time. The song was something he's never heard before, perhaps it was a song long lost? Maybe something unearthed from ancient times? When Rose realized he was staring at her, she stopped suddenly, the light vanishing at the same instant. "Sorry, I find playing soothes me when I'm stressed... I didn't mean to..."

"Wait, you can use Lionus?"

"Yes, everyone in the royal family has mahstion, though it varies from person to person. I learned what I can by myself, but I can't do anything without my flute..." Reid made careful note of this, for she might not be completely useless in battle if the need ever arose. He quickly made his way to Ella and Reks, extending a hand to them both.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened, and I'm thankful for all you've done for us." He started, with no intention of leaving without easing their pain a little bit. "Don't worry, I'll make a call and have the Tealian military send a search party out. We'll find her." He couldn't help but think, If they don't find us first... at the end. "So, Faewyn, Rosaline? Ready?"

 

[Loki]

OoC// lulz, I gave myself nothing to do. So apologies for this super crap post. I'm all creatively worn out, since my fanfiction is taking up all my paragraphs. *Shot*

IC// Ella smiled wearily, shaking Reid's hand and said, "Thank you. But I'm sure Alicel can handle herself, she has good negotiation skills."

Reks, who had only just limped over took Reid's hand as well, adding, "Besides, I hardly think Carn will do anything drastic to her."

For what reason, Reks did not state. Saying that Alicel was truly of Carn descent might not have been a happy statement in this present situation.

"Travel safely." Ella said, before turning back to the house, helping Reks back up the hill.

~

"You filthy FILTHY THING." Alicel shrieked, bound tightly to the thick trunk of a tree as Aertan lit a lamp, ignoring her to the fullest, "How dare you! How dare you!"

"How dare I?" Aertan snapped, finally getting annoyed at Alicel's attitude, "You should be glad that that fat pompous inspector didn't get to you first, otherwise you'd probably be in a mucus bath by now to get you to talk. As it stands, you are tied to a tree, and far from a mucus bath."

"Close enough to a SAP bath though." Alicel snapped.

"That tree does not produce sap this time of year."

"Excuse me Mr. Gardener, but will you please explain to me why you took me? Why me, of all the people in this town?" Alicel asked, still halfheartedly struggling against the rope which was obviously not going to give.

"Because I can blackmail you. You want to know about the Svartel's, right?"

Alicel stiffened, "How did you know that?"

"The guy you were looking for told me an annoying pest from Alta had gone looking for him. You see? If I tell you where said Svartel lives, you'll do what I ask quietly, am I right?" Aertan smirked at Alicel, who narrowed an eye, before huffing and sticking her nose in the air.

"You wish."

"Well, that wish came true." Aertan said, "My name is Aertan. Might I ask what I should address you as?"

"Hostage? Personal servant? Or maybe Prisoner of War? POW might be shorter." Alicel replied sarcastically, "You may call me Alicel."

"Well now, that's a much nicer name then 'hostage', I would think." Aertan smiled, "You'll simply be accompanying me to the Underground as I travel through Alta. You are a citizen of Alta are you not? You can direct me not to say anything that might gather attention to the fact that I am a Carn Priest."

"What, other then the fact that only someone from Carn would walk around with arms sticking out of their wings?"

Geon't made a move to strangle Alicel again, but Aertan stopped him, saying, "They won't be out all the time. You know the way to the Underground, yes? You will list the most likely places for a sacrifice to go in Alta, and after we have checked those places, I will go to the Underground."

"Right, you think you'll be welcomed with warm arms in the Underground." Alicel said sarcastically.

"Perhaps." Aertan smirked, "But whether I am welcome or not makes no difference to me. Whether I catch the sacrifice or not make no difference to me. And whether you live or die makes no difference to me. So I'd say don't push your luck when I'm not in a good mood, okay little girl?"

"Of course, Master." Alicel spat, struggling with renewed vigor against the ropes.

 

[Alter Ego]

"Oh! That's so pretty!" Faewyn trilled at the small light show that Rosaline's playing had created, "Rose, how do you-" she was cut short, however, when Reid inquired whether they were ready or not.

"Ready." she replied, nodding at the boy as she concluded that questions would - unfortunately - have to wait until later, her expression far more determined than before as she turned to address the Florinens, performing a polite bow in their direction, as was the custom in her hometown, "Thank you for everything." she chirped, "Once I'm done with this I'll find Alicel too, promise. I'm used to searching for people anyway." the last part came out in a slightly more melancholy tone than the rest, but the girl was quick to cover it up with her usual energetic babbling, grasping both of her new companions by their respective wrists, "Let's go, then." she trilled, "Through the pumpkin patch and onward. The sooner we get to the edge the better, right? I don't mind Meredy either, but there's somewhere I've got to go." she paused in mid-thought, as if suddenly recalling something, "Oh yeah, going to Carn isn't such a good idea right now, is it?" Faewyn added in a melancholy tone, "I guess it's Meredy, then. That way I can go visit my uncle too." she nodded, as if to confirm her own plan, before resuming the pulling with newfound enthusiasm, "Now let's go-o-o!"

For the briefest of moments, Faewyn's thoughts had touched on something akin to sadness, and although the others didn't know it - the child-like burst of energy was nothing more or less than her natural counter-reaction to the gloom. All life was an adventure, after all, and no-one had ever gained anything by moping. This she told herself over and over again, all the while trying to get Reid and Rosaline out on the road. Faewyn had never been one to take inactivity well.

 

[parallelzero]

OOC: Obligatory pervert character introduction GO. XD

"I wonder if it's too late to get a different guide..." Reid softly said to himself in a sarcastic manner. Rose glanced at him momentarily, but dismissed his behavior as a guy thing. The two left the house after the eccentric young lady, Reid practically dragging Rose behind him as she continued to wave at those who had kept them safe. She was certainly... thorough with things she did. Reid couldn't help but let out an exhausted sigh as he surveyed the land around them. This path was certainly leading them through the boonies, which in turn was a good thing he supposed. It was dark, and late. Or was it early? He couldn't tell anymore. Despite the time, they HAD to reach Azern by sunrise or he'd have problems getting in. Which reminded him...

"Before we reach Azern, you guys should probably know it's one of the few Underneath cities that is inhabited by those with wings. Because of that, they don't exactly take kindly to the wingless. If we're going to reach our destination without me getting kicked out, we need to do it before sunrise." His eyes wandered to the ground again as he readied himself for what he was to say next. "We'll be staying with my parents. Azern is... my hometown." Rose went to ask about the obvious problem with what he had just said, but he just cut her off so that she couldn't. "And Faewyn, like I said, you can turn back at the edge. I don't need to get you anymore involved than I have already." He suddenly tripped on a root sticking out of the pathway, but regained his composure before contacting the ground.

There was suddenly the overpowering smell of cologne in the air, which was odd considering they were in the middle of nowhere. Reid just stopped walking, and raised his left hand in front of his face, before waving it outwards, which created a strong gust of wind that completely ripped a bush of it's leaves, revealing a person behind it. The person was covered in a black robe with a hood covering his face. "Rod, you can stop trying to hide. Your cologne is painfully obvious."

