Fantasy ~The Lords of the Magistone~

[Kharmin]

Desiree turned as another man approached her by the fire. She marveled at his azure eyes; it was the first of that color she had ever seen. She quickly, so as not to seem rude, appraised his dark attire and tried to figure his role in the group's latest encounter.


He spoke to the current chef, whom he called Rederick, and inquired about those who had wounds that needed tending.


"Um," Desiree spoke. "Uh, hi!" she finally piped up. She regarded him with her bright blue eyes as she tossed her head to sway some loose, wet strands of hair from her face (which determined to remain plastered there in spite of her efforts) and continued her introduction. She started to hold out her hand to shake, but quickly remembered her present attire and clutched her cloak about her with a sheepish grin that she gifted to the two men before it fell loose and gave the entire camp a morning show to remember. "I'm Desiree and I would be grateful for anything you could do for me." She indicated her torso by mimicking lines across herself with her hand. "I have quite a few wolf claw scratches across here that could use more attention than I was able to give them at the river, if you are so inclined."

 

[The Wizard]

Ethan turned to the woman who's appearance seemed as if she had drowned in the river. Her hair was still soaked and her attire was not the most concealing. Noting the young man behind her it was not hard to see he was lost in thought, though his red fire hair made him easily stand out. "Greetings I am Ethan an apprentice of these woods." His face did not turn red nor did he show any reaction from her accidental nature only focusing on her scratches.


Turning to his bag he removed a white cotton shirt, though it may be a bit big it was better then her current attire. As he tossed the shirt to her he simply went to work "Your scratches don't look severe but they'll get infected if we don't treat them..." as he pulled out several various dried leaves and an old wooden bowl "Once you have changed into that I'll apply some ointment to tend to your injuries..." letting the leaves crush in his hand then into the bowl. With the two vials of water he gathered from the river he began to turn the powder to a paste, a dark green mush formed as his hands stained from the leaves.


Looking to the young man "And of you? are you injured or experiencing any pain?" as his hands continued to mull and turn the substance.

 

[SkyGinge]

"Hello," Skyre greeted Ethan with a simple nod, "I'm Skyre, it's very nice to meet you. I imagine you came here with Rederik yesterday evening. I'm fine in terms of injuries; there are people far worse off who need your attention." The man had an air of authority about him, especially in his calm control, that was quite unfitting of his appearance, but it drew Skyre to him with respect.


Meanwhile, Skyre noticed that breakfast was done cooking, and asked Ethan; "That's a very handy bag you have there. Did you, by any chance, being any kitchenaries with you?" With so many people, it would be very hard to accurately share out the food without the use of plates or bowls. Skyre had with him a single plate which he retrieved; he supposed should Ethan not fulfil his request, breakfast could at least be carved up fairly on that.

 

[The Wizard]

Ethan looked to the red flared man and smiled forgetting his place that he was a stranger. It wasn't uncommon for him to get serious with his work and he found it hard to socialize when he was treating anyone. With the man's name Skyre he looked more energetic then the rest and from his appearance enjoyed having more join him in this group. "Apologies, I only brought what Rederick said was needed to treat..." as he pointed to the bag Rederick was digging through earlier "...However, there should be some more food and items in there if you wish to look." unsure if Rederick in his haste grabbed any from the home.


The mixture was nearly done as the paste was now a dim green. "My master's cottage was not far from the abandoned hunter's hut. When I found your two companions I did not know of what or who had attacked you." as he reached for his rag "Still I had to be cautious as its not always we get guests in these part of the woods." He turned back to the woman "When you are ready let me see each of those scratches madam." cleaning one of his hands but leaving the other to apply the ointment.

 

[IceQueen]

Lapis walked close to the river, pausing to watch the leaves fall in the breeze as she did so. Her golden hair swinging behind her, she traveled in search of her brother, the wind her only companion so far. She let the air swirl in her palm as she passed, catching a leaf in the crook of her palm. She pondered the thought of being the only heir left if she could not find her brother. She shook her head to rid it of those putrid thoughts. She continued to walk, watching the fish swim in the other direction as she walked. As she walked, she began to wonder when she would find a new companion.

