~*~* Chronicles Of The Rift *~*~ Starts {Closed RPG} {Mature}

[Plantae]

= Bananas, Busybodies, and Bob-lions Beyond =

The question that plagued everyone's mind would always and ever be, "What are Da's dispositions?" In some country, far away, in the midst of sweeping a filthy, dirty, foul doormat, a housemaid would say, "What are Da's dispositions to cleaning?" And over here and there, sprinkled children would giggle and go, "Wha's Da's dispozishins to puppies?" In his lair in the mountains a dragon would hum quietly to himself, "Thou art Da, and what be thee's dispositions to a maiden marriage by my hand?" Everyone always wondered about Da. Because they all loved Da. In her current dreamscape, that is: next time she might be the tyrant, ruling with an iron fist and forcing them by fear to call her "Princess." This was coincidentally unfit, being that she would have been more properly queen if she was the only ruler... but it was the principle of the thing to her. In truth, she might not have been dreaming in the least. In all verity, she might have been insane really, and the workings of her mind could probably be likened to a gorilla learning sign language. Everyone knew she knew the concepts they knew. But no matter how it was done or what was done or wherefore it was done, the sign she would make most was going to be "banana," even if you did not want it to be.

So in short, what Da did when she sat on the barstool and attempted to make it spin but found that, being a sturdy chair, and not a swivel chair, it would not do so- when she wanted refund for a drink she hadn't had and bid the bartender he retrieve her some proper gin despite his insistence he hadn't any- could be called, quite frankly, "banana-ing." And when after she proceeded to grumble to herself about the likened interest of Loki and Adalia, and to titter nasty things, it was her gesticulating that horrible sustenance request yet again. Banana this, banana that, banana "I want vittles," and the dread banana wuh-in-'t-'ell-en'ertain-me-I-be-bore'd-pay-attention-to-me. The last operation was carried out through a series of insults, awkward stares in some inappropriate direction, interruptions in conversation, and insistence that several certain someones looked fat in those pants "uh-hum." None of this actually resulted in anyone giving her the bana- attention she deserved, but it had been worth a try, in the least.

As if it were some disorder, or as if she wanted it to give that vibe, at least, she trundled down to market with her handbag in hand as it did go. She swung it fitfully, not surprised at the few muffled "ouch" sounds that murmured forth in her wake as she tore through the paved road with a sadistic pendulum motion. The handbag went like a brick back and forth, steadily but not, with certain per force of her randomly changing the speed as to catch the persons she passed off guard. The civilian that dodged was hit when his reflexes responded to the slightly slower speed of the past attempt and might have been miffed to by her battery of sashes or by the intentional battery of her makeshift cudgel's fury. This little piggy went to market and caused several large bruises and many cases of disfigured pride as well as one case of black eye and three cases of, "You crazy human hag!" Well, one of those flung "insults" (as she had only made the uncomfortable situation more so by saying "good one" and chuckling as she passed) had contained several curse words too, but she would bear not to repeat them in her mind.

It might be theorized her head was rather blank at that moment. It might be a correct assumption. Or she could have been thinking about any manner of ideas. Evil ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones... but mostly tricksy ones. Nuts and wing nuts and right nuts and square nuts; she was the mixed nut bowl. This meant not that she was various, but that she was, "Ew, do you know how many people do not wash their hands in the bathroom and then eat out of that dish?" Or so any of her peers were more than apt to describe her, surely. Perhaps it would not be reserved to say that Da might even dislike herself, oddball as she was and without self esteem... but psychoanalysis did what snails do with salt when it met with her immense possible myriad of problems. Maybe that was, ever and after all, the best way to illicit her etiquette and her demeanor. Da was possible, plausible, and worked in theory. But when put to the test, it was to question whether or not such a hobbling being could really and truly exist and breathe and not forget to do so and keel over suddenly as it pawed ever-upward with its open mouth; Da had sipped the fresh air. She'd certainly had never drank it as heavily as she did alcohol. That is, as she did when she "lovingly" tipped up the cask and drained it with a belch and a frumpy grin.

Even in her stumble and stagger, rough and tumble, dumb and dumber, drinking trip-trap-stride, it was clear each step was a little bit calculated. Only in the slightest, but enough that her following the two young-in's, Adalia and Loki, looked positively out of wariness rather than curiosity (at which the two were lucidly different). So was it mortifying how, when she did not want to be, she simply was not seen. They did not notice her stalking them behind. They couldn't for the life of them discern her, "just around the river bend," as it goes, and mildly gawking at that fetch game of theirs. She was of course, tragically in a state of utter tedium and the lack of even moderately bemusing situations, i.e. harmful towards others and simultaneously and in a scaling manner with equal applauding and guffawing on her part. She could be sadistic, in a way. In any case, who knows what she was pondering as she watched: it has been stated repeatedly how easy her thoughts were to read. Her eyes might have flashed with edge of caution, pause, knowing gaze, empathy, peaceful recognition, "happy for you" eye-beam, protection, or even with pinch-plain envy.

Then there came the Lion and she was entranced. She could not lift a finger, even if she was probably incapable of any real help anyway. So she just stood and muttered words to herself, her little jabs that the beast would never hear. She said, "It be a kitty that 'on't like a-share things. But 'e wants some power-um-diddly-dum. His ambition is worse than his bite. I sees me betrayal with this 'un." Then she added, almost as an afterthought, "And 'e's nobbut some dangerous, um-yeh." Nothing she said entirely fit the creature. In a shimmer he vanished and all that was there to show his mark was the blood left. An' the wounds and the dirt/air moved and the black hair and the... well, he was gone.

She toddled back through the alleyways. Even though she moved as if she were a rock on ant's legs, she knew she would get there first if she wanted. She was lucky that way.

=====

[Hyperness is a Good Thing]

*had a lot of fun reading Plantae’s post..* very entertaining ^_^
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[font=tw cen mt]
[color=#ff99cc] Adayn K’chel

The sun had already reached its zenith and started descending by the time they finally left the inn. It was odd, most of the company seemed subdued and silent. Adayn wasn’t sure what to make of it, but shrugged it off. Being a comparative newcomer, she didn’t know the actual dynamics of this motley crew.

Loki and Adalia seemed to have bonded extremely well, she noted with more than a little amusement, but shrugged. Ah, young love, she sighed to herself, forgetting that “Adalia” was older than she was in their “real” lives.