"Heh, I guess after dorming together for two years, you've gained a knack for spotting me." The cloaked figure, apparently named Rod, replied as he stood up and removed the hood, revealing a black haired teenager, around the age of eighteen, with straight raven black hair that was tied into a small ponytail that drifted down to his shoulders. His eyes were emerald green, and he had a pair of sporty sunglasses on. His wings were reminiscent of a hawk, with similar colouring, and he stood at about 6 feet tall. "Heh, sorry for hiding. But, HQ decided someone needed to keep an eye on you after you missed the first rendezvous. So how about it? Can I tag along? It'll be like old times!" He was like a puppy that had been given a new toy. His eyes were practically begging, it made Reid a little sick.

"Umm, Reid? Who is he?" Rosaline asked as she moved behind the smaller boy, watching Rod's behavior attentively.

"Who am I? Who are you, sweet cheeks?" Rod replied as he tilted his sunglasses down so that he could see her clearer. "Damn Reid, you're sure a hit with the ladies. Not that you shouldn't be, you learned from the best. I am the original player of the Tealian Cadet Academy!" He pointed to himself confidently, and Rose just looked at him awkwardly. There was a short moment of silence, but Reid eventually spoke up.

"Hey, big player, didn't you pay most of those girls?" Rod almost fell over and his glasses came off on ear. "And that's Rosaline, the sacrifice. You should try using your head and not your hormones for once." Rod had finally regained his composure, and readjusted his glasses, though a shocked look still remained on his face.

"Wha? SHE's the dirt of a sacrifice you had to pick up? Daaaayum. Now I'm regretting not taking the job!"

"EXCUSE ME!?" Yay, it was officially Rose's first outburst, though Reid wasn't surprised that Rod had been the cause. "Reid? How does a immature, arrogant, hackjob of a boy become a soldier like you?" Reid just shrugged in response, and Rod let out a depressing sigh, before noticing Faewyn.

"Hey pretty lady, what's your name~?"

"WOULD YOU JUST QUIT IT!"

"AH! WHAT THE HELL?! MY HEAD!"

Reid couldn't help but let out a snicker as Rose whipped a perfect oval of a rock at the back of Rod's head. "Ahem, should we get going now? Faewyn, I trust you're capable of showing the way? Oh, and shutting up Rod when required?"

"HEY! Reid, I thought we were friends!"

"Friends? I don't recall becoming friends with a pervert like you~"

"...You're so cold."

 

[Alter Ego]

Even as she continued leading the small group through the Florinen pumpkin patch with seemingly never-ending enthusiasm, Faewyn couldn't help feeling just a bit down. The Florinens had been nice to her, yet she had clearly caused them trouble - well, technically it was Rosaline's presence, but the girl didn't think of herself as much better seeing as how she had been there and not managed to help - and now the people she was going to travel with were being all quiet. This wasn't right, not right at all; traveling was supposed to be fun and exciting.

"Someone needs to sing a song..." Faewyn mumbled for herself, but wait; didn't that attract attention? Yeah, it probably did and it had been made quite clear that additional attention was not what they needed at the moment. Faewyn sighed quietly, settling for a compromise of a humming a cheerful little tune under her breath. It did make her feel a little bit more upbeat, but not nearly as much as a proper sing-song would have. Before the girl could continue her musings on the subject, however, something caught her attention - specifically, her nose, which wrinkled slightly at the nauseating wave of cologne stench heading her way. The girl didn't have to wonder about this peculiar phenomenon for long as Reid soon uncovered its source: a guy he apparently knew. Faewyn turned to examine the newcomer curiously as the dialog ensued, soon gathering from his behavior that this was apparently one of the people who were like oil slicks (Although she hadn't known that oil slicks smelled like that). The girl would have introduced herself - it wasn't every day someone asked for her name so nicely, after all - but was effectively cut short when Rosaline lobbed a stone at the stranger, apparently called Rod.

"Oh, I can show the way, no problem." the girl replied to Reid's question with an enthusiastic nod, "But I'll have to ask him-" she nodded at Rod, "some questions before shutting him up. I don't have that much information on dirty, no-good lechers." she said the term in the same cheerful tone as the rest of her sentence, as if the meaning of the words completely escaped her, "But Rose, you did that all wrong." Faewyn added thoughtfully, consulting her notes, "According to auntie Miriam you should use a high-heeled shoe, a sharp kitchen implement, or a ten-foot barge pole. It doesn't say anything here about stones..." she paused, quickly scribbling in the newly acquired piece of information before nodding at Rod, "I'm Faewyn. Nice to meet you Mr.Lecher, now let's go." she addressed the last bit to everyone, "The sooner we get to Azern the better, right? Does anybody feel like singing a song on the way? It always makes me feel better." without waiting for an answer, she then strode onward in what she was pretty sure was the right direction. The prospect of entering a town of very introverted winged folk didn't really trouble her. After all, they were going to meet Reid's parents, right? In his hometown, no less. Parents were always nice and the same went for hometowns so there was simply nothing that could go wrong.

 

[Loki]

"So miss? Where would you assume they went? You know Alta like the back of your hand, don't you?" Said the leering man, his features sharp and slightly crooked. Just the sight of his ugly face made Alicel want to puke. He had been unsuccessfully interrogating the girl for the past few hours, and much to Alicel's relief, Aertan had not stated her greatest weakness: Ugly, dirty, disgusting things. But the man himself was all of those things. Almost enough.

"I don't know, they could be anywhere. Can't you give me any information about what he looked like, or where he was from?" Alicel snapped, and the man twitched horribly, as though irritated about being reminded he had absolutely nothing to work with.

"JUST PICK A PLACE." The man roared, and Alicel cringed when she noticed a few droplets of saliva fly from his mouth. Closer and closer to her face... Alicel began to panic against the ropes that bound her tightly to the cold metal chair, but the disgusting liquid never impacted her skin, thank god. Looking up, an equally disgusting hand stood in front of her face, and Alicel breathed a quiet sigh of relief, before glancing at Aertan, who stood behind her.

"This is fine Jetane, I'll take it from here." Aertan said, his eyes glowing a bright red in the dark room lit only by the open door behind Jetane. The man, Jetane, narrowed his yellow eyes at Aertan before sweeping out of the room, a black cloak billowing after him as he stormed away, knowing Aertan was at least ten miles ahead of him in catching Rosaline. Aertan glanced down at Alicel who determinedly looked away. Who knew if those freaky eyes had hypnotic powers?

"So? Will you answer me Jetane's question?"

"...I'll tell the hand." Alicel stated.

Aertan blinked and turned to look at Alicel completely, "Haeon't?" The left hand glanced at his master, as much as an eyeless hand could, before Aertan finally said, "That's the same thing as telling me."

Alicel scrunched up her face in concentration before responding, "Fine." The boy said he was Taelian, didn't he? He must've had invisible wings then, "They're... probably headed for Az-Azern."

