Fantasy Howl's Flying Castle (Finished! ---Whoo! (*＾▽＾)／)

[Urazek]

Aodh jolted awake suddenly, his face pressed against the wood of his desk, his feathers rumpled in a mess. He had fallen asleep the night before pouring over his books, but so far, he hadn't found what he had been looking for. He had a few more books to check, but he was beginning to think that there wasn't a spell for dragons to learn to breathe fire. Aodh looked at the candle he had on his desk, the stump of the wick sitting in a pool of dried wax. He would have to heat it somehow to clean it, or use his excavating chisel to chip it away, but that would be later, now he was hungry.

Aodh walked to the mess hall after sprucing himself up a little, although he had missed breakfast, again. He grabbed some bread rolls, as well as a whole smoked salmon. Seating himself at a smaller table, Aodh looked around, still a little bleary, and noticed the lack of his new companions. He looked around confused for a second, then just decided they already ate, or hadn't eaten yet. Digging in, Aodh ate everything on his plate, including the parts of the fish most people couldn't eat.

Having finished his lunch, Aodh strode back to his room, only making five wrong turns to get there. Grabbing another book, he settled on his bed this time, opening the book to the first page. He immediately jumped up as the thing he was looking for was right there, first page. He quickly scrawled the spell on a scrap piece of paper, grabbed his leather jerkin and headed out again. He walked determinately thought the halls as if he knew where he was going, but in reality was just wandering aimlessly hoping he would reach his destination.

Finally stumbling upon the giant house, Aodh waddled over and knocked on the door. When the door opened, he quickly said, "Is Levitas here, I have something very important to show him."

Zer0

 

[Aio]

Wé Calarook​

Before Wé knew it her world went dark, not that she had fainted but because one forcefully place a bag over her head. Wé had grown nervous, and she had good reason to be. From the war cries to the sound of clashing metal. The only solice she had was in the basket she held, as she knew her dear puppets were still safe inside.

Finally they entered a space where the banging had ceased. Wé's heart felt as though it would beat out of her chest, not comfortable with the temporary blindness she was forced to have. Feeling something weigh down on her shoulders she crumbled under the weight, sitting on her floor with the basket placed safely on her lap.

She could feel the bag being lift off her head, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light. When her eyes finally adjusted she was taken back by the sight. She feared she had gotten to far over her head with her latest endevor as the group so far seem more hostile than welcoming.

Her eyes made their way to the man who spoke, bitting her lip as she listened. Kenren Taisho. She thought, pursing her lips before she spoke. "I understand...I am Wé Pendragon. Daughter of Sophie and Howl Pendragon. I'm looking for my siblings. I heard they might be traveling to Dalaran." She was unsure of what else she needed to tell him, as she was not used to these kinds of situations. Assuming that if the answer she had given was not to his liking he could ask more specific question.

So there she sat, feeling vulnerable as she had no real control of the situation. For all she knew they would just dump her back in the ocean where they found her in the first place.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-Little airship, Far-far-far away from the fleet, Shoflo Ocean-​

When Renee mentioned the exorcism spell, Lydia shrugged one of her shoulders slightly, her head tilting towards it a bit as her worry stricken face made a somewhat unsure expression, "I suppose we could ask him... we know that it is made for someone who has a dragon soul in their heart but the specifics... Seifer's heart is different from ours, Renee."

There were many ramifications in the situations. Seifer's heart was not an organic one. He had been picked out to be a Deathknight and the sealing spell had not been completed. Renee and Lydia were none of the above and since so many before Seifer had been failed experiments it was hard to say what their future had in store and whether or not a spell that was made for a false heart, for a Deathknight, would work on them. She glanced to James to see if maybe he had an opinion on the matter, just as she always looked to him for his opinions because she valued them greatly.

She stayed silent as James went about summoning his bees and looked down at her wrists when he did. When he embraced her, she nearly went limp in his arms. His desire to console her did little because his touch and his words, the affection she felt coming from him only reminded her of what she had to do now that she was compromised. For now though, she leaned into him and let him wipe her tears away as they began to silently flow more freely, her lower lip gently trembling. She shook her head when he mentioned the Soul Recall spell, she didn't think that would work since that was a much less powerful spell meant for something else but for the moment she stayed silent because she just wanted to be in the moment.

She offered a meek smile to Johnny when he offered his much more determined one and hugged James a little tighter. She needed to have the confidence that they had. She remembered back when they had first thought that Seifer was dead. She had grief then like she had now, but she soon replaced it with determination and hope. She felt like she owed it to her friends to take on that same mentality, though it was a little more difficult when she felt rather helpless. She was looking at herself the same way that she looked at Seifer.

She couldn't trust herself because she didn't know how the dragon's soul would affect her. She didn't know if she would have powers that the sealing cuffs wouldn't work on and this was running through her head as she waited patiently and held still as James put the sealing cuffs on her wrists. She then caught his hand as he removed it from hers and raised it to her lips, giving him a gentle kiss on his knuckles before letting him go. That's what she was planning on doing, letting him go. More so, insisting he go. She couldn't risk his safety for her own heart. All she could think of was Seifer's ability to command those around him and the fact that the dragon took hold of him when he was asleep.

She didn't have any intention of leaving the airship they were on. She wasn't willing to put herself near anyone that she could endanger in the state she was in. She didn't say this as Kenren spoke of rebuilding their rooms and only held a somewhat strained expression on her features as she held her hands together in front of her. She listened silently as Renee pointed out that she had meant the Exorcism spell meant for the dragon soul and not the Soul Recall spell and nodded slightly. Looking to Renee like she was insane as she suggested trying to fend off the soul on her own. No, Renee was insane. She hadn't been able to face the dragon before, how could she face it now without help?

She shook her head and groaned when James and Johnny insisted on staying behind. Arguing that she couldn't risk Johnny because he was a good friend and she wouldn't be the catalyst for Echo's heartbreak if something happened to him and that she couldn't risk James because she cared about him too much and it made her sick thinking that she could potentially harm him. She stated that she had no intention of going back to the warship, she planned to stay on the little airship and asked if it would be possible to just outfit it the way they had planned on redoing her room. She was distancing herself from everyone else as she had distanced herself from Seifer.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

"James and Johnny are fine, Lydia. Whatever that's happening to us just started. It won't outright take over us like a fire burning liquor on cloth for Merlin's sake..." While hearing Lydia pleading to the guys about leaving her behind, Renee had an urge to slap her again. Really? She knows better than anyone that being alone is a terrible idea. So she suggested to everyone that Johnny and James should stay where the driver seats are while Lydia, Seifer and herself stay in the cargo area, where they are now. No way she's leaving Lydia alone and she is sure that she's determined to do something about it.

After all...being hopeful is her only good quality....

When Lydia mentioned that Seifer's heart is different, Renee nodded in agreement and sighed loudly before sitting up, nearby the sleeping archer. It seems that she wasn't willing to leave his side for a while but when she looked over at her terrified friend and blinked, she noticed something. Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked down at Seifer for a moment before grabbing a blanket to tuck him in and grabbed another one. She walked over to where Lydia was sitting at and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders too, making sure that the witch stays warm. She frowned in worry and looked sad about something.

"..." Renee still didn't know how to react to Lydia right now; Not because of the dragon being in their souls and whatever it might be doing to them at the moment but she thought maybe by talking she can calm Lydia down. Don't get her wrong: She's tired from not feeling her manna and she already knows that her plans and ideas right now are insane, but she rather talk instead of staying quiet. It's...better that they do talk...

So the dragon don't have a better chance at taking them over...