She walked a little away from the rest of the group, still feeling rather like the odd one out. Sure, there were other oddities, like that woman named “Da” as far as she could gather, and the three guys stuck together like glue, well.. she was still bewildered she guessed.

Not paying attention as they walked, Adayn was surprised when they suddenly came to what looked like a very overgrown forest of trees and shrubs. Listening to bits and pieces of the conversation around her vaguely, she realised that they had to make their way through.

“I’ll go first if you all don’t mind,” she volunteered, unsheathing her two knifes. Some looked as if they would begin to object, but she just went ahead, her knives slicing smoothly through the shrubbery, clearing the path steadily. She made sure to cut away thorny, low hanging branches so that no one would walk into them. There was an old, barely noticeable path beneath her feet, but it twisted, turned and branched so often that it was hard to follow it.

Sweat started to trail off her, even though they were mostly in the shade, thanks to the tall trees. The sun was slowly sinking lower and lower, and Adayn was worried that they might not make it to their destination before nightfall. After some time of walking, someone, Dimitri, if she was correct said, “I think we've been here before...", his voice trailing off.

“Crap,” said Adayn, her eyes narrowing. She had just realised that as she had made markings on the things she had cut. Somehow, they had backtracked to where they had passed an hour ago. This was unusual, she had a very good head for directions, but this place had messed her up. She hated to admit defeat, but she had failed, and someone more capable should try. Scowling, she turned to face the rest. “What do we do now? Maybe someone else should take the lead.”

[Vulpix.ck87]

Back and revitalised after my week long Kefalonian sojourn! Hurrah! Writing writing always fun, especially when i want it to be ^_^

+Marxiach+

Tane’s amber eyes regarded Morrigan closely, scrutinising his split skin with warm-hearted concern. Raising his hand with cautious precision he gently dabbed at the slivers of caked blood, the little crimson crescents that marked the half knitted wounds upon Morrigan’s peach-white skin. The pale hemp material Tane was using as a cloth came away marred with the rust-brown colour of dried blood, and Morrigan instantly looked fresher. He had winced a little as the disinfectant had met the open cuts (a feeble mixture half implemented by herbs and alcohol (not all of which went towards the solution), and the other half consisting of some squiffy looking TCP cream which the three men had found down a dark market alley.), but now he only seemed to take it in his stride - he knew that every sting and fleeting flinch of pain was healing, and saw himself on the road to recovery. He was getting better, yes, Marx reflected, casting his one dark eye fondly over Morrigan’s familiar features, and yet.. he was still rather subdued. Marxiach therefore had to wonder whether he was the only one with ‘mental problems’. There was something going on under the surface, for sure.

So Marx wouldn’t make light of the situation - he made himself certain of that - and neither would Tane, even as he put aside the cloth and kissed Morrigan’s forehead tenderly, before reaching over to poke the nuzzled tip of Marx’s nose playfully. Instead of fooling, Marx sunk his face blissfully under Tane’s open fingers, letting them cover his closed eyes, and he tenderly and repeatedly kissed the soft surface of the palm underneath. No, Tane’s just making things easier for Morrigan, and for me too, Marx thought, the stirrings of happiness a welcome disturbance in his usually stolid mind. He’s making things comfortable and safe, so that when we choose to talk.. we can do so openly. With trust.. we know that we will only be received with the utmost love and kindness.

Finally, the three feeling at peace with each other and the world, Morrigan stood up, twining his hand sensuously into Tane’s free grip and tugging him out of the room. As Tane hop-staggered after him, his fingers traced paths down Marx’s face before his hand fully slipped away. Woken from the peaceful daze, Marx’s eyes opened slowly, and he rose to his feet only to drift softly after the two.

Outside the group were ready and stood together, united, waiting to go forward as comrades. Yet Marx noticed certain isolated groups - the niches they had all fallen into oh-so-quickly. Ryien and Adonis’s close relationship had been there since the first day; Nonsensical Da, the malicious mouse and the beauteous gin were clearly the best of friends; Marx himself and his two good man friends - the three stood close together, casually less snugglesome than they were in private - were obviously drawn together by deep bonds already formed. And yet alliances were shifting already as well: new members joined everyday it seemed, and whilst Zeal stood quite detached now, Adalia hugged suspiciously close to the young Loki. Marx smiled to himself, only just really realising what had been going on before. He had barely considered Adalia’s affections for Zeal, but it seemed well that they now rested upon someone more fitting, of her own age. Marx didn’t normally reserve time to delve into matters of this nature, often being busy in the midst of travel and battle and men and the like, but of course such things didn’t really require his input. Marx naturally specialized in other areas.

Unfortunately, maze navigation was not one of them. The dancing girl led on, knives twirling like a hedge trimmer through the foliage. Now and then, coming across a hefty birch or thick bramble, Marx and various others were recruited to aid with the hacking. When Adayn tired people took over, but soon she was rested and back - her determination and stamina were an honest credit to her. Yet as the sunlight dimmed, so did conversation. The endless paths and wall-like plant life had a hypnotic and somewhat lucid effect on the party. They hadn’t really got anywhere despite hours of determined walking, and though no-one had mentioned it, they all knew it was fact. Discouragement infected the ranks like a virus..

“Ugh.” Said Da, out of the blue, putting everyone on tenterhooks; Marx for one winced, thoroughly hoping that another ‘vittles’ campaign was not about to start. Having passed the same sinister pine tree four times (the one shaped like a flailing giraffe), the group finally stumbled to a stop in unanimous motion, travel weary and explicably peeved. The current leader chose to speak for them all, and she couldn‘t have put it better.

“Crap,” She remarked. Marx found this an accurate summary of their situation, yet despite the sheer frustrating nature of it all he found himself chuckling softly, breaking his silent respite. Adayn pointedly took no notice of him, choosing to be practical. “What do we do now? Maybe someone else should take the lead.”

Marx cocked an amused eyebrow at her, “Well..” he spoke more gruffly than intended - his voice out of use after the many silent hours - and she scowled at him. His crooked grin only widened, but his visible eye was soft and friendly.

“No,” he said in a response to her scowl. He didn’t mean what she thought ‘Well..’ meant. “I don’t think it’s your fault.” He spoke truthfully. “There’s another possible reason. I think we might actually be in the Forest Temple’s perimeter-”

“-have been for the last few hours, actually..” Muttered Tane.