"And if they're not there, we can just make sure that Haeon't rubs a little saliva on your face, right?" Aertan laughed, and pulled out a handcuff, putting one around Haeon't and one around Alicel's wrist, "I'll need to fly, so I can't have Geote carrying you. Sorry, but you'll have to fly too."

Alicel blinked. The chain was certainly long enough for her to stand a good five feet away from Aertan at all times. This was good.

"So," Alicel started but was practically dragged from the room when the ropes suddenly fell to her feet and Aertan walked out of the door, "Wait a second! Wai- UGH YOU ARE SO RUDE."

 

[parallelzero]

OOC: I don't mean to sound pushy, but can we get to the edge soon? There's only so much material I can come up with walking down a path. XD

"You guys are meeeeeaaaaaaan." Rod let out a sigh of submission, signifying that the group had taken enough shots at him to make him shut up about it... for now at least. Much to Reid's displeasure, the lecher went on to talk about much more personal things before the group. "So, Reid. How are Lila and Adroc doing these days? I mean, I know we're going to see them when we get to Azern and all, but don't you keep in touch with them?"

"Nope."

"What about your sister?"

"Nope."

"Have you heard anything about your bro-"

"Finish that sentence and you'll get more than a rock to the head." Reid was obviously frustrated at the fact that Rod was trying to pry about his family, and Rose couldn't quite figure out why. She had always pictured a family as being warm and caring and always there for you. How could Reid possibly not like to talk about them? That's what made her naive, however. Despite her age, she was still hopelessly oblivious to the true nature of the world. "Mom and Dad are always worrying about me, so I don't like to talk to them, and Ailia hates me, despite me being her older brother. I have no reason to really talk to them..." Rose also found it fascinating that Reid had a sister. It gave them something that they had in common. Though, Rose's sister was older, and royalty, but it was close enough! The night was beginning to lighten up, and the travelers were beginning to become exhausted, especially Rose who had a very frail body to begin with.

"Faewyn, are we theeeere yet~?" Rod called up to their temporary leader. "We're dying back here!"

---

Meanwhile, at the castle of Carn, many ideas were being thrown out there by the high priests to the King, that would most likely appease Tylonostus in case Rosaline was not to be found. "Your Highness, we have finally come to a conclusion about your alternative. You must offer Juliet! She's your only remaining daughter, it will have to do or else Tylonstus will punish us heavily!" The king had little choice but to agree, with the supposed weight of his Kingdom on the line .

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Ahh...sorry, I was actually waiting for you to take the lead since I didn't know what they're supposed to see at the edge. So yeah, improvising...sorry for the delayed post, I've had stuff to finish all around so I forgot that I never finished this one. >.<

IC:

Faewyn tilted her head in curiosity as Rod proceeded to question Reid about family matters. He hadn't kept in touch with his family? At all? Once again, a small frown spread across her face.

"But...that's such a terrible pity." Faewyn couldn't help letting the words out, and decided to follow them up with some more instead of awkward silence, "I mean; about your family. Don't you ever miss them?" she was prying, far beyond all bounds of common courtesy, but it wasn't like Faewyn had been aware of such boundaries in the first place, "Family...a family is something precious. Something you should treasure. I mean, it's not like I've seen mine a lot, but I tried. I still try. Every time they came, every time there was even a chance for all of us to be together, I'd do my best to make it happen. You have no idea...no idea what it feels like when people you care about just disappear, when no matter what you do you don't hear from them, when you don't know if-" Faewyn's voice cracked, although the difference was barely audible, and her breeze-fanned plume of hair - let loose on an impulse a while back - effectively concealed her expression, the pencil in her hand, however, was being squeezed with far more force than necessary, the frail wood eventually giving in and snapping.

"Two years..." the words were little more than a whisper, and the others had probably missed them, but for once Faewyn found herself unable to continue talking, simply shifting to a brisker walking pace and shoving the remnants of the pencil back into one of her many pockets as the awkward silence she had hoped to avoid fell anyway. A few hours into the march was enough to clear her head, however, and soon her soft humming returned. By the point when Rod decided to whine, the girl was already acting as if nothing had happened, turning back to face the group with her usual smile.

"Oh, not far at all." she replied cheerfully, continuing to walk on even as her face remained turned towards the group, "In fact, it should be right about-whoa!"

Suddenly, the girl tripped over one of the seemingly endless little hills in the terrain, disappearing out of view - but unlike usual, there was no 'thump' of bottom connecting with ground. Soon after, Faewyn emerged however, her insect wings letting out a faint buzzing sound as they flapped in a blur of motion, suspending her through the flight back to the ground, concluded by a pinpoint landing on the same spot she had fallen from.

"I think we're here." Faewyn announced nonchalantly, folding her wings into their previous resting position on her back after having landed, still standing precariously close to the death plunge and - for reasons known only to herself - slowly rocking back and forth on the tips of her toes, "That's about as edgy as edges get."

 

[parallelzero]

"How come nobodies cares about my family?" Rod chimed in, apparently uninterested as to whether or not the others wanted him interrupting. "I mean, I'm from one of the richest families in Tealia, the Kniles!" Reid rolled his eyes, completely not caring about Rod showing off to the ladies. As unlikely as it seemed, this was anything but false information. Aside from the Queen's family, there were ten other families in Tealia that were personally supported by the Queen's own wallet. The Kniles were a family consisting of many well know military generals. In fact, Guy Kniles, Rod's father, was the current general of the Tealian army. In his own right of mind, Rod was expecting the two girls to be all over him after revealing his lineage. He didn't think any girl could resist good looks and money.

"Well my family is the King and Princess of Carn, so there." Rosaline replied coldly, ruining Rod's parade. Apparently his own beliefs had just been proven wrong. The clean sacrifice still stood close to her Reid, and Reid still close to her. Rod couldn't help but wonder if there was anything going on between them.

Eventually, after a delivered shock from Faewyn disappearing from view, they had come across the edge of Alta. The other three couldn't help but stare in awe at Faewyn's wings. It was really a wonder that those with insect like wings could fly. All Rod, and Rose really know were feathered wings, after all, but Reid looked away. "So, as you can all see, the lights below us indicate the location of Azern. It's a city in the middle of a desert, so stay cautious during the descent. The winds could change at any minute, and the area is famous for sandstorms."

Realizing Rose wasn't paying attention, he grabbed her hand and re-explained it to her, leading her to the edge to show her. Rod took this opportunity to throw a question Faewyn's way in a whisper. "Are those two a pair or something? They seem awfully... attached?"

"Okay, so because of the wind, Rose is going to ride with me for now. Hopefully we can give her proper flight training during the day outside of the city." Reid threw his board on the ground, and stepped onto it, taking Rose's hand and positioning her on the board beside him, hands firmly on his shoulders. "Rod, you're an excellent flier. If anything happens, I can count on you to deal with it."