 

[Cookie]

"Did I sleep well?" Ari said to Ein, only half paying attention as she had just noticed the stranger (he'd introduced himself as Ethan) was up. "Well, let's just say I've had better rests." She cursed at herself, remiss for having lost the chance to speak to Ethan first. At the moment, he was busy patching up some others. Without magic, Ari noticed, to her disappointment. Perhaps she'd been foolish again to think that he could be a Light magician and that glowing ball of his was something else. What else it could be she didn't know, but Ari had learned the hard way to not get her hopes up. In any event, she wouldn't get the chance to question him until it was her own turn for healing.


"In the meantime, I think I'll go wash up." She said, really more to herself than anyone else. Rising steadily, Ari gathered her things and moved off to the river.


At least nobody's here, Ari thought upon arriving. One small consolation. Ari undressed quickly, hanging up her clothes on the branches above the river. It was quite a nice morning to be getting all cleaned up. Ari scrutinized her clothing in the tree. The cloak will have to go, she decided. Indeed, it was much too damaged to be of any use...except as a towel...and a washcloth. She tore a section of it off to use in her bath, glad to have found a use for it.


Ari enjoyed the coolness of the water running over her wounds and washing away the dried blood. Looking downriver, she could see small traces of her fresh blood running thin in the current. Hopefully there are no predators in this river, her mind wandered abstractly. She wasn't worried, however, not in the river like she was. Another might have felt exposed in her place, but not she. Though not technically in her element, Ari felt very relaxed nonetheless. Water was a good conductor of electricity. All it would take was a good-sized spark (she was certain that she was capable of at least that) to stun a victim. Maybe even kill one, if she felt up to it. Ari may have smiled contently at the thought whilst scrubbing her injuries clean, but it didn't mean that she would have welcomed any intruders in that particular moment.

 

[IceQueen]

Lapis wandered down the river until she found a spot to settle. She set down her few belongings and began to rest her eyes against the tree. She enjoyed the morning sun as she relaxed. She smiled as the wind swirled her hair around her. She decided to catch a fish in the river. She removed the outer layers of her heavy kimono until she was in a shorts and a lose under shirt. She grabbed a nearby stick and began to sharpen it with her katana. Once the sick was sharpened, she waded into the water until she could reach the fish. She sat on a nearby dry rock and stood still, waiting for a unsuspecting fish to swim by.

 

[Kharmin]

Desiree juggled the cotton shirt that was unceremoniously tossed at her. The man took a brief view of her injuries and determined that she needed some poultice or such to prevent infections.


"Yeah, um, thanks," she managed to sputter as the healer turned to Skyre. Desiree faced fly-boy, started to place her hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture but hesitated before she made contact. After their conversation at the riverbank, she wasn't completely sure that he had indeed forgiven her, so she withdrew her hand.


"I'll go put this on," she said to the healer and she turned to head back to her small, allotted space in the encampment. With her back turned to the rest, she wriggled around under her cloak and finally figured out how to pull the shirt over her head without exposing herself. Once done, the shirt hung down well past her thighs – indeed, larger than she would need. She felt as if she were wearing a tent.


Desiree removed her cloak which left her standing in only her leather boots and the overly large cotton shirt. She turned to the others, laughed lightly with twinling eyes as she playfully modeled her new chemise and asked, "Well, how do I look?"

 

[EinRaikou]

" You look fine, " Ein said to the new girl at camp. " I don't believe we were ever properly introduced."


Ein thought back to his, and Rederik's walk through the woods, only to recall the girls name called out from the distance. " My name is Ein. "


He turned to face the man mixing his ingredients for medicine. " And it's good to meet you too Ethan. " He watched as the man worked his magic with the materials in front of him. " I for one, am not the best at first aid, and aside from that as far as I can tell our only able bodied healer is Ari. It will be great to have you around."

