Travelers of Trulane

[Dragongal]

Emmalia smiled at Xal's enthusiasm, before walking after her at a nonchalant pace. This seemed like it could potentially be... fun. Of course, the mission would take a while, which wasn't so nice, but hey, there was amusement to be found with Skippy, to be certain.

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano led them through the town, occasionally standing still and remembering exactly which way was the quickest, but all in all he got them out fairly quick. Skippy appeared to be from this region, which at least made him feel confident she wouldn't simply get lost. Still, he wasn't quite used to being with such a naive, innocuous type of energy, especially not on a mission. Where he had gone not many remained that way, and he didn't say it out loud, but what worried him most was her losing that innocence in this trip. Or part of it. It was a shame to lose much of that due to preventable things, while so many others lost it early in life already.

 

[Luminescent]

Xal followed behind the group, with her wand in hand, occasionally spilling a glass of water from a few feet away, or creating a droplet from mid air. She figured she could practice a little on this journey, as it was going to be a long one. She remembered what Lord Antoine had said, "Do not return until you do so." What was she getting herself into?


She shrugged it off and began trying her condensation spells again. She condensed a droplet up high and watched it fall. She watched another one fall, and another one, until realized they were falling right on top of her group's heads! She kept walking and tucked her wand away. "Oops..." She whispered.

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano saw the oddities with water around him, even felt a little bit of magic tracing each time it happened. The other him would have been able to notice it so much better, but that didn't mean he was completely blind to it, or to the source. He'd let Skippy have her fun with some magic, until the part where it started dripping onto his head. Not in any hurry he turned his head sideways so he could speak clearly to her but continued walking forward, not even truly looking at her.


"Skippy, don't bother people with magic. They don't take kindly to it."


That was an understatement perhaps, either people disliked you for it... or wanted to use you for your powers. The first was far more preferable to the latter, but he still didn't want either to befall her. Or to have to deal with an angry mob of ignorant common folk mistaking ordinary magic for black arts.

 

[Dragongal]

"Why in Hel's name is it raining?" Emmalia grumbled, looking at the sky for a moment. She paused; there were no rainclouds, and no more droplets falling. She heard Xal's whispered "Oops" and pivoted to face her. "You're a water mage?" Shit, I probably shouldn't have been able to hear that.

 

[Luminescent]

Xal's face went flat. "I-I'm sorry it was an accident..." She took her wand out. "Uh... Yeah. I'm not very good, I'm still practicing." She made another droplet fall into her palm, and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry."

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia shook her head with a slight smile. "I'm not mad at you. Mages need to practice. You just didn't tell us, that's all." Mages. Emmalia was no mage, and that was just fine by her, but she understood that young mages needed to practice. Soranodidn't seem so okay with it, though. Whatever, she needs practice, I'll talk to him if he tries to bug her about it.

 

[InsanEleven]

This time Sorano did turn around, smiling. At least she owed up for it, which gave her a plus in his book. Better to reward honesty and he had maybe been thinking somewhat too little of her. He was always wary of the people he quested with, sometimes they were definitely shady. Hey, sometimes he was shady.


"That's a nice wand, keep it close. It's not that I so much mind you being a mage, it's that others will." He said while pointing a her wand. The other would probably like to examine it, even if he didn't need wands.

 

[Dragongal]

"Tad cynical of you," Emmalia said to Sorano as she continued to walk. He spoke like everyone would hate her because she was a mage. Emmalia was very well-traveled, and didn't believe this to be the case at all. "Who cares if someone minds, she's a mage, they try anything she can do some trickery. Or, of course, she has us now." Emmalia smiled wickedly to Sorano, having just volunteered him to take care of Skippy.

 

[Luminescent]

Xal smiled, "I'm glad you aren't mad. Are you guys mages?" She continued walking with them. "Thanks about the wand, it's my favorite."

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia laughed outright. "Me, a mage? No, not in the least. I can tell you about all kinds of magics, how to disable magic traps included, but me, a mage? Nah. Nothing wrong with being a mage, but I ain't one." Emmalia could copy almost any dialect with ease, but city slang was her natural speech, though she had no accent besides a few odd words tossed in here or there.

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano shrugged. "I'm not quite a mage, and even if I was I'd prefer to keep that to myself. I know most from books and people I've quested with." He didn't feel obligated to immediately tell her what it was he could do. Besides, right now he really wasn't as much of a mage as he was a fighter, she'd have to talk to the other for that. Not that he would ever allow her to talk to him, he'd just hide away all the time. If Skippy'd be among them long enough to actually get to see the other side of him that was, and he sincerely had his doubts about that even though she could make it rain. Something to do with him ditching people before they actually got close to him.

 

[Dragongal]

"If you don't watch yourself, I'll end up calling you Cynic," Emmalia said with a wicked smile. She continued walking with the group. In the evening, they'd made camp and Emmalia said, "Do you think we'll need to set up a watch for tonight?"

 

[Luminescent]

Xal sat up against a tree, partly exhausted from having set up the camp. "Do you think it's dangerous enough out here to need one? It seems pretty secluded. I mean, we've been walking for hours."

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano quietly bit his fingertip and stared off for a little bit thinking about whether or not to set up watch. "I don't have much experience with this region, it doesn't look too bad but with Xal around I wouldn't take the risk. If you want I can take the second shift." This time he actually called Skippy by her name, a sign he was more seriously involved at this point. He wasn't too immature or stuck in cynical thoughts to not make his mind clear because he felt like he had to prove something or pretend to be the big though guy. That type of behaviour got people killed, and it wouldn't be the first time he'd had to kick the ass of an adventurer that behaved like that. Usually the big guys tried to pick on him, not that he was small or scrawny, but he hadn't felt the need to train his muscles for the purpose of showing off, so he was still rather slim to keep his agility, despite being strong. On top of that he had generally been the youngest, and the one most distanced from the group, which all made for an easy target, or so it seemed. Until they got their asses handed to them.


