<font color='#000080'>OOC: Timestamp: <li>Day: Around day 45 <li>Month: Tessera <li>Year: 3 IMPORTANT: This thread is only for Storm, Odessi, Spyceedragon and Barbora. No one else. It's a continuation of "Talented Wrong", so if anyone feels like reading up some background info, it's in the "Courtyard". Let's RP away! IC: Rallyn yawned, stretching his four legs out and almost slipping in the slush that caked the ground. He lifted one of his front feet and looked at it in disgust, wet mud coating it up to the elbows, making the scales underneath dull and dirty. Sighing, he let it slip back down and looked at the dark sky, adorned only with a tinge of orange and pink on the east horizon. It was early morning in Tessera, and here Rallyn was, a youthful student of the Janardan Academy, scrabbling around the Manik Swamplands. Not too odd actually, since there was a short break at school because of a burst waterpipe. But the Nioti was not here to holiday. He was a plain black-green fourteen hundred, quadraped, with green eyes and some sort of pouch tied on a belt or string around his body. He was wearing a look of a tortured saint on his face, mumbling quietly to himself, as the first morning sounds of the swamp were beginning to echoe around him. Suddenly, he seemed to have enough, and he cupped his paws to his maw and called out: "Cairn? Cairn! Are you around somewhere?" While he waited for his school mate and - it seemed like it now - friend to respond, he took out a scrolled up piece of paper and held it in front of his face. The scribbled writing would be unreadable to anyone else but the author, so Rallyn had no problem decoding what he had wrote just a few days ago: Four Onye (Onye Sjaa) Taap nuts Fusaj Kjatt Left paw of a Torber Hide of a black Segan Four pairs of Chavvor eyes Venom of Striped Swamp Tmuka It was these things that a dangerous cryokinetic had requested of them, for freeing the school of ice. And Rallyn knew better than to double back on her, for one shouldn't mess with the "powerful ones". Yet he felt a slight pang of spite, because they had been told that most of these things could be found around the school. Yet the only thing he had managed to acquire was the Torber paw, which he bought off an elderly souvenir shopkeeper. Rallyn paryed that it was real, but he had looked it over a million times and it didn't look like anything except a Torber paw. Shivering, he jammed the paper into the pouch, and made a few steps forward, wishing that he would fll upon Cairn soon. It was a little uncomfortable to feel the warm muck oozing through his paws.</font>
<font color='#810541'>OOC: Wow. I get here and VOILA! You've already made a thread. *grins* Good thing the one I wrote up fits into this anyway. Only needed a tiny bit of tweaking. ^-^ IC: The Manik Swamps lived up to everything that was said about them. The paths that twisted through the muck were narrow and confusing. They constantly intertwined with each other creating a laberinth of pathways that were easy to become lost on. In short the swamplands were dark, damp, creepy, and really really <span style='color:navy'>"GROSS!"</span> Cairn lifted a bandaged paw, the bottom of which was now covered in some sort of black slime. <span style='color:navy'>"Seriously, there is nothing in the world that is worth this! Why exactly am I in this dump?"</span> He wiped off the slime on a nearby rock only to have some sort of green moss speckled with red stick to the slime which stayed firmly in place against his foot. He sat down on the ground peeling away the slime and moss. Icy eyes examined the slime and widened in shock as it examined him back. The maroon dragon yelped in shock as the slimy creature latched onto his nose with its tentacle-arms. He swatted at it finally managing to knock the thing away from him and into the brackish waters beside the pathway he currently walked. Cairn grinned sheepishly to no-one but himself and continued along the path. He was compleatly oblivious to the slime creature that had taken hold of his tail while he was sitting and currently dangled from the appendix, its pupil-less eyes blinking. <span style='color:navy'>"Idiot... Your here because of that stupid phycho female... sending us on this stupid quest into who knows what kind of stupid danger. That reminds me! Where the hell is Rallyn?!? We were surposed to meet up together by now. He should have made it into the swamp already. Kid had to barter for that paw as soon as he saw it. Couldn't wait could it? No, of course not. He had to have it right away. Well, I hope he likes dry rations cause thats what I bought for him to eat while we're out here."