“Right.” Said Marx. “And this is part of the challenge. A test. Like the others. So I suppose just traipsing around isn't enough, however skilled the traipsing is..” He shut up as Ryien glared at him.

"Why didn't you raise this point earlier?" She growled, but Marx met her glare with an easy look. Morrigan's quiet voice mumbled something up beside him.

“Feh." He blinked. "I think I prefered the golems and the harpies.” He said, then reconsidered at the sight of his own arm. “Or not, maybe this is better.” He squinted at the thick forestry around him. “But bother and blast, how are we meant to get anywhere?”

“Well for a start, maybe we could leave some kind of trail.” Zeal spoke up. “It’d keep us from following our own footsteps.” He said, shrugging. Adalia could hardly contain her own childish nature.

“Like breadcrumbs, ha!” She piped up, giggling. Zeal gave her a disgruntled look, and threw his arms up.

“Fine, whatever, you guys figure something out.” He grumbled, and backed away to the outskirts of our discussion circle. Adalia blinked and looked speechless. She clearly hadn’t been saying it to offend him, or make his idea sound stupid.

“Summun ent alf bein’ a mardy get t'night,” Da remarked loudly, swivelling a beady eye in Zeal’s stormy direction. “Gotta bit of’a monk on, ‘as he?” Everyone peered quietly after him as he came to a stop some 15 metres away, and remained pointedly faced away from them. Curious and perturbed, the group unashamedly stared at Zeal’s back (which was emanating mass amounts of sulkiness), and hence completely forgot the topic at hand until Loki broke the silence with an inspired idea.

“What about that bird? Maybe he can go scout for us before the light fades and point us in the right direction.” He suggested brightly. The look on Morrigan’s face was one of complete amusement and jest, and he chortled loudly.

“Who, this feathered lout? Heh heh, that’s a good one.” He chuckled, but Loki’s expression remained firm and believing. In light of young boy’s faith, Morrigan’s amusement faltered, and his expression stumbled.

“I-I.. suppose it’s worth a try..” he muttered, and all of a sudden he had the full attention of the group. They watched with anticipation as Morrigan reluctantly prodded the raven that stood on his head. It didn’t caw or croak, but it did open its beak with apparent intention, and Morrigan hastily withdrew his finger. Picking up the slack though there came several other members of the group, who all took it as their duty to roust the avian into heroic conduct. As the masses joined in, poking the raven, Morrigan grew increasingly nervous beneath Fiachra’s mounting agitation.

“Hey, shift.” Said Adayn, nudging the albino beast, and Adalia reached up to try and lure the raven into stepping onto her hand, the only result being Fiachra digging his talons in further. He shuffled and cawed angrily at them.

“Now now,” Morrigan muttered, “Don’t agitate him..”

Morrigan’s anxiety was earnest enough though, as the group found out when Da came leering towards the bird with a gaggle of gleaming knitting needles in her paw - Fiachra squawed loudly and angrily, and pulled out a large tuft of Morrigan’s hair.

“AH AH!” Morrigan yelled as the vole sized clump of hair fell to the floor dejectedly. “Get AWAY, all of you!” He said, shooing the rest of the party away from him. “And you!” he cried to the thing on his head, his eyes rolling upwards in rage. “Bugger off and make yourself useful!” He growled, and swatted the reluctant pest from his tousled, balding bonnet.

“I command you to go see which direction the temple lies in and report back to me!” Morrigan ordered in his rage, and the heathen turkey took off, an ambiguous look about its beak. Obviously doubtful about the reliability and speed of the bird (which was wise), Morrigan sat down grumbling to nurse his scalp; the rest of the group only proceeded to stand around looking hopeless and somewhat forlorn within the dense forestry. Loki still looked hopeful, clearly unenlightened as to the bird’s somewhat nasty sense of avian humour and generally unhelpful temperament. Marxiach couldn’t help but smile though at the inevitable scowl upon Morrigan’s face as Tane pulled out a Da knitted hat to cover the bald spot on Morrigan’s scorned scalp, tugging the gaggably purled garment down past his ears. Marx and Tane exchanged a meaningful look above the unawares and sulky Morrigan. He did indeed look oddly dashing with that little knitted cap resting on his barnet..

Time passed inevitably, and Fiachra seemingly made no effort to return quickly. As the others grew steadily bored - sighing, twitching, cooking meals and whatnot - Marx settled down for a sincere wait. Wisely, he chose to ignore the peeved mouse that flew by his head, narrowly missing his earlobe. Of all of the company, Da’s boredom was by far the worst.

=========


WHERE ARE MY FELLOW MAN WHORES?! Post Weasel!

Edit: Sigh.. Just realised we could've sent the gryphon to scout ¬_¬;; I suppose desperation puts all the obvious answers out of mind. Oh well, atleast we got beats on Morrigan.

[ChobiChibi]

~Loki Kinoshita~
~Back tracking~

As they waited for Morrigan’s bird to return, Loki had decided to spend his free time with his head resting wearily on Adalia’s lap, staring up at the trees above. Unable to fall asleep due to the paranoia of a certain black-maned Lion coming to get him, he took his time reflecting upon what had happened earlier in the day.

After Adalia had asked him to be her boyfriend, he had rather inconveniently collapsed; his body unable to support itself even with her help. Fortunately for him, he fell into the open doorway of the Inn. One receptionist screamed, shocked at just how much he had been injured, whereas the second calmly took a blanket and placed it over him.

“Loki…” He noticed a change in the amount of light. Adalia was leaning over him. “Loki… Wake up. Please wake up.” Her gentle hand gripped his shoulder lightly, shaking him back and forth and becoming more violent in her desperation.

“Adalia… That hurts.” He managed to say once he’d got enough energy. She stopped suddenly, tilting her head so it was almost level with his.

“Can you get up?” She asked, her hair tickling his arm as she moved back. He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do…” She whimpered, burying her head in her hands.

Slowly, he reached out to her and caught hold of her wrist. She moved her hands away, her face stained with tears. “Just get my clothes and bring them down.” She nodded with his instruction. “And my sword! Don’t forget my sword.” She got up and dashed towards the stairs. “And Adalia…” Her footsteps stopped. “My answer is yes, so long as I can call you my girlfriend.”

