Fantasy Husks RP

[ishnorb]

(Plese note, RP IC being active doesn't mean RP is closed. New applicants are always)


welcome!)


~Ginko~
​

The man was located within a small village miles away from the kingdom known as Ithrin. Over the last several years of travels Gin only visited Ithrin once. Honestly he wasn't very impressed to say the least. (despite the fact the civilization has grown rather profoundly since that time.) Albeit rarely did Ginko find something impressive by his self-absorbed standards. (He would also possess a strong difference in definition of impressive and intriguing)


Currently the man was inside something similar to an Inn or Tavern. Sitting at booth in the corner of the establishment. A dish of steak or venison, Ginko never payed enough attention to care which it was, and baked potatoes was placed upon the table before himself. Before the server or employee could attempt to retrieve currency for the transaction, Ginko shooed him off by ordering a pitcher of water. Onlookers or citizens who called this area home, gawked at Ginko due to his awfully outlandish attire.


(Added attire to Other section of Ginko's CS)


Ginko obviously wore some sort of heavy cloak for warmth and to have a hood when need-be. Yet due to being inside where a fireplace existed, the cloak was not over him and draped over the chair he sat in. Solemnly he sat and awaited until the server brought a pitcher of water and cup as asked. Pushing off payment again, Ginko demands to be left alone and in peace while he ate. Without skipping a beat he begun to ravenously feast, as though he had gone days without a meal.

~Kingdom of Ithrin~

​

Population was a tad higher then the norm. (Even considering how fast the civilization was growing overall.) Busier streets and the season getting closer to (Whatever season we pick), citizens could only narrow it down to one factor. Soon enough there would be a sort of festival or parade at the Kingdom of Ithrin. This yearly event would be for celebration of the founding of Ithrin. That is never outright said, whereas two alternate purposes are broadcast as the reason.


-Welcoming newcomers and strengthening alliances.....


-Increasing trade possibilities along with amount of merchants in the area for a brief time....


The Royal Guard could be spotted patrolling along with many other city guard. Trained eyes could even locate mercenaries who have been hired just for the influx of visitors and civilians. Any banners that held the information for the festival, would explain the event doesn't happen for a week or more. The exact date is not present, only a span of days are present for the starting date. This is due to possible set-backs caused by people of importance not arriving on time. This would involve any renown merchants, along with any royal or important individuals from other civilizations.


(Unless individuals specifically request for another civilization to be written for. (For example Ashmist Village.) I wont be doing so unless something triggers the need to. (Example: Someone is nearby that area or an NPC I am controlling starts to take action you all should see.))

Spoiler

Nothing much to explain here other than the fact the area which our characters will start in, (The northern section of this continent) is slowly yet surely teetering from Non-Existent to Very Low husk encounter chance. Thus unless you are further south/nearby the Stronghold of Steel, the only husks you will likely encounter are those created by someone overusing their magic.


(Legend of “Husk Encounter Chance” levels: Non-existent, Very Low, Low, Medium, High, Very high, Extreme. )


The Southern section of this continent would be at High to Very High Husk Encounter Chance. Some areas in the Eastern and Western section of this continent, would be between Low to High. Then like I explained earlier, the further north you go, the encounter chance depletes down to Non-Existent to low.

 

[KittyCatty]

Faline sat in a rocking chair, the straps of her black gown falling off her shoulders and grazing her upper arms as she pouted, forearms on her knees, knees pressed together, and ankles spread far apart. Her back was hunched and white tendrils of hair hung around her face that was glistening with beads of sweat that almost looked like ice crystals thanks to the roaring fire her keeper, Orion, had going. He sat in another chair, whittling and whistling to himself, the old man oblivious as always considering he could live in the bowels of hell and think it chilly. Faline, however, was restless. "I'm going for a walk," and said in her whispery tone that was easily audible, yet always sounded like someone the day after recovering from laryngitis. Orion looked up with mock surprise before smiling and nodding. "Mkay. Don't bring me any more injured 'pets' though or they'll be supper," he chuckled, thinking himself quite funny. Faline simply smirked, rolling her eyes and standing, pulling the straps of her simple, flowy tea length gown back into their places and marching her barefeet over to the kitchen counter. The entire cabin was 3 rooms, so it was only a few steps away. Her milky, slender fingers wrapped around her favorite little instrument her keeper had bought for her as a gift years ago, and with that she headed outside.


Gentle flurries of cotton snow fell silently among the woods. They hardly ever ceased, but blizzards weren't common either at least. Not that Faline would mind. The young woman instantly felt relief letting her toes sink into the white mounds around her, as she began walking in no particular direction. Her walk was a little unusual, tentative really. She would take a slow first step that one might give as if walking in the dark, and then her second foot would be quick behind.


Tiny piles of white collected in her hair and on her rather long pointy ears, despite her continuous movement. She began humming to herself softly, the cold biting her insides ever so pleasantly with each breath, before she lifted her piccolo to her lips and played a rather haunting melody, high pitched and slow as she absentmindedly headed more south within the kingdom of Ithrin.

 

[CamilleEndora]

Amaya sat cross legged on the cobble stone ground with her back against a cement wall, peering out at the passerbys. She people watched a lot, looking at their attire and their way of holding themselves, wondering what they were like. She was often alone, not really think much of it, and rarely feeling lonely. She grew up by herself for the most part, learning on her own. She let her thoughts wander while she sat, picking her thin fingers at a piece of bread and chewing on them one by one. The coast was wonderful, most of the time. People came and went a lot on boats and things, so Amaya was never bored. She kept herself busy to stay out of trouble, and people never spoke to her, which she didn't mind because she didn't really talk.


She watched as a young man with a navy blue cloak walked by, it's hood resting against his back. He looked over to her, his eyes bright blue and smiling though his face didn't shift from it's neutral expression. She looked on as he continued, and wondered what he was thinking. Probably thought she was homeless, or too young to be out on her own. She had a young face, but she took care of herself well. She had a tiny little apartment like house, one bedroom, a tiny bathroom and a joined kitchen/living room area. It worked for what she needed. She even had her sewing things there on the table for making clothes. She smiled at the thought. She never looked like anyone else, she was unique, and everything about her said it.

 

[AlidaMaria]

Night had fallen when a rather odd gathering appeared on the outskirts of a village south of Ithirin. Slightly ahead of the group, an archer dressed in thick fur scouted the area. His face oozed concentration and his eyebrows were so furrowed they almost touched. His feet left prints in the thin layer of snow that covered the ground, a sign of the winter that had almost passed. Once they reached the village, he halted to let the others pass him, alert for any possible danger. The first to pass him was a grim looking elderly man who kept a steady pace. After him, a terribly long man was trying his best not to stumble and fall down in the darkness. His feet simply seemed to attract all the clutter and roots the town had to offer. He was helped up from time to time by a woman who tread so confident and elegantly as if the sun was shining at its brightest and the slight curtain of snow was not blocking her view. Closing the small parade was a slightly bored looking young woman holding a sword that appeared a little too big for her. The latter let out an exaggerated sigh and started mumbling loud enough for all to hear.