"Lydia, I noticed on how different this feels to what Seifer feels. He doesn't feel it; We do though. It feels heavy like it doesn't belong or it not to be there to begin with." Renee started off, hoping to keep Lydia's mind from going gloomy by passing ideas. If she ever tries to be sassy with her, the Pendragon teen gave her a deadpan look as if she's saying 'Don't. Let me finish...'

"I thought by tweaking the exorcism spell, we can have a second exorcism spell. One that's for real hearts and not crystal ones." Earlier, Echo brought in their books: Lydia's notes and journal with Renee's sketchbook and theories on new spells. So Renee grabbed her sketchbook and turned to the pages of mulitple of circles and runes and lyrics with explanations and scratching lines crossed over the failed attempts, leaving one or two circles ready to use for healing...

One to restore soul rooms back to normal...

"I know...you don't forgive me for what I did before at the ravine and yea, I was stupid for not listening to Seifer in the first place. I regret it. If I could, I would let you go in my soul room and see how much..." Renee muttered, bandaged wings fluttered nervously. "But while you and James were away, I kept trying on making this spell to restore Seifer and Hisa-kun's souls back to normal once we somehow get the dragon's control off of them." IT was an idea she had when Hisaya mentioned about having only that bit of his soul left and she always wondered how to restore something that's lost? So she kept researching and looked over her brother's spell 'Soul Recall' and her own soul healing spell to try to find a mathematical equation... Basically Renee was looking for common element with the spell Hisaya made and found it, making that as a base, but she didn't finish it yet as she left it alone when Seifer caught her attention that unfortunately night.

"Maybe by fusing this with the exorcism spell with a few tweaks here and there, we could drive the dragon out?" Her tired orange eyes looked at the witch, her hope and determination shined brightly but wary of how she's going to react this time...

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- Kenren Taisho -
" Night time, Master warship, Shoflo ocean "​

"They came from Dalaran already." said Kenren Taisho. He wrote something oriental on a small piece of parchment, rolled it, then sealed it with red wax and a gold and amethyst ring on his finger emblazoned with the same insignia as the flag over the warship, then placed it upon a tray by an open window.

"James, Renee, Sen and Seth are occupied at the moment," he stood up to make tea from a sunken fireplace, "I do not know for how long, but in the meantime I hope you do not mind keeping me company here."

He placed a tray of sweets, fruits, a small jar of honey, and a steaming pot on the low table in front of them and poured two cups of tea. If ever Wé took her eyes off the window where the small roll of parchment had been placed she'd see when she looked again that it was gone.

Kenren Taisho was mostly quiet company, content to sit and drink from his tea without saying anything. Every now and then he'd casually ask Wé questions such as how she got stranded in the ocean, where she's been and why she was looking for her siblings. Then he'd comment about her brothers and sisters, talking about how cheerful and strong-headed Renee is, how clever is James, and how the twins loved pranking.

Often, when Wé would look at the tray on the open window, another parchment would appear. Kenren would pick it up and read it wordlessly, before throwing it into the sunken fireplace and writing a reply and placing that on the tray. Then it would disappear again when Wé wasn't looking.

The puppeteer was allowed to wander around the chamber, only she wasn't allowed to go through any door except for the one that led to the bathroom.

She had to wait for hours with the commander of the fleet, until at nine in the evening, the guard in the hallway announced the arrival of James Pendragon.

The door opened and in strode her older brother, he looked older but not in years, rather he had the look of a man who's seen much, endured much, and carried a heavy responsibility on his shoulders instead of the busy look of a student. He wasn't as pale-skinned as before either. He was brown from travel, his black hair now long enough to be tied into a ponytail, and he looked bigger as though he'd been eating more and getting a lot of work out.

"Wé . . ." He looked up at Kenren, "Yes, this is my sister." he told him as if they had spoken. "Wé, how . . . what are you doing here?" for some reason he did not look happy to see her, but it wasn't because of their old rivalry. Rather, he looked like someone who just had more problems presented to him.

Aio

- Small Airship -
" Few hours earlier "​

Kenren had agreed to Lydia's suggestion of them staying in the small airship. He said that he will prepare another one, better, enchanted and protected with shielding spells, but it will take them a couple of days, in the meantime, they were to stay where they were, except for Johnny and James whom he insisted, agreeing with Lydia's arguments, that they have to stay away or they may be harmed in their sleep, or worse, controlled.

"I understand, I'll stay in the warship." James told Lydia, bracingly after he thought for a long time, kind of like the time he was considering her request they not have any kissing in their relationship. "I'll keep safe, so be at peace." he caressed her hair. "Let's discuss the exorcism tomorrow, Renee. Johnny, let's stay in the warship."

"But what if something bad happens and the dragon controls them and they all leave?" said Johnny, worried.

"Kenren's had it thought out." said James. He did not want to mention the snipers, though everyone except Seifer knew about them already. "Renee, we'll bring your drawings and your notes ---" he looked at Lydia, " --- back to the warship. They're not safe here."

"Alright . . . " said Johnny half-heartedly.

"We'll keep watch tonight." said James to Lydia, showing her one of his bees that buzzed on his finger. "We can talk for as long as you like, and come morning we'll work the problem together."

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

- Lady & Levitas -
" Earlier that morning, Bonsai Courtyard, Master Warship "​

A flurry of snow and a rush of cold air much like in the tundra wooshed pass the archeologist penguin.

Lady, who had opened a much smaller door that was in the big giant gate of a door, smiled under her hood when she saw that it was Aodh. As ever, half her face was hidden in hair or shadow. Through the gap of her legs he could see that the giant room beyond was covered in snow.

A furry frosted hill was breathing behind her and drew back a giant hand to scratch its bum.

"Come in, Aodh, Levitas is sleeping." said Lady, amiably, closing the smaller door behind them. She clambered up the breathing hill and yelled. "Levitas, our friend Aodh is here to see you!"

There was a grumble and a yawn like a roar as the hill stretched and rose. " Guh mornin', friend." said the wendigo sleepily, rubbing crusts of gunk off its eyes.

Urazek
OOC || Characters || Moments in Time
​

 

[Katsuya]

"Yea...Okay, James." Renee muttered, looking at James with a frown.

Her wings wilted as she handed her sketches and notes to her brother, sighing quietly. It's for the best. She knew it is. She just hopes that those snipers are not necessary for tonight. After hugging her brother and Johnny tightly, Renee waved them goodbye before sitting beside Seifer to contemplate hard as she stared at the sleeping figure.

Then she sighed again, grabbing another blanket to wrap herself in as she just sat there, dejected from everything. This is her fault...If only she didn't get curious...If only she walked away...If only she stayed at that cave...If only they didn't fight off the assassins...

Too many regrets...Too many....and she hates it...

'Stop thinking like that! It would just make the dragon in me be happy...' Lydia would probably hear Renee muttering about how for a dragon that likes to be sneaky, he's certainly noticeable in her soul right now, stupid, blooming heavy weighted lizard that needs to get a life already and not take everyone else's life because it's not his to play with...

"I hope all your bacon burn, you bloody lizard." Renee muttered darkly. Her wings puffed up in her agitation...

She really needs to stop being curious and she was doing so well at handling it too-!

"Need to get an iron grip on it..." Renee thought out loud, her head bobbing only to jerk back up again. Should she even sleep? The Pendragon teen didn't want to take the chance of possibly get shot down by Kenren's snipers...