She returned with the bundle of his clothes and, most importantly, his sword. “Loki… I’m back… You’ve fallen asleep…”

“No, I’m just resting my eyes.”

“Now what? You can’t get up.” Her cheeks turned a warm shade of grey.

“Dress me.”

“W-what?” Her eyes widened in shock, her face turning a darker grey at such a suggestion. “But you’re… You have…”

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” He smirked, watching her gaze instantly dart away from ‘that area’.

So that was about it, Loki concluded in his head. Adalia had dressed him, attempting not to catch any glimpses of anything she didn’t wish to see; they’d decided to leave for the next temple; he had slept for the whole journey there and now they were waiting for the bird to return.

His ears twitched as he caught a new sound in his ears. His tail swung back and forth happily as he recognised the tune Adalia was humming. “You liked the song?”

“No.” She replied. Loki’s ears drooped and his heart sank. “I loved it.”

His little heart skipped a beat at her words. He rolled over to face her, his head still in her lap. His eyes widened as he stopped, realising just what he was looking at. He froze, closing his eyes firmly shut.

“Adalia… Would you sit up a bit?” He asked sheepishly, allowing his un-bruised eye to open and snap closed quickly. “Please?” He added.

“Why? I’m comfy like this, aren’t you?” She sounded a little disappointed, he noticed.

“I am in a very comfortable position…” He felt his cheeks warm as he realised what he had said. PERVERT! Becki screamed at him. “But that’s not the point! It’s just your… My head… Your…”

She chuckled lightly. “What are you talking about?”

“My head and face… They’re very close to your… Boo-” He stopped himself. That was such an immature word to use. “I’m very close to your brea-” Again, he stopped before he finished the word. He sighed before swallowing hard. “Boobs! My face is very close to your boobies!”

Feet stopped, heads turned. Adalia sat bolt upright, shrieking as quietly as physically possible for a girl (it could be heard from quite a distance away). Loki rolled back onto his back, blushing feverously. He tugged at his shirt, pulling it up over his head so it became lose from his wrap and buried himself in it. His theory was quite simple: I can’t see you, therefore you can’t see me!

[Roy Karrde]

[color=pink] Adalia
[color=pink]~*~*~*~*~ Shocked ~*~*~*~*~

[color=pink]”Loki it’s okay to come out now.” I gave a childish giggle and walked around Loki who had his shirt held up over his face for a little too long. What was the problem with seeing a boob? All girls had boobs, Kalah did, Adayn did, and all of them did. I did too but I was still trying to get used to them, and still a bit jealous that I didn’t look as magnificent as Kalah, but that was beside the point.

“We really need to go.” Morrigan piped up, his bird returning and perching on his shoulder. There was something different about him, like how his mouth and nose looked a bit more yellow than usual, and how his feathers seemed more real.

I gave a quick sigh through my nose and approached Loki. “Time to go.” I smiled, letting the go linger as my fingers danced across his stomach, hitting the ticklish spots. Immediately the shirt dropped as Loki was thrown into a fit of laughter. “See that’s better.” My words trailed off as I noticed how Loki was now sporting whiskers along with fur on his cheeks.

Shrugging it off, and too worried to make a scene by asking what was wrong, we continued on, each step becoming more and more weird. Matt would sniff the air, whiskers sprouting from his own nose as we walked. Morrigan’s mouth seemed to push out more and more and became more bird like. None of them seemed to want to be bothered, almost as if they were hunting for something.

We turned another corner and both Loki and Matt hit the ground, pressing their cat ears against it, before sniffing the ground and rising back to their feet. Fur had crept up Loki’s shirt and down the sides of his arms, his tail swishing wildly as if he were expecting something. “Are you alright?” I asked as we resumed our pace.

The group came to a halt a few steps later; all of the half-breeds turned and glanced at me with their feral eyes. “Why is something wrong?” Loki growled, acting completely different than he ever had.

“You just look different.” I replied, Loki took one step forward; his eyes narrowing into a glare as I took one-step back, finding me pushed against the bushes of the maze.

“What is wrong with the way we look?” Matt asked, snapping in anger. “You guys have always hated us because we look different.” He added shifting his gaze to the other humans as we all looked around in shock.

I began to retort, telling him he was completely wrong, only to have hands pull me out of the way. When I turned back I found Loki tumbling into the spot that I once stood, hissing wildly with claws outstretched. “Run.” Tane yelled by myside, I silently thanked her for saving me as the five of us took off running.

Behind us Matt yelled something, that sounded more like a growl than anything else. This was followed with the sounds of feet hitting the ground as the members of our group gave chase. “Something’s wrong with this place, something is happening to them.” Marx spoke up as we rounded a corner.

They were obviously faster than us and stronger, that small head start would evaporate within seconds. Da seemed to recognize this with a glance over her shoulder and then looked over at me. I gave a helpless shrug not knowing what to do. Almost as if it were the hand of god, a invisible wall suddenly sprang up between us and the half-breeds. We all skidded to a stop looking around in shock at this new development. “Well what are ye waiting for? MOVE!” Da commanded, fleeing with a look of complete cowardice. As the barrier began to shimmer and fade with every pound and scratch by the half-breeds.

“But Loki.” I complained, taking a step toward him and away from the others who were already racing away. I couldn’t leave him like this, I couldn’t let him become some animal.

One more pound on the barrier and it faded away into nothingness, several of the half-breeds ran past me, while Loki pounced on me sending me falling to the ground under his weight. My heart raced as sweat and fear trickled down my face. “Loki.” I whispered, as he roared on top of me, his attention turned back and with teeth bared, he came down about to make the killing strike.

[Dr.McNinja]

"You see?", purred Dimitri as he sprinted next to the fleeing humans, his half-breed structure allowing him to easily match their pace, "You see the power that the Seals possess? You see what they are capable of unleashing? Silly humans, so easily swayed...so eaily defeated..."

He was fighting against his animal instincts, fighting against the drive to lash out against the pathetic humans, the soft and fleshy beings who had so long felt superior to the half-breeds. It was only the cautious and sly nature of his fox half, as opposed to the predatory one's of Matt and Loki, that had allowed him to hold back for this long. His control was slipping however, and more than once he had crouched to begin a spring onto the nearest human only to fight back to resuming his pursuit.