</span> He fumbled around in the pack hanging from his neck. Another was strapped to his side. Each held enough food for a single dragon for 2 days and a number of small objects such as the map that was currently eluding his searching hands. A frown marred his features as he continued to search the pack. <span style='color:navy'>"Now where the hell did that map go! I knew I should have watched that merchant as he packed these bags! Thiefs I tell you! All merchants are thieves! You cant trust 'em with anything! Not even the most simple of tasks. I bet you he didn't even include it. Ripping me off like that... I'll kill him if I ever find my way out of here!"</span> Cairn remained completly oblivious to the stowaway on his tail as well as the fact he was talking out loud to himself.</font>
<font color='#000080'>OOC: Oh, well, I thought you had already made it, then came here and didn't find it, so made a new one myself Glad you didn't have troble fitting it in .:wipes sweat away from her brow:. IC: Rallyn's ears perked up, and he froze, listening intently. What was it? Some kind of a humming bird or what? He strained hard to distinguish and class the far-off muttering. A few minutes later, he had to conclude that it didn't sound like any animal, nocturnal or not. Wading through the mud that even his pathway didn't seem to keep away, he walked towards the sound, wincing as the bright sunrays attacked his green eyes. He broke into a run, scolding himself for not recognising the noise earlier. Why, it was someone talking, of course! How stupid of him! And who else could it be except Cairn? Rallyn smiled dumbly, relieved. The swamp was beggining to freak him out, especially when he reminded himself that one false step and the mud would close over him, not leaving even a trace that there ever was a pendragon called Rallyn Luckest. He shivered and rounded a boulder. "... I'll kill him if I ever find my way out of here!" The words struck him in the face, and he stared, mesmerised, at the maroon pendragon in front of him. It was Cairn all right, and he was literally ripping up the pouch he wore around his neck, evidently trying to find something. He sounded furious. "Cairn?" Rallyn stepped out uncertainly, his tail trailing between his back legs, "Are you all..." he stopped in mid sentence, noticing a moving ball of slime, equipped with small green tentacles, slither around the lashing end of Cairn's plume. "Hey mate, did you know there's something crawling around on your tail?"</font>
<font color='#000F22'><blockquote><font color=#330000 face=georgia size=1><font color=black>& out of character</font> <font color=midnightblue>I sort of went with the flow... so, yeah, if you really wanted the map to be gone, or if you wanted Cairn to find it, I can change my post? :]</font> <font color=black>& in character</font> Schism wasn't normally the type to go traversing around in a swampland. There was no profit there, nothing to rebel against, and it was generally considered a dull place. Unless, that was, one enjoyed getting covered in muck, and was just dying to find some ferocious beast face-to-face with them. The mere idea was ridiculous, of course, but it did present the question of why there were books upon books - not to mention maps - of the Swamplands. Then again, a lot of adventurers might have found some sort of use out of this place. Plus, there were some rather nifty herbs out here. Or so she had heard from a Specialist friend, anyways. Then again, Jakin had been intent on wooing her, so he could have said a ton of different things to try and convince her that he was the best thing since the idea of rebellion. He had also wanted to change her, however, make her a wife, and not the adventerous youth that she was. As it was, there was almost no way the young rebel was ever going to be a tame wife. She'd have to marry some sort of adventurer herself in order to settle down into any sort of permenant relationship. As it was, Schism just wanted to avoid squishing her toes in too much of the nasty stuff that was on the ground. Nostrils flared slightly, and she snorted in an irritated exhale, wrinkling her nose at the stench that hit her. Why, exactly, was Schi' here, anyways? Actually, the she-'dragon wasn't entirely sure about that herself. She had just been wandering - due to the fact that there was no where else to go - and this was the closest place to where she had been before. Actually, it had taken a small amount of walking, but not that much. It was kind of nice having wings. Curving her head back to glance at one of the aforementioned appendages, she chuckled lightly. They were a bit tired, but not exhausted. She'd be able to fly back, once this was all done and over with. Schism intended to take a bath before she entered any respected