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia didn't say anything when Renee tried to assuage her fears. All she could do was glare at her. She had plenty that she wanted to say to Renee. She wanted to tell Renee that she was trying to do for James and Johnny what Seifer should have done for Renee. She knew that James wouldn't go off to investigate something alone with her after what had just happened unlike what Renee did with Seifer and she was still fuming mad despite the civility she had been showing. Now wasn't the time to fight, it wasn't the time to tell Renee what she really thought, but the reality was that she blamed Renee for the situation they were currently in because if Renee had stayed put instead of exploring, Seifer wouldn't have been compromised anymore than he already had been.

Lydia's brow remained furrowed and she didn't look at Renee. She was honestly afraid to look at her. Afraid that if she did, she would just lose her temper. When Renee put the blanket on her shoulders, she turned slightly, quite literally giving her a cold shoulder. Lydia didn't offer any retorts to Renee. She wasn't beyond logic. She didn't even want to touch her notes when Echo brought them for the very reason that James later would say, they weren't safe there. The notes weren't safe with her and she knew it. She wasn't going to risk all of that research and knew she could trust them in James' hands.

She was pleased that Kenren agreed with her and offered him a deep bow the way she had seen the Orientals do it, it wasn't something she had done before but she felt that it was necessary because it did relieve some of the fear that she was holding onto. She also thanked him profusely for backing her. When James' considered and then agreed, she bestowed some of her gratitude on him, her fingers interlacing with his tightly. She didn't seem to care about the other people around. She didn't know when she would get to safely be with him again and she didn't want to waste a moment that she was still with him so still holding his hand, she curled her arm around his back and hugged him tightly, her hand that rested on his back holding the fabric of his robes tightly and she just savored the moment.

She nodded and looked to Johnny when they exchanged words and smiled softly, his worry was understandable. Though she didn't really know how they would flee the airship outside of diving overboard and she also didn't know what the dragon would hope to accomplish by having them do that other than killing them. She shivered slightly and hugged against James a bit tighter, pushing the thought out of her head. She did grit her teeth slightly at the thought of what Kenren had already thought out but she still wasn't convinced that the dragon would have them leave unless it was to somehow rejoin them with the rest of the fleet.

Of course she didn't argue when James said that they were taking the notes back, she just nodded knowingly before very noticeably reluctantly stepping away from him. She smiled sincerely as he talked about the bee and how they would work out the problem in the morning, "we always do."

After Renee said her goodbyes to James and Johnny, she tugged James aside, at least as out of the view of prying eyes and ears as they could be. She had faith in their ability to solve the problem together, as they had done since the adventure had started, but she wasn't going to throw caution to the wind, "James..."

She took both of his hands in hers as she had when he first woke up after fighting the dragon soul and collected them against her chest, her gaze drifting away for a moment and her brow furrowing as she thought of the exact words she wanted to relay to him, "w-..." she cleared her throat softly, she didn't want to stutter as she spoke to him, the way she had so often before, "when you first started sitting with me and studying, I would sometimes just watch you read... I would wait for you to have something you wanted to share with me and if I had something I wanted to tell you, I wrote it down and waited for you before I said anything."

She smiled at the memory and brought her gaze directly to meet his, her eyes glistening with a joy that was laced with sorrow, "it was always books that brought us together, even before we knew each other. I just..." she raised his hands so she could nuzzle her cheek against them, her eyes closing for a moment and sighing, her heart racing, "James... I think I have been in love with you for some time and... I just want you to know that in case things don't work out the way we plan them to."

She didn't look at him, her face flush. She wasn't expecting a response from him, she just wanted him to know how she felt before it was too late. She wasn't a fortune teller and all she had was hope and with another gentle kiss to his knuckles she let go of his hands.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- James Pendragon -​

James' clutched her hands firmly. With the other, he lifted her chin up gently. "How I've fallen in love with you too, Lydia." he sighed and touched foreheads with her dearly. "Don't say it like a good-bye." he embraced her close.

He was trembling. For once it seemed he was very shaken, James had never trembled before.

He remembered the supreme hour when he first met her, a short slightly awkward girl with her things, a little dusty from travel, standing by the doorway next to Howl who had called down the family to meet her. The adventure under the ocean when he realized his heart had worshipped newly, and the time he saw her happy with Sasha where he first felt to love Lydia and to be loved by her was the sum of it all.

He shall be dust before he let her go.

James trembling ceased, and when he drew back after the long, tight hug, his jaw was set with determination, and in his eyes was that calm, tested strength that had been bludgeoned by chance, menaced by the more powerful, strained with fear, laid low by helplessness, but always rose up to fight back again.

"We'll fix this, Lydia. " he rubbed her cheeks hearteningly. "Us, Kenren, Johnny, Echo, Serena, Aodh, and even Lady and Levitas. We're going to work really hard."

Roleplay Skittle

- Summer -
" Storm Wall "​

For the next few weeks the fleet encountered more and more storms, until on the last days of spring, they beheld before them the wall of mist and thunderstorms that stretched as far as the eye could see: The Storm Wall.

The winds were fierce and the airships creaked and groaned, beneath them, gaping whirlpools swirled endlessly, swirling even the thick fog that blanketed the ocean. Amidst the flashes of lightning, one could make out dark colossal serpentine shapes gliding underneath the surface of the tossing ocean.

 

[Katsuya]

In those few weeks, Renee always showed how sorry she is to the ones who are affected the most: Seifer, James, and Lydia. When Seifer woke up, the tired calm facade she wore just peeled off as she started to cry silent tears, telling him that she's sorry for causing it happen in the first place. Same to Lydia; she apologized for being curious in the first place and for dragging her in this mess with her. Obviously she has been thinking about it a lot over the days and nights that no one talked, always feeling guilty and whenever her heart felt heavier, Renee would rub that area of her chest. She encouraged them to stop her if it seem like she can't stop herself again, just tell her no or let her know of their side in the matter so she can think twice. At least until she can do that without anyone's help.

"I know these are just words, so I don't expect anyone to believe me but I mean it. No more screw ups. You hear that, James?" No more chances is what she thought as she felt like she took one too many already. Especially with James. It's a miracle that her older brother is still talking to her because Lydia does not and Renee thought James would do the same. Not that she blames him for it. After all, this is the second time she did something stupid that not just risked her life; It risked the lives of others as well. Which is why she's glad that she managed to convince her boyfriend on letting James and Johnny know and help.

"I told you: You can trust James and Johnny when you need help." Renee smiled at Seifer one day, feeling a bit humored and thankful that she placed her trust on her brother and his best friend and told them the truth.

So today when they reached the Storm Wall, Renee stared out of the window, observing the storms outside while sketching random sketches in a new sketchbook. The small ship is shaking a lot from the winds and rains, which made it hard for Renee to draw. Then she noticed something under them, blinking a lot as she became curious about it and wanted the other two people with her to know.

"What...is that?" She pointed at the large shadows under them, hoping that one of them is the leviathan and that the other creatures will leave them alone...

***

In the meanwhile, Echo is cuddling with Johnny again as she hugged him tightly. Ever since of hearing what's going on with Seifer, the fawn worried for everyone. What if's questions came to mind, so many what-ifs. Only one came true though: Lydia and Renee are now under the manna draining cuffs with an abundance of security spells and shields because of the dragon being in their souls too.

So she would visit the trio in the small ship, bringing empty notebooks, sketchbooks, and a phonograph with a few records. Serena would bring new records while taking the old ones back at the warship while the servants bring their food and drinks for the trio. Then she would help James with the spell making and talking with Hisaya at times.

Zer0 Urazek Aio Roleplay Skittle

 

[Urazek]

Aodh was expecting the giant doors to open up, but was taken aback when a smaller door in the large wood opened that he hadn't seen before. 'That is actually quite logical considering Lady wouldn't be able to open the large doors,' Aodh thought as he looked into her face. The next thing he noticed was the chilled air coming from inside the giant hut. It felt similar to what it had been like in the Baffin, as if the door to the hut was a portal back to the tundra. He looked around Lady briefly to see the mound that was Levitas. Looking back at Lady, Aodh pulled out the paper he had the spell written on.

