Fantasy Hideout (Accepting Again)

[NeverBetter]

@deadpool42 @NeverBetter
Cafurn struggled to calm down, half his face was suffering from first degree burns. Thats when he saw the other human, he hadnt noticed his scent but took a deep breath of it. Cafurn could hunt down the other human, he had his scent. His opponent had held him at gun point, "Fool! Ruun NOW!" Cafurn said as he rose above the human, standing at 7 feet tall, the creature put his arms and right leg back then unleashed a unique roar, a hybrid of a bird and lions battle cries.

Derik, being basically six-foot eight, was basically undisturbed by the hight of the monster. Nor did the roar scare him in the slightest. It were nothing he hadn't dealt with before. "Buddy, I told you I don't really wanna keep talkin', so, thanks for giving me the first move."


Lighting struck. And it struck hard and fast.


Wait... No... That was Derik sending a tornado kick flying right at the beast's malformed left kneecap with his left leg, bringing a slash from his right side around with his body and aiming it towards the Beast's torso. However, this was only a fakeout, as his left hand aimed right at the hip of his left leg. The Longsword was longer than his katana, it would probably reach if any of his attacks hit of them.


He wasn't particularly worried about it counterattacking. Unless it could pierce his coat in a single stroke, there wasn't much it would be able to do in terms of an early counter.