 

[Kharmin]

Desiree turned to the rather non-descript man who introduced himself as Ein. She flashed him one of her more winning smiles, gave him a short curtsey and with a chuckle said, "Thank you, good sir."


She crossed the short distance over the camp to him, extended her hand and said, "I am Desiree."

 

[IceQueen]

Lapis stood for a while, watching vigilantly, hoping a fish would come by. As one swam by fairly slow, she lurched forward, aiming at the fish. Unfortunately for her, she had never been good with a lance, and she slipped into the river, dousing herself in water. She clutched her hand and gasped from the newfound pain. She forgot she was still under the water and began to struggle for air. Thrashing about in the water, she was to weak to summon any air to help her. She slowly lost consciousness and floated downstream.

 

[SkyGinge]

Skyre noticed Desiree reach out towards him, and wished he was upfront enough to tell her that she'd done nothing wrong and that she could never do anything wrong, his mind swiftly reminding him that she had technically caused his current state despite his hearts yearnings Therefore, he decided to show this to her through returning her light-heartedness. "Very good," he commented, "looks like you're wearing somebody's tent." His voice did sound lighthearted, but in body language Skyre was still viseably downhearted.


As the food was finally prepared, Skyre took it onto his plate and handed it around the entire group. He took the last bit and perhaps the smallest bit also; selfless maybe, but the truth was he was too occupied in his thoughts as to have built up much if an appetite. He gnawed on the meat; it was tender and well cooked. He couldn't help but think back to the times when he could eat full meals with actual variation in the banquet halls of the university of wind magic. What he would have done for a vegetable soup...

 

[EinRaikou]

Ein looked at the girls hand. A handshake.... this was something he hadn't done for months. " I'm sorry if I come off cold, or blunt. Human interaction isn't something I've had much of lately. " He shook the girls hand and gave her a smile. " You look great ," Ein advised her.


Ein then went and sat by the flame along with Skrye. He looked at the boy's ginger hair, who seemed lost in thought. "Perhaps once Ari gets back... We should find out what everyone wants to do from here. " Ein thought again how odd it was that everyone was in the clearing. Some people had said they were searching, some were traveling... But where were they going, and why? He felt maybe it was time he opened up about wanting to face the Shadow King. And he felt if anyone would be interested it was Skrye...

 

[Kharmin]

Desiree took Skyre's comment and gave him a nod. She figured that given time he'd snap out of whatever melancholy he was in eventually.


She smiled warmly when Ein took and shook her hand. He seemed to be a nice enough fellow.


A few moments later, when he handed her a portion of the group's meal, she thanked him with her most sincere voice that she could muster. After he moved on, she threw all manners aside and ravenously devoured what little she was given as if she hadn't eaten in days ... which she hadn't.

 

[SkyGinge]

"Those were my thoughts exactly, good call," Skyre nodded. "I have an idea personally if everybody's willing to co-operate, but there's a few smaller issues to manage first before we take any major group decisions. Yesterday evening, before the rest of you arrived, me and Desiree escaped to the riverside..." Skyre paused for a second, carefully remembering to omit the most important event for him personally from his recollections. He continued: "There was a younger girl who approached us. She was pretty sceptical that we were aggressive and pretty stubborn in her decision. She left before I could convince her to join us, but told us her camp was a couple of hours west. I think it's only fair that we collect her and a friend she briefly mentioned, though not all of us would need to go.


"In the mean time," Skyre went on, his voice loud enough for others to hear, "I think the rest of us should stay around here. Then when we're all together again for lunch I can bring up my idea. Of course, this all relies on all the ego's here agreeing, buts that's my idea anyway." Skyre accompanied his finishing jest with a weary smile. Whilst others were ripping through their food, Skyre ate slowly and with surprisingly good manners for a meal in the middle of the wilderness.


As Desiree reached over and greeted Ein, Skyre couldn't help but observe that Ein had complimented her twice. A minor thing, but Skyre reminded himself to get a grip. You have to be properly presentable, especially for the newcomer later this morning.