facility. The female didn't want to be rebellious in that manner. If she had the choice, in fact, the teenager would have been either with the Sunhawk tribe - which would be an even longer flight - or off doing some sort of mischief. What she had had planned for the day had been called off, however, due to Janardan's pipe break... or that was what she had heard the reason was for it being temporarily off limits. With a sigh, she continued walking, looking about as she did so. Schism was in her quadroped form, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Only two padded paws would have been getting covered in that mucky goop if she had been bipedial. Yet she had decided on the four-legged approach. One of her forepaws suddenly settled on something other than muck, and she lifted it swiftly, expecting some sort of evil beast to snap its jaws at her. The smooth surface it had touched merely glimmered at her beneath the sunlight, however, a waterproof map. Well... that was helpful. Schism looked in front of it, then on either side of it, and noticed tracks. Nostrils flared once more, and the vaguest sense of another pendragon hit them, though the swamp shielded most other scents. With a soft "hum", she picked up the map, and held it in one thumbed hand, before shoving it in the pack that hung off to her side. Schism didn't have one of those, but whomever had lost it would probably want it back. Besides, there was nothing in the pack except for rocks and some muddy herbs. They wouldn't be hurt by a bit more slime. The Tracker easily picked up the direction of the other pendragon, and began to follow. Ears perked as she heard the tail end of the dragon she had been stalking's words. "... if I ever find my way out of here!" Interesting. Moving forward just a bit more, she caught sight of her "prey", and grinned slightly at the sight. One of the Swampland's creatures had the male's tail in its grasp, and he just seemed, in general, to be less rational about this all than some might have been. Before she could ease forward and enter his range of view, however, another pendragon appeared. It was another male, and she purred softly at the thought. Two others... one older than she, the other younger. Moving forward, and pulling the map out in one fluid motion, she sank back so that she was settled mostly on her haunches. Displaying it with a flick of her wrist, she quirked an eyebrow. <font color=gray>"Looking for this?"</font> She inquired, tilting her head a bit, the slightest of grins on her lips.</font>
<font color='#810541'>OOC: Oh I was just using the map as a tool to get something to happen ^-^ I dont really care what happens to it. As I figure it maps of a swamp arn't all that reliable anyway. The "paths" would shift as the waters changed depth anyway. LoL And sorry for the low quality of this. I'm way to tired to be posting... IC: Clawed hands paused in mid-search as Cairns head shot up. <span style='color:navy'>"Something crawling on my tail...?"</span> He twisted around and stared at the slime creature hanging from said appendix. The male yelped in what was partially disgust and partially shock grabbed the creature attempting to fling it across the swamp, failing miserably as it clung to his hand still blinking stupidly. He shook his hand franticlly, attempting to dislodge the 'thing'. Finally after much shaking, yelling and scrambling the slime creature was sent flying into the swamp. A string of curses followed it as it dissapeared under the placid waters. Cairn would have continued on with his ranting and "slight" tantrum had not a female appeared into sight holding nothing more than his map! His already taunt nerves tightened yet another notch at the sight. It was unusual for him to become so uptight, but the swamps, as dingy and disgusting as they were, reminded him a lot of his home. It brought up bad memories; ones he didn't particularily want to remember. His teeth ground together in frustration and his face settled into something akin to a scowl. He fought with the pack that hung at his side until the buckle finally released. He tossed it at Rallyn, his expression softening a bit in reassurance. He knew he was acting out of the norm but really didn't care. Subtle was never a word used to describe him. <span style='color:navy'>"It just so happens that yes, I was looking for that. You mind giving it back now and wiping the smirk from your face? I'm not having the best of days."</span> The scowl was back and was being directed at the female full force. His maroon coat was sticking out in all directions. Black hair was in disarray, the white lock only accenting the mess. The tattered remains of his pack still hung from his neck and the bandages on his fore-feet were a dark grey with slime and dirt. Cairn looked every part the poor, badly tempered questor he was at the moment.</font>