"I think I have found the spell to enable Levitas to breathe fire," Aodh said as he followed Lady inside. He looked at the sleeping mound, but nearly jumped when Lady shouted into Levitas' ear. As the wendigo slowly woke up, Aodh looked around the space, appreciating the feeling of snow beneath his feet. When Levitas was fully awake he opened the folded piece of paper that contained the spell.

"Levitas, I have looked through my research that I have compiled over the years, and I think I found the spell passed down through generations of dragons that enables them to breathe fire. I wouldn't recommend testing it inside, as it is fire, or incase it turns out to be something different and more volatile. Here is the spell." Aodh held out the paper with three words hastily scrawled in the middle.

'YOL TOOR SHUL'
​

The writing was a little messy due to the hurry and excitement, but the three words were still legible. Aodh was excited to se if this was the spell. He asked Lady and Levitas if they wanted to test the spell now, or if they wanted to do it later, to make sure to find him first, as he wanted to witness this first hand.

* * *​

The storms while in the ship were Aodh's least favorite part of the warship. If the boat leaned too far to one side, Aodh would lose balance and go rolling across the deck, a feathery tumbleweed of terror. He evetually resorted to using his propellor to hover just above the deck instead of walking around. He was very excited, though, as they were approaching the Storm Wall. When the storm wall was in sight, Aodh was leaning against the rail so much, people feared he might accidentally fall overboard.

Seeing the shapes in the water were practically giving Aodh a heart attack from excitement. He was so curious, although he knew they wouldn't stop the whole fleet so he could satisfy his curiosity. Either way, he was dashing this way and that across the ship, if he wasn't rolling, so that he could see everything he could, occasionally drawing things or jotting things down.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

When James told her that his feelings were the same as hers, the tears that had been at the brink of falling finally let go. Though they weren't tears of sadness as they weren't accompanied by sobs but instead soft chuckles and a smile. She moved one of her hands to the back of his neck when he touched his forehead to hers and closed her eyes happily. Him telling her not to say it like goodbye broke her heart again. She supposed she was an idiot for thinking that he didn't care for her as much as she cared for him. He had given her Sasha after all and he obviously loved the little owl dearly. Why would he have done that if he didn't love her?

"Oh James... no... I won't," she shook her head as she gasped happily and accepted his embrace, returning it with equal feeling. As she felt him trembling against her, trying to still his anxiety by rubbing his back comfortingly, she made the decision that one day, she would show him the book her grandmother had given her for her birthday just so he could see how such a small, frivolous, and novelty thing had paved the way for something beautiful. Something that Lydia had never thought would even happen for her. They would both look at the silly little book of magic tricks and they'd laugh at how it had inspired her to start studying magic.

Lydia smiled at the idea and squeezed James again before he stopped trembling and withdrew from the embrace, her hand that was still holding her handkerchief dabbing at her tear streaked cheeks as she smiled up to him with a renewed hope. Her eyes widened slightly to James expression, but quickly melted into a warm recognition. This was why she loved him, this was why she believed in him. She nodded and closed her eyes, leaning into his hand as he assured her that everyone would work together to return things to normal, just as they had been.

"Of course... I'm sorry," Lydia lay her hands over his where they rest against her cheeks, "I know we can come up with a solution... I just didn't know how long it would be.... and I wanted to... I wanted to make sure you knew.. how I felt."

* * * *
​

During the weeks leading up to the Storm Wall, Lydia focused on her work. She didn't have all of her materials because the originals needed to be kept safe far away from their little airship, but she did have James and his bees and through them she made copies of the things that were necessary for her to make any progress on her end. She may not be able to do magic, but that had never stopped her before.

Most of her studies were based on comparisons between the physical differences in Seifer's body compared to hers and Renee's. Obviously the heart was something to consider. She wondered if that would effect the amount of manna necessary for the exorcism spell. She thought that it was somewhat likely that they would be able to use the Exorcism spell that they had begun constructing for Seifer on herself and Renee but they would likely have to make adjustments since his was meant for a false heart and not real ones and either way they would need the right amount of manna to power it.

Her interaction with Seifer changed because she no longer felt like she had to tiptoe around him. Her soul was currently occupied by the same thing that had once only occupied his soul and so she felt that the dragon had nothing more to gain because if he wanted to control her, it was possible that he could though she wasn't sure of the specifics on that being that the dragon's soul had virtually been meant to replace Seifer's at one point in an artificial heart.

When Renee apologized to her, she couldn't stay mad. Renee acknowledged that she had done wrong, the only thing that Lydia asked of her was to not be so reckless. She should have notified Kenren and his guard instead of just going out alone just she and Seifer, especially considering Seifer's condition. She acknowledged that she knew that Seifer wasn't a weakling and he wasn't a normal person in any regard but that was exactly why it was so dangerous. She asked Renee to promise her that she wouldn't act so haphazardly in the future especially considering their current circumstances. She didn't want to see anything happen to her and she didn't want to see Seifer's state worsen even further. With all of what she had to say out and the apology held dear, she hugged Renee tightly, reminding her that she had never had friends before and that she considered Renee her best friend and it broke her heart to think that something could have happened to her if not for Seifer, but she didn't want to admit that it was also thanks to the dragon because he had only manipulated a delicate situation which really made her the most angry of all.

With her anger behind her, it was much easier to work. Even though she hadn't completely stopped talking to Renee, only putting aside casual chitchat and speaking to her when it involved the spell she was working on, she still had held that pit of rage in her stomach and with things smoothed over, the only weight that bore down inside of her was that of the dragon's soul.

The day they came to the Storm Wall, she was still working on the spell circle. She had taken up a section of floor to draw it on, not because she planned on using it, it wasn't big enough for that, but because she grew agitated with trying to draw it on parchment and felt that drawing it on the floor would make it easier to determine the flaws and things that needed to be changed. She was stumbling around it, trying not to be tossed head over heels during the storm as she eyed the circle when Renee called out. She furrowed her brow, wrapping the button less cardigan she wore over black capris and a boatneck shirt, more tightly around her, slippered feet carrying her over to Renee where she peered out at what she had been pointing at before looking at Renee and shrugging slightly, "I don't know... but I hardly think that it's whales."

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

Renee laughed weakly, sounding awkward and forced.

"...Yea...not when whales are not as thin or as big." Her only experience with whales is with the baby sky whale skeleton that's hanging in the Sorcerer's school's library. Lydia and her could be wrong for all they know with staring out a window and down into the waters...

Now she's just being hopeful.

The Pendragon teen pulled up her sketchbook, now sketching the shadows underneath them and trying to figure out what sea creature it could be. After a while, her guesses nowhere near right but she written down her theories on the pages, her orange eyes would look at Seifer to see if he was calm; if he wasn't, she would set her sketchbook aside. To dance with him or to sit on his lap and cuddle with him while making small talk. Luckily, her dark orange button up was open with a light white shirt under and black tights were flexible enough to do whatever.

Renee didn't stop from being cuddly with Seifer, but she did minimize it as she didn't want to make Lydia feel like the third wheel. She rather bite the Prince's hidden ninja guard and get kunai'd by him then to make Lydia uncomfortable with their very couple-y couple moments.

