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[Rhiannon]

Rhia sighed. In the moment she could do it. They threatened her life, she threatened there's back. Afterwards, she always felt a twinge of regret, something on which Lena was still trying to beat out of her. She followed Lena around until she stopped by Toan. The conversed for a bit while Rhia starred at Toan's face. She scrunched it up a bit, then went back to normal. This repeated until she finally figured it out.

"Uh, Mr. Toan, sir, I think you have some intestines on your cheek."

They waited for the others.

[ninja kitten]

Killing one more soldier with a violent twist of her dagger, Ninja Kitten knelt and wiped the dripping blood off her daggers with the dying Alliance soldier's tunic. Sheathing them she gracefully stood and began wandering toward her commrades. "Quite the lil battle, eh?" she shouted toward her leader. "Good thing I didn't miss the party," she whispered to a dying soldier as she knelt and picked up his helmet to try on. As it slipped over her eyes, she quickly decided it was much too large stank of sweat and cast it off without a backward glance.

"What now, Lena? I know I obviously missed quite a bit, but atleast I'm back." With that she quickly gave Rhiannon a sisterly squeeze. "Feels like it's been forever, eh?" With this Shiima had returned and was oblivious to the gory scene behind her.

[Xeres]

Satisfied that the collateral damage had been kept to a minimum... Somewhat... Xeres withdrew the spells surrounding the area and lept down to meet the group, coming up behind Shiima and glancing over the scene with her usual disdain.

"...On the radar? I'm rather certain we overtake the radar. In fact, I would assume that we have effectively squashed any attempt at going under it."

That stupid weapon... She almost regretted starting this mission. Mind you, she'd thought that Selena would've had more sense than to wield the damn thing. Now she was near senseless, and it seemed like the rest of the group had no problem with being as loud and obtrusive as possible. Sure they were a powerful force... But against the armies of LA, it was suicide... And they would certainly incur that wrath once word reached the Kingdom of this fiasco.

Letting this train of thought roll around in her mind, she scowled and pulled up her hood. Bringing this up would be pointless, her opinion was certainly outnumbered. She resigned herself to gruff servitude and spoke, her voice carrying some sembalance of irritation.

"...What do we do now, then?"

[Selena]

"What do we do, what do we do?" Selena mocked her two companions. With a hearty sigh, she looked down at the Kanagida, put the cover back on the speartip, and slung it over her shoulder. Not in actual combat, and with it covered up, its effects dulled a bit. "What we do is one - get the hell out of here. Two - make the short hike to the forests, where we head west for a little while to lose any force that might come after us, and make our camp for the rest of the night before fatigue sets in. Then, we head south. To Resden. Have to pour gasoline on the fires of rebellion, after all. As the original objective was."

Crossing her arms, she took a good long look at each of her companions, judging their physical and mental health and estimating how badly each of them were in terms of how tire- and her brother was covered in gore, having eaten his enemies like fruitsnacks. She raised an eyebrow. So he'd picked up a few new techinques since she'd last seen him. Whatever worked, she guessed.

Xeres caught her eye after she'd gotten over looking at the blood dripping from her brother's jaws. She'd fallen back into her eternally pissed off state. Perhaps it was a mistak taking an assassin with them when they were quite obviously having to rely on more conventional combat. Selena turned, her body facing the direction of the Lost Woods.

"Have you lost your zest for front line warfare that much after years sneaking around in the dark?" Selena asked Xeres, but did not expect or sit around long enough to wait for an answer.

The consul walked forwards then, heading off towards the trees. "Well, get moving everyone. Toan, stay close to sister. I need you to help navigate in there. We'll easily lose the Alliance goons once inside, allowing us to safely sneak to the south after we put some distance between us and the local search parties. We'll probably be in Resden before any of the major forces get word of what's happened out here in the boonies."

Selena smiled and looked up at the stars overhead, walking with a bit of a bounce in her step now that her bloodlust had been temporarily satiated. "Nobody appreciates mass chaos anymore."

[Toan]

And they trekked. Toan walked near Selena and, remembering what Rhia had said, wiped his face on his sleeve. He figured he'd clean himself up once they were conveniently hidden in the Woods - after all, a bloodsoaked Zora stands out a bit, which kinda contradicts the "he we're going back under the radar" plan. Too bad, too - he'd noticed sis staring at him. Probably a major turn on for her.