Without saying another word, the bottom of the board began glowing green from the wind mahstion Reid was producing, and it lifted off of the ground, and slowly drifted over the edge. It began gaining speed as Reid angled it towards the ground, and no sooner than they had left, they had landed in front of a large brick building on a street of sand. Normally, this would be when the ground would be cast with orange light from the sun, but sand dunes surrounded the city, and Alta was right overtop, so very little light got in.

After Rod landed after them, he ruffled his wings and tucked them away. Reid walked up to the wooden door of the large brick building, that was shaped similarly to a townhouse, and knocked. It took a moment, but a woman with blue eyes and wavy blond hair eventually opened the door. She wasn't that old, maybe around the age of thirty-four, with a petite, yet frail body that seemed like it would get sick easily. Actually, her body was almost like that of Rosaline's. She was dressed in a white gown, with slippers on. Reid and the lady just stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, but Rod eventually broke the awkward silence. "LILA! How ya doing?"

"Oh, Rod! So this is... Reid?" The woman, apparently named Lila finally spoke, and stepped out of the door a ways and got onto her knees, hugging her son. At this point, the woman's monarch butterfly wings, that were hidden from a head-on view, began to open and close, obviously responding to the Lila's mood. Reid just hung his head over her shoulder, not really responding at all. "Reid... your father... the Raven Claws took him because you abandoned ship!"

"What?" Reid asked, his right hand clenched. "They took dad? Oh brother..."

"Is that all you have to say after four years? Really big brother, you're useless." A high, girlish voice chimed from behind Lila, a small girl no older than twelve years old appeared. She looked almost like a miniature version of her mother, with wavy blond hair that went down to her feet, and big blue eyes. She was dressed in a white gown as well, and it seemed like she had just gotten up. She too had monarch butterfly wings, although they were much smaller, and incapable of flight just yet.

"Nice to see you too, Ailia. Glad to see you hate me as much as always." Reid broke free of his mothers grip as he walked by the two winged family members and stormed upstairs. The sound of a door slamming was heard, and Ailia hid behind her mother.

"...I don't hate you..." She said quietly, though loud enough for Rose to hear. She bent down to the girls height, and patted her on the head, before standing back up. Rose knew something was up, because Reid had no wings, but these family members did. Though she didn't dare have the nerve to pry about something like that. Maybe she'd get lucky and someone else would pry again...

 

[Loki]

"Well I'm glad we were so close to this town." Aertan said, smiling as he looked around the desert town, wearing a cloak over his wings which were folded as flat as a pair of bat wings with arms could be. Alicel trailed behind him, a white choker around her neck with a hollow glass ball hanging from it, a ball of flame dancing inside the glass. As she had been informed, the fire would explode and engulf her the minute she tried to run away. This idea, did not appeal to Alicel, especially after she'd been proven the fact by Aertan placing a duplicate on a rabbit, which eventually became a quick dinner for Aertan. Disgusted by the idea of eating something that had been an example as to what would happen to her if she strayed too far from the white and red haired male, she refused the stew, instead, ruefully flicked at her necklace. But that wasn't the end of her suffering. Her iridescent, practically invisible wings could not support fast flying. But nooo, Aertan's wings were strong and practically impossible to hide, tough and not delicate, so he flew at like, a billion miles per hour. Not exactly wanting to become as charred as the rabbit earlier, Alicel had made sure not to fall too far behind, but that in itself was an effort.

Thus, Alicel, tired and exhausted from trying to keep up, stood next to a completely unaffected Aertan. Patting her windswept hair down and patting her cheeks, pink from wind and beating sand, huffed and snapped irritably, "So we're here. Now what? We don't even know if they're here or not!"

"We wait a few seconds for me to find the right building." Aertan said, looking up and down the street, "It shouldn't take long."

"The right building?" Alicel snapped in annoyance, "What the-"

Geote burst out from underneath Aertan's cloaked, threateningly flexing his fingers as though he dearly wished to rip Alicel's mouth right off her face.

"He says shut up, I say shut up, let's all shut up." Aertan muttered distractedly as he examined the buildings, "I think... it's a little further down. No more talking."

"Why-" Alicel started but Geote snapped his fingers around her mouth and she stopped making noise, hoping the purple thing would get away from her.

Aertan nodded at the other hand, whom he'd introduced to Alicel as Haeon't, the more pleasant of the two arms, and smiled. Haeon't stretched out as lightning fast as Geote had earlier, to catch Alicel. But this time, he didn't catch a girl with iridescent wings. He caught a girl with pure white wings, angelic and feathery, though with a few feathers at slightly odd angles from lack of use.

"Rosaline!" Alicel shrieked, twisting out of Geote's grasp.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Oh dear...now you've pushed a certain someone over the edge. She won't happy and go-lucky for like...two posts. o.o

IC:

"Well..." Faewyn replied to Rod's question, casting the duo a look so discreet that it undoubtedly caught the attention of everyone within visual range, "Reid did give her a very nice birthday present and they seem to be close like that, but-hey, wait up!"

Faewyn's wings may have been good for a lot of things, but when it came to diving, her delicate insect wings just couldn't compete with large, feathered ones. It was a choice of either folding them and hoping that they would unfold before she went 'splat' against the ground below or continuing to flap them and descending in a slowish - if rather dignified - manner. Having chosen the latter, the girl didn't arrive at the scene before the moment of awkward silence had already been broken by Rod.

The girl peered curiously at the scene from behind the others. It wasn't every day you encountered insect wings, but here there were no less than two pairs...and judging by what was being said they belonged to the better part of Reid's family, the last part of which was...missing? The girl's tranquil smile slid off as Lila explained the situation and Reid gave a response which was...well, mellow was the nicest way to put it. Faewyn's expression grew even less pleased by the boy's continued behavior and eventual departure. Not many things got her truly angry, but treating people who cared about you like that...she didn't like it, not one bit.

"He's not getting it, is he?" she remarked to no-one in particular, poorly disguised distaste audible in her voice, "Family reunions aren't supposed to go like that; they're supposed be fun. Why-why does he have to act like that? Why does he treat you so bad?" her voice escalated to a slightly higher pitch as she directed the last question to Reid's family, "It's just not right, it's-"

"Rosaline!"

Faewyn's question spree was cut short at Alicel's exclamation, the girl spinning around just in time to catch sight of a disgusting arm...thing, grasping a hold of Rosaline.

That was it. Normally, Faewyn was a tranquil, cheerful person who wouldn't harm a fly, but she had her limits and they had been more than exceeded this night. First Alicel and the Florinens had gotten hurt, then Reid's horrible treatment of his own family and now this. The girl didn't let out a single sound, not a single thought crossed her mind, not a single muscle on her face did as much as twitch. She simply reached for her staff, spinning the weapon around for half a revolution while simultaneously flicking out the spear point - now pointed down - and ramming it into Haeon't with all her might, placing her right foot on the edge of the spear-tip for good measure.

"It's a terribly rude thing to do." Faewyn remarked in a cold, impassive voice, slowly turning the spear in her hands back and forth while continuing to weigh it down with what little mass she had in the hopes of enlarging the tiny mark her attack had left on the bizarre creature and hurt it enough to make it loosen its grip, "To hurt someone else's friends and not even have the decency to introduce yourself or explain why. Please step out and let both of my friends go." her eyes focused straight at the point where she assumed the arm's owner to be, and even though she technically saw no-one her glare was no less fierce for it. "Right NOW."