Not gonna last much longer...gotta stop somehow

A trembling hand shot into Dimitri's cloak, fumbling through the myriad objects stored inside until the familiar rippling feel of his tarot deck stayed his searching. Hoping agianst hope that his fumbling and raging mind was not clouding his thoughts, he counted rapidly and pulled one of the cards from the deck. Catching a glimpse of the shimmering angel and pouring cups, Dimitri sighed in relief. Rubbing the card briefly between his fingers, a soft glow emerging from it, he quickly held it above his head. Accompanied by the sound of a babbling brook, a golden light flowed from the card like water, dousing Dimitri in its shining brilliance. Almost immedietly, the half-fox slowed and stopped, a look of peace replacing the one of frenzied desire that had been present on his face before. Smiling gratefully, Dimitri replaced the Temperance card in his deck, its mental healing powers drained for the moment. Turning in quick circle to get an idea of what was transpiring, the halfbreed suddenly spotted Adalia go down, Loki atop her ready to tear out her throat. With a cry of, "NO! CONTROL YOURSELF!!", Dimitri began to run for the two, knowing immedietly that he wouldn't make it in nearly enough time to stop the girl's murder.

[ChobiChibi]

~Loki Kinoshita~

Rage consumed Loki’s most inner thoughts and feelings, pushing aside all logical thought. A rush of achievement washed over him as he pinned the girl, his prey. With his teeth bared, he growled fiercely, saliva dripping from his mouth.

“Loki…” The girl whispered, wincing as his claws dug into her shoulders.

A drop of guilt splashed inside him, unable to douse the fiery rage. “Don’t call me that! You don’t know me!” He roared, his command inaudible to human ears. He felt her cringe under his grip as his attention turned back to her.

“No! Control yourself!” A familiar voice yelled in desperation as he raised his arm, sharp claws glinting as they caught the light. Who was he to tell him what to do? This was his prey, his prize. She opened her eyes at this new voice, looking him directly in the eyes. They pleaded to him, telling him to stop.

As his claw made its decent, she screamed his name and for a split second he saw the world in its full technicolour glory. Her eyes… He finally saw the colour of her eyes. They shimmered a beautiful hazel, tainted only by fear. As the world turned back to greyscale, a small gasp escaped his mouth as he realised what he was doing. His hand slammed down upon the ground by her head.

“Loki?” Adalia questioned, her shy voice coming through softly. His hair obscured his eyes as his head hung in shame. “Are you okay?”

The little boy made no reply; he instead focused on his harsh and criticizing thoughts, making no effort to move from his dominating position over her.

“How could you do that? You were going to kill her. He was right. You are an animal. You will always be an animal, never human.” It argued, bringing his worst fears into realisation. “But worst of all, you enjoyed it.”

He trembled, tears welling up in his eyes, dripping onto Adalia’s cheek and sliding down into her hair. Her hand brushed his cheek gently. “It’s okay… You didn’t hurt me.” She said in an attempt to comfort him.

“I was going to…” He left his words hanging as he got up off of her and moved away, sitting with his knees drawn up to his face.

Adalia sat up slowly, wincing in pain where Loki’s claws had dug into her shoulders. She crawled over to him.

“Careful, Adalia, he may still have those animal instincts…” Dimitri warned.

This only seemed to make her more determined to join him. “It’s okay, I still trust you. You’re not an animal…”

“But I was!” He snapped, coming out from hiding. Seeing that she was upset, he soon went back to his defensive position. “I was this blood thirsty animal that wanted to hunt and kill… I couldn’t even remember who you were! It’s just like the Lion had said… I am a full breed… I should just go before I do any more damage…”

He rose to his feet, losing his excess fur from his face, arms and chest. As he turned to leave, Adalia caught hold of his wrist. She gripped it tight, making it clear that she wasn’t finished yet.

“How can you say that? You may be a half breed but you’re also Loki! You’re my Loki. A guy that is sweet and nice and got the birds to sing for me. A guy that hugged me while I slept, and that gave me my first kiss as a girl! If you leave I am going with you and that’s that.” She tugged on his arm as he tried to move away. “Why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove?”

“I’m scared!” He snapped again. He sighed, his back leaning against the maze. “I’m scared that someone will hurt you and that I won’t be able to stop them… And I’m very scared that it will be me…”

[Weasel Overlord]

[color=#c2cae7]|| Morrigan Broin Irven Macha || Avatar of the Celtic Goddess Morrigan ||
join the masquerade
[u]or
you set my soul alight

[color=#c2cae7]Wincing away from the tender ministrations of my medics, I had grimaced as Tane plucked the last of the shards from my tender flesh and dropped it onto the ground in disdain. I had never thought that bits of rock could hurt so much, but now that my face was shard-free I was finally happy and in the company of my favourite two people.

It had taken us a very long time to finally fight our way through the maze, and when we finally reached the end I was once again subjected to being poked and prodded as everyone gathered around me and that bird. The knitted cap had been jammed on my poor head and I was left to sulk on the floor, awaiting Fiachra’s return. - If he ever thought fit to return, something which I wanted to doubt, but he enjoyed tormenting me too much.

He seemed to enjoy lodging on my head, finding his own nutrition and alternatively clawing, pecking and scratching me for entertainment.

As we padded closer to the temple, through the trees, something strange was in the air and my skin started to feel…on edge. My teeth chattered slightly with an unseen force which tugged and pulled at my very being. Strange voices, feminine and familiar whispered in my mind. They whispered corrupting misgivings, persuasive but rotten to the core.

Swaying with the force of the now-powerful winds, I almost clawed at my brain in an effort to dislodge the steadily-more-attractive voices as they eddied and swirled about my tortured thoughts.

you are superior to them they hissed. Malevolence oozed from them, but I was forced to listen, and even to agree, though I would never have thought such things before.

It was true, though. I was more powerful than them. Marx, why he was nothing but a big dumb warrior, and Tane was too shy and diffident to be of any use to anyone. I uttered a short, sharp laugh that rang harsh in my ears.

Something was different. And it felt good! Those two, why, their only reason for being here was to be mine. For they were mine, and I could do with them what I wished…

But there was still a part of me that yearned for the gentle, loving side that seemed to be slipping out of my grasp. I was…changing. And I couldn’t stop it… and my humanity slipped away, finally and inexorably into the distance.