<font color='#000080'>Rallyn was rather taken aback by Cairn's appearance, brown hair standing on end in all directions, his black hair matted and dissaranged. He was about to take a step forward, when he suddenly saw the other pendragon and pulled his paw hastily back. He looked at her surprised, her black wings floating almost unnoticeably in the air that was beginning to warm with rotting gases that escaped from the folds of the swamp. The female was holding a map that seemed oddly familiar - didn't Cairn have one like that too? Oh, hell yes, it was exactly the same one, and it was probably what the maroon pendragon had been so busy looking for. Rallyn lunched the front half of his body into the air, his feet sliding out from the muck with a squelch. He caught the pack that the other had thrown at him, stuffing it firmly in place somewhere behing the strap of his own burden. Half-sliding, half-walking, he moved over to Cairn, yet not too close, ready to be there if anything was needed of him. He looked at the female again, noticing her pupil less eye. It made him feel queer. He was rather alarmed at the freezing atmosphere that had developed between the two older 'dragons - surely it wasn't very nice to fight the first time two lay their eyes on each other? Yet he decided not to interfere, for it would probably not be met with understanding.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><blockquote><font color=#330000 face=georgia size=1>Schi' grinned even more widely inside, her soul bright with mischief. Yet she hadn't stolen the map, and there was really no reason for the other to be so terribly taut about it. In fact, the whole thing made the clan member want to roll her eyes in exasparation. Those that were really considered "adults" could be so foolish sometimes. Then again... Her eyes flickered to the younger male who stood nearby. If that was the other pendragon's choice in friends, then, perhaps, his immaturity was justified. Perhaps he had a mind that hadn't developed properly? If he was becoming buddies with younger male 'dragons like that, he was messed up in the brain, one way or another. Then again, she almost pitied all pendragons who hadn't grown up among the Tribes. They were the ones slighted. It took them until they were in their thirties to gain Mastery. She was an oddity, sure, having gained all four of hers at an age that was young, even among the community in which she had lived. It usually took them until they were in their thirties to acheive such perfection, since the last pair of trades were usually "hobbies" and not actual "trades", as far as the Tribal pendragons were concerned. In a way, she also found his reaction to be a show of bad character. The frustration that was painfully clear agitated her hackles, made her want to snarl and snap at the stranger. Then again, she was a unique pendragon, and she couldn't expect everyone to act like her. Eyes narrowed slightly, the slightest spark of anger within, though it was a smoldering, soft emotion. They flickered once more to the more youthful pendragon, the youngest among the three present. That male seemed more intelligent, and, at least, had the good sense to keep his emotions under control. Whether or not he found her to be an intruder, and wanted her to leave, that teenager was quiet. Maybe it was his nature, and his friend was merely more forward, but that was how things went. In fact, if that ill tempered male who - and now she was sure, though he hadn't spoken yet - owned the map continued his tense attitude, she would probably start talking to the young teenager, instead of the adult. Needless to say, the frigid atmosphere that Cairn had cultivated had an effect on Schism, though probably not the desired one. She was headstrong, and certainly not about to crumple and apologize for having the map. Especially when she had picked it up off the ground, and was really being somewhat kind by showing it, and potentially returning it. She could have just walked off, with the map, since it would be of more use to her that way. In fact, at the moment, she might just do that anyways. As the adult tossed a pack towards the adolescent, her gaze returned to him. Instead of any sort of emotion, there was ice within. The pupiless one was almost always without visible emotion, anyways, but the blue one had cut off her thoughts and ideas as well. It often showed scorn, and she was tempted to show that disdain she held for the young adult, but she kept it at bay. First impressions weren't supposed to be something to base one's entire thoughts upon, after all. Yet