 

[Loki]

Haeon't shrivelled backwards, writhing as black goo oozed from the punctured purple skin, twitching as Geote relinquished his grasp on Alicel, also in imminent pain. Aertan, however, seemed wholly unaffected, staring with an interested gaze toward the girl.

"Your friends?" He stated lightly, "A girl, who's only just escaped from death no less then 24 hours ago, is your friend?" He let out a small laugh, but quickly waved it off, saying, "But that's exactly what hunters do, is it not?" Walking forward as Haeon't wound began to heal, Aertan bowed politely to the furious girl and said, "My apologies for not introducing myself to prey. I am Aertan, of Carn, and as one of the priests present during Princess Rosaline's sacrifice, I was assigned to capture her and bring her back. Unfortunately, I am quite more able then my colleagues, so I was first to find her."

Alicel moved forward only enough to not get blown to smithereens, unsure as to how to face this new Faewyn, unsure as to how to tell them that her guess that was meant to lead him away from them had led him to exactly where they were. So she kept silent, instead, holding a passive expression which refused to look at Faewyn or Rosaline.

"Now, it would be of great luck if this girl," Aertan gestured toward Alicel, "Was a friend of yours. Would you like to inform me whether you have ever seen her before?"

"Why the heck would they have seen me before you arrogant twit-" Alicel began, frustrated with Aertan's insane amount of insight.

Aertan shook his head, "I didn't ask for your opinion, Svartel."

Alicel's expression turned horribly foul and she took a step backward. Gaping with no retort, Alicel felt her fingers twitch, as though hoping any sort of water source might explode from this desert city. Indeed, there already seemed to be weak flames dancing around his feet, and the spot where Faewyn had attacked Haeon't looked horribly charred.

"So," Aertan continued, as though Alicel had never spoken, "Friends? And if not, would I have your permission," He added sarcastically to Faewyn, "To take back the sacrifice for Tylonstus? Or should I have to wait a while longer for your blessings?"

 

[Alter Ego]

Faewyn didn't reply immediately to Aertan's words, silently observing and trying to take in everything going on in front of her: the retreat of the wounded arm, the black goo it splattered about, its rapid recovery, the unbothered expression on the stranger's face...all the time, she grasped her spear with quite considerable force, one thought coursing through her mind over and over again. This was wrong...this was all wrong. All she had ever wanted was to enjoy life, to see new places, meet people, make friends and above all just be happy...why couldn't people settle for just being happy? She stared blankly at the black goo her spear was drenched in, as if seeing it for the first time and for a moment she just stood there, silent, her head hanging so that her expression was unreadable. If Aertan had taken this as a sign of forfeit he had another thing coming, however, "Rose..." the girl whispered quietly, "Please get out of here. Find Reid; he'll keep you safe."

"Sorry." she replied at last, walking over to stand straight between Aertan and Rosaline to cover her retreat, "But I'm afraid that you'll have to wait for my 'blessings' a bit longer. You see, Rosaline is my friend, as is Alicel; it doesn't take me twenty-four hours to call someone that. And more importantly..." she released her right hand from the makeshift spear, curling the fingers together as if attempting to maintain a hold of an invisible sphere in the palm of her hand, small gusts of wind suddenly spawning around her and seeping into her palm, a small collection of sand particles dancing wildly back and forth. 'Mama, papa...' she mouthed the words soundlessly, 'I know I shouldn't be using this, but...' a lot could go wrong with this particular piece of mahstion, horribly wrong; the tiny piece of flesh missing from her right thumb was enough of a reminder of that, but if she was to have any chance of scaring this guy off she had to try, "...I am Faewyn Verdance Ayre, and I won't lose another person I care about to the likes of you." suddenly, the miniature storm in her palm churned violently, and something went screech, a strong gust of wind striking against a nearby wall, leaving a thin but considerably deep gash into it. Faewyn flinched ever so slightly, tightening her grip around the sphere and forcing it to settle, her hand already trembling from the effort...so little time and it was already growing out of control? Still, if this person was with the people he claimed to be then this should at least get some kind of reaction, "Know the technique?" Faewyn continued in a conversational tone, struggling to lift the tiny maelstorm and point it towards Aertan, "It's called wind dagger; my mother's very own discovery." her voice trembled with anger, "Propels dirt with enough speed to bore through your skull. Now of course I can't quite control the direction yet, but I reckon' if I stand close enough to you and release it all at once it won't make much difference, it'll probably hit a couple of places that don't grow back too." she steadied herself against the staff, "So I'll ask you this once: are you prepared to risk this for a sacrifice you can't even use anymore? Rose's birthday is almost over, and even if you get past me you'll still have everyone else to deal with. There's no way you'll make it in time."

It was a foolhardy gamble and probably wouldn't work, especially seeing as how Faewyn was hardly an intimidating person either, but at this point the girl was just about out of options. Hopefully, hopefully this oh-so-perceptive person would have enough sense to link a supposedly unique technique to its owner, especially when the person copying it had the original owner's name in the middle of her own. Even a tiny piece of information about her parents' fate would make this more than worthwhile, regardless of what would happen afterwards.


OOC: Okays, since this point probably requires clarification: Verdance is the name of Faewyn's mother, and her parents - in case someone missed it - went missing when poking into things they shouldn't have been poking into over in Carn, so I figured that Aertan might have been in a position to have heard about them? Use it or don't; I'm fine either way. Oh, and of course Faewyn is trying to use mahstion way beyond her skill level, so it will probably backfire one way or the other. :3

 

[parallelzero]

"I personally don't blame him for hating us. You see, when he was-" Lila quickly found herself interrupted as Aertan took the stage, snatching up Rose in one extension of his ghoulish arm. Rose was taken by surprise, and didn't even start making an attempt to break free until she saw the tattoo on the hideous excuse of a limb. All in the meanwhile, Rod made little to no attempt to help. In fact, he was hiding around the side of the building as it all took place. While Rose expected Reid to save her, it was Faewyn who stepped up to the plate, stabbing the arm that held Rose ever so tightly with her spear. The arm shriveled away in response, black goo oozing from the wound on the purple skin. Now, Rose was free, but about ready to throw up at the sight. There was NO way that was blood.

Rose quickly made her way to Faewyn's side, touched by the girl's sudden declaration of friendship. "I may be the sacrifice. That's all I've ever been to you people!" Rose shouted at Aertan from a safe distance as she brought her hands to her chest. "But I'm not anymore! I've seen more today than I've ever seen in my life, and I've got... friends now! Reid, Faewyn, Alicel, all of them! That's why... That's why there's no way in hell I'm going back with you!" She brought her hands back down to her sides, clenching them tightly. Faewyn proceeded to explain the attack she was about to use. It was obvious that it's use would reap some dyer consequences.