'Though I doubt it's working well...' Is what she thought a few days ago when they were eating together, her hand in his. She still sleeps together with him but makes sure Lydia has her rest too, taking turns on watch. She sneak kisses when Lydia wasn't looking in their direction or is distracted by James. Though whenever James did come over and sees them being cuddly, Renee would no sooner cup her hands over her ears, ready to muff his overprotective banter. Yea, she rather bite the ninja guard then listen to her brother too.

However when she heard about We, her older sister, being at the warship a few day ago, Renee demanded through his bee to speak with her and gushed happily. Her wings fluttering in joy. She missed We as she hasn't seen her in years! The Pendragon sister would send letters to the Puppeteer but no one knew where We lived after she disappeared ; which is fine, but she still missed her and her puppets!

"I really miss you, Sister dear! How's your puppets? Made any new ones?" She always loved her craft at making them.

If We came by to visit, the first thing Renee did was hug her tightly. The Puppeteer would notice that her height hasn't changed much(still short as ever. The twins are now taller than her), but her appearance has. We would see the tiny white wings on her now white-colored hair that reached down to her shoulders while her usual braid reached down to the lowered part of her torso. More freckles were added on the bridge of her nose, cheeks, and shoulders because of the sun during training. Her footsteps were light too as if she was carrying herself like a noblewoman which is strange and new; Renee always stomped around when they were younger. Same with being timid and always hiding; she used to hide in any nook and cranny she would find whenever she was scared. However her wide and bright smile is the same as ever and so was her cheerful demeanor.

Renee occasionally looked out the window, hoping to catch the one creature she knew would help them the most. "Think the Leviathan is down there too?" She asked out loud, a twinge of hope appeared in her tone as she kissed Seifer's cheek when Lydia wasn't looking.

Zer0 Aio Roleplay Skittle

 

[Aio]

We Calarook
​

When Wé first laid eyes on her brother she could say there was a mutual understanding between them that neither was all to excited to see one another. She understood, she had always been a burden to him so why would now be any different. "James its always a pleasure." She spoke rather sarcastically although she hid it with a smile.

They held a short conversation, mainly Wé explaining herself and assuring him that she would go when she was assured no harm had or would come to the other siblings. Soon after the went their separate ways and for many days Wé was left to wander the ship on her own. She wondered if her brother had told the others of her visit, but assumed he would attempt to keep the new of her visit on the down low.

After wandering around the ship she had finally found her younger sister Renee. She was of course overjoyed to see her, although with her lack of contact with her family she was unsure on how she would react. Taking one look at her sister she could tell there was a change in her, like there was with her brother. Seeing this she felt rather guilty of not keeping in contact with her family or at least Renee but she knew it was for the best. Wé pursed her lips as she watched her sister stride towards her, walking more like a woman than the child she had left behind.

"And I miss you my dear. I made many new puppets, and perhaps you'll have the chance to see them." She would smile although it wasn't long till a worried expression appeared on her face. "Have you been well? Nothing has happened to you correct because James assured me you were fine. How about the twins? Mother? Have you found father?" She didn't mean to but her emotions had gotten the better of her, it was as if the flood gates had opened. Leaving no question behind as she babbled on.

Katsuya Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

Her wings fluttered happily at the prospect of seeing her older sister's new puppets. "I would hope so!" Renee replied, now grabbing her hands and squeezing them tight as if she wanted to reassure We when she saw that expression on her face.

"I could do better considering the circumstances we're in." The winged teen was talking about her, Lydia and Seifer being on a different ship. "My fault really. Not one of my greatest achievements, but it definitely would have gonna worse without James and Johnny's help. Oh! Johnny is his best friend. You should be seeing him sooner or later on the warship." Renee brought We over to where the trio kept the table at so she can sit while the younger teen talked about their misadventures.

She made gestures to help tell of how James won the tournament, invited her and a few others to the king's dinner party for the win, had a deathknight chasing them while they helped Princess Mia, the daughter of the king in Kingsbury, traveled by horse to Bink's village where Renee got to torment a villagers by acting like a cat for a good reason("Oh! I can change into an owl griffin, Sis. It's so cool!"), traded bodies with her friends and a horse for a while, helped save Holt while it was under siege by the deathknight Wrath, defeated him thanks to Lydia ("This is Lydia, by the way! Lydia, this is my older sister, We. She makes awesome puppets!"), how they found Seifer ("This is Seifer. Sweetheart, this is my older sister, We. We're together!" Renee cheerful told her.) and now they are about to go to the Storm Wall to meet the Aged author because two Manna trees told her to go there and visit him.

"I know it's weird to talk with trees but yea, that happened...The twins are helping with Ashenvale's Manna tree. You know, where the Elves live..or used to live. Her name is Luthein and she's spunky and talks in an Arcadian way like using 'Thou' and whatnot. Right, so the twins are taking her with their friend Minnie to replant her somewhere safer for the elves while we, James and I, are going to the Storm Wall to talk with a guy named the age author. We have to ride in the Leviathan though...." Renee always thought it was weird that they have to be eaten by it, but if that's what it takes...

Then she shook her head. Her wings wilted when she talked about their parents. "Mom's missing and we heard from a surviving wizard named Bertrand that Dad, along with the Witch of the Waste and Markl are petrified. They are over at Paraoosia where the huge dragon is..." Renee looked at her older sister, frowning a bit as she hopes We won't blame James for that, remembering their small competitive moments when she was younger. "Now James, the twins, and I are going to somehow stop that overgrown lizard by asking the Aged Author of what to do...hopefully, he'll listen to us and help..."

Then her orange eyes looked up at We's and raised an eyebrow at her. "How did you get here anyways? Do you have portal magic or did you fly here?" Renee became curious of her sister's whereabouts and abilities. "How is work? Did you eat three times a day? I hope you slept well too..."

Zer0 Aio Roleplay Skittle

 

[Aio]

Wé Calarook​

Wé pursed her lips as she listened to Renee talk about her recent adventures. "Johnny?" She had never heard of him before though she had forgotten she had been gone from the Pendragon's lives for quite some time. Following her sister she sat down, removing her hands from Renee's , folding them on her lap as she looked at the others...rather skeptically.

There was so many things she had missed, many things she made a mental note of speaking to her brother next time she saw him. She grew rather angry at her brother, wanting to know how he allowed their youngest sister to be part of such dangerous activities. Nodding to those her sister introduced her too, pausing to look at Seifer. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, giving off a rather intimidating aura. Her sister seemed very happy to be with him and Wé was happy she had found someone, Wé was only playing the part of the older sister. A part she thought she had finished with, until today.

She sighed as she listened to her siblings plans. "And how exactly will you be riding a...Leviathan?" Wé had never heard of anyone riding a Leviathan, and she was truely curious although she was skeptical as well. Placing a hand on her sister's shoulder she squeezed it slightly as her sister spoke of their parents. Feeling a pain in her chest when she was told her mother was missing. Wé had only kept in touch with her mother, trusting her with her secrets and no one else. She knew it pained her mother to keep Wé's location a secret from the family but that is what Wé wished. The only way she would have a fresh start was to cut all ties, even if that meant hurting the people she loved.

Wé figited as she thought. Just knowing her siblings would be put in harms made her sick, although she was to distracted by her brother who was knowingly placing their siblings in harms way. After thinking Wé nodded before she spoke. "I suppose I will have to see this through. I will join you, and neither you nor James can stop me. Understand?" She spoke in a rather serious tone as she looked at her sister.

Then it was Renee's turn to ask the questions. Wé dawned a soft smile as she spoke. "While I have portals they would not be much help in my situations. I was always one step behind you all when I started my search for you all. I travelled on foot for most of the ways." She chuckled at her sisters questions about her life. " It has it's ups and downs. I've eaten athough not nearly three meals as I should. I've slept okay although not as sound as I should be."