he had already made a very bad impression, with his immature actions, and scowling face. Such things suggested that he was not worth her time, and Schi' was tempted to say that. But he hadn't spoken yet, and such poison hadn't been warranted. Narrowed eyes continued to watch him, even as her tail flicked idly, wings rustling under the whispering wind. A lot of what she would do hung on what he was going to say. As he vocalized, she snorted, upper lip curling in an arch of disgust. The map disappeared back into her own nutmeg-hued pack as she thrust her body forward into a standing position. Shaking her head, a slight flicker of anger in her eyes for a moment, that then retreated, she replied, words layered with scorn. <font color=gray>"After those words, you should be surprised if I give you anything, nistagli. In fact, I should take some blood, except I'm not in the mood. Besides, I fear your youthful friend there might take personal insult, and would jump in. Which would be honorable, if foolish, of him."</font> A kinder glance was tossed Rallyn's way. <font color=gray>"Best of days or not, even you nakjaks should be capable of some common courtesy. Certainly, no psikel would ever act as you have, not if they didn't expect to be slashed. Then again, most of them would know not to start a needless fight with a Sorcerer-Warrior."</font> She spoke some of it in tribal terms, words that were part of their language, which was mostly backwards Ramathian - though the insulting words for "non-tribal" had been mere words that the clan used in scorn for their bretheren. The word "psikel", meaning "tribesman" merely implied anyone that was part of a Tribe.</font>
<font color='#810541'>Cairns face dropped in shock as the female shoved his map into her bag. He blinked dumbly once, then twice, then a third time before icy eyes narrowed in anger. He absently ran a hand along the ring of still tender flesh that circled his waist. Oh, he knew what it was like to challenge a sorcerer. He knew all to well the power they could wield even when just having "fun" and as much as he hated to say it, or even think it, his own abilities were pathetic and not even childs play against what this female could do. He had never formally trained in elemental magics, what little he could do he did directly from his own energy, experimentation and gathered knowledge. He could fight hand to hand if pressed, but actual sorcery... that was in a different league all together. <span style='color:navy'>Good going idiot. Next time remember that you're socially inept and keep your big mouth shut, eh? Now not only have you made an absolute fool of yourself but you've angered someone who probably shouldn't have. Now your going to get your butt kicked by a girl... and a younger one at that by the looks of it.</span> He sighed in partial defeat the scowl on his face fading. It was tough to stay angry and upset when you knew you had lost and there was no chance of gaining the upper hand again. Lost he had and Cairn knew it. He should back down, but sometimes one just has to hold their ground despite the known, and often undesirable, consequences. <span style='color:navy'>"Look, I'm sorry that my attitude has rubbed you the wrong way, okay. But what did you expect?! We're in the middle of a freaking swamp. I had thought I was lost in the middle of this dump and frankly I dont know if I can find my way out of here without that piece of plastic you just packed away. I've got living slime clinging to me at every corner and the livelyhood of everyone at Janardan depends on Rallyn here and myself finding a list of absurd ingrediants by a dead line that is quickly aproaching!"</span> He stared at her, a shiver making its way down his spine as he finally really took in her appearance. That pupiless eye was really freaky. His expression was of mere anoyance now and even that was beginning to fade. He had tried to avoid thinking of what the mad-women Kakos would do if he and Rallyn didn't fullfill their part of the bargain. He wasn't about to lie; she scared him out of his skin. Cold, calculating, powerful and more than slightly mad... she was the type of creature people had nightmares about. <span style='color:navy'>"I'm sorry if I'm stressed out about a number of deaths possibly hanging over my head, but I dont have time for tea, biscuits and a nice little chat right about now. So, if you dont mind we do need to get going with the map or without it. Although I can assure you we'll be out of your face a lot quicker with the map rather than without."