@NeverBetter[/URL]


~~~~


Mes awoke with a start, grumbling loudly. Nightmare. Again. They were more and more frequent nowadays, and she didn't really appreciate that. She stood up, reaching for her hairbrush, taming her currently wild locks of purple hair. Sleeping on the ground truly does terrible things to hair. She woke slowly, taking in more and more of her surroundings. It seemed that most of the older ones were out and about. Not strange, many liked to do their thieving at night. Mes had always preferred day shift. Larger crowds, easier to slip away and vanish. And torchlight didn't flatter her. She hummed a low tune as she set her brush down and grabbed her dress to change into from her nightgown. After a nightmare, she never could fall asleep again. As she moved, she noticed something rather peculiar. The entrance was boarded up. Well, not really boarded up. Kind of... earthed up. She groaned. Idiot Sandrew decided to just prohibit anybody from leaving apparently. He was the only one with any skill to do that. Mes shook her head. Maybe there was a reason. She changed quickly in the small amount of private space they had, and grasped her blade. She'd stand guard for now. Might as well, perhaps there was a reason for things to be boarded up. Mes took a seat in front of what used to be the entrance, placing the blade across her lap.

"Dang! I should have moved more quietly..." Sandrew flinched as the lady finished her sentance, but refused to stop running. He was certain that at the very least she hadn't seen much more of him than the brown of his jacket and maybe his hair. As he ran, he took every corner he could, ducking in-line with search parties, moving in the few shadows the building held, he couldn't stop moving. For the fate of everyone, if he was caught, who knows what would happen if he were caught and the rest of them tried to get him back? He can't afford that.


What could he do?


Raising a fight wasn't an option, she was trained, he was not, and that would only give them even more reason to search, and harder.


He had been running and hiding for ten minutes. Twenty left. God, how long is thirty minutes?

 

[Hana Koen]

Lucian didn't know why the question really mattered when there were bigger issues. But he decided to answer anyway, "I think that if you were the master than you wouldn't have so much to learn. The apprentice has lots to learn so that means they can grow a lot more." He kicked out his feet as he gave her a look. "I think the journey is more memorable than the destination." The boy paused thinking he said too much as he glanced at Afya with a smoothed out expression.


@Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya laughed and spun around. "Very inspirational." She she said quietly. Coming to a stop, she held out a hand for him to see what was in her hand. A few fireflies had landed, and were flitting across her palm. "You try and get them." She whispered with another smile, her eyes entranced by the tiny dance of lights. @Hana Koen

 

[Hana Koen]

He was honestly having trouble figuring out why she could laugh so much but he gave it up. "I'd prefer to let them fly free." Lucian frowned as he wondered how she hadn't fallen over from all the spinning. His eyes glanced curiously at the fireflies not wanting to give in before sighing dramatically. " If you insist." Lucian muttered shyly but told himself that it was just him indulging her. It took a lot longer than he liked to catch one on his hand as he stared at it. Eyes bright for a second before scolding at how happy he had gotten. Afya made it hard to keep a lid on his expressions when she was just so naive or rather carefree. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya gently lifted her hand, and the fireflies flew up and off her hand. "Why don't you like to smile?" She asked quietly. Her face had grown to be calm, but the edges of her lips stayed slightly bent up. Peacefull is what she looked like. Enjoying the moment, as her fingers followed the trails of a few light bugs.


Lucian almost never smiled, in fact, she didn't remember a time when he did. Deciding to ask him finally one of the many questions that burned through her mind. @Hana Koen

 

[KhazTheGiraffe]

Jun looked around, there was no one near them and the only people that would be out this late at night would be a guard. Jun knew that Vera wouldn't be able to take on a guard in her weakened state and that he wouldn't be able to knock-out a guard without causing a loud disturbance.


"Here, take mine," He extended his arm out to her and cut his wrist right where all his veins seemed to intertwine with his knife. With a small chuckle he said "What's mine is yours."


@StoneWolf18

 

[Hana Koen]

"And why do you always smile?" He said instead of answering her question as he held his hand to his chest. This was not something he liked to talk about but couldn't ever find a reason to just tell someone so he always said nothing. "Never mind." He instead said as he began to overthink why she smiled. Maybe it was for a reason he didn't want to know he thought. "It doesn't matter. I'm here." He tried yet again to explain shortly as he held out a firefly that was on his hand before it flew off. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya looked over at him. "I smile because it makes me feel good." she said simply in reply. "Now I answered yous question." Her fingers fiddled uncomfortably. Even though the boy was younger, he was still so strange. It made Afya want to ask him so many questions. But his still exterior was confusing she didn't know whether to ask. Or to just leave him be and never know. @Hana Koen

 

[Hana Koen]

Lucian shook his head as he tried to come up with something to say to her before deciding to ruffle her hair. "I'm happy on the inside." He decided on after being quiet for the long time. "If you think too hard, you might get wrinkles." Joked Lucian as he turned back to the clearing enjoying the delicate peaceful moment. Afya was very easy to see through and maybe that's why he could see himself trusting her one day.


@Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya huffed again, but smiled. "I'll get an answer from you someday." She claimed, sitting back and resting her head on her knees. Running her hand over the tall grass, another wave of fire flies came up from the ground and mobed around her head. "You look like you have a crown." She chuckled, pointing to his head, where a circle of fireflies flew lazily around his head. @Hana Koen

 

[Rustic]

uzoma sterk

as the pair traveled around the castle, it was hard for uzoma eye's not to wander. god it was ornate. uzoma had passed them a time or two, but they never had the time to stop and really admire them. but they supposed now was not an appropriate time do it, either. it felt like they were walking forever as they traveled through the hallways, with uzoma trailing sofly behind feeling as though at any moment, catastrophe would strike. which was less their prior misgivings, and more the fact that they had no idea where they were going. they knew their destination, but not much else.