////////


LOCKED POSTING is now Semi-Active





(You each have two posts left tonight, unless you are going to be involved with Ari now; then you have until that scene ends.)

 

[Cookie]

Ari had just finished bathing. She toweled herself off, discarding the now useless cloak. Thankfully, nobody had interrupted her. She always enjoyed some quiet time alone, even in times like this.


She began to place her clothes back on and was lacing up her leather bodice when she noticed a disturbance in the current. Ari laced her top together, tying a tight bow as she waited for whatever was causing the disturbance to drift downstream. As it got closer, her eyes widened. It was a person! Another person! Whoever it was floated downstream with the current, either dead or unconscious.


"But I just got dressed!" Ari complained to the river as she prepared to dive. When the girl (she could clearly see it was a girl now) was just a little ways upstream, Ari dove in. She recovered the body, which was decently lightweight, though a good deal taller than her. Of all people to be in the river at this time, it had to be me! She thought as she paddled back to the riverbank. Who drowns in a river like this anyways? What, is the current faster upstream or something? "I swear to God, if you are actually dead right now I will throw your corpse back into the river for making me dive in after you!" Ari grumbled to the unconscious body. Though she knew the girl couldn't hear her, venting to someone offered some consolation for the task she'd preferred not to have done.


Ari threw the girl up onto the bank and heaved herself out of the river after. "Stupid girl!" she panted, taking a few seconds to regain her equilibrium as she was still recovering her physical strength. One of the cuts on her abdomen had reopened in the process of saving this girl and her cracked rib hadn't benefited from the ordeal either. But Ari knew the main concern was not her injuries. She checked the pulse of the mystery girl and was relieved to find that her effort wasn't for nothing. "Alive." Ari found some comfort in saying the word. But perhaps she wouldn't be that way for long if nothing was done. Ari shook the girl in hopes of springing her back into consciousness. "Come on, I really don't want to do mouth-to-mouth right now!" The girl remained unaware to both the shaking and Ari's words. "You've left me no choice..." Ari decided, ceasing her previous attempt. She set down the girl, taking a deep breath in preparation.


Ari slapped the girl across the face as hard as she possibly could.

 

[Kharmin]

She devoured her meager meal with such fervor that she didn't even taste it. Her stomach immediately complained about the new contents, having been neglected over the last few days, and she regretted eating so quickly.


Desiree licked her fingers to ensure that she didn't waste any portion of her meal as she listened to Skyre's suggestions. With the back of her hand with the least amount of grease on it, she brushed aside the hair that had been plastered to her cheek but had started to dry enough to be handled.


Going after the girl with the bow and her companion made sense – after yesterday it was apparent that there was much more safety in numbers. As she sucked on her last few fingers, she spoke up to Skyre, "I'll go with you to find this girl we met yesterday. Perhaps a feminine approach might yeild a more favorable response from her."

 

[EinRaikou]

Ein listened to Skrye's plan. "My leg is still not as healed as I would like it to be I should probably just stay here and rest. " He stood up, and walked around a bit to test out his leg, and to give the remainder of his body and muscles a stretch. "Once you guys get back we'll have the meeting, and figure out a gameplan."


Ein then glanced towards the River... 'Ari sure is taking a long time... I don't want to intrude, but I'm starting to get worried.'


"If you'll excuse me I'll be back in a bit," And with that the boy began his short trek through the woods. Due to the pain still located in the back of his calf, he walked cautiously, so not to trip over anything.


When he approached the exit to the forest, and the clearing of the river Ein made sure the coast was clear. "Ari. Hey... Ari, are you decent," He said while covering his eyes. "I was getting worried when you never came back.... And I kind of wanted to clean up myself."


With his eyes still covered Ein continued his walk.... right... into... the river..... The shock of the fall forced him to uncover his eyes and peer at his surroundings, and just a few meters downstream was Ari, slapping the bejesus out of an unconscious girl... 'What in the....?'