He doubted Skippy or Emma would try that though, and all in all this was perhaps the oddest set of people he had been paired up with so far. So much he started to see the humour of it, and maybe he should just try to enjoy this mission and being in the company of someone as innocent as Skippy.

 

[Dragongal]

"I can take the whole night, actually. I don't need to sleep often. Good bloodline," Emmalia said. She'd added the last part as explanation. The only thing she had to worry about was getting bored, and she usually didn't have that problem. It helped in her occupation to rarely need sleep. Of course, they didn't know her true occupation.

 

[InsanEleven]

"I'll probably be awake early anyway, just giving you a heads up." Sorano didn't quite trust her not to fall asleep either, though that had more to do with his experience than with her personally. Too easy to get screwed over by someone promising to keep watch and then stabbing you in the back or falling asleep on accident. That, and sleep wasn't quite his friend, though it could be worse... the other had nearly permanent nightmares. He could still sleep a decent few hours before the dreams kicked in, but the other was tormented the moment he closed his eyes. He liked to believe it was because he had a stronger will and mind, but he knew it was actually because the other simply had taken the blunt of the bad things. Easier not to sleep if you have seen worse things.

 

[Luminescent]

When Sorano called her Xal it almost threw her off guard. She was used to being called Skippy. "If you need, I can take a shift, but since you are so imminent on taking the whole night, go for it." She smiled, and laid back against the tree. She had packed a small, thin blanket, which she pulled up to her chin and closed her eyes.


She wasn't planning on sleeping up against a tree, but it was comfortable. She laid thinking about the adventures to come, trying to scare herself out of it, but instead, a small smile crept up her cheeks. She didn't know if a small part of her really didn't want to do this, but she wasn't backing down.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia nodded and climbed the tree she'd been sitting under, taking out her dagger and breaking off a branch, then slowly, methodically starting to carve into it. Her plan was to end with a dogwood flower. She was skilled at carving, thanks to a few years of practice, and she knew she was capable. After a dogwood flower, she'd see where her imagination took her.

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano put his hood up over his face, and pulled his scarf up, covering most of his face. Quietly he stared into the fire, watching Skippy fall asleep in his peripheral vision. As the night got colder and the fire died down to red embers he wrapped his cloak about him and laid his head on his knees and arms, hiding his face completely. He was going to fall asleep, of that much he was sure, but he didn't want Emma to see his face. This was why he hated being with people, they'd see things they weren't supposed to. It would always happen, mostly because he was the one that couldn't truly hide it fully.

 

[Dragongal]

Emmalia stayed in her tree, enjoying her little respite, listening to the sounds of the nocturnal creatures as the shifted about. She only came down to add wood to the fire, before climbing back into her tree. When the sun came, she sighed, wishing the peaceful night would have stayed longer. Food was what her allies needed in the mornings - yes? Yes. She got out of her tree and worked on making some simple pancakes and tea as the sun rose, the sky tinting pink before the actual light hit anything. When the sun was fully risen she'd finished cooking to food and brewing the tea, and nudged Sorano with her boot. "Morning." She waled over to Skippy and gently shook her shoulder a bit. "It's morning. I made breakfast."

 

[InsanEleven]

Sorano hadn't really been that deep asleep, not allowing himself to sink too far away. Every hour or so he'd woken up for a second before the deep sleep settled in, making it so he didn't quite lose his surroundings. It wasn't a risk he wanted to take, not with Skippy around, it wouldn't look good to have a nightmare on day one.


"Ah morning. Yes, breakfast, I could go for that." He said while getting up and stretching his muscles and limbs, making sure they were all nice and supple before he'd start doing anything intensive. "So, today should be the day we find that lost mail carriage, can't wait to see what could be so important a Lord would send a silent sword-maiden, a deranged wanderer and a skippy girl after it." He said it with a slightly evil smile, and winked at Skippy as he basically insulted himself and Emma. It was mostly to take the edge off of things, if she was as naive as she appeared to be he was sure she'd be fairly nervous, if not outright scared at this point.

 

[Dragongal]

"Silent sword-maiden, huh? I kind of like that. Of course, my shortsword's a secondary weapon to my lion gauntlet. Still, sounds pretty. Now, eat, before it gets cold." Emmalia didn't eat any of the food she'd prepared; she didn't need it. Good bloodline, as was her excuse for almost all of her oddities.

 

[Luminescent]

Xal awoke to Emmalia shaking her awake. "Breakfast? Sounds perfect right now." She had fallen asleep against the tree, and because of it had a small lump on the back of her head from the rough bark. "Ouch..." She sat on a log next to the fire pit and scarfed down the breakfast Emmalia had made. "So what's the plan for today?" She said as she took another bite.

 

[InsanEleven]

"Not dying, that's a first." Sorano said as he took the food and ate it, noticing that Emmalia didn't eat. Not sleeping, not eating, that was odd and he didn't believe her explanation of good blood one bit. Besides, what was good blood anyway? He very much doubted she was bred like a horse, and if she had been even horses needed to eat and sleep. But for now he'd let it be, he couldn't really put in the effort of doubting her while he tried to keep Skippy alive. And, for all he knew he would move on after this mission anyway. "Once we got that down I suggest we find that mail carriage and get whatever important thing it is what the lord needs, then get the hell out of there and go back."