"almost there..." they hear aliana quietly whisper, and it's a big relief to them. it had felt like forever going over, but to hear they were almost there and almost leaving made their spirits perk up. the relief didn't last, though, as aliana came to a sudden stop, a forked path before them. uzoma had almost forgotten this explanation.


"that one," they pointed, in the direction of the path with more guards on it. their reply was quick, to where even uzo was suprised at themself on how sudden they'd come to it. for a moment, they think better of it, realizing it was probably guided by their own want to quickly get home, but the two had already gotten going on their way once uzo had given the word, and there was no going back on it now.


the two inch along the path slowly, the tension steadily rising as uzo does their best to follow ali's movements as precisely and as stealthily as they can. ali had done a demonstration of the path they would follow beforehand, should the two end up moving along this path, but as they go through the motions of it, it's a little harder that uzo imagines. it goes well, at first, with only minimal guards posted near the beginning, but as they go along, the posts become more closely spaced, and ali's movements more complex to match the minimal space the two had to them.


it goes well enough for awhile - it's hard to tell exactly how long, uzo's thoughts sort of fight for space as they do their best to focus on the situation at hand and the other more unpleasant things that wanted their time to be considered. they weren't sure how it happened, but one moment, they were keeping close behind ali, as planned, the next, they had barreled straight into one of the guards on duty.


a shocked, choked noise escapes uzo, and not knowing what else to do, they quickly back up against the far wall, giving a short, scared look to ali, who had made it to the other side. they put their hand on their right pocket, where they were keeping their dagger.

mentions

@VioletShadow

 

[Hana Koen]

"You look like you have a crown as well." He crosses his arms as goosebumps break out from how windy the night is. Lucian sits down beside Afya as he listens to the wind rustling the grass and takes in the sound of water running wild. For a moment he feels at peace as he closes his eyes and rests his head on his arms that laid on his knees. The crickets barely noticeable as they make their cricking sound with their legs as they hop around in the grass. Momentarily he lets down his guard as he curls into his own warmth and just listens. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya smiled as she saw him the corner of her eye. 'Peacefull.' She thought. For once his still and closed exterior was almost a miss as he melted into the scenery. Afya let herself fall back to look at the fireflies mingling with the stars, almost blending in. A cricket hopped over her, in attempt to capture a firefly, but to no avail. 'Even the crickets know how to play' Afya thought with a smile. @Hana Koen

 

[Hana Koen]

Lucian opened his eyes and noticed that Afya was being kind of quiet and looked over inquiringly. He blinked as images of Jun and Sandrew overlapped with Afyas before shaking it off. The boy poked at Afya who laid on the ground with a tilt of his head as he became guarded once more. "Are you okay, Miss Afya?" He politely questioned as he got up and looked down to her. A part of him being reminded that they were much too different and that was unfortunate in on its own. "I should get going soon..." He whispered as he gave the area a long look as he tried to imprint it into his mind. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya met his gaze with a small frown."Afya, Lucian... only Afya. And I'll walk you." she replied, pulling herself up. Glancing up at the sky once more, she smiled lightly. Waiting until he would lead the way back, Afya drank in her last look at the dancing fire bugs. @Hana Koen

 

[VioletShadow]

Aliana Sithu

Aliana gave a little sigh, exasperated from the continuous stress from this outing. As she looked back for reassurance of Uzoma's safety, she almost missed his terrible situation. Staring in horror, she quickly snapped her mind back to reality and begun a quick maneuver, not particularly well-thought out, but it was good enough, especially because of how quickly she thought of it. She gestured with her hands and expression, for him to slowly edge away from the soldier. Her eyes closed, as she began her magic. Just a normal...light grey(Uzoma's hair colour)...rat..scampering around...Her thoughts slowly repeated this phrase again and again, until eventually, the guard turned his enraged and startled face away, calming down considerably, thinking he mistook a rat for a thief. As Uzoma reached safety, Aliana slumped down in exhaustion. Stress, exhaustion, fear were all so overwhelming in just those few moments. It felt like she had suddenly aged ten years. Still hidden behind obstacles, but obviously sweating and out of breath. "Don't...apologize.." she whispered tiredly. She couldn't explain her thoughts, it would take too much energy. Therefore, she merely stayed silent, recovering her strength.


After a few minutes, Aliana stood up and spoke quietly "Let's carry on", she was still tired but staying there would be much worse for them. Luckily, the rest of the way was much more simple, with the guards slowly dwindling in number. As they stood underneath the giant oak doors, with the golden word 'Kitchen' carefully written on top, she smiled lightly at Uzoma. "We're here~" Having recovered a bit more over time. "Is it okay, if I leave the packing to you?" She sat near the door, ready to leave in case a situation arises once again. "I just..would like a little more of a rest." She couldn't even put enough effort in to examine the kitchen. Her eyes drooped a little, but through sheer willpower, she kept herself awake and calm. Nothing would be gained if they messed up now.
​

@rusticyawn

 

[Hana Koen]

"I could never call you by your given name alone, Miss Afya. I am not worthy of the honor." Lucian said with a plain bow as he then gave her an amused glance as he walked beside her. "But I do think it would be best if I walked you home first." The boy announced like it was a fact before he told her easily, "It's easier to sneak into the quarters by myself." He went on to say, "I wasn't supposed to be out but I wanted to see you... but if I'm caught I'll get punished again." A hint of exasperation was in his voice as he explained this. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya frowned, before shaking her head. "I may not be a servent but I am no king." She whispered, before a myschevious smile came to her face. "Mr. Lucian." She bowed back, before following quickly. His words sunk in and she gave him a puzzled look. "Again?" She had not known that he had been punished before for being late. Afya hoped it wasn't anything crippling, or even too bad. Sometimes her mentor let her go without supper when she messed up. But that wasn't all too bad. @Hana Koen

 

[Rustic]

uzoma sterk