And I was free!

A scream, and I felt my arms lengthen into wings, glorious feathers glimmering white in the early sunlight. Flapping once, experimentally, I felt the wind’s pull beneath strong muscles as it buoyed me upwards, far from the ground and the pitiful humans who crawled on it.

The voices had been right - I was better than them. All us half-breeds were, and this temple was the place where our true potential finally showed. We could finally throw off the shackles of our humanity and roam the Rift free and unhindered my thoughts of morals. The word was bitter in my mind, and I shook off my contempt in the skies, diving once, steep, to land on the ground, in front of my dears Marxiach and Tane.

Oh, how my contempt dripped from my beak, vicious and pointed as it was. The shock in their eyes was mirrored by every other human in out little party as the ‘half-breeds’ battered down the invisible barrier between us.

I could see that they felt the same joy and rage as coursed through my veins, and I screamed once more, my voice echoing with a female timbre which had grown too familiar in the last few days.

A moment later and my leap had carried me to Tane once more, and, buoyed by the extra power behind my wings I knocked him down before he could protest, seeing the pain reflected in his eyes and rejoicing in it. Digging in my claws, I drove him into the packed soil before leaping off and powering towards Marx.

He watched me approach with wary eyes, gripping his sword tightly, as if willing the nightmare to go away.

“What’s the matter, human? Don’t you like seeing me this way?” I hissed at him, wings fluttering with emotions and my mouth spread into a grin at the look on his face. He took a breath, closed his eye and stood up straight.

“I will not fight you, Morr.” he stated, simply, yet it aggravated me beyond all control, and I sprang, unable to control the raging wildness that roiled beneath the surface.

All claws, wings and flying feathers, I landed square in Marx’s chest, knocking him flat to the ground as I had with Tane. Digging in talons cruelly, I hissed in his face, but he just turned away, eye closed, refusing to look at me, refusing to give me the pleasure of seeing him suffer!

I clicked my beak in anger, digging in my claws further, hoping to provoke a reaction.

But still none! Aggravating human.

“This is not you, Morr.” His quiet tone simply refused to rise to my bait, though the blood was flowing from various cuts and scrapes inflicted by my talons.

His chest heaved in a big sigh, and before I knew it his hands had snapped up, grasped my wrists and flung me to the ground in a reversal of the move I pulled on him.

Kneeling on my chest, he held my feather-coated wrist hard to the ground, never letting up before lowering his face to whisper in my ear.

“You aren’t the only one with power, you know…” He purred, his lustrous tone arousing oh-so-familiar feelings, deep within and supposedly buried.

“I could hold you here all day with no effort…How d’ya like that, bird-boy?” I struggled and flapped, screeching my anger until I could struggle no more and my throat was raw with the unearthly noise I’d been making.

Marx just held me tighter, denting the earth with the strength of his grip until my shaking ceased and my feathers melted away...

[color=#c2cae7]Blinking, I felt my old self slide back in, as if it had never been away. And yet, here I was, Marxy knelt on my chest, looking upset, Tane lay off to on side bleeding fairly badly, just… like…Marxy…

“Oh god, what did I do?” I whispered. Memories flooded back as if someone had opened floodgates in my mind Every single cut I had inflicted came back to haunt me, and I looked in Marx’s eye, saw the pain there, and tears began to flow down my cheeks.

My body quaked under the grasp of Marx, and quivering with guilt and shame, I turned my face aside and tried to shake him off me. My whole body felt drained, and my efforts just weren’t enough to dislodge him. I turned back, glaring at him as he smiled gently.

“You aren’t going anywhere.” He grinned. “You’ve caused quite enough damage for one day, and besides. there’s punishment to mete out…” His voice lowered to that growly tone which sent those delicious shivers down my spine and I gave up my struggles happily.

“I’m so sorry…” I whispered, before Marx placed his finger on my lips.

“Sshh.” Tracing his hand down my cheek, he leant close.

“It’s my turn now…” He purred. “And you aren’t going to get away with it that easily…”

[Roy Karrde]

[color=pink] Adalia
[color=pink]~*~*~*~*~ Scared ~*~*~*~*~

[color=pink]My arms reached around him as I grasped a hold of him with all the strength my body had. “If you’re leaving, then so am I.” I replied confidently, holding him and expecting a struggle that never came. Ever so slowly I let go of him as he turned around to face me.

“You mean it? You really want…me to stay?” He asked, tears dripping down his face.

“Yes because, I would miss you.” I replied, spinning around on one foot and looking off at the temple with a smile on my face, which quickly faded when I knew he couldn’t see me. “And so would Tony.” My arms began to shake, why couldn’t I say it? I had said it to a lot of girls, why did it mean so much now?

Loki’s arms reached around me, wrapping around my chest and holding me tight. I let out a sigh as tears began to rain from my cheeks also. “Don’t go because…” My voice cracked as I struggled to say it.

“I wont go.” Loki replied his voiced hushed as he drew me in ever closer to his chest.

I shook my head, that wasn’t what I was going to say, I wanted to say this, I had to say it, because it was how I felt. “Because I love you.” I closed my eyes, taking in his scent, his smell and loving every bit of it as he held me.

“You do?” He asked, his eyes wide in shock as he searched his mind and feelings for the correct response. “I guess I love you too, I mean I think I do, I..” I placed a finger against his mouth before he could continue on. He quickly silenced and I moved in, touching my lips to his. Loki drew in a breath of shock as his mouth began to move in a light kiss.

Not wanting to settle for just a small kiss, I took his arms and wrapped it around my waist before touching his face, my mouth opening and closing, moving faster and more frantic, until he finally pulled away. I let out a small moan of enjoyment and opened my eyes to see a small line of spit drawn between our two lips. “Having fun kids?” Dimitri spoke up, drawing a blush between Loki and I as we wiped our lips.

As the three of us walked and passed Morrigan and Marx who seemed to be holding each other, I was drawn close to a soft deep purr coming from Loki’s throat. “It seems that they are making sure neither is hurt.” I spoke to Loki, clinging to his side as we walked.

Loki in turn winced as he looked at Morrigan and Marx and continued into the temple. “Becki is saying some nasty things…forget it.” He shook his head as we caught up with the others inside of the temple that seemed to be covered in moss and thorns. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant but instead spotted Adayn and Kalah.