"Ugh, how naive can you be, Faewyn? Seriously, telling the world what the attack does isn't exactly going to help you be any more victorious!" A voice called from behind the group. Reid was hovering about twenty feet in the air, bow at the ready. "Cancel the attack, I'm a Wionus user as well, and I can tell there's no way you're capable of controlling that!" His concern was genuine, but Reid wasn't exactly sure if Faewyn would cancel it just because he said so, or if she was even capable of doing it at all. Reid's focus shifted from Faewyn to Aertan, as he flew in with his board to close the gap, before effortlessly firing an arrow at the black rose on Haeon't. "I'd suggest you leave, priest. There's no way I'm- no, there's no way WE'RE losing everything here. Companions, family. I know it's only been a day, but that's long enough to not want to lose anything." Reid took the time to glance at Lila and Ailia when he mentioned family. "I almost never miss, you know." He continued, knocking another arrow and taking careful aim. "Leave or I can have this arrow through your eye in a matter of minutes. Besides, we've also got that loose cannon on our side." Reid couldn't help but throw a Faewyn reference in there.

 

[Loki]

OoC// I would take it up, the Verdance thing, but David just sort of killed Haeon't in a way, so Aertan has to obsess over that. I'll put Aertan thinking over what you said later on, when he's talking to the Father. I'm pretty sure the Head Priest's in most churches should know the name Verdance, even if the second-in-command might only know the name and not the details. :3

IC// Aertan's eyes widened, and he yelled out in surprise, suddenly losing his cool when the arrow soared through Haeon't's tattoo, "NO-"

An unearthly scream of pure anguish and pain rang through the air and the glass sphere around Alicel's neck began to grow, the flame inside it dancing more vigorously then ever as she stared with fear in her eyes, panicking to the point where tears and noise could no longer even bring her to scream at Aertan to make the mini-bomb stop. At this point, all she did was scramble to try and rip off the white choker, which stuck to her skin like glue, practically melded with her pale skin. She didn't even noticed Aertan who looked as frightened as herself, Haeon't continuing to shriek with pain, Geote grabbing his twin with his own tattoo glowing an eerie black as Aertan turned a ferocious gaze onto Reid.

"WINGLESS BRAT!" Aertan roared, his pupils practically invisible as they turned into slits from his anger, completely ignoring Princess Rosaline as he let out a yell, grasping his head as a headache completely engulfed him, Haeon't's tattoo healing at an incredibly slow rate as Geote desperately shook the other hand around in a futile attempt to make the tattoo heal faster. The flames that had been dancing around Aertan's feet burst into power, snaking itself around their master, before splitting into seven different pillars of flame which all streaked toward the buildings around Aertan.

"STOP!" Alicel shrieked, reaching out a hand at Aertan, a wave of water drenching the Carn Hunter and causing the flames around him to become mere gusts of steam, while the rest moved to engulf the flames that now danced around the buildings. Furious, Aertan spun around, pointed at Alicel and yelled in a slightly hysterical voice,

"INCENDIO MORTE!!!"

The glass sphere shattered from the force of the flames that exploded, most of the shards embedding themselves in Alicel's face, while the second bout of flames ravaged yet again, the Wation user immobilized as she doubled over, clutching her left eye while the shards that flew toward Aertan lodged themselves into his right wing, Geote's tattoo unharmed, thus, the glass shards falling out as though they'd just hit a concrete wall, rather then a waxy wing.

From behind the protection of Geote, Aertan stared out at Rosaline, saying in a slightly calmer voice, "A sacrifice? That's all you were? Think, you selfish girl. If you're not sacrificed, who's next in line?! WHO ELSE IS A DAUGHTER OF THAT STUPID KING?! DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT JULIET!?!?"

Haeon't spurted another pint of black blood, and taking up Reid's suggestion to leave, seeing as Haeon't was no longer in any condition to fight, Aertan took to the skies and disappeared, leaving a now unconcious Alicel behind as she was no longer needed. The hunt, for Aertan, was over until Haeon't's tattoo was re-drawn.

 

[Alter Ego]

"I..." Faewyn heaved a sigh of relief as Reid arrived at the scene, taking charge of the threat side "He already knows what it does.". Still, she welcomed the excuse not to go through with her mad risk. This was easier said than done, however; particles set into rapid motion had a nasty tendency to stay in motion. The girl shut her eyes in concentration, still doing her best to cover Rosaline just in case. What was it her mother had told her? She had to...oh yes, reverse the spin and keep doing that until the particles slowed down to a harmless rate. Squeezing out the last of her willpower, the girl proceeded to do just that, the vortex of motion slowly subsiding in speed until she eventually decided that it was as weak as it would ever be, finally releasing the technique altogether. As soon as she had done so, however, a sharp jolt of pain passed through her hand and she couldn't help letting out a small shriek, a trickle of blood starting to flow from the cut that had appeared between her thumb and index finger. The dust particles had missed, but at such velocities even being grazed by the air current hurt. Faewyn's scream was nothing compared to the one Aertan let out, however. Unable to even properly register the situation, the girl simply acted on impulse, grasping a hold of Rosaline and diving for cover, just before something went boom.

"A sacrifice? That's all you were? Think, you selfish girl. If you're not sacrificed, who's next in line?! WHO ELSE IS A DAUGHTER OF THAT STUPID KING?! DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT JULIET!?!?"

Faewyn slowly struggled to her feet as Aertan's frantic screams brought her back in touch with reality, just in time to witness the ghoulish man make a hasty retreat. The girl's relief didn't last long, however, as she suddenly noticed the body lying unconscious on the ground.

"Alicel!" Faewyn charged forward, ignoring the fact that she was exhausted from her overuse of mahstion, cut by the fizzled spell, and covered all over in dust from the ground and the explosion, kneeling down beside the unconscious girl and quickly searching for a pulse before turning to the others, "We've got to get her inside, quick! Someone please help I don't think I can carry her on my own." their mystery assailant had revealed none of the information Faewyn had hopped for and had left a lot of questions open, but right now none of that was important. The important thing was to get her friend treated...the girl's glance spread across the wounds the shards had left on Alicel, and she gulped rather loudly at the sight, they had to get help fast.

 

[parallelzero]

"Quick, bring the girl inside!" Lila exclaimed in regards to the unconscious Alicel as she ran in through the door to her house, followed by her daughter, who's tiny wings flapped pitifully from all the excitement. All in the meanwhile, Rosaline collapsed herself from all of the excitement, Aertan's final words still ringing through her mind. Would they... would they really kill Juliet? The only person who ever took time to visit her of their own will, the princess of their country, would they really just throw her away because the useless life of another wasn't? She eventually regained a standing position, although she still had the facial expression like she had seen a ghost.

Lila eventually came back out, and despite her petite physique, she lifted Alicel and brought her into a room just off to the left of the front door, setting her down on the bed. Ailia came back out afterwards, and addressed the group. "Mommy is a doctor. She wants you and your friends to come in now, Reid!" Reid, Rose, and Rod (who had apparently reappeared just as everything had concluded) did as they were told, and were directed into the room where Lila was treating the girl's wounds. There was once again an awkward silence, though this time it wasn't broken by Rod, but by rather Rose breaking out into tears.