"Just how long will y' make us walk.. Tryin'ta break ye' record or le' us freeze to deat', lil' Priest?" The poisenous glance Mikkel shot back at her only made Rachelle's smirk widen.


"I believe I warned you I'd cut it off if you couldn't keep that pretty lil mouth shut, didn't I?" These aggravated exchanges were so common that their companions barely paid attention to it. After a few moments of silence Mikkel continued: "There's an inn a few roads down if I'm not mistaken. We'll rest there... If our budget allows it." At that, he turned around to quickly glance at Tara. The graceful woman became lost in thought for a moment, which didn't slow her down in the least. Unlike her tall companion... Just as Tobian opened his mouth to mingle in the discussion, he stumbled over something unseen in the dark. His bag fell off his shoulders, letting dozens of pieces of parchment fly around. Tobian let out a frustrated yelp as he quickly gathered most of them, shoving them into his bag in a very disorganized fashion. He coughed loudly as he regained his footing.


"Well, ehm, yes. Er-... Oh, right! Tara, I beg of you it would be most pleasant to find some comfort and light to work on my reports. You are aware how far behind I am on those, are you not?" A sweet smile played around his lips and with his most pleading look, he gazed down at Tara. Her eyebrows rose slowly but eventually she couldn't help but grin at the silly sight. A twenty-six-year-old grown man impersonating a young puppy. Shaking her head she finally gave in. "Very well, we will stay there. For one night, mind you."


That verdict made Rachelle raise her arms up and make a little dance for joy. "Drinks 'n beds! A round fer all, it's on ou' professor!" Everyone but Tobian smirked or laughed at that, the latter protesting loudly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Fifteen minutes later, the group entered a modest inn named The drowned Husk. "Afte' all, ale even makes the Husks drown," Rachelle grinned. The establishment was small and mostly filled with locals by the looks of it. Locals who now looked up to see what strangers disturbed their evening. A silence as cold as the wind outside filled the room as the five approached the innkeeper for two rooms to spend the night. By the time Tara had settled the matter, the room was filled with murmur once again and the fire had spread its warmth to keep out the nightly cold. Rachelle swiftly headed for the bar to get herself wasted as she always did, Jiao-Min following her like a shadow.


"Those two, really..." Tara mumbled, the rest of her sentence unfinished as Mikkel pulled her and Tobian along to a table in one of the far corners, the latter lowering his head somewhat to make sure it wouldn't bump into the ceiling. Sitting down, Tara made sure to sit with the wall in her back, so that she would face the room. As they ordered some food, Tara looked around the room in silence, ignoring the meaningless small talk Mikkel and Tobian made, her eyes sometimes lingering on a person but never too long.


"Anything particular?" Mikkel said softly, so that only she and Tobian could hear. "Let me get back to you on that. Patience..." She mumbled, slightly annoyed that he had disturbed her screening. As their baked potatoes with "venison so fresh 't migh just run off" arrived, Tara's eye was suddenly caught by a muscled man dressed as peculiar and outlandish as her companions, sitting in another corner. Once she noticed him it was hard to imagine how she couldn't have seen him as they entered the room.


"We might be in for some trouble..." She said, nodding in the unknown man's direction. Mikkel took a full minute before he turned into the stranger's direction, not to raise suspicion. Once he saw the stranger with his own eyes, a bewildered look appeared on his face.


"By the All-father's beard and all mighty ones crawling the dust... How can he... Not so far North..." Several of those incomprehensible parts of sentences crossed his lips as he tried to make sense of the truth his eyes were ensuring him of...

 

[Rat]

Asher was leaned against the side of the inn in an alleyway smoking a cigarette, with each inhale he let out a large puff of smoke that slowly dissipated into the air before he noticed a small group of people enter the inn which caused his eyes to narrow "Locals ain't gonna like that" he muttered to himself before dropping his cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out, he proceeded to walk up the steps leading into the inn and glanced around for a moment before taking a seat in the farthest corner

 

[ishnorb]

Anyone who spotted Gin at his table would find he payed no heed to newcomers and only to the food before him. Reality would explain Gin gave every newcomer a nigh unnoticeable examination. Finished with food, half the pitcher depleted, Gin lazily leans back against the wall or seat which he was posted in. Focus narrowed from blank staring the ceiling, onto the waitress which arrived to take his plates. However she didn't do so until demanding the bill. “Pay up outsider, Barkeep don't trust ya.” The woman held her hand out, waiting for Gin to pay. Other newcomers would find no problem in placement of trust, I guess something about Gin perturbed the Barkeeper/Owner. The Barkeeper indeed continued to serve anyone who approached him. Yet most of the Barkeepers attention rested on Gin.


Gin well aware of this, smirked as he made eye contact with the man. Reaching among his person a small bag of coins is unveiled, far more than what was owed. Gin spoke in a very scornful or rude tone, but it was more of a low growl. “Poor, poor Northerners. So absent of war and turmoil you become roused over a mere bill.....” A semi-weak chuckle interrupted himself, the Barkeeper along with several other locals became faintly & obviously flustered by the comment. The bag of coins are handed over to the waitress. “This should cover what I owe, along with my future costs as I stay overnight.” Onlookers would foresee the Barkeep didn't like this at all. However how would business thrive if coin & service was denied to a customer. Both Barkeep and Waitress continued their job, Gin simply shook his head in distaste.


A little while passed before Gin makes one final statement. “Now, I'll have to demand a bottle of your finest Western Barbados Rum.” (Far West, (more like south-west) exists a renown distillery operated by the Barbados family. It's known for being expensive, high in not only quality but potency as well) After making the demand, Gin begins to stretch and further relax. The table he occupied could easily host many people along with himself. Gin only occupied this spot due to being one of the few which had view of the whole setting inside the Inn. Now due to newcomers, spaces in the Inn were becoming slim.


Since the Barkeep & Waitress rattled Gin a little, he possessed a weak sarcastic grin on his expression. A common expression he wore when feeling a tad bit onry. This inspired him to re-examine everyone who entered. Now it was painfully obvious to onlookers that Gin was sizing up everyone who just entered, along with a few faces among the locals which he 'found intriguing'. While doing this, the Waitress sluggishly made her way to bringing Gin the whole bottle like he desired. A shot glass was also placed on the table, yet he never used it.