“Adayn! Kalah! Guess what?” I yelled out, rushing past Loki’s side and rushing forward to them, retelling them about the events that finally led up to Loki telling me that he loved me, all told in childish glee.

“That’s…great.” Adayn seemed to be at a loss for words, while Kalah shot a look of ‘you better not hurt her.’ In Loki’s direction.

“Guys down here.” Zeal spoke up, breaking the silence and sending us all in the direction of his voice. The tunnel led into a main room, just like the rock temple, only this one had a huge tree that towered high into the air, it’s limbs reaching down, and it’s roots covering the seal.

I sidestepped over to Loki who was eyeing the toy with his hand on his sword. “Hey Loki.” I whispered, turning his attention from the tree to me. “I have a idea that could help you in battle, but I will probably be defenseless when I use it, so could you stick close?” I asked. He gave me a quick nod before turning his attention back to the tree. After a second he reached out with his hand and intertwined his fingers with mine, punctuating the point that he would stay by my side.

“Who dare interrupt my sleep.” A deep voice echoed within our heads, sending all of us to our knees. “You seek my seal? Come and get it!” The voice roared as the ground, the limbs, even the very leaves came to life, all with the intention to kill us.

[Dr.McNinja]

Dimitri looked somwhat perturbed as a leaf came flying past his face, nearly slicing his nose off. Grabbing the offending foliage from the air, he crushed it happily between his fingers. Casually dodging a branch hurled like a spear from the great tree, Dimitri spoke up, "Perhaps we should take his advice?"

Seeing the determined faces of the rest of the group, Dimitri sighed heavily, "I suppose not, but I demand a moment of your time after we get through not dying here."

Ignoring the somewhat confused looks on the faces of a few of his new companions, they would understand soon enough, Dimitri ruffled through his Tarot Deck. The flurry of attacks coming from the Guardian of the Seal meant that this battle needed to end fast, or at least fast enough that he still had most of his limbs still attached. There was also the little problem of his Temperance fading before this battle was won. A finger alighted on a card and a tiny smile appeared on Dimitri's lips...that would do.

With a flourish, the demi-fox revealed a Tarot card bearing the image of a lion being tended to by an angel. Rubbing the card with his fingers, bringing to life a burning red glow, Dimitri slammed the card into his chest, releasing a spray of red light that turned on itself and surrounded him. Bursting outwards again almost immedietly, the light revealed......Dimitri. Seemingly unchanged, the demi-fox began to walk toward the towering tree, wondering somewhere deep inside if the others would also move to attack. Dismissing that thought, the great boulder flying through the air at him had caught his attention, Dimitri suddenly flung his hands up in a seemingly futile attempt at defense. A mighty thud reverberated as Dimitri simply...caught the giant rock in arms that were now covered in whisping red energy. With a mighty shout, the demi-fox flung the boulder back towards the great tree, grinning as it carroomed through the tree's branches, sending several crashing to the ground. The grin vanished however, as Dimitri was forced to dive to the ground in order to avoid a flurry of branches and razor-leaves that were suddenly very intent on him.

Yeah...now would be a good time everyone...

[Hyperness is a Good Thing]

A thousand apologies to Plantae if I portrayed Da wrongly

[size=11pt]_________________
[font=tw cen mt]
[color=#ff99cc] Adayn K’chel

Adayn was feeling rather confused, what with the halfbreeds going mad(but most were successfully restrained by their other halves, or in Morrigan's case, other..thirds?)... She was so busy mulling over the appropriate word for a part of a threesome when Ryan, no, Adalia came running up to tell her and Ryien that Loki had told her that he loved her...

“That’s…great,” she muttered absently, not to sure what to say, still contemplating the threesome question. Finally she decided that one day, when they were at leisure, with no one trying to hurt or kill them, she would disturb them from their little world for a little while just to ask. It couldn’t hurt.

While all this was going on in her mind, the fox-guy… no, Dimitri, a voice admonished her, Dimitri was doing something with the tree….

She suddenly heard a yelled warning, and on reflex, backflipped, and a huge, lethal looking branch fell down right where she had been standing. “Thanks Adalia!” Adayn called up, feeling the slow fire of anger starting to stir within her…

fires, fires… It echoed over and over again, and she considered it as she reflexively dodged razor sharp leaves and branches. Suddenly, it hit her. Not any objects, but an idea.

“Anyone got any matches here?” she called out to her companions, looking around frantically.

One by one, they all shook their heads, indicating a negative…all except…

“Da?” Adayn asked the curious looking gypsy woman whom she knew almost nothing about despite travelling with her for a while.

“Mat-ches?” Da asked, grinning a little, returning Adayn’s gaze. “Vittles.”

“What?” Adayn asked, feeling a little frustrated, twisting to the side to dodge some nasty looking leaves. Oddly, none of the foliage seemed to go near Da, they looked as if they were deflected away. Telekinesis she remembered.

“Food,” a voice spoke out. It was Tane. “She wants food.”

“Here.” Matt handed over something all wrapped up to her. Without looking at it, Adayn silently gave it to Da, who opened the wrappings of cloth and sniffing the contents before fumbling in her outlandish attire, painstakingly slow, as if on purpose...on second thought, most likely on purpose, while all her other companions were trying to avoid the tree’s various missiles.

Without warning, a dilapidated box was hurled with sudden force at her head, and it was only her super quick reflexes that prevented her from getting a mouthful of matches as she raised a hand to catch it, wincing a little at the impact. Her palm bled from the force, but she ignored it. Opening the box, she say one solitary stick, and it looked mouldy, old, and extremely dubious, the wood was a filthy shade of greyish-green. However, it was all she had, and there wasn't really any choice.

“I need someone to light this and set it up somewhere burnable.. I can summon the winds to whip up the flames…”

“What about there?” Loki asked, pointing at some dead foliage right at the base of the tree. It looked dry, brown – in other words perfect. However, it was also where the most of the dangerous stuff from the tree was falling.

“I’ll go.” Marx didn’t even wait for her reply when he took the box with its match and ran forward.

Biting her lip, Adayn watched him as he darted forward, agilely avoiding most of the large branches, but the razor sharp leaves were starting to slice thin lines down his flesh. With quick movements, everyone began to concentrate on keeping the tree distracted.