"This is all my fault. If I had just refused to let you take me in the first place, nobody would have gotten hurt, and Juliet certainly wouldn't be at risk of dying!" Her concerns were understandable, but she was being a bit too critical of herself. It wasn't wrong to want to live, especially after the conditions she had faced her entire life. "I need to go back, I need to go save Juli-" Her speech was quickly ended by a backhand slap across the face by Reid, who looked more than frustrated.

"Would you think about what you're saying? What would that fix? What would sacrificing yourself help any? That won't stop the war, that won't make Alicel feel better, and it certainly won't save anyone!" Whether he had lost it from stress or not was unsure, but there seemed to be something more personal than that. "It's that kind of thinking that lost me my wings!" He stormed out of the room, leaving the girls with Rod, and Rose crying even harder.

"Don't get angry with him." Lila stepped in, with the comment directed at Faewyn more than anyone. "He tried to save his older brother from a group of wingless folks one day, and they tore his wings from his back. By the law of the city, we weren't allowed to let him live here anymore. That's why he hates us. He thought he could save his brother by giving himself instead... Poor thing, I thought he may have recovered by now, but I suppose not. They call people who lost their wings "Fallen" around here, and they're frowned upon more than normal wingless..." Realizing she may have said too much, she got back to working on Alicel's wounds.

OOC: Cheesy past, but ah well. XD

 

[Loki]

'You're mother told us your name was Aertan Svartel.' Said the kind priest who had taken care of me for my entire life, his normally light voice heavy with disapproval, 'Do you know what that means?'

I shook my head.

'It means, that you are from a family of deserters. Do you know what that means?'

I shook my head.

'It means that your family betrayed Tylonstus. Do you know what that means?'

I shook my head, but spoke this time, 'I don't know what a family is. I don't have a family. I don't need a family. Whatever my family did has nothing to do with me. Because I'm not one of them. My rose hasn't burned once since I was born. I'm not a Svartel.'

No. I wasn't a Svartel. I had red eyes. Not the signature amber ones. My tattoo didn't burn at my hand until it was a completely useless lump of flesh. I believed whole heartedly in Tylonstus. He was great. He was wonderful. He was just as important to me as the man who I considered saved my life by teaching me how to control the cursed gifts lain upon me by Tylonstus, as punishment for what my family did. Hanging my head, the Father smiled and put a hand upon my head, brushing aside my blood red bangs.

'That's right. You are different.' I looked up hopefully, and saw the same smile, the same voice, the same Head Priest I'd known for 10 years of my life now, 'But regardless, you will be sent to the King, as all Svartel's. You must prove to him that you are not a Svartel at heart. You carry punishments for things you have never done. You carry sins that are not of your own doings. You must show him this.'

Geote and Haeon't, no larger then my own hands and arms, peered at me, the eyes in the palm of their hands questioning me.

"It's okay Geote, Haeon't, we'll show them that we believe in Tylonstus 100%!" I told them with a smile. Geote whipped himself around on the joint of his wrist, haughtily snapping, 'As if'. Haeon't bobbed up and down slowly, nodding in approval.

But there was nothing I could do when Geote and Haeon't had their tattoo's drawn on them. They had never believed in Tylonstus. They had always thought themselves to be simple gifts. And so in the great castle, Geote and Haeon't shrieked and writhed with pain as their tattoo's burned, punishing them for their lack of belief. I embedded the belief inside of them. I could do that. I made them believe in Tylonstus like I did, and Geote and Haeon't stopped making a ruckus. I apologized for them. I apologized for me. I apologized for living, now ashamed of being a Svartel. Ashamed of who I was.

Why was I being punished so cruelly by fate? What sin had I committed in my life?

But she told me not to apologize for fate. And that destiny was destiny, and Tylonstus was wise, and would forgive me so long as I walked the right path. I would use my wings, to protect, and not destroy. I felt like all my sin had been washed away. That was the first time I'd seen her. And the last, to date. Juliet.

I had volunteered to be at the sacrifice, in hopes of seeing her. But I didn't. She was not present. I scolded myself for thinking she would be. Rosaline was her sister. Her dear sister. I had heard that Juliet's abscence was because she disapproved of this. I was ashamed to have volunteered to be at the barbaric scene. So when the boy kidnapped her, I was beyond relieved. Juliet would surely smile at the news that Rosaline was alive. But when the Father sent me a letter saying that Juliet would be sacrificed in her place, I could place no mask on.

Juliet was far more valuable then Rosaline. Why should she be sacrificed? There was no reason. Absolutely no reason. Tylonstus was wise, and forgiving, was he not?

Was he not?

He wouldn't mind waiting a few extra days for his sacrifice.

Why Juliet?

Why not that pig of a King himself?

Why Juliet?

Why? Why?

Tylonstus was forgiving. Wasn't he?

"AAAGGGHHH!!" Aertan bolted upright, clutching his left hand in agony as it burned, trying to silence his cries as he reassured himself that Tylonstus would bring great agony to the King if he sacrificed Juliet.

"Is our little Tylonstus suck-up doubting his great God?" Said a leering voice.

Aertan ignored it, Geote and Haeon't staring at where they knew Aertan's face was, though their eyes had long been sewn shut with cursed thread, along with their cursed tattoo's. Haeon't seemed to have healed enough to move, and Geote had obviously sucked out half of Haeon't's toll, as his own arm seemed to tremble with the effort of movement. Never had his hand burned until today. He was not a Svartel. He could never bear such pain, 24/7. Finally catching his breath, Aertan looked around.

"Jetane." Aertan said flatly, addressing the other man with a curt nod.

"I heard they're gonna kill off poor Juliet." Jetane hissed, a lecherous smirk curling onto his face.

"That's Princess Juliet to you, worthless hunter." Aertan retorted.

Jetane waved off the insult, "Not if she's the sacrifice."

Aertan started, standing up from the bed he'd been on top of, Geote with his hands around Jetane's neck, getting progressively tighter as Jetane scrambled and gasped for air.

"I saved your butt!" Jetane gasped, "You owe me!"

Aertan's eyes flashed threateningly, but he willed Geote to let go. Jetane took large gulps of air as he was released, his eyes watering as he snapped, "So much for gratitude."

Geote made another move and Jetane sprang to his feet, "I jest! I jest!"

Aertan stared at Jetane, "What are you doing? Where am I? How did you find me?"

"We're in Carn." Jetane stated flatly, "In my church. I found you in the town that you told me that girl you had with you was from. Looked pretty much half dead and hysterical, from the looks of it. Your tattoo was glowing like what I'd never seen before."

Aertan glanced down at his hand, though not long enough to see the damage done to it. He was in no mood to see something that would prove yet ever more to him that he was of Svartel lineage. Especially not the trademark mangled hand. He would examine the damage a few weeks later. In the meantime, where were his gloves...?

"Did anyone find Rosaline? Did anyone catch her?"