Wé massaged the bridge of her nose as she thought. Looking back up at her sister, realizing she deserved better answers than what Wé was giving her. "When I left I changed my name to Calarook for the Pendragon name was very notable. I know I should have called but I needed to start my own life.I kept intouch with mother, but please do not be angry at her for I asked her not to tell." She hoped her sister would not be angry at her but she had every right to be. Wé smiled as she watched her sister, preparing herself for any questions she may ask.

Roleplay Skittle Katsuya Zer0

 

[Katsuya]

"Mhmm! Johnny's really loyal and considerate. He looks after me when James is busy with solving our problems." Renee told her sister, smiling wide. She recognized the anger her sister is showing and tries to smooth it over.

"Don't blame James, We. He didn't want me to go at first, but we sort of made a bet and...well you might want to ask him about that." She is not going to tell We about how James got scared of possibly losing her while she traveled alone and cheated by hiring a hitman for her to fight with during the tournament. Nor will she mention about how badly injured she got afterwards as it wasn't just her tale to tell her sister. Besides, Lydia might be listening in and Seifer...well, she knows how Seifer feels about the whole thing with her brother and his reckless actions: He absolutely distrusts him for harming her in the first place...Though she's trying to change that view of James.

The winged teen continued to smile when she noticed the aura her sister was giving to her boyfriend but she's used to it since James practically did the same thing. It's kind of funny how similar they are and yet they really dislike each other for some reason...'At least I'm not afraid of We possibly killing him off for slowly changing into a deathknight too.' She thought optimistically.

When her sister asked about how they were to ride one, Renee chuckled though nervously. Her wings fluttered a bit before tucking in tight. "Well...I think we have to be eaten by one, let it move on it's own and get out when it stops moving. According to Luthein, we should be on the other side of the Storm Wall that way." Her eyes glowed in excitement at the thought of possibly seeing a new and uncharted area. Then she gently patted We's hand in comfort, her smile grew warm and hopeful.

"I wouldn't dream of stopping you, Sister dear." It would be nice to have her sister around more now, even if her and James are not looking eye to eye at times. As she listened to We and her explanation as to why she left, including changing her name, Renee shook her head with the same warm smile.

"It's okay, Sis. I understand. You wanted space and I can respect that. Besides, I don't blame you for changing your last name." James wants to be known as James Pendragon, not 'Howl's son'. She still remembers of what everyone said about her when she defeated Seifer long time ago at school. 'A Pendragon defeated Rathmore! and with a lolipop! How funny is that?!' and 'A Pendragon is training with the Whoomping willow? What is she, Insane?'

Sometimes she wished that people see her and not her surname too, but she didn't care as much about it as her brother James and now her sister, We.

She leaned in a bit and asked: "No tried to break your puppets while you were working, right? They're too pretty for that sort of treatment." She said in a put-off way, never liking the mistreatment of her sister's puppets and would usually stomp or slap the person who would do such a thing.

After talking with her sister, Renee hugged her good bye and to be safe while staying at the warship. "James can summon bees; If you ever want to talk and can't come over here because of the storms, just ask James to use his bees to contact us." She mentioned before waving at her, watching the other small ship fly back to the main warship.

"...I hope We and James get along..." Renee muttered worriedly as her wings flapped once...

Up to present day, Renee would smile when James let We talk though she can tell the two are feeling forced about it.

Zer0 Aio Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- Lady & Levitas -
" Days ago, Bonsai courtyard, Master warship "​

Levitas was so excited, he shape shifted into his dragon form and happily roared,"Levitas wishes to breathe flames! He wishes to breathe flames now!"

Lady quickly snatched the parchment from Aodh and ate it.

"What are you doing?!" the white dragon roared angrily.

With difficulty, Lady swallowed the lump of parchment down her throat. "Eating it!"

"Levitas can see that! Why did you do it?!"

"Because you're going to blow our cover. You can't practice breathing fire here, this entire flying ship is made out of wood and it's beautiful, so you have to wait until we're on the other side of the storm wall. We can't practice here, Aodh."

Levitas snarled in frustration and dug deep furrows in the snow with his claws, but in the end he acquiesced. Lady had a point, even though he would really love to breathe fire now.

Urazek

- James Pendragon -
" Days Ago "​

James happily smiled, "Thank you for telling me, my dearest friend. I feel it, Lydia, whenever you look at me like the way you do right now, it's so endearing, my dear." he said gazing at her fondly. With a last kind look and a tight hug with their foreheads touching, he withdrew to hug his sister too, and with that he and Johnny left. They looked back at the two girls and the sleeping Seifer as their gryphons dwindled out of sight to join the dots of light in the distant night.

* * * *​

As the days flew by, Lydia and James' research with their friends were often made relaxing with random talk.

"I had a normal conversation with Chenglei the other day." James voice was telling Lydia from a bee basking by the windowsill. "Oh, and a letter arrived from Garthuk, your merchant goblin friend. He says the village of Skree had been rebuilt and they had set up shrines of Echo and keep offering mushroom and grass to it everyday. He had set up a trading post there and the village may soon become something like the town of Winslow in the future. The wolves Are now acting as his caravan guards and the dwarves of Winslow are planning to build a docks for airships from the Orients to trade with them."

One time he pondered out loud what Lydia's soul looked like inside, and Kenren's or the black dragon's." Maybe that's the reason why we couldn't locate Valdanr's soul, because we were in Seifer's instead of his."

He also relayed to the servants Lydia's sandwich needs as he could not cook for the life of him. One day though, he attempted to make her a bacon lettuce tomato sandwich and included with it a twig wrapped in a bow after one random talk about gryphons and their courtship rituals, saying that this is his courtship offering. Male gryphons gifted their mates-to-be with a twig to show that they can provide a sturdy shelter, and gifted them food to show that they are strong enough to hunt.

Meanwhile, cross as he was with Renee, James forgave her recklessness and extracted from her the same promise Lydia did: that she wouldn't act brash so that it'll go well with her. It was a little funny that it was them who were very cross, they were like parents.

- Johnny Caprice -
" Days Ago "​

Johnny's depression was cast aside by his desire to help his friends, he was no longer slug-Johnny but solid-marshmallow-Johnny once again! and kiss-tackled Echo full on the face when he realized he was able to make it the past days because of her care.

He was embarrassed when he saw his smelly socks and underwear (one of which had holes because it was that old) clean and hanging to dry in the bathroom with the rest of his clothes. 'Echo saw my underwear . . .'

Her feeding him was nice too, he felt so taken care of that he cried happily one lunch time and hugged Echo tightly wailing, "I'm so glad I have you for a family. Thank you for coming over everyday, Echo Mello, and cheering me up, making me laugh --- sob."

He also sobbed in gratitude on James when he visited again with Johnny's friends from the theatre troupe who staged a play to cheer him up, to which James patted his back awkwardly in return. The older Pendragon would ask Serena if they could do the research work in Johnny's room whenever Echo was away training so that his best friend won't be alone, and also because, as silly as it sounded --- though he never told anyone this --- he didn't want someone else to sit on Lydia's chair and move her things, because that's her space and it smelled of her too, so nobody else should be there and mask her scent, at least until she comes back.

Johnny wasn't good at researching spells, but he helped as much as he could with the spell circle and, assisting Aodh.

- Seifer Rathmore -
" Days Ago "​

When Seifer came to, he was horrified to learn that Renee and Lydia were tainted with the dragon's soul too and promptly refused any more attempts for anyone to try and fight it inside him. He didn't blame Renee, and was glad he had been brought back.