She started her dance, calling some winds but keeping them in check, sweating furiously, for the moment when Marx would light the match, and she could whip it into a raging inferno.

[Plantae]

= Dinner and A Show =

Da could be, for lack of a better or more telling word, currently peeved. She had not been, as she would have wished to garner their attention possibly, the one to find the temple. The newcomers were about as knowing of her as a chubby kid is of tofu. Her mind's eye grew might-ly with tedium until she watched every painstaking detail of the group for entertaining distraction. When they were not paying attention to her- coincidentally all of the time- she would mumble her recommendations for their relationships and spout miniscule, mumbled, and often surprisingly truthful jabs at their various machinations. She was the outsider looking-in, and by the by, had it been available, she might have been eating popcorn. Of course, it would have been butter-laden kettle corn with a side of booze and a bag of cotton candy too, but neither was anyone counting or saying that it amounted to less than the same either way. Well, that is to say, no one was counting but Da. She was perhaps wont to keep obtuse tallies in her head, devilishly engineered in a way that she was winning most of them or losing when winning was worse. A few of these purported running contests were: most insults thrown at the fellowers, most objects thrown at people, most food devoured, most alcohol consumed, or possibly the horrid mushy-mush too sappy person competition. The current winners of those said, in order, were Da-da-da-da... Adalia. In line of the last, she "considered" doing some sewing work but, after finding she hadn't the correct materials- and that mushy-mush too sappy person would not fit on any easily enough done (one within her realm of sloth-ness) piece of clothing- forfeit the project. Besides, it was wholly evident anyway and almost near-plastered on the face of the one in question. She may have also disguised the fact that had she not been fleeauntering* like a right park pigeon given stale bread crumbs, coincidentally faster than a chicken beheaded, would have been shouting and making inappropriate movements with her fists to illicit this when Loki was “on top” of Adalia: “Eat ‘er, Eat ‘er!”

She had been, frankly, unsurprised early when she had stopped and the half-breeds had busied themselves attacking the others of the group. She was almost entirely ignored after that barrier sprung up. So she had stopped, sheepishly, sat herself on a rock and watched the scene that ensued with apathy. It would seem to the passerby that she was a completely selfish wench that had no cares for the rest of her group's welfare: this was true. Her apathy, however, was as much a result of her distinct sense that it would all work out in the end. When it came down to it, Da might be hopelessly optimistic, but you best avoid placing any stakes. Gambling in her name was the equivalent of betting on a snail race. It would be utterly impossible to distinguish any predictable outcome. Even her clothes breathed capriciousness: oh boy they did. Speaking of which, it came to the conclusion that, even when she did get up to run from her feral "friends," she managed to trip over her sashes anyway. Seems they snapped out of it easily enough- or at last conveniently- at that lucky moment that she did so. Now dirtied (for this place was full of soil and organic matter and nature, as she would put it) she tromped forwards. And as it was said, the entrance of the temple was found, and she had not a part in it.

And then the voice spouted forth with a distinct raking sound or possibly that of a woodpecker or maybe its tone was comparable to oaks in Topeka... hell, the tree was speaking and that was more than enough to fascinate the "simpleton." She was stunned or contemplative, for her expression was unreadable, though the latter was three hundred and seventy-two times more likely given her previous actions. Since the horrors of the one-bit hussy mind are not to be thought, one would not wonder, as she stood there with her head resting on her shoulder as she stared at the leaves, vines, roots, and greens that twisted and pulled, what it was that crossed her mind. Surely never would it be, "What magic makes this tree move so?" The fact was that the symphony of cerebellum of the mousey gypsy, if it sounded, made noise like that zephyr a-blowin' in those branches. "Woooo..."

She did spring to life, though, as someone made mention of matches. "Mat-ches?" She could not help but grin her dodgy, big-toothed, dandelion-hued grin. "Vittles." It was a trade made then, food for her debilitated, little tray which contained that one, forlorn stick that might manage to set the ent-ly beast aflame. One could never ascertain, though, fuzzy with mold as it had been, if it would actually work. She kept the secret of the uneven trade off to herself and plopped down- standing up rapidly after due to having sat herself on a rather testy, thorny stem- and devoured those wrapped packages which had been given her, their fragrance sufficient. Their life-or-death struggle would be her entertainment, and here she sat with subsistence. Could life be any better?

It could, it could! She watched the Marx-man-lad stumble and stagger and get lashed hilariously. Hee-hee, ha-ha, ho-ho, whack! Ha-ha, he-he, hee-hee, smack! Finally he found his perfect plinth, so aged and sienna and shivering at the base of that behemoth treant. She edged forward eagerly as he bent over with the match, "Ye, ye, ye!" Whip, ouch, smash. "Oo, ah, oo..." And at that last moment, as he struggled with the kindled, miniature blaze at the end of that makeshift pixie torch, it shuddering in the breeze and threatening suicide, she helped. Later she would pass it off as her enhancement to their poor performance. But now all it looked like was her rummaging through a plank-like portmanteau and hurtling a pint-sized flask of what's-it at the tree and striking it above Marx's head to the right. A few droplets splattered on him, but due to a wussy throw, it mostly just dribbled off on the tree as the glass shattered and slid to the ground. Then he flew like the dickens as the match sprung up in an inferno and the tree too in a hiss of vegetable rage. Just before it had though, she had guffawed and shrieked, “Fire in the hole!” The plant tendrils retracted and Marx immolated, rolling on the ground in anger and screaming in a masculine titter as he tried to snuff the flames, and it all broiled in a stir-fry oil-and-fire recipe.

"Sssss..."

Entirely bemused, Da felt down to her pocket slowly and warily to check if Snig was watching too. She touched the pouch to find him there, but he was breathing heavily through the fabric. In a manner that would never be repeated, she picked him out by the tail and set him on her hand where he panted in exhaustion. He had been dashing relentlessly and his tail was smashed; he had snuck out of her pocket again and the results were fatigue, bent pride, and a bruised behind. She felt for him for a half-second or two, maybe loosing a tear, there, there... that is, she pitied the git until he "nibbled" notoriously on the tip of her middle finger in that place that could never be bandaged. Then she cursed in tongues no ever man would speak and with an inflection no man would ever know. She left her vittles theater in a huff, proceeding with the others to the seal. She swore that next time she would order the Filet Snignon.

=====