</span> Cairn ran a hand through his matted hair in an attempt to smooth the locks. It was a futile effort against the dried mud that caused it to stick up in the first place. His anger was gone, replaced by the nervousness that had plagued him since the Janardan incident. He glanced over at Rallyn giving him a strained smile that was meant to be reassuring and said to stay where he was. Cairn had whatever the female chose to do coming. If that included launching his mud covered butt into orbit than so be it. His pale blue eyes turned back to the female. A silent challenge. He felt the fool, and knew he looked it, defying the word of someone younger than himself by a number of years. She didn't act her age though. While he often acted younger than he was, she acted a hell of a lot older. <span style='color:navy'>Yup, deffinetly an idiot Cairn. Thats one thing you can say about yourself. Your a true blue idiot.</span></font>
<font color='#000080'>OOC: Sorry for not posting yesterday. I was at the dentist's, having a completely healthy tooth pulled out because it didn't fit into my mouth. My jaw and my spirits have been frozen for the whole day, and I just didn't feel like replying... LoL IC: The situation was getting more and more complicated by the second - at least for Rallyn, that is. The smile that had been tossed his way had been a welcomed excuse to look at Cairn. The black pendragon paled as he took in his friend's features, feeling the strain and stress that evidently hung over Cairn's head from the moment Kakos had dissapeared. Rallyn found hard to admit that he was far less worried. He took the whole thing as his first big adventure, a prod and awakening from the sleepy and dusty days of a student. He slapped himself angrily many times, trying to grab some of the responsibility and fear he knew he was supposed to feel, but failing every time. His mind was as free as ever, and he felt he could fly... so what if they didn't get all of the ingredients Kakos wanted of them? They'd still have some, at least. The plants were pretty common and not hard to pick. Rallyn had his torber paw... He snarled at himself, mad to find out that he could be so selfish in a place like this. Who knows what Kakosenas would do if they failed or backtracked her, but it wouldn't be probably very pleasant. And time was running out... Rallyn pictured a giant hourglass in his head, the colored sand filtering throught the middle slowly, yet not ceasing if even for a second. Oh great... so why are they standing here arguing over some piece of plastic? Well, of course, a map was important, but they could just as well crisscross through the marsh without it. His unsureness was being trampled down under the massive weight of stress and responsibility that the adolescent had managed to call upon himself at last. Taking a calming breath, he stepped forward, next to Cairn. He raised his green lights towards the third pendragon, trying hard to keep a noticeable tremble out of his voice: "I didn't want to interrupt your, uh, pleasant exchange of feelings, but I think there's no point in killing time this way any more. As Cairn here had said, we are on something you could call a rescue mission, even though it more sounds like a made up fantasy story," here Rallyn allowed a smile to play around his lips for a moment, before shunning it back and restoring what he hoped was a dignified look. "If it was a fiction story, we wouldn't be stuck in this stinking marsh quarreling for a piece of paper, tempers below the point of freezing. So, well, I guess we can just say goodbye to each other right now." "At least I don't think we've got that much left to say to each other, right?" he added hastily as an afterthought, picturing sour faces. He turned around and walked a few strides along the muddy path, stopping after a few metres to adjust the straps of the two packs.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><blockquote><font color=#330000 face=georgia size=1><font color=black>& out of character</font> <font color=midnightblue>Terribly sorry for the delay... I got sick, then this week was really busy. xx;</font> <font color=black>& in character</font> In general, Schism wasn't the apologizing sort. The sorceress was usually rather forgiving, even if she didn't forget transgressions against her. Sly forepaws shifted ever-so-slightly, allowing digits to lengthen so that they were more like hands than actual paws. Curved claws unsheathed, dangerous weapons revealed in a less-than-dangerous manner, for they were slanted inwards, in the traditional sign of her people that suggested something akin to bartering. It didn't mean she was willing to retreat from her word, it merely suggested something to the world, that, perhaps, the strange female would be lenient enough to allow for the male to gain her understanding. She was sorely tempted to do an about face and trot