 

[IceQueen]

Lapis awoke to a painful stinging on her cheek. In attempt to inhale, she found her lungs were full of water. She coughed out gallons of water that one rested in her lungs. Her thought had never hurt so much in her lifetime. She rested for a second afterwards, not daring to speak in fear that she would lose what was left of her breakfast.

 

[Cookie]

"Oh, hello." Ari said to Ein, resting her tired arm. "Don't mind me, just go about your usual business. You said you wanted to wash up?" Ari allowed herself to smirk before diverting her attention back to the newly awakened girl.


"Sorry about the...ah..." Ari gestured to the red mark on the girl's cheek. "Glad to see you're not dead." She said casually, standing up and offering a hand to the woman.

 

[The Wizard]

Ethan smiled a bit at the energetic woman who posed for a moment. He had finished with the ointment and declined the offer of the meal as he had enjoyed the comfort of the cottage and the food his master had left within it. Standing up he walked towards Desiree who looked to have enjoyed the meal greatly, a small smile and laugh escaped him recalling that in these dark times even the joys of a simple cooked rabbit can be a blessing. Still the group was now silent and it was then Skyre broke out to get them on a course of action. He plan to procure another survivor west and the preparations on their journey after left Ethan worried. His thoughts raced on if they where heading west and back tracking his home, would it deny him his search of his teacher, would he find his teacher. So many doubts and worry it seemed nearly impossible to decipher them all. Still they needed a plan and for Ethan traveling in a group was safer then alone.


The blonde woman spoke out willing to join Skyre in her search, Ethan walking up to her keeping a quite voice as he smiled "If you plan to travel I ask that you let me least apply the ointment and bandage them." as he set his clean hand towards her offering it politely "You may feel a tingle from the medicine but it'll heal up within the hour and you'll be okay to remove it." as his eyes fell to her. Kneeling down he set the bowl to the ground preparing the roll of bandages. Turning to the stubble man he could tell his leg would need to be looked at, wanting to be cautious he would tend to each in their own time. As his face was facing the ground unwrapping the bandages he spoke out "There are still few here who need treatment I wouldn't want to leave them behind." as he finished his head turned to Desiree "...I'll remain here and tend to what I can but in case your in trouble use this." his hand cupped together as he breathed deeply into it. A small emitting light escaped the gaps of his fingers till he fully opened it revealing the wisp. Motion the ball of light as it stared eye level with him it pulsed and floated above Desiree "This little light is connected to me directly, if anything happens or you need to reach this camp simply talk to it and I'll hear it." as the wisp shook then split itself reducing in half its size. The other half floating back to his shoulder the two lights pulsed in unison. The very least for him he didn't want to waste material on unforeseen injuries.

 

[IceQueen]

"Yeah, sorry." Lapis replied, mentally slapping herself for not using her sword instead. Then she remember that she had left her sword an kimono upstream. Still wobbly, she took the girls hand and stood up, just to begin stumbling upstream. She tried desperately to run, her legs failing her each steep of the way.

 

[EinRaikou]

Ein hauled himself up out of the river.... " I think I just did!" He said to Ari, while letting out a hardy laugh.


While focusing his mind Ein began to draw the moisture from his clothing, and lead the water back into the river. He couldn't fully dry off, but for the time being at least his clothes weren't soaked.


He began to shake the moisture from his hair as he walked over towards Ari, who had just helped the young girl up. He saw as the girl attempted to run, and reached forward to catch her as she stumbled. "Are you alright?" Ein asked.

 

[Cookie]

"No, no no no." Ari said to the girl. "You're not going anywhere in that state. You're going to kill yourself, and I probably won't save you a second time. Whatever it is you want, Ein will take care of it. Ein?" Ari looked over at him for confirmation.

 

[IceQueen]

Lapis stumbled forward, landing in someone's arms. She dimly replied, "Sword. Kimono. Upstream....." That was all she could say before the lights went out again.