They could set up camp, Toan could find a small stream and wash up, and dry off near a roaring fire. Bloody river water was nothing new to the Woods. "The monster" returns[/i], Toan thought to himself and grinned in spite of the fear he'd created.

But Selena was relying on him for directions? Ah, he remembered the path he took well enough on the way out - practically a straight line. His guide had been useless - ...Oy. The guide... Toan wondered where the hell that group was and if they'd run into them... Probably long gone...

[ninja kitten]

"Whee!" Shiima thought as she skipped away from the battle scene all but leading the way. "I dont really wanna go back, but now that I'm with a much larger group this time, there's no leaving me behind again" she thought grimly remembering the last time she'd be in a forest. "That stupid bard isn't leaving me behind all by my... Perhaps I should try to be nicer to leader. She doesn't look so good.." her thoughts changing mid-sentence as she reflected upon the look she'd seen on Lena's face as she had begun moving away. Shiima stopped skipping and turned, sensing no one had moved yet. "Well, what are we waiting for?"she called back.

Edited by ninja kitten, 01 September 2006 - 10:53 AM.

[Xeres]

Choosing not to take Selena's bait, Xeres shrugged and lurked behind the group, allowing Selena's words to bounce off of her ineffectually. She wrote them off as being influenced by that spear.

She would bide her time, before rising to Selena's taunts. She had nothing to prove to this group, and had no inclination to make any sort of confrontation in full view. If they wanted to believe she was useless, so be it. It would be their mistake, to be sure.

Taking inventory of the group, Xeres contemplated her 'allies'. First, of course, being the captain, who Xeres thought of as mildly absurd. She had talent, and power, but it was overshadowed by her bizarre behaviour and tactics. She was eager to prove herself, though, and that was impressive. Well-meaning, at least. Not bad, if a bit soft for warfare.

Next would be the bard, who had interesting magical skills. She didn't trust him, which wasn't saying much, she didn't really trust anyone. His personality seemed a polar opposite of her own, which would explain why she found him slightly foolish. It might have been fitting, though... He was a skeleton bard... The idea of that in itself was bizarre.

Shiima, she knew little to nothing about, but simply assumed the girl was much like Rhiannon. They could've been sisters, even. She had more to learn about the new addition.

Toan, on the other hand, she'd known for about as short a time, and already concluded she did not like him. There was no art or grace in his movements or words. He seemed brash, clouded and directionless. He had power, to be sure, but it seemed almost like he was wasting it. What she'd known about him previously seemed to reinforce this notion.

Stalking quietly behind the group, she acknowledged that all the conjecture she was making was useless. She was fairly certain the group had nothing but the smallest tolerance for her presence. Perhaps she really didn't belong there, among people. Allies. Teammates. Perhaps solitude suited her best.

Leaving that tangent as something to ponder, Xeres remained quiet, waiting for the group to set up camp, or for any other action that required her to respond. Her mind would clear through the night, it always did.

[Selena]

It took about two hours to hike into the Woods far enough to a point where Selena reasoned that Alliance scouts wouldn't bother following. It was too dangerous to head into such a territory. For both the Alliance and Ikana, really. They'd each have to take shifts throughout the night to avoid an ambush by either adventerous Alliance soldiers or the locals. Looking for a place to avoid detection, Selena slid down a steep incline that dropped about thirty feet down, calling for the others to follow. That'd be a good place. But to start a fire or not to cook food was a question. They hadn't eat since early that day, after all. Toan exempt from that. At that spot, the fire's glow would be hard to see from the outside, though the smoke.. perhaps? Maybe the tree canopy would block it adequately enough.

Deciding food was a paramount importance in keeping everyone well energized, Selena struck up a nice blaze, told the others to keep it burning, and after an hour of hunting, she returned with three very large, very dead rabbits. Dinner. Skinned and cook, Lena ripped off a leg and began to consume it, having worked up an appetite.

"Well, then, I don't suppose anyone wants to start singing camping songs, do they?" She quickly realized that several of them would probably jump on such an opportunity, and she held up a hand to stop them. "Was just kidding. Don't. Ever."

She kept her eyes trained on the forest around her, knowing full well she'd never be anything but paranoid within the woods. Still, it was their only hope to lose any scouting parties. The consul naturally didn't buy into any of the horror stories involved with the Lost Woods, but any Woods soldiers in the area had a good chance of pouncing on them in the night.

And, seeing as the rabbits were all cooked, she kicked dirt over the fire to put it out, shroudnig them in blackness again. "Don't need anyone following the flames to get to us. We'll be taking shifts through the night, so someone can always be on watch in case the Woodies try anything funny while we're here. I volunteer to go first, and anyone's welcome to stay up, but I strongly recommend you get some rest."

Right. That sounded like proper leadership. And, not comfortable with her spot on the ground, she scaled a tree again, stretching out on one of the thicker branches, ankles crossed over each other as she sat with her back against the trunk. There. Perfect view of the surrounding area. And it was comfortable.

[Toan]

Toan followed his speedy sister down a trench. She as clearly unhappy that they were under the radar AND in the Woods. The Zora, on the other hand, didn't mind. He knew nothing from the Woods would bother them - he was the bother to the Woods, after all. He left the group to find a small stream to clean off at.

Resting at a small babbling brook, Toan took a few gulps of water and slipped out of his robes for just a moment to wash himself off and soak his robes to rinse out the blood and bits of brain in them (after removing sensitive items from all the pockets, of course). When he was done, he emerged and flexed out for a second before wringing out his robes and slipping them back on.

Arriving back at a roaring fire with three dead rabbits roasting, Toan was mildly suprised Selena had found the rabbits as Toan had heard critters scurryind far far away from them as they trekked in. She must've walked pretty far... He got close to the fire to warm himself up and dry off a bit more, keeping silent, thinking to himself.

A short while later, after the others had eaten, Selena kicked the flames out. "Don't need anyone following the flames to get to us. We'll be taking shifts through the night, so someone can always be on watch in case the Woodies try anything funny while we're here. I volunteer to go first, and anyone's welcome to stay up, but I strongly recommend you get some rest."

Toan watched his sister settle herself in a tree. She seemed comfortable sitting up there, but was she comfortable being here? Like this? He decided to ask.

So, with the Woods' mysterious power in the air and Toan's loss of hunger, he melted into the blackness around them and reformed on the branch next to the one his sister sat upon. Leaning his back against the trunk in the same fashion as she, he bent his knees to place his feet firmly on the branch, and placed his hands in his lap. Then, he whispered, "There's something about this place, isn't there? The stillness, the darkness, and the utter silence... not to mention the magic in the air. And yet even in these most admirable of conditions you don't seem entirely at ease. What's got you, sis?" He turned his head to look at her and gauge her reaction while he waited for a response.

[Selena]

"Why aren't I at ease?" Selena echoed, turning her head back to face him. The tree wasn't that high. The other could probably hear them just fine, but that was all right with her. "Why do you think, Toan? I led a military operation against this very territory not long ago. I'm not exactly the kind of person the rest of the Woods wants dropping in for tea and scones anytime soon."

She shrugged, keeping her eyes moving constantly, gazing deep within the forest so that she might catch sight of an enemy, her hears desperately trying to hear anything abnormal. Though, Toan could probably handle that just fine. In fact, he seemed just fine. Not concerned at all. But then, why would he be? He was a Woodie. She had nearly forgotten with all this Loddie talk lately.

"The thick forest is perfect for sneak attacks and ambushes," Selena continued on. "So it isn't just me, but the rest of the crazy Ikana group, that is at risk. I don't exactly wanna lose any soldiers here to your tree hugging companions. At least you can get away with pretending to have been held captive by all these hot women. And Goose."

Nostalgia was once again hitting her hard, surrounded by her agents and her brother, the night quiet, allowing her thoughts to run wild again. She decided to shift the conversation to something better. "Never had to deal with forests much in the old days. Just sand, jaded sages and being trapped with Lycia in an underground maze. And, of course, the incestuous parents. How did you survive in a desert, anyway? No water."

Selena blinked. She was rambling again, wasn't she? Well dammit.

[Toan]

"To answer your first concern, no one in the Woods will bother us - not with me around. Chances are... they'll be more likely to avoid us."

Toan picked at the bark under him before he continued. "The desert wasn't very difficult. I had... kind help from... sources that were and still are very against-" He glanced towards the others. "-...'us'." He looked back toward Selena, locking eyes and giving her a puzzled look. "I don't know why, either." Toan shrugged and continued to pick at the bark.

"I missed ya though, sis."

[Rhiannon]

Rhia followed silently in the space between Xeres and the rest of the group. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't place it. Xeres and Selena always had secret conversations with their eyes or whatever, Rhia always saw them, it kind of creeped her out to be honest.

Once the go there she fel instantly restless. She felt as if eyes from all over the place were watching her. Why did they have to go to the woods. What did they need here? All the trees and coverage.. anyone or anything could jump out at them at any second. Toan left. They ate. Selena stood guard. She felt safer knowing Lena was looking out for them, but everything still weighed down heavily on her shoulders.

She tried to sleep, but it didn't come. She listened to Toan and Selena chatter away about everything and nothing. She felt intrusive and she didn't like it. Ever-so quitely she rose from her blanket, collected Selena's old scythe and her broken sword, doned a cloak and set out towards east of camp. She came to stream, washed her face and sat down by a tree looking up at the sky. This must be why the woodies hardly ever venture out of the woods she thought. It really isbeautiful. She looked down at the stream in front of her. She watched as the moon's light danced along the rippling water when all of the sudden she saw two faces in the water. Two very familar faces. Rhia looked all around her, she began to sweat. They were the people from her dream so very long ago. She shook her head and mumbled the word no over many times. In silent whispers she murmed nothingness to herself. The two faces seemed to be getting closer to the bank. They moved with grace and pained looks on their faces, blood dripping from the side. They reached the edge. Exhaustion and fear took over Rhia's senses. She hadn't slept and all she had eaten was a little bit of rabbit. Her throat felt dry and parched.

She fell to the ground with a silent thud. One bird flew out of the tree nearby. The whole forest fell completely silent.

[Goose]

Silence. Everywhere. Darkness.

The Woods were alive.

Goose had remembered hearing stories about this place since he was but a lad, and since he was pretty old, that was long time ago. It was full of magic, it was full of darkness, It was full of lost souls. Some stories even told of how when LoD was destroyed, that those lost souls came and inhabited this dark place. It was like home for them, dank, disgusting and fetid. Knowing the souls that had inhabited the place, that lot would fit right in.

Goose tried to remember why he hated them so. Apart from the obvious reason of them all being twisted individuals who love nothing else but killing peoples parents slowly and letting little kids watch their parents die in an intolerable agony, then sending those kids off to try to survive alone. Oh yeah, thats why. He really missed those kids. He'd find them one day.

But for now he had other things to worry about. Like how the young captain had disapeared and hadn't been back for a while. He had to find her, she was young, and trusting, too trusting. He wandered east of the camp and found her lying face down in a pool of water. As if his own heart had been ripped out, Goose screamed "NOOOOOOOOOO!" he couldn't let it happen again, he'd lost too many people to these woods, he wouldn't lose anymore. He rushed over to her...

Edited by Goose, 03 September 2006 - 02:58 AM.

[Xeres]

Xeres continued to sit, nearly motionless, unblinking even after Goose's outburst. She had been listening to Selena and Toan, regardless of the requisite invitation. She'd heard the captain take off and felt her distress, but felt no inclination to follow, feeling unnecessary for such an undertaking. Goose or the ninja would be much better suited to things.

Her powers had always been greatly heightened by the darkness, and she felt that the Lost Woods would be of great benefit to her... Even in the daytime, it seemed full of shadows and darkness, allowing her a greater range of use, much better than the sparse and barren landscape of the canyon she reported to.

She figured she wouldn't have much longer to ponder, with Goose's yell probably alerting the rest of the group. It didn't really matter much, she'd been thinking enough to make herself sick. It was true that she was beginning to feel completely useless to the group. She was an assassin, to be sure, but that didn't make her useless in actual combat. She was trained as a front line warrior, and was skilled with her weapons. It was simply her lack of team skills, and her solitary tendencies that seemed to set her apart. That and her simple use of logic. She wasn't here to get herself killed, regardless of any bloodlust or excitement she felt as she lashed back against the Alliance. This was the woman who eradicated her own name, she was no stranger to destruction. But she'd become cautious, and that was apparently too much of a deviation from the nature of Ikana. Perhaps the very reason they had lost those Dorm Wars.

She didn't belong, sure. But what else was she to do? She needed to move against the Alliance, and she couldn't do it alone. No other allegiance would aid her in this fashion, so she was stuck. That and she did feel she owed some loyalty to the group that harboured her, and of course to the LoD... But these actions... She questioned. That had gotten her exiled before... She'd rather not travel the same route again...

[Selena]

No one in the Woods would bother them, huh? She mentally scoffed at Toan's comment after hearing Goose's shout. In an instant, she was down from the tree, wondering just what the hell the problem was now. Selena took a quick look around, and noticed that Rhia had wandered off as well. Now how logical was that? Deviating from the group in the midst of enemy territory? Selena made a mental note to scold that girl on the proper protocol that Ikana was meant to follow.

She followed the sound of Goose's shout, leaping over fallen logs and running through the underbrush. Toan was right. The Woods were quite nice. Damp, dark, scary looking. A perfect atmosphere. Too bad she held no power over the trees, otherwise she might have actually appreciated stopping to look at the scenery. After a brisk run, she finally located her two teammates and stopped dead in her tracks.

It was just a moment of hesitation, seeing Goose hovering over a very unconscious and very soaked Rhiannon. Had she passed out in the water? What in the goddesses' names? She knew damn well to speak to Selena if she was feeling that fatigued. The consul broke free of her initial shock after a brief moment, and rushed to the scene.

"What happened?" Selena hissed to Goose. She gently slapped Rhiannon on the side of her face in an attempt to wake her up. Were her lungs filled with water, then? "Oh, god, am I going to have to give her mouth to mouth?"

At the thought, she started smacking Rhia's back in an attempt to knock some life into her, and knock the water out. "Hello, Rhiannon, this is your nine o'clock alarm call! Wake up!"

Honestly, she didn't know how to perform CPR. Irresponsible of her now. She'd never stopped to heal someone in battle before. She was a warrior, not a healer. "Uh... medic?!"

[ninja kitten]

Shiima shot out of her mess of coverings at Goose's shout. Sprinting through the trees, she smashed into one, spinning around and continuing on. She then heard Lena's cry and ran faster, dodging the annoying trees. "Stupid things. I much perfer the desert" she muttered as she came upon the scene, her forehead bleeding slightly. Dropping to the ground, trying to catch her breath she thought about checking the soaked captain. "I... I dont remember what to do... I thought I did, but I don't" she muttered. Leaning against a tree she watched the group try to revive the girl.

[Toan]

Before Selena could even respond, Goose's cry had her out of the tree and down by the river in no time. Terrific, almost totally disproving my theory... Toan thought.

He too lept down from the tree and walked over to the crowd surrounding the fallen Rhia. Toan cast a glance before whispering in an exasperated manner, "Doesn't anybody here know CPR?" With that, he stooped over, performing the necessary tasks to determine her status. Heart's beating, which means Respiratory Arrest was evident with the pool of water.

So, Toan began to give her deep breaths as he learned ages ago how to resuscitate someone, hoping Rhia would come to soon...

[Rhiannon]

Rhia didn't know what had happened. She saw there faces. She remembered every word and every scream of that dream. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, coughing up what tasted like steel and water. Once her eyes ajusted her screamed.

"He's trying to eat me! Help!" Rhia screamed as loud as she could, which only came out as a whisper. Her throat was burning. She scampered backwards falling into the river. Underwater she went, but quickly came up, glaring at the Zora.

"You, you just stay away from me, you big... creepy thing." She could hear Lena snickering in the background. She saw him getting ready to jump into the river and take her out, so quickly she began doggy-paddling to the shore. She struggled to get out and then stood there. Confused. Wet. Cold. And ever so tired. She stumbled towards Lena. Hugged her, and fell asleep.

[Xeres]

Xeres appeared silently behind the group, using her shadow magic to rise from the darkness behind the now-sleeping Rhiannon. Aware that the commotion had passed, she found herself somewhat concerned with what she'd missed. Brushing that aside for the time being, she spoke.

"Perhaps it would be best if Toan gave the captain some sort of distance... At least until morning, when she'll be more coherent... She seems to be in the throes of some dark nightmare... Most probably the reason she's been dreading this voyage to the woods."

She paused, wondering exactly how an amphibian could administer effective CPR. Having no suitable answer, she continued.

"Toan. You and Selena have things to discuss, of course. Allow me to watch over the captain. I have no need for sleep... I will keep watch... Be of some limited form of use. I'm obviously a hinderance otherwise."

Feeling a twinge of bitterness ring through, Xeres stopped speaking, took hold of the captain, and before heading back to the campsite, she turned and spoke to Goose and Shiima.

"I'm sure the captain would appreciate your presence when she awakes. If you've no pressing business for the night, perhaps you should also retire, as the danger has passed for the time being."

With that, she carried the captain back to camp, setting her down and taking watch not far away.

[Goose]

Goose Yawned. He was tired. As tired as an undead bard can get. He wanted rest, but not the rest that lasted an eternity. He'd just have a snooze and see if he woke up in the morning. He never knew whether he'd wake up, the whole, I"m undead thing, but His majesties spell had worked thus far, so he could sleep in comfort knowing that he'd more than likely wake up in the morning.

After all, Rhia and Shiima needed him. They needed a father, and he needed irresponsible children. They were all one very unconventional family. But alas, family they were, because they only had eachother.

[Selena]

Selena wasn't entirely sure how to react to Rhiannon falling into her arms and then more or less passing out. She involuntarily blushed, more from the fact that she was being touched than anything else, and looked away for a moment before passing Rhia off to Xeres. That Rhia. What an odd little girl she could be. Maybe Selena accidentally crossed a few wires in her head when she resurrected her. The art of zombie-making was difficult to perform, after all.

"Well, then," Selena said to the assassin, "if you don't want to sleep, that's fine with me. Stand watch and wake me at first light, or before, should you need me for some reason."

As Goose seemed to be settling in, and with Xeres on the night watch, Selena decided it was probably time for her to get some shuteye as well. The Kanagida tended to drain her energy faster than she would have like. Something about being continually stressed out and on edge didn't make for a very relaxing lifestyle.

She climbed back into her tree, more than comfortable there, and settled in, wrapping her cloak tightly around her body. If Toan said they wouldn't be attacked, she trusted him on that. While she technically shouldn't have ever trusted anyone in her family, simply because... well, it was her family, Toan was a bit different. Though that hardly meant she trusted him completely. Fish could be tricky sometimes.

"Well, Toan, I think it's time for all the little fishies to get some sleep. So unless there's something pressing on your mind... have a good rest."

[Toan]

Toan watched Rhia spazz out. "...Well, at least you're alive," Toan whispered softly. Xeres indicated that she was going to leave Toan and Selena to talk,but Selena had other ideas.

"Well, Toan, I think it's time for all the little fishies to get some sleep. So unless there's something pressing on your mind... have a good rest."

Toan scoffed a bit at Selena. "Silly games, sis. Fish don't sleep, you know this." And with that, Toan gave her a small grin and went for a small walk. He'd be back before the break of dawn...

[ninja kitten]

Falling asleep was a bit harder this time for Shiima. She felt as if she had failed her captain. Actually it was more than just that. She felt as if she had failed her best friend. It was hard trying to create friends in the desert. Everything was dead. At that moment Shiima vowed to never freeze like that again. What would've happened to Rhia... no, she didn't want to even entertain the thought. It's just a good thing Toan was there. Shiima snuggled deeper in her blankets, covering her head and struggled for sleep. Everything'll be better in the morning... With that she drifted off to uneasy dreams.

[Rhiannon]

Rhia woke up early in the morning, she felt stiff and her throat hurt. Everyone surrounded her and at first she was confused then it all came flying back at her. Oi, she thought. Slowly and quietly she got up. Gently hugged Shiima first and then Goose. Hesitantly she looked over at Xeres. The expert assasin had the cloak that hid her face, Rhia decided against the hug. She smiled, went outside and looked around a bit for Toan to appologize. Not finiding him, she decided instead to make some breakfast for everyone, aftrerall she caused lots of unneeding trouble yesterday.

Edited by Rhiannon, 14 September 2006 - 04:05 PM.

[Selena]

Selena stirred in the tree, the scent of cooking food wafting up into the air and into her senses. The first thing she thought, however, was how her back was killing her. Right. Well, no more sleeping in that particular position against a rigid tree. But, as the the smell of food became stronger and stronger, that clearly became a priority. She descended down from the tree, clutching the Kanagida's case possessively, and in a still not-quite-awake state, she stumbled towards the group, landing in between Xeres and a still sleeping Shiima.

"Food," she groaned, almost in a zombie like fashion. It was Rhia's cooking, sure, but food was food. Her stomach was empty and she'd take what she could get. "Food..."

She practically slapped herself across the face to complete her waking up process, having never been much of a morning person. At least she wasn't so tired she was instantly snapping at anyone. But the morning was technically still young. The consul looked around - no sign of the fish, yet? Odd. That was some long walk, or he'd ditched them.

"Thank you for cooking something, Rhia. Are you feeling better, then?" She asked her apprentice.

Selena leaned back and held her arms skyward, stretching out her torso and her shoulder muscles, groaning slightly. Stupid tree. It felt so comfortable when she'd sat there! Then look what it did to her. Traitor plant. But then she smiled as innocently as possible, still managing to betray some less than ladylike undertones. "I don't suppose any of you want to give your fearless leader a massage, do you?"

No, Selena sighed, she didn't think so.

[Toan]

"I don't suppose any of you want to give your fearless leader a massage, do you?"

"Well, I don't mind." Toan replied, announcing his presence. He stodd up from his place of rest. "I returned about half an hour ago. Silly tired sister entirely overlooked her beloved brother," Toan said with a slight twisted grin.

Toan walked behind Selena, leading her to sit down as he did so himselfand began to work a bit of his magic. His hands, however scaled they might be, had a 'magic touch' when it came to delicate matters such as these, or so Toan had been told many times in the past...

[Goose]

Goose chuckled. He wasn't a morning person either, but he had to get up. After all, they had some trekking to do. He wanted to get out of these woods as soon as he could.

"These woods remind me of a story I once heard. .." Goose mindlessly prattled.

Edited by Goose, 18 September 2006 - 08:54 PM.

[Selena]

"I meant one of the hot girls, not the walking trout," Selena dryly said, tilting her neck far enough around so that she could look at her brother. But, okay, he wasn't that horrible at the task. "Oh, but fine. If you insist on it so much. But no claws."

Selena took a look over at Goose. He hand't exactly felt comfortable among the trees, had he? Well, she hadn't either, of course, but his discomfort was far greater than hers. Perhaps even to unhealthy levels. While she usually didn't care about grunts in her army, her curiosity once again got the better of her. So while she imagined that a leggy blonde, rather than an oversized salmon, was giving her a back rub, she had to ask.

"What story, Goose? What tales do you have about the forest, hmm? Frightening horror stories, I imagine? Something sweet and cheery like that, yes," Selena said.

[Rhiannon]

Rhia smiled as she silently watched the three talk around her.

"Now, Selena, how can I cook and massage you at the same time, hmm? She smiled even more as Toan took the task into his own hands.

Quitely she got up and served each person a plate of the deliciously smelling mystery substance.

"I'm sorry, I didn't have much to work with." She put her plate down and strode over to the tent then popped her head in to see if Shiima had awoken.

[Goose]

"It was a tale of long ago. My pa did tell it to me as a young lad. Its goes something along the lines of


Twas a time long ago, before those colonies that we know were even a glint in peoples eyes. A time where chaos ruled. A time known soely as, "before the hack". Now what the hack was, nobody knows, but once it came, everything was wiped out. But before this even took place, the world we knew was much different. The art of storytelling was held in quite highesteem, and people would go on quests through threads and plotlines that would go on for pages, (Pages being their measurement of time) It was a time of great adventure and mystery.

Even though everything seemed to be peachy, it wasn't. Because there were people that liked to either kill others, or expose themselves to others. Or talk about themselves non stop. Or say or far too much. The ruler of LA was MR khuff, the great great grandfather of the current ruler. and his rulings were cruel, but fair. His favourite punishments were to send his prisoners into the dungeons and let the Dungeon master Mr DJ(The great grandfather of the current Pirate) talk about something known as optimus prime.

There were things that went on in this place..."

"Its getting late, I'll finish the tale on the road. "