"Nah, no leads. Your hostage escaped, apparently." Jetane nodded, "Juliet's gonna be sacrificed soon enough. Just depends on how patient our dear King is."

"The hostage? Not really 'escaped' if you know what I mean." Aertan replied, and Jetane snorted, saying the he'd wished he were there, before Aertan continued, "How much time does Juliet have?"

"Don't ask me. I'm a hunter, not a calculator." Jetane shrugged, "Kirden of your church is coming to pick you up in a few minutes. Sit tight, and don't let that tattoo burn. You're a racket when it does."

The door shut behind Jetane, leaving Aertan to contemplate how much time he had left to save Juliet in the dark.

~~~~~

 

[Alter Ego]

Faewyn merely went with the flow as Reid's mother took charge, following the woman who was now hauling Alicel inside for treatment. The girl's eyelids drooped, giving her the visage of a sleepwalker as she crumbled down into a chair in the corner, proceeding to do the only thing that could calm her strained nerves; writing. The still fresh cut stung as it came into contact with the pencil, and the line of bruises on her fingers that she had managed to inflict on herself simply by grasping the staff so tightly did little to add to the comfort, but Faewyn was numb to such things at this point, seemingly writing on pure instinct while her eyes remained firmly glued to the unconscious Alicel, the pencil in her hand mechanically repeating the same motions over and over again, the the thin trickle of crimson mingling with the lead and seeping into the paper, quickly smudging the message each time she wrote it. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, to do...but she just couldn't seem to act on any of it, merely continuing with the one thing she always knew how to do until she finally managed to leave a permanent mark; a childish scribble at the very end of the bloodstained page, just barely legible beneath the smudges:

'It will be alright.'

The girl studied her handiwork carefully, repeating the message under her breath and then heaving a sigh. This simple act seemed to have calmed her quite considerably, as if putting the reassurance on paper had somehow guaranteed its truthfulness. Placing paper and pencil aside, Faewyn finally looked up, just in time to catch Rosaline's outburst and Reid's reaction. Lila was quick to cover for her son, probably remembering Faewyn's last outburst on the subject, but the precaution was quite unnecessary. The girl just didn't have it in her to have another fit, she was already sick and tired of being angry. She hated it, she loathed it, and yet...yet she had done it again. And every time she did...someone got hurt. The others might not have known it, but Faewyn did; every time she used that bad things happened. Every time, it didn't matter what she had intended to do; the end result was always the same. It wasn't Rosaline's fault, it wasn't Reid's fault; in a way it wasn't even Aertan's fault. No, those were just circumstances. Faewyn had done the only thing her mother had ever strictly forbidden and it had taken its tool. It was her fault. A single tear slipped from her right eye and ran down her face, the memory surfacing in front of her mind's eye.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

"Mama, look!"

It was mother and daughter day. Once a week - or at least once a month, one had to be a bit flexible - that was what her mother had decided to be the minimal time they needed to spend together to prevent severe psychological trauma and warped family relations. Faewyn always looked forward to those days; a full day with only her and her mother. No rushing out after a new lead, no staring at empty seats during dinner, no endless hours spent sitting at home alone and counting cracks in the floorboards. Just her and mama, together, learning about the world and how to use mahstion - for Verdance Ayre had never been one to tolerate unproductive use of time. To a regular child, such a thing would have seemed more like a tedious chore than a reward, but Faewyn valued these precious few days like nothing else, eagerly delving into the secrets of the art in the hopes of impressing her mother with her talents and maybe, just maybe, one day mama would smile and tell her that she was ready - that she had learned enough to go with them, that she would never be alone again. It was this hope that spurred her to go beyond her assigned exercises, to carefully study her mother's experimental notes - dictionary in hand to make sense of the words, and it was this hope that led her to that damned spell. 'Wind dagger', she had recited under her breath as she scanned the notes, 'Countless tiny particles kept in high-velocity rotation around the wielder's body, to be used as either a shield against incoming attacks or as projectiles weapons, the force of a tornado perfectly focused and contained.'. Surely...surely if she mastered this, mama would have no choice but to see her as mature enough to go on a journey? For once, Faewyn had welcomed the next two weeks' delay in mother and daughter day, spending every minute she could on practice. Much to her dismay, she had found that even after weeks of intense training she could barely manage focusing the spell around one hand - let alone her whole body, as the description in the notes had specified - but it was a beginning, and perhaps when she showed her how much progress she had already made on her own, mama would help out with the rest? That mother and daughter day had fallen on none other than Faewyn's fourteenth birthday, and her hopes were soaring high.

Hope, it turned out, was cheerfully paving the way for disaster. The girl had barely begun building up the spell when she caught sight of her mother's face, the way the color had drained from her cheeks, the look of complete shock and anger on her normally serene, and - to Faewyn's mind - incredibly beautiful face, the terror in those normally tranquil dark blue eyes with their seemingly endless depth. The moment Faewyn had caught sight of her mother's reaction, the spell had fizzled, a sharp pain had cut through her hand and the rest of the ordeal was a blur of sound, color and motion.

When she came to, she had found herself at her uncle Kain's house, a thick bandage with a decidedly reddish tint to it covering her sore right thumb and about half her hand. She had caught a quick glimpse of her uncle's face and his black, raven's wings before her mother was there. For a few awkward minutes, mother and daughter had simply looked at each other before the young girl was shocked by the tightest hug she had ever received. Faewyn's initial surprise was soon topped, however, as she got to feel a gesture she had never felt before - a stinging backhand slap straight across the face.

It was the first and only time Faewyn's mother laid a hand on her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Faewyn snapped back out of her reverie, noticing that Rosaline was still crying. The rest of the memory was nothing to dwell upon: an utterly glacial trip home, a solemn vow to both her parents never to touch the spell again, and a large bruise across her face that prompted an investigation from the child welfare agency. It was a close call of epic proportions, Faewyn had been told later, a sheer miracle that she hadn't killed herself trying to wield mahstion of such magnitude at her age, and a stroke of dumb luck that her medically skilled uncle had been there to re-attach the severed thumb before gangrene had set in. The slap had been the most shocking thing in Faewyn's little life, but in retrospect she had come to realize that it was concern that made her mother do what she did, and who knew? Maybe the way Reid had been acting was concern too. His own kind of...well, male concern. Boys weren't good at showing feelings, right?

"Rose..." Faewyn mumbled softly, walking over to the girl and placing her left hand on her shoulder - for the right one was still a mess - "This doesn't mean that Reid doesn't like you, you know. I think..." she paused, "I think he did it because he was worried, it's...well, it's a complicated thing. But please...please don't cry. None of this is your fault; you haven't done anything wrong. Besides, we should try to be happy..." she managed a weak smile to help her statement, "I've heard that having sad and worried people around you makes it harder to recover. It's a psychoso-well, it's a matter of feeling positive. As long as you think and feel like everything will be alright then it will have a better chance of becoming that way, see? And right now..." her glance traveled to Alicel, "Well, I think we owe it to her to try to help her heal, wouldn't you say?"