When Seifer first met Wé, he looked at Renee, surprised, and said, "You have an older sister?"

When the pupeteer narrowed her eyes at him, he wondered apprehensively if she was a female version of James. They definitely had the same first impression of him. And she was the commanding type too.

Seifer had more respect towards James, Johnny, and Lydia now and apologized profusely to Lydia for that time when they switched bodies and he --- if at that moment Lydia decided to stuff his mouth shut so that James and Renee wouldn't hear, the archer would cover it up coolly and not mention the whole thing again.

He was never the one to care if someone was watching him get intimate and returned Renee's affections with much more passion than before. He was very touched and sorry that the dragon's soul was in her, and wanted to make her feel alright the best way he knew how.

He was unlike Lydia who was willing to distance herself to keep others safe. He couldn't be on his own and neither was he confident in his own strength when it came to this, so he clung to Renee because she made him feel safe. But lately he's been thinking that maybe he should do the same as Lydia . . . he didn't want Renee to get worse. The battle she lost proved that she wasn't as invincible as he thought, and he worried or her well-being.

 

[Katsuya]

Serena raised an eyebrow at James when he mentioned about moving their studies to Johnny's room, but she understood why and agreed with one silly condition...

"I'm bringing Hisa-chan with me then. I don't want him to be alone." The violinist said to the older Pendragon as she helped him carry all of their books and papers to her entertaining friend. Though she laughed when James looked uncomfortable with the hug he got from Johnny.

***

Echo, on the other hand, was glad that Johnny felt better. Though she was caught off guard that one time he tackled her to the ground and kissed her all over her blushing red face. The fawn was caught off guard again when he started to sob his gratefulness to her caring for him and she couldn't help but smile warmly at him; The blush she's sporting turned redder as she grabbed a napkin and wiped his tears away.

"Of course, Love. Wouldn't dream of leaving you alone like that." She hugged him tight, nuzzling in the crook of his neck. "I'm so glad that you're feeling better, my fluffy marshmallow Johnny." Echo gave him so many kisses and nuzzles and cuddles. She didn't even stop when James came in that one time to find her kissing Johnny deeply too...

That's how relieved she was. Echo wasn't even embarrassed when James alerted them of his presence and just smiled at him before kissing Johnny again and going to training.

***

Renee chuckled awkwardly when Seifer asked her about her sister and nodded. Her wings fluttering. "Yea. I haven't seen her in such a long time too..." She smiled warmly as she recalls the memories she has with her sister. "I miss her...I really do and I'm happy that she's here to help too."

Though when Seifer mentioned about the body switching while he apologized to Lydia, Renee had a pinched look on her face as she recalls what happened from before. When Seifer primped up in Lydia's body...and he had to chase after her that rainy night...

Yea, she rather not know what happened to them that night.

Despite her attempts at not being as intimate as before, Seifer just kept touching her and it made her really flustered but comforted either way. She might not show it or say it or even admit it but she is scared. Actually scared is not even the correct term here: Renee is absolutely terrified about having a dragon in her soul too but she didn't give up nor would she let that pull her down. Sure, their first attempt at fighting the dragon didn't work, but at least they got Seifer back to the weird medium space that he was in before.

That was her primary goal after all: To get Seifer back and give him a fighting chance again.

However...Renee is not blind. Every time they cuddled and kissed and be really affectionate, she would notice this weird look on his face. Like he was thinking of something that she just knows it's going to drive her back to being reckless. She just promised to not do that anymore to James and Lydia.

So one day, she asked him of what's on his mind when she caught that face again while cuddling.

"Seifer? What's up? I can tell something is on your mind and it involves me, doesn't it?" She is sitting on his lap at the moment, her back to his chest as the per usual thing they would be doing.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- Seifer Rathmore -
" Days Ago "​

"Yes . . . I'm worried about you. You too, Dubois." he added to Lydia so that she wouldn't feel left out.

He was seated on the deck of the small airship, right outside the cabin the three shared. He was watching Renee sketch and 'distracting' her every now and then.

Since they couldn't sleep without most of their clothes on and Seifer missed the feel of Renee's warm bare skin, he'd cover them both with a blanket if it wasn't that hot and his hands would slip under Renee's shirt and touch her in tender places whenever she let him.

Right now his hand was absentmindedly stroking her stomach, feeling old scars from past battles.

His hand stopped. "Maybe we shouldn't spend so much time together anymore."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

It isn't the first time Seifer has seen and felt her battle scars; the most faded ones are on her lower back from the tournament, when the guy James hired whipped her there. So to feel him stroking the one on her stomach is comforting.

Renee stopped sketching when she heard that, her mind reeling in what he just said before shaking her head a bit. She wondered what Seifer was thinking and while she can feel that fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach from him saying that he's worried about her; the Pendragon teen didn't think that Seifer would want to spend less time together.

Her orange eyes peeked over her shoulder to see his expression, putting her pencil down so that her hand can go over his that's stroking her stomach.

"What made you reach that conclusion?" Renee asked in a calm curiosity, wings fluttering nervously before tucking themselves on her head. She wants to know what's going on inside his head.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- Seifer Rathmore -
" Days Ago "​

"I keep thinking being together might make it worse." said Seifer. "Looking at it the way an enemy would, if I lost control of myself, you wouldn't be able to stop me if the dragon's controlling you too. He'd make us do things together that might get you hurt and you wouldn't remember it."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

He made a good point, Renee will admit. If the dragon wanted to control them, he could do that and somehow get her or Seifer hurt. Even worse when they wouldn't remember it...but...

For some odd reason, she doesn't believe that the dragon can control her or Lydia. It's not even her ego talking either. It's simply because of lack of proof and the fact that she can feel how heavy his soul is in her heart while Seifer doesn't feel the lizard's weight.

She could be wrong though, but still...

Renee thought for a moment, tilting her head as her wings fluttered. "Hmm. You have a point. That would be bad, but...didn't Hisaya say something about not being able to hurt himself? Or is that just a deathknight thing? If that's true, about not being able to hurt himself like that, then there's a bigger chance of being hurt by some other method, Sweetheart."

Yep, she's copying what Seifer had said: thinking like the enemy. "Sure, there's a chance that I might not be able to stop you, but there's also a chance that he might make me attack my family and our friends. So even if we are separated and not spend as much time with each other, I think that dragon will do about anything to make it painful for us since we are in his clutches now." Renee theorized. Then she kissed under his chin lightly as she remembers that's a sweet spot.

"So...if you honestly think it's for the best, then okay. However I don't think it will matter much to the dragon as he will find a way to somehow make it painful for anybody in his clutches." If she is correct about what happened to Hisaya's family then...that dragon is the main reason why his family died in the first place. Making it easier to control Hisaya in turn.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

It was hard to watch James go, but it was made easier by the fact that she could still communicate with him and hearing from him each day had become as big a pleasure and something that she began anticipating as much as she had previously anticipated seeing him each day when they were on the warship.

It was always unusual to Lydia, the little bouts of random chatter amidst the studying. She had spent so many years only studying without talking that even now it was still something she wasn't used to despite having spent so much time with these wonderful people she had come to care about so much. It definitely helped lighten her mood because she would get so engrossed in what she was doing that she would forget about anything else, that was part of why she was working so hard, it made the weight she was carrying somehow feel less.

The nights were the most difficult. Those times in the dark when she couldn't work and no one was awake to talk to. All she could do was worry and the weight on her felt heavier, but she kept it to herself. Most nights she hardly even slept and would just curl up under her blanket and stare into the darkness. Other nights she would get up and write in the journal she had taken to keeping again, though this one she didn't keep any spellwork ideas in, nor did she write anything having to do with magic at all. It was sort of a catalog of what she was feeling at the moment, the things that she wasn't talking about with anyone else.

When James told her about his normal conversation with Chenglei, Lydia just smiled warmly, "he's a good listener... you know, if you take away all of his flashiness he is like my brother Frederick," she was also very pleased that Garthuk wrote and seemed to have good news. She hoped that the wolves of Scree would be able to convince other tribes with similar outlooks to the ones they previously had, to change their ways and see other beings as equals and not slaves. Of course that was on the supposition that other tribes had acted like the ones of Scree, but then Johnny's family weren't like them so she also determined that not all the wolves would be. The thought made her laugh a bit, that Johnny was a wolf. By his ears and his horns, she hadn't thought that he was a wolf. She didn't really know what she thought he was and as she pondered, she couldn't help but giggle to herself slightly.

Lydia couldn't help but grimace when James talked about their souls. She hated to think of a dragon tainting hers the way she could only assume he had tainted Seifer's and it made her rub her chest with a heavy hand as she shut her eyes and tilted her head down. It was hard for her to decide which made her feel more violated, the dragon soul in her or Seifer taking liberties with her body when they were switched. When Seifer tried to more appropriately apologize for the incident, Lydia's face took on a mortified expression. She didn't cram anything in his mouth, only stared at him wide eyed and horrified, slowly shaking her head. She had planned to tell James eventually, and it would have been his choice to tell Renee, but right now? Of course neither of the two were idiots and it would probably be easy to figure out by the expression on Lydia's face what had happened, but she wasn't going to say anything out loud and after Seifer silenced himself, she looked around with a somewhat bewildered expression before hurrying back to her little corner of the room.

Two peas in a pod Lydia and James are, and they would both inevitably starve if Lydia hadn't made up her mind to learn to cook just so she could cook for James. She was utterly touched when he made her a sandwich to the point that she didn't want to eat it. She wanted to save it forever and told James so. Though she determined that would be silly and ate every last bit of it, whether or not it was totally gross. The fact that he informed the servants of what she liked literally made her teary eyed, she had never been so emotional over such little things and James had been the only one to ever make her cry tears of joy. Of course she kept the stick he had sent since that was something she could keep and she cherished it just as much as she cherished the note he had written to her and in a moment of silliness, she decided to tell him about that and how when she had told him that she had her lucky charm with her when she went with the wolves of Scree, that note was what she had been talking about.

During the weeks she, Seifer, and Renee were alone on the little airship, she was made to feel... undoubtedly uncomfortable. It didn't matter how much Seifer and Renee tried to hide their cuddling and touching and trying to sneak kisses behind her back, she was aware of their varying degrees of coupling and all of it made her uneasy. Most of the time she just tried to ignore it, get as far away from them as possible and focus on her work. Of course if one of James bees were there, it was easier and yet more difficult at the same time because it was likely if James spotted Seifer and Renee, he would have something to say about it, but if he didn't, she was able to just focus on him and let him know that she missed him. The reality was that she really did miss him, she missed feeling safe and secure in his arms, feeling their warmth. Getting to hold his hand and feeling their fingers entwined, how he smelled and how he looked when he was working or when she said or did something that pleased him and he tried to hide his happy smile. She missed just being in the same room with him.

When Seifer tried to include her as an afterthought, she tilted her head slightly, curious as to when he decided to revert back to calling her Dubois when he had begun calling her Lydia after the body switch, but she shook her head, her eyebrows raising slightly and went back to what she was doing, turning her back to the two in order to try and ignore them, though she did pause for a moment when Seifer mentioned that maybe they should stop spending so much time together. In theory it was a nice idea, but considering their situation, it was basically impossible so again she shook her head and this time she completely devoted her attention to what she was doing because as far as privacy for the two went, it was the best that she could do.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- Seifer Rathmore -
" Days Ago "​

Whenever Renee makes him feel good like this it's hard to argue. But in the end Seifer didn't know which decision was best. His hand resumed stroking her stomach. He definitely didn't like spending less time with Renee --- and who was he going to talk in this little ship with, Dubois or his girlfriend's older brother? Not likely, he didn't know what to talk with them about --- and being with Renee made him feel better, like when he was trapped in the nightmare and her voice helped stave off despair.

"I'll stay with you." said Seifer hugging her stomach. He smiled and was his vain flirty self again. "We never got to cutting your hair, Renee, want to do it now and we can start by re-enacting our duel in the academy so that I'll be inspired?" he winked.

Katsuya

- Present Day -
" Storm Wall "​

Kenren had briefed them about the plan to enter Leviathan. There a way to attract a colossal sea monster, and that was using live bait. Luthien had told them when the twins and Minnie were still making their way out of the besieged elven capital, that Leviathan hunted the sons of Jormundur, great worms bristling with barbs that ate swarms of krill.

The men crossing the storm wall were to seal themselves in enchanted steel balls that would be shot out of giant cannons from the warship and straight into Leviathan's mouth or through his teeth when he came up. It was a dangerous way to enter, as missing will mean there is no hope for the ones inside the steel balls as no one would risk diving into the tossing waves with its whirlpools and hungry monsters to save them.

But first they had to wait until Leviathan appeared. He was a reptilian titan, the only one whose dark silhouette under the ocean didn't look serpentine. Days passed and they lost airships to the storm or from lack of courage where those who feard retreated back to a safer distance, but Kenren's heavy warship stood firm against the tempest. And on the fourth day, they saw it, the shadow of something with four legs swimming out from under the storm wall.

"Leviathan!" cried the watchmen.

Immediately the warships launched huge harpoons to capture the great worms that the beast hunted.

The horn was sounded amidst the endless peals of thunder that signaled all those crossing the storm wall to enter their designated cannon shots with all their gear and packs in tow.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle Urazek Aio

 

[Katsuya]

Releasing a quiet sigh of relief, Renee turned around as she curled her legs slightly around his waist and kisses him lovingly. Her wings fluttering happily. It was obvious that Renee is willing to respect Seifer's choices, even when she didn't like them herself; she will still set her emotions aside so she can think clearly in case he needed to talk seriously like right now.

When it got to a lighter topic, like her haircut, the winged teen giggled as she leaned a bit closer to him and purred. "Sure...If I remember correctly..." She pushed him down gently as possible to the floor as she laid right on top of the other with her arms on either side of his head. Renee smiled mischievously at him, her eyes glowing affectionately.

"I was on top of you when we got stuck together, right?" She teased quietly as she already knows she just startled Lydia for doing that. The white haired teen looked apologetically at her before leaving kisses on Seifer's face; Her wings fluttering and flapping in her mirth.

***

It's rather torturous to wait for four days near the Storm Wall as she continued to wait for the monstrous sea lizard to come up already. Renee knew she was being impatient, with the way she kept scribbling down in her sketchbook with much vigor than normal, but they needed to wait. It didn't help that more and more of the crew either died from the storms crashing into them or decided to back away from the wall in a safer distance.

So once the horn was blown for the people to get in their cannon shots, Renee quickly grabbed her light pack that consists of pencils and her sketchbook (including the coin purse Madam Suliman gave her, using it to store more food and clothes with medicine and an alchemy kit among other items that they might need out there) and grabbed onto Seifer's hand. She squeezed it tight as her wings flapped nervously. Then she looked at Lydia and Seifer with a determined frown on her face, her now shorter hair that reaches up to the middle of her neck is blown in the slight breeze that's passing through the cracks from outside. A single thin braid tightly weaved to the top of her head and tied down with a string.

"Come on..." She said quietly as they went in their designated canon shot and prepared themselves.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle Aio Urazek