uzoma collapsed next to aliana, trying to stifle their shaky breaths in order to calm themselves down. "don't apologize..." she whispers, quietly, obviously spent by the experience, and for that, uzoma is grateful, because they almost don't think they'd be able to get the words out. they give an inexplicable look to aliana before sitting as compactly as they could, putting their head their thighs as they tried to catch their breath. a myriad of thoughts came up - some blaming themself, some blaming aliana, some blaming fate for putting them such a position. they all die out as quickly as they come, and leave them both in complicated silence.


"let's carry on." the silence is broken only with her whispered request, and without another word, uzoma gets up. they don't really know how to feel, or what to say now, so they don't say anything, just simply fall behind aliana again as the two of them get on their way again. it doesn't take long for them to reach their destination, and for that, uzo is thankful.


uzo gives slight smile back to ali as she announces their arrival. they were still a little shaken, but they were determined to not let it follow them. this was a fact of everyday life - they had had a harrowing experience and come out on top. that was something to smile about. uzo expects the two of them to immediately make their own way through the kitchen, but ali's question catches their attention. "sure," they say quietly, giving an affirmative nod. "it's... the least i can do." their heart can't help but sink as ali slumps down onto the floor to rest, but they know they have to save their guilt for another time.


some time is spent in silence as uzo moves through the kitchen, taking what they can. it's actually somewhat comforting, methodically going through the stored resources and putting in what they could feasibly take. they know by now what was best and what they shouldn't take unless extra space. there was a good bit of everything here, and it was very comforting. maybe aliana was right - this was likely to prove a good haul for everyone. it made them feel a little worse, everything considered, but they put aside their guilt for a moment when they saw what sat on the middle of the counter.


a big grin stretched across their face. it was a very large cake. there were considerable portions taken out of it, but it was very beautifully decorated, and there seemed to be a small amount of it still left. ah, yes. that was exactly what they needed. uzo took one of the small bags they'd brought with them, and sat it open. they took their dagger and started cutting pieces of it up - some of it for lucian, and some of it for aliana. they sat the small piece they'd set aside for lucian in the bag, and appraised the taste of the cake by licking their dagger. mmm! god it was delicious. it was a shame there wasn't more to go around, but they set aside aliana's piece on one of the many scattered, ornate looking plates, and set it down beside her.


"here," they wink. "you deserve it. i'm-" well, they weren't sure if they were still to avoid apologizing, so they backtrack a little. "...you worked really hard for it." they leave her to it, with a fork in case she wanted to bother with it, and set to the task of finishing up. while they were at it, they gave their dagger one last lick before finally cleaning it off with what they could find, and gave one last look around the kitchen, popping a piece of cheese in their mouth. that was about it for what the two could bring with them - uzo would have to keep a close eye on lucian's bag until they could give it to them.


"i think we're set!" they throw the amalgamate bag over their shoulder, making sure to be careful with it's contents, and give ali her share to hold. it was slightly smaller, but not very. "i would carry that too, but..." well, neither of them were in particularly good shape. uzo was already struggling with their share of things - even if they could carry anymore, they would never make it past the guards. that was all already a given, of course, and it was more of a consideration than an honest offer.


"let's ge-" a sharp noise came from somewhere close by from out of the room, followed by the sound of frantic footsteps. running. of course something else was going wrong. it wasn't immediately obvious what the sound was, or if those footsteps would ever make it's way towards them, but they were close enough to be concerning. uzoma gave an alarmed look to aliana, before signaling for them both to get the hell out of dodge.

mentions

@VioletShadow

 

[Hana Koen]

"Don't worry about me.It happens to someone at least once, Miss Afya." Lucian stated as he poked her on the side but withdrew his hand as fast. It wasn't exactly a lie he tried to console himself because he did get hurt and someone usually got in trouble in his family. Not that he would ever admit out loud that he saw all of the others as family."Let me take you home." He said as he continued on the path to where she lived. His eyes trained forward as he tried to ignore the childish guilt over the fact he never corrected Afya about her assumptions. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya followed slowly, concern filling her along with more questions. "Wh.... what do they.. do?" She asked quietly, her pounding curiosity was too much to keep quiet with. What if they beat him, and didn't let him eat for a whole day? What if he didn't have enough food to begin with? Her eyes moved from Lucian to their dark surroundings Nerviously. @Hana Koen

 

[Hana Koen]

He gently but forcefully rubbed at the furrow between her brow but not hard enough that it hurt. "Nothing too bad. Please don't go getting any crazy ideas." He wanted to pout at her obvious jump in logic but instead kept bringing her along. "We're almost to your home." He said as he noticed her nervousness and began to rub her hand in a circular comforting motion. It was good for calming people down but he only himself as reference. @Psithurism

 

[bungalow]

Afya slowly nodded, and saw the small healers cottage, shadowed by the large castle behind it. "Okay... then just.. don't get caught." She murmured, feeling herself calm. Looking down at where he stroked she smiled. It felt good. Much like the herbs she used to calm people to put them to sleep. But this didn't feel too forced. Maybe she should use this sometime. But how did it work? Maybe shed ask a scholar in the library when she had the chance. @Hana Koen

 

[StoneWolf18]

With a frown, Vera took a small step forward before replying. "You are aware that I were to accidentally bite or transfer saliva in anyway, you would become infected." The site was tempting, the scent even more or so. The woman was using all the willpower she could muster not to leap ontop of Jun and drain him dry.


@Khaz

 

[Hana Koen]

Lucian nodded before whispering like it was a promise, "I won't." As he easily left the if I can to himself as he saw that she was calm yet again. "Make sure to sleep really well though...don't wake up too early and remember to eat breakfast." He listed off as he turned to leave after showing her close enough that she could easily get inside. His lips twitched as he began to walk away. @Psithurism