 

[KittyCatty]

Faline continued on, playing her song, before blowing the last note and letting her lips linger on the metal instrument, before allowing her arm to go limp. She moved her hand just enough to place the piccolo in the thick black belt at her waist, and then push more of her white hair from her face. The brush caused the settling snow on her to drift off on the subtle breeze, her bright blue eyes were wide as always, while the snow lessened, signifying the edge coming to the kingdom of Ithrin. A small white bunny hopped around about 20 feet away, the sudden movement catching Faline's eye and making her turn to smile until it hopped too far away. She picked up her humming, a faded trail of icy footprints behind her while the girl started to step onto a tuft of green grass. As her toes touched it, she heard boisterous male voices, some distance away, but since it was evening she couldn't exactly see where they were coming from. Faline's thin pink lips formed an O shape as she tiptoed behind a tree, peeking out like a frightened animal. The voices seemed to be getting closer, and she started trying to hear what they were saying.


"...husks be the best dern thing ta ever 'appen to this place."


"Ya don' mean tha!"


"Sure do. All dem southerners be runnin' up 'ere with their tail 'tween their legs, buyin' me booze and makin' me rich" *hollow laughter*


"Not everyone gets away ye know..."


"And so what?"


"Well what if we get more of 'em up 'ere?"


"Husks?"


"Aye"


"Well, s'long as they got payment, they're welcome in meh bar anyday!" *louder laughter*


The two men walked several feet in front of Faline, from her left to her right before their voices faded once more. The pale woman still looked nervous and turned her bright blue necklace a few times over with her thin fingers, remembering why she had a hard time trusting anyone besides Orion.

 

[Archie]

@ishnorb


Sy hated Ithrin and all the towns it ruled, stuck up about its prominence, its government, its battles, its religion. But here was the money, and a lot of it, as that was all he lived for. Hopping off the grain wagon he had fallen asleep in, pulled by a mule and driven by a hapless peasant with a straw hat, Sy left a single copper as a tip before dusting off his brown cloak, gold lined around the rim: a recipe to be robbed, and therefore a license to kill in self defense. He liked that. Testing his arms for reaction time on living flesh was a necessity for any inventor of real spirit, any man who wanted to really carry humanity forward. This town was a stopover, he needed to find a room for the night and continue onto the city by hitchhiking, where the real money lie.


The first inn he came to had a swath of guests entering and exiting. After smuggling himself and this time, his one article of merchandise, a bomb, into the city, to avoid the customs officials, he'd need a place to drink, and stay. Approaching the bar, he shoved aside a patron who thought he was big and could get in the pretty little youth's way. The man was heavy, and came back enraged, but before he could swing, Sy pulled a small dagger out from under his wide sleeve and held the blade to the man's neck.


"Ye could still kill me, big boy" Sy explained


"But yell be dead too"


Both men locked eye contact for a couple of moments before the big man backed off first. Sy's heart was beating, his palms were sweating. Sighing, he took a seat at the bar and waived over the barkeep. Looking around the crowded space, he saw some outliers in the usual mileu of daydrinkers, including, most strikingly, a man smoking in the back parts of the room, who looked like a man from the streets who could take action to make money, a swordsman without hair who Sy swore he'd seen before, among a group who stuck out, and the man sitting right next to him, in a tattered tunic who was drinking Barbados, friggin Barbados.


"Tidins?" he asked the barkeep.


"Husks. Nothin' out o the ordinary. Ne'er heard your accent before, where ye from?" the barkeep replied.


"Stronghold, sa volcano out there and the girls look like men and got hair. Love Ithrin, I'll be a return costomer" Sy explained,


"One room, two ales" he said, putting down coins that didn't cover the price.


"It's not enough"


"Aint it?" Sy asked, leaning forward


"Every month I'm comin here, and I trade in favors too. Look at this, put it in anyones drink and they wont say no to ye again" he said, pulling out a vial of a clear liquid.


"Ever wan'ed a great girl, mate?" he asked, winking. Before letting the man make a decision, he turned to the guest next to him and leaned over, pretending to know him.


"So... I don't know ye, but yer the difference between me havin and not havin a room tonight, so please pretend were buds" Sy whispered, leaning back again. If this rich man played along, not only could they meet after, an important connection, but the bartender would be left in the dust with the vial of love potion, and Sy would be able to pretend to know people in high circles - good for bringing other business into the inn.


"Man long time no see, wot brings ye up here?" he asked, forging a face like he was playing cards, like he was acquainted to this rich man but not close enough to have given him a hug right away, at least before whispering something to him.

 

[Rat]

Asher had been observing the man in the corner smoking and drinking barbados for awhile before he saw another man come in and get in a small altercation with someone which quickly ended, He huffed before getting up from his seat and taking a seat at the bar to eavesdrop on this new mans conversation


"Straight Whiskey" he said to the bartender as he glanced over at the pretty boy and rich man Interesting accent he thought before downing the shot of whiskey and setting the glass on the table "Another" he said as he set down a pouch of coins

 

[CamilleEndora]

Silently, Amaya stood and stretched out her limbs, gazing around at the now empty square. It was rather dark, and she figured it was about time to eat, so began her quiet journey home. Her house sat directly on the edge of the ocean, with the exception of the beach. She loved it, and wouldn't give it up for anything unless it were necessity. A young couple passed her, heading in the opposite direction and waved slightly. She knew them because they lived close to her, but they weren't friends. She nodded at their gesture and continued on, smiling softly to herself as the sound of the ocean grew closer.

 

[AlidaMaria]

Rachelle sighed as she put down her third pint. Grumbling she moved some coins about, trying to ignore Jiao-Min's usually worried stares.


"They call this ale, Oji? For real? Even 'n tha north, ya should've somethin' decent, righ?"


Just as she tried to confront the bartender with this statement, some fellow in the back started making a scene about payment and Barbados Rum. The sound of that name, so long unheard, made Rachelle's interest spark and she looked up, scanning the overcrowded inn in search of the one that ordered such rare liquor. She finally spotted a dark-haired man wearing less clothes than any man she had met in the last six months. Just as she was about to shout out to Sixpackman, another man approached the first, acting all casually and sucking up to Sixpackman. Rachelle laughed, picking up Jiao-Min's drink, she waved it around in their fellow strangers' direction.


"Oji, look a' tha'. Guy stole m'idea befo' I even thought o' it." Jiao's jaw clenched together strongly, clearly showing his distaste for her habit of getting involved with strangers. He laid his hand on her arm to make sure she would pay full attention. "Just stay out of it. I can order your drinks, no need to get involved." His voice was barely audible in the noise room, but Rachelle was able to hear him just fine. "Oh, just lemme', Oji." She mumbled, dragging her arm away so his hand no longer rested on it.


Before she could confront Sixpackman and ask for a drink, another newcomer sat down next to them at the bar. This man had bright blue eyes, blonde hair and a clear love for whiskey. Rachelle just observed him as he poured down his liquor. The sound of the bag of coins he put down made a smile creep across her face. Grinning, she put a hand on the man's shoulder.


"Hey you, enjoyin' yaself Blueeyes? Da wiskey any goo? Thei' ale is just dissapointin' piss really."


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On the other side of the room, Tara grabbed Mikkel's arm before he stood up from his seat. Her eyes were wide and her expression alarmed. "Mikkel, you really should stay out of this one...." Unsure of how to proceed, she just looked around the room, her eyes resting on several newcomers, her expression quickly growing more tense. "They..." She sighed, obviously unable to find the right words. "Just use your gift Mikkel, please. It will be so much easier to explain." She looked up to him, her eyes begging almost.


Her plea was however nowhere near sufficient to persuade the stubborn old man and Mikkel just shook his head. "Just use the code Tara. How many?" He said softly, leaving no room for negotiations. Tara shook her head and drew some patterns in the dirt on the table, apparently signifying something to Mikkel and Tobian. Mikkel nodded understandingly but still rose to his feet.


"I'll keep it in mind. But one I have to speak to. It has been too long since I did. To any of them." At that, he shook off Tara's hand and approaching the table where Rachelle had spotted 'Sixpackman'. The innkeeper as well as a newcomer had joined Mikkel's target and the latter was speaking to him on a familiar tone. Mikkel took his time to observe the two men sitting at the table. They both appeared to be somewhere in their mid 20's, his target more muscular and somewhat shorter than the newcomer. The thing that really made his target significantly different from his new-found friend, was his typical way of clothing. His theory still seemed to be possible. Once there seemed to be a break in the conversation, Mikkel got closer to the two and said but one word, his eyes glued to his target.


"Alexandra."

 

[Rat]

Asher jumped as a hand found his shoulder and glanced behind him "Yeah it's alright I guess" he said before turning to look at her fully, surprised a bit by how short the girl was "Well ain't you a pretty little thing, you here alone?" he asked with a grin before quickly downing another shot and setting it back on the table

 

[ishnorb]

~Gin~

​

Gin still merely continued to observe the Inn, along with those within it. Only when Mikkel spoke a name did Gin break from his trance like state. Anger must have blinded Gin from seeing something rather intriguing. Gin noticed that Mikkel possessed three dots on his forehead, signifying a southern religion which Gin knew of. The previous sarcastic expression was now stone cold, angered even.....


Eyes deadlocked on Mikkel's, Gin speaks in a low growl. This tone was far harsher than the one he used during his vocal outburst against the Waitress and Barkeep. "I do hope you know the weight behind that name...." Mikkel or any onlooker perceptive enough, would realize after speaking Gin took the quick moment to scan his surroundings and mentally note where each of the comrade of Mikkel was. "I advise you speak wisely, for not only you, but your friends sake......" A sinister grin overthrew his previous expression, one of the few expressions which showed when Gin contemplated fighting.

~Husks-Bane~



​

Located among the shore somewhat far from the Kingdom of Calaspia, three individuals traveled towards their destination. All of them on foot, a larger man (Approx. 6'5" in height) wielding a claymore led the group. A woman lazily walked behind the two, more focused upon the crashing waves than the path before her. (This in fact caused her to trip or misstep on occasion.) "Big brooooootherrrrrr!" The female called out to the man leading the group. "Why have we not been to this coast before? It's so beautifuullllll!" The man in the middle of the two, only laughed. However not long passed before the one who laughed spoke.


"Berserk, how do we even know this coast is where we want to be?" The man who walked in between the siblings, was called Lance. Hence the lance he possessed sheathed on his back. All the while the man leading the group called Berserk, remained silent. A decent amount of distance was traveled, before a member of the group spoke again.


Showing faint irritation and angst, the woman called Gauntlet complained to her brother. "Big Bro Berserk, I really hate to agree with Lance. But how do we know we'll find the-" Raising his fist to signal the group to stop movement, Berserk and his team freeze in their current spot. Without skipping a beat, Berserk extended his arm (which previously held up a fist) forward out towards the sea, revealing the location of several ships to his comrades.


The boats were stationary, very far from shore, doubtfully in sight of the Kingdom of Calaspia. Lance scoffed. "What, probably fishermen." Armor shook as Gauntlet protested and shook her head no. "Nuh uhhhhhhhhhh! Silly Lance, you know nothing of ships." She laughed. "Those look nothing like fishing boats. Also they are not fancy enough to be merchant shi-...." Berserker cut her off, finally speaking. "They're rouge ships. Probably pirates or 'bandits of the sea'." Both of the members focused heavily onto Berserker, due to him not speaking much, let alone this long. "We need to go inland more, but still watch those ships. Hopefully they're friendly to Calaspia. We have answers to find there...." On this note, the group moved a bit further inland and continued traveling to Calaspia.

 

[KittyCatty]

The once young ice princess took a deep breath as silence had once again filled her immediate space, and moved out into the open. Though it was evening, she still felt exposed, and the way her arms held in close to her body showed it. Bright blue eyes flickered around as the town where Orion traded at got closer. Faline was always travelling off this way, just to watch people. She loved observing, it was like watch a book play out before her eyes. Like having friends without ever getting hurt. Not that Orion knew. As far as he knew, she was out in a snow bank whistling to an owl. But she had gotten braver with age.


A particularly rustic building caught Faline's eye. Warm, yellow light radiated from it, and voices echoed out the small windows. The girl paused, before tiptoeing up to the nearest outside window and peering into the establishment. Just her face from the nose up looked in, her large ears flattened like a sorrowful dog and eyes sparkling to see all the people. Although, a group of three sometimes felt large to Faline. Tonight there were people at the bar, and at tables, all dressed in various garb and appearing to be from all over the continent. She recognized no one, but began watching to see who seemed nice and who seemed unstable, forgetting all about who might be running around outside the building itself.


"They all look... warm," Faline thought to herself, tilting her head.

 

[AlidaMaria]

Mikkel remained silent for some time, weighing the sincerity behind Gin's threat. He barely managed to keep his hand from moving towards his hip, where his trustworthy sword hung as always. There was something in Gin's eyes that made him be even more careful than usual and so he just waited and thought carefully before he spoke, his eyes searching for any hint of the man's explosive anger turning into action.


"Let us speak first... Feel free to attack me or any of my companions, given she taught you at least a bit of what she knew, we wouldn't stand at chance so just give this old man an opportunity to speak first. You sure have changed over the years, didn't you now..." He slowly shook his head, as a remorseful look entering his eyes.


"One of Alexandra's... I never thought I'd see any of you again, after all that happened down south." At that he looked deep into Gin's eyes, his expression a mixture of regret, shame and determination.


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At the bar, Rachelle and Jiao didn't notice the threatening look Gin had shot them and continued to speak to the blonde stranger. Rachelle smiled sweetly at him, biting down on her lower lip before answering his question.


"Why? Woul' ya offe' me a drink if I was?"


Suddenly the girl pulled off her chair by an upset looking man. Jiao never liked Rachelle's games, especially not when he was sitting right next to her.


"She isn't. Best leave her alone." He mumbled in a low, threatening voice. He started dragging Rachelle off towards the table where Tobian and Tara were still seated, under loud protest of Rachelle who obviously was still set on getting her free whiskey.


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Tara wasn't sure which of her companions deserved more attention, Rachelle and Jiao who were slowly creating a scene near the bar or Mikkel who might just be endangering all of them by speaking with a very, very dangerous stranger. Tobian was feeling as tense as she was and after Gin had shot his threatening gaze their way, he made sure his body would function as a shield for Tara in case of a confrontation.


"Tara, perhaps we should..." He started, but then his eye was suddenly caught by a white face that had appeared outside of the window. He elbowed Tara several times to get her attention, as always unable to hide his enthusiasm.


"Well the husks may take me... Is that... Tara, would you look at that, isn't that a girl standing outside? She looks most peculiar. Could it be a manifestation of her powers having altered her physical appearance... That would be a most interesting hypothesis..."


Tara paid little attention to Tobian's rambling, simply putting a hand over his mouth to put a halt to his waterfall of words.


"I humbly believe dangerous, troubled magi deserve more of our attention rather than girls standing outside windows, wouldn't you agree master Tobian." To others she would sounds utterly polite, but to Tobian her way of speaking was unmistakably threatening. Quickly and quietly he grabbed a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink from his backpack to write down his observations.

 

[Rat]

Asher chuckled softly and wasn't entirely surprised when she was dragged off and shook his head before ordering a fancy drink for her anyway, watching with a smug grin as the bartender took it over to the table before downing another shot of his own whiskey, beginning to feel a bit buzzed as he glanced around the bar again and also caught the glimpse of the girl outside the window causing him to stand up and stumble a bit for a moment

 

[CamilleEndora]

Amaya was nearing her home slowly, the loud sound of waves still prominent in her ears. She finally approached her home, heading around to the back of the house which faced the sea. Her eyes narrowed slightly at several dark shapes upon the water. Pirates weren't uncommon here, but she never really felt safe with them so obvious in sight, especially so near her home. They could come and raid her tiny house in mere minutes if they wanted to. She decided to lean against the back cement wall, watching the ships for a while as they floated so innocently in the distance.

 

[ishnorb]

~Gin~

​

Gin wore an expression of blank focus, yet could not hide the faint lace of anger in that expression. Disfavored memories were the cause of his anger getting the best of him. A long swig of Barbados was consumed, another examination of the bar was performed while he spoke. "Senseless slaughter and annihilation of everything you once knew and loved, no doubtingly changes you...." A deep sigh and weak chuckle escaped Gin's lips. Again, Gin examines each one of Mikkel's comrades. Gaining more composer over his anger, Gin keeps speaking. "Answer this, Geezer. What business do you have with me. Why are you wasting my time?" Gin looked at him with a non-enthused look. Ones who pay enough attention, would notice Gin's mood is possibly pacifying due to intoxication. Or, this could be what some call, the calm before the storm.....

~Husks-Bane~

​

The group of mercenaries got closer and closer to the outskirts of Calaspia. A particular house stood out, one rather defenseless and on the further outskirts of the Kingdom. Berserk issued a few hand signals and his team-mates acted accordingly. Lance took a path more inland, his movements rather swift and silent compared to what one would expect. Gauntlet approached the front door. (It's very possible Amaya could have seen two shadows pass her home as Berserk and Lance walked past each side of the home.) Berserk traveled out to the water. Night was coming rather swiftly, also the ships had not moved, maybe they gravitated a few meters towards the kingdom, but nothing an untrained eye would notice.


A few knocks could be heard at Amaya's door, they sounded somewhat heavy, much harder then you would expect coming from a tiny or petite girl like Gauntlet. If Amaya were to answer the door, she would bow to greet her upon sight along with stating. "Good evening, I hate to bother you on this seemingly calm night. But there's a situation at hand I think you should help us with." Gauntlet, Lance and Berserk possessed only hearsay information about this area. IF Berserk's assumptions were right, this place could become very chaotic in an indeterminable amount of time. Thus Gauntlet, being the less threatening member of the group, was in charge of extracting information from locals if not help as well.


Lance was traveling more inland, further than they ever traveled while walking along shore. Any observers would tell he was scouting the area and seeing if he found anything or anyone. Berserk on the other hand, was scouting the shoreline while watching the ships movement......

~Calaspia~

​

Guard performed their routine patrols, civilians continued about their normal patterns for the evening coming in swiftly. Among shore, a couple guards swapped words as they stared out to sea. "Fred, wha' be out dere at dis time a night?" A guard was shaken awake from his momentary nap on the job. "Huh? The 'ell you talkin' 'bout?" The man obviously tries to examine the sea surrounding the kingdom, to no avail. "You been tossing back ale on the job again? General wont like dat...." The man looked annoyed, walking over to another guard at another post, he drags him over. "Damn it, John. Tell Fred that he's a blind bastard. Don't you see a few ships way out dere?" The man who's name has yet to be spoken, points out to what he saw in the distance.


"Fred, why you even posted here?" The man named John grabbed Fred by the coat and started walking inland with him. "Let's inform the superiors of what we seen. Along with time to get you a transfer...." Fred was obviously angered by this, though his words were inaudible due to his low growling tone.


Several miles inland, past the outskirts on the opposite side of the bay, a merchant dragged his cart by two horses. Direction was headed away from the Kingdom of Calaspia. Two guards on horseback walked on each side of the merchant. The old man merchant spoke in a weary and raspy voice. "Bless Calaspia and you two guards for your hospitality. Bandits have become quiet frightful over the last few years of travel...." One guard didn't speak, the other assured the merchant their deeds done were no trouble at all, merely wishing for the safety of civilians of Calaspia.


While the two men exchanged words, the second guard carefully watched the surrounding area as they traveled. Though they traveled a dirt road, some fields around them, a forest could be spotted in the distance further from Calaspia than where the guards and merchant stood currently. The guard who was previously silent had to shush the two jabber-jaws. Pointing in the direction of the interesting sight, the silent guard brings attention to faint lights scattering the distance. Even from where they stood, it was extremely hard to see the lot of the flickering lights. Thus from Calaspia, which they were rather far from still, these lights were impossible to spot.


"Xel, it is time we part ways. We wish you the best of luck heading to your destination." The old man merchant gave a toothy smile and merely kept traveling. "Don't get killed now. Play it safe and warn the kingdom if there's trouble." The two guards nodded and slowly trotted towards their new goal.....

 

[KittyCatty]

Faline's attention was mostly captured by what looked like a tense conversation between an older man and a man with a ripped up shirt. She was watching them with wide eyes before getting a feeling of being watched. Her eyes flickered to see a pale boy with dark, shaggy hair sitting next to a girl looking up at her and scribbling, looking down and scribbling some more. Her cheeks instantly flushed with obviously being noticed, and instantly looked around to notice another boy, this one with white hair and blue eyes similar to her stand and stumble by the bar. Her lips parted in shock that she had been spotted by two people and instantly felt frightened as to what they must be thinking about her. She bit her lip and ducked quickly below the window, her white hair flicking up before her entire person disappeared. She sat tucked up, back against the outside wall of the bar. She contemplated whether or not she should run, or if she was just imagining being looked at. What could they do to her anyway? Not that she would use her ice powers to hurt someone, but she'd never had a reason to try to either. She always just ran. Faline looked left and right, trying to decide the best course of action. There was a tree not a great distance away, where she could still see the entrance of the bar. She figured she could see if someone left from there, and if no one emerged for a while, she could go back to spying. Maybe at a less crowded establishment.


Faline moved silently and quickly to hide behind the tree, her pale hands and black gown hugging it as she got behind. and her eyes peering out to watch the front door of the bar.

 

[Rat]

Asher blinked slowly as the girl disappeared from the window and left the pouch of coins on the bar for the barkeep before stumbling towards and out the door into the cold snowy street, he began looking around and shivering a bit "Where did she..." he murmured to himself before going around the corner to where the girl was and saw footprints in the snow, tiny footprints really. He looked at the trail to where the footprints went and frowned a bit "Hello?" he called out though still felt pretty drunk

 

[CamilleEndora]

Amaya heard footsteps approach her small home and her body tensed for a moment. She silently went in through the back door when a hard knocking could be heard from the front, followed by "Good evening, I hate to bother you on this seemingly calm night. But there's a situation at hand I think you should help us with." The person speaking was female, and Amaya silently made her way to the front door and opened it, staring at the woman in front of her. She wondered if this woman was from the area, but the way she spoke she figured she probably wasn't.


Amaya raised an eyebrow in response, as if to say, "What situation?"

 

[KittyCatty]

Faline felt a shiver of fear as she saw one of the people from inside the building exit, and her breathing became harder. Had she been affected by the cold, little puffs of white would have escaped her lips. But considering her body temperature was so low itself, she was able to camouflage herself easily in the dark outside thanks to the tree. Not to mention, hiding from an obviously inebriated man wasn't too difficult for anyone she supposed. She'd never really interacted with anyone drunk before though. Orion had whiskey now and again, but sips, never to excess. And she never touched the stuff.


The blonde man seemed to look in Faline's direction, causing her to cover her mouth with both hands and put her back against the tree so she wasn't even peering out anymore.


"Hello?"


The man called. She swallowed hard, not understanding why he was calling out to her. Was he one to kill Magi? She was obviously not human by her appearance, the blue mark on her forehead and her ears, so she was afraid he was wanting for more than just a conversation. Faline tentatively peered out from behind the tree again, seeing the man still looking in her general direction. Taking a deep breath, she tried to muster a strong voice that came out raspy and high pitched instead.


"G-g-g-go away?" she managed to get out, biting her lip after, kicking herself that her words sounded more like a request than a demand.

 

[Rat]

Asher frowned as the girl sounded frightened and began walking towards her slowly "You don't have to be scared, I'm not going to hurt you" he said calmly and yelped as a bit of snow fell on his head from a squirrel above him, causing him to slip on some ice and his feet flew out from under him and he landed hard causing him to cringe in pain, he lifted a middle finger to the squirrel above him before sitting up slowly

 

[ishnorb]

~Husks Bane - Calaspia~

​

Lance gained notable distance between himself allies, along with Berserk. Each member was so to say, on solo missions for the time being. Gauntlet still stood speaking with Amaya.


“We believe danger may be right in front of your kingdoms door. I am merely a passerby, but a mercenary to your kingdoms benefit.”


It was obvious when observing Gauntlet, she was not standing like your casual noble or military individual. Albeit her stance was not threatening or confident/powerful like most mercenaries would be. Gauntlet held a horrifically lackadaisical outlook to herself, yet her voice was stern and fitting for the information she was spouting.....


“Our true reason for passing through is to meet with someone of interest within the Kingdom of Calaspia. We are not a hundred percent sure if this is in fact Calaspia. However we still need a guide to help ourselves through this kingdom to help if there is danger like I stated prior....” All while Gauntlet spoke to Amaya, things occurred rather swiftly in the distance.... These events could very possibly be heard by Amaya and Gauntlet.....

Spoiler

Berserk leaped through the air from his location, obviously using strength to empower his jump. Currently the enemies knew nothing of Berserks presence, that fact would shortly be false after attack was made. Onlookers would foresee Berserk landing upon his target, when dust settled it would reveal Berserk kneeled with his massive claymore protruding from the sand.


Now standing several feet behind himself, still a very far distance away from where Berserk originally leaped from, A pirate with a cigar in his lips chuckled. “Yee shadow revealed yee attack boy.... Even in moonlight.....” Two more pirates were positioned several yards behind the pirate with the cigar. They were located by a small boat which they used to reach shore. Even further behind Berserk, thus further towards the heart of Calaspia, several Pirates crept between the dim-lit homes, preparing to unfold a plan most devious......


Berserk stood beside a corpse of a civilian who was killed. Berserk had jumped to not save this dead individual, but the woman and child which were frozen in fear and now several feet behind himself. The pirate chuckled once more, eyeing the civilians and then Berserk while he spoke. “Yee be to late lad..... This kingdom is ours.....”


Removing his sword from the ground, Berserk starts stretching as bones pop and crack. A fighting stance is assumed and a stone cold expression is playing on Berserks face. Before Berserk even spoke, several houses between their location and the heart of Calaspia, erupted into flames. The pirates were burning the shore homes in hopes to draw out the kingdoms military......


A sadistic chuckle escaped Berserk's lips. “You are a human, a magi who wastes his talent on not just anything.....” Berserks body tenses, his sword now amazingly only being held by one hand, as though it had been a sword much smaller than it was.....


“But you so choose to waste yourself on killing your own kind.......” This was the most ironic thing Berserk could ever lay eyes on, something he deeply despised. “You don't deserve the life you are living....” The pirates by the small boat, along with their boss, laughed.


“Yee must be a husk slayer to be spouting that type of rubbish....” The pirate now had a more serious tone, for if his remark was correct, he may have something to fear.....


Berserk sighed, only to have it cut short by another sadistic chuckle. “The fact you even know my origin by the words I speak, tell how foolish you truly are......” Throwing the claymore forward, he attempts to send it through the pirate. Alike a saw-blade the claymore spun forward and towards target. In a flash, just like before the Pirate with a cigar poised in his lips vanished and reappeared.


Now the Pirate was standing in front of Berserk, attempting to stab him a blade. A wicked expression of glee overthrew Berserk as he hurled his arm into the way of the stab. Simultaneously his non-attacked arm/hand grabbed the Pirate by the throat, while Berserk was stabbed. The lackeys were about to charge to their bosses aid, until they realized the events which almost happened to quick for them to perceive.....


The cigar fell from the pirates mouth as he was lifted off his feet. “There are only two types of creatures I kill..... Husks..... And monsters like yourself who carelessly remove human lives, their own kind, from our earth.....” With ease the pirate was broken like a twig. The sword removed from his arm was then used to take care of any surrounding Pirates who were seen by Berserk in his rage. Of course in between this rampage he informed the woman and her son to go deeper inland and travel to the kingdom and warn the military.....


Lance was traveling inland towards the kingdom already, observing the shores to see the damage unfolding. Deeply he wished he could go and save as many as he could. But his deed was much further of importance to their mission which brought them here originally. Before the task could be resumed, Lance had to reach the kingdom and warn them of the events unfolding. The only issue was what he encountered when he was traveling to the front gates.


Several sources of light could be seen littering the shore, Gauntlet even got a look of shock when she noticed and broke concentration of conversation. "We can now be assured your kingdom is under trouble due to the fires..... The enemy came from sea as far as we know, for we saw several ships located outside your bays upon arrival." Gauntlet now lost her casual stance, almost looking as though she could fight any second.


"I ask you to accompany me, I will keep you alive or my name is not Alice Behan of the Husks-Bane mercenaries!" Gauntlet hoped revealing her name and title to this woman would help her feel a bit more at ease. "But I would highly prefer if you called me Gauntlet for now. What is your name?" It was obvious this rather careless girl was partaking in conversation while forming an escape plan mentally. Her eyes kept dashing back and forth as she examined pathways to take, along with looking inside Amaya's home to make sure nobody was sneaking up behind her.

~Gin - A town nearby Kingdom of Ithrin~

​

Enough time passed that Gin drank enough Barbados to fill his needs. Not to mention the old man he was speaking to wouldn't stop muttering what he perceived as nonsense. Maybe the alcohol was taking enough effect that he started to lose interest? None the less, Gin stood to his feet, walked to the bar and exchanged words with the barkeep.


Gin gained some sort of information from the man, even payed him for his words. Gin was given back his bag of coins and the amount for the room was not subtracted for he had suddenly changed his mind. Going back to his table, Gin retrieves his cloak and equips it.


All the while he steps outside to see someone have a most unfortunate fall. Gin almost laughs as the person shows faint aggravation towards the squirrel poised in the tree. Focusing, Gin notices something hiding, a young woman.


Leaning against the entrance of the building, Gin watches how this will play out.

 

[KittyCatty]

Faline watched with a sort of excited fear as the blonde man got closer. It was excitement from him not seeming to be afraid of her, and yet fear that he could just trying to get closer to hurt her. When the man yelped, Faline jumped, coming from behind the tree a bit more to watch him slip. She tilted her head slightly, and then looked up at the squirrel, smirking slightly. Her large blue eyes moved back down to the man before looking unsure of what she should do. One hand grabbed her opposite arm, causing her bent arm to rest on her stomach.


“Um… are you okay? Should… should I help?” she asked, looking around her as if she were waiting for others to tell her to jump in.





Asher cursed under his breath as he sat up and looked up at the girl and looked to be in awe "N-No, I'm alright" he stuttered, cracking a cute smile as he stood up and held out his hand "I'm Asher, and aren't you cold?" he asked tilting his head to the side


Faline hesitated, eyebrows raised and obviously still unsure as her lips remained parted. She took a few slow steps closer before limply reaching out her hand to shake Asher's.


"No," she said softly, though she did look uncomfortable as she tried to think of a way to not scare the man with a sudden reveal of her powers. "I just like the cold," she said, her cold skin shaking his warmer hand before pulling back to her side. She folded her hands behind her back, as if ashamed of how cold she was before tilting her head the other way. "My name is Faline," she said, a small, closed lip smile coming to her face.





Asher narrowed his eyes and grinned a bit "I have a feeling....No nevermind" he said shaking his head as he observed her white hair, the same color as the snow "Heh, you're hair is kinda like mine" he said as he ran his hand through it and flipped it back into place, revealing the shaven side more obviously now "Walk with me, Faline?" he asked sweetly


Faline's white cheeks flushed bright red while she looked up at Asher's face. She bit her bottom lip, knowing she couldn't hide what she was, so she may as well spill the beans. Not like he was stupid, obviously. She opened her mouth to explain, when he mentioned his hair. She watched him, observing him like she loved to do all humans, as she assumed he was, before he asked her to walk with him.


"Um," she paused, looking around again, as if the man was just distracting her while some ruffians were hiding ready to grab her. But there were none. Just the wind whistling. Everything was calm. "Okay," she breathed, smiling slightly when she looked back into his eyes. She swallowed hard before turning to her left and taking a step, not knowing exactly where they would walk to. But she was used to wandering anyway.


"I'm... sorry my hand is cold," she apologized, not knowing if it bothered him or not.





Asher smirked a bit as she blushed and took a step with her before shrugging and reaching over, sliding his hand down her arm and grasped her hand "Do you mind?" he asked with a small head tilt, He focused absently into heating his hand up "I'm just a warm person" he lied before glancing at her from the corner of his eye "So what are you doing out here?" he asked


Faline did look a bit flustered when Asher moved his hand down to hers and his fingers wrapped around her fingers. She didn't pull away in the slightest though, instead just watching him instead of where she was going.


"I like to explore. I'm from Ithrin," she said, knowing he was probably away of how close it was. "Where are you from?" she asked, wanting to know his 'story'.





Asher chuckled quietly to himself by how small her hands were, easily surrounding them in his warmth, he nodded "I could tell" he said with a cocky grin before looking a little caught off-guard by her question "I uh, " he stuttered before sighing "I'm...from the street, I don't know my parents" he said with a shrug, he glanced around quickly to make sure no one was around and held out his other hand palm up, a flame sparking in it almost like a lighter "However..." he said before looking at her, a little worried it would scare her away


Faline felt a little bad, seeing how she must have made him uncomfortable. She seemed to get a motherly like concern on her face at his answer though, however he still seemed like a good man despite whatever he must have been though. Her hand began to sweat a bit within Asher's, and she wondered if he minded. Her thoughts were interrupted by a flame sparkling in his other hand though, causing her to catch her breath and take a step away. Her hand didn't move from his, but the curiosity was obvious on her visage. The young, elf earred woman slowly moved herself back next to him before looking back up at him and smiling. There was excitement brimming in her eyes for the first time in a very long time. "I have a friend who can do that too!" she said, instantly associating Asher with Orion.





Asher noticed her hand sweating but didn't mind in the least, usually happened with anyone he was close too since his body just seemed to emanate heat, he looked concerned by her stepping back but soon smiled again as he saw how excited she got "Do you?" he asked as he began to move his fingers and make different shapes, a butterfly, a dragon, a bird...


Faline nodded enthusiastically, more than ecstatic to have met Asher now. What luck! "Mmhmm, in Ithrin! He's like my father I guess if I ever had one. He is really warm like you are too. Not very much like me..." she said, continuing to walk and hesitating before giving a mischievous smirk, and then beginning to imitate the same shapes Asher was making with fire using her free hand and her ice abilities. She'd make a solid shape, then drop it down on the ground. She looked eagerly up at her new friend.


"What do you think?"


Asher watched her and smiled more before laughing a bit "Pretty good...Come with me, I wanna show you what else I can do" he said with an evil grin as he pulled her along towards the outskirts of town "Gotta be away from people though" he added "This is much more visable than just my palm" he said softly as he looked back at her


Faline got a smile full of pride when he complimented her, though her wide eyes appeared curious once more when he began pulling her away from town. She glanced back over her shoulder to see the buildings fading, but didn't really feel scared. She looked back to Asher, her small bare feet quickly moving to keep up with him and pondering what he wanted to show her. Orion never showed off, so this fire magi was already totally different than what she knew.


Asher snickered a bit at her little legs "C'mere" he said as he scooped her up and carried her easily as he walked faster "You have little legs" he teased, somewhat surprised by how light she was as he got her across a bridge and into a clearing in the trees, the sky clear and you could see the stars, he set her down before smirking a bit "Ready?" he asked


Faline gasped a bit when Asher picked her up, instinctively throwing her arms around his neck like he would drop her. Her heart raced but began to slow as she began relaxing bit by bit, looking around them while they went over a bridge and into a clearing. She let her feet softly touch the ground once more and he put her down, a blush on her face as she nodded she was ready and adjusting her gown. "Yes," she smiled.


Asher smirked and looked up to the stars and began making larger scenes high up in the sky that faded almost like fireworks, he glanced over to her with a cocky, arrogant grin on his face "I may be a street rat but I have a few tricks up my sleeve" he said quietly


Faline looked up at the sky, lips slightly parted and reflections of Asher's flame creations dancing across her eyes and face as she watched. She looked over at him and smiled, her fingers moving between each other so she was holding her hands in front of her. "You're very impressive," she admitted in her soft, raspy voice, never having met anyone like him, after all.


She knew it was late, and she was starting to think she should make her way back to her home, but she was torn. And so some conflicting emotions may have shown on her face, but she said nothing.


Asher grinned a bit more "Thanks beautiful" he said sweetly as he watched her from the corner of his eye, his fingers twitching and wiggling as he changed the scene "What's on your mind?" he asked, noticing her conflicted expression


Faline's cheeks and nose turned a brighter pink at being called beautiful. Of course, her mother had told her as much when she was a young girl. But once she began changing physically to how she looked today, well... no one had ever said such about her. She watched him with her full attention and started to open her mouth before settling on a small smile.


"I just don't want to be out too late," she said quietly, cheeks still blushed, and looking between Asher and his firey scenes.


Asher smiled a bit before stopping the scenes and turned to her "Where do you live? I'll walk you home if you're tired" he said, looking at the blush on her cheeks he grinned "You're blushing,beautiful"he teased as he poked her cheek playfully


Faline's eyes lit up when he said he would walk her home, never having had anyone to do so with. When he teased her though, she smiled widely and smacked his hand away playfully while trying to keep her whole face from turning a reddish tint.


"Stop," she laughed softly. "I like staying out at night and sleeping during the day, but I like to be back by morning," she explained quietly, blush not disappearing. "I'd love to walk home with you," she added, reaching out for his hand expectantly, and smiling.


Asher suddenly blushed and covered his mouth, not actually expecting that well of a reaction, he hesitantly took her hand and smiled a bit "Well let's go then, M'lady" he said kindly and laughed a bit as he walked along next to her, trying to keep her slow pace


Faline found herself stifling a giggle at Asher's suddenly red cheeks, tempted to tease him back. She had no practice in flirting though and was scared to come off awkward. So she simply giggled along with his laugh and squeezed his hand while they made their way to Ithrin, talking along the way. Faline brought up the piccolo hanging from her hip, and had trouble not pointing out every small animal they passed considering how much she liked them. She admitted her favorite color being blue and used her free hand at times to play with her necklace or tendrils of snow color hair. She'd actually never smiled so much.


Asher grinned the whole time and just liked listening to her talk about herself, laughing at her pointing out the animals and every so often running his hand through his hair to get it out of his face, he agreed that his favorite color was also blue and complimented her hair color, trying to fight the urge not to play with her ears the closer and closer they got to Ithrin


Faline drew closer to her home, and soon, the little cabin with smoke trickling up through the snow covered trees was easily visible. She stopped talking and walking and turned to Asher while still holding hands. She wasn't sure how to say goodbye, and was a little worried she wouldn't see him again, but she didn't know how to put any of it into words. So instead, she just gave a sheepish smile and tucked some hair behind on ear with her free hand.


"Goodnight," she whispered, still lingering near him.


Asher nodded "Goodnight" he said then paused before leaning in closer to her and blushed bright red before stopping a few inches from her face "I'm really awkward with this stuff" he admitted before kissing her cheek softly, wanting to kiss her lips but didn't have the courage to do so


Faline moved her head back slightly when Asher stopped moving his face towards hers, her eyes searching his before laughing lightly and softly at his words. She let her eyes glance down in shyness at his kiss on her cheek before looking back up at him and smiling widely. Her fingers were shaking slightly just from being near him. "I think I'm worse," she mumbled, giving another light laugh and swinging their hands a bit together. It was obvious she was hesitating, but nto because she longed for a kiss, but because she didn't really want to go. She let go though and bit her bottom lip while smiling, giving a little child like wave while walking back to her house. "Come... find me again, ok?" she said, smiling wider and then turning and running quietly to her home.