away from the oh-so-jolly pair, but there was something that kept her there. In general, a male of that age wasn't hanging around with someone of the younger one's age, not in the middle of a swamp. There wasn't enough of an age difference for the first to be the second's father, so that left a baffling lack of comprehension on her part. Of course, as a female, it would be a small feat to try and go fishing in the minds of her current companions, but it would be energy-consuming, and, at the moment, useless information. Whatever had happened to bond them so, either she'd know eventually, or she really didn't need to know at all. It was that simple. Claws sheathed and unsheathed rhythmatically, softly clicking as they did so, though she doubted that the somewhat inattentive pair before her heard the sound. They weren't worldly wise, that much was clear. There was some sort of soft edge to the pair that hinted that neither had ever experienced a "real" adventure. Neither had probably so much as wounded another on purpose. A slightly dark smile flickered into life on her lips at the thought, a dance of amusement. If they were as inexperienced as she thought, they would have some trouble navigating these swamplands, even with the map. She had seen places like it, and had heard that Manik was the worst of the swamps, and she knew that, without the appropriate guide, they might end up dead before the sunset. Paths shifted and changed in this sort of place, and a map was virtually worthless, except as a vague knowledge. One had to experience, to prod with sticks and examine before just taking a jaunt across such a landscape. It was dangerous, yeah, which was probably the only reason that the tribeswoman was here at all. Ears swung laxly as she regarded Cairn, eyes still piercingly cold, body poised silently in a rather content manner, almost like a cat who has spotted an intruder on her territory that she is sizing up. The anger in the older male's eyes amused her, and her head twisted slightly to the side, a grim look in her own, rather different, orbs. That one was going to get himself killed someday, with his blunt lack of control. At that age, he should have been able to hide what he was feeling and, quite frankly, the fact that he couldn't made her want to laugh out loud. The status of this, the "other world" of her people was ridiculous. That anyone would dare match themselves with a sorcerer proclaimed was strange, actually, unless they themselves were a sorcerer, and prepared to have a duel. She frowned ever-so-slightly, contemplatively. He didn't have the aura of a magician, that was for sure. Any sorcerer knew how to hide it, but she should have been able to see something about it. Besides, due to his blunt character, she doubted very much that he would have been the type to shield his magic. No, he probably would have flaunted it, would have snorted and scoffed, or sent off a dueling challenge, in order to receive his map. For that matter, he never would have needed, nor lost, his map if he had been a decent sorcerer. It was really that simple. A vague snort escaped her nostrils as she waited, still waiting patiently for some sort of response to what she had said. As he began to speak, she spread her claws out more, out of habit, in a manner that meant something in the lands of the Tribes, but meant nothing here. Might even be taken as a threat, if they were so inclined to watch her paws and notice. A soft hiss escaped her lips at his apology, insincere to the utmost extreme. Why he even bothered was beyond her. If he had not even said a single "sorry" she might have been more impressed, but it muddled the rest of his words, since they were frustrated and not at all apologetic. Besides, not being the sorry-type herself, the female would have been somewhat happy to have met another who found apologies to be a rare gift, and not something tossed around on a whim. But, alas, her search on that matter continued. It was typical, though, that "sorry" that slid forth so easily, without meaning. Because she said it so infrequently, hers were always considered serious. Unless she was being utterly sarcastic, in which case, no one would have thought to take it sincerely, anyway. Her upper lip curled slightly, though, at his words. Who was he trying to kid? She wasn't born yesterday. Very few quests and such were issued nowadays, because most that might have sent others off to find ridiculous items had retired, or were no longer on this plane of existence. Then again, what other reason would draw the tense pair before her out into this swamp? Neither seemed all that happy to be here, so it couldn't be for the "adventure" of walking through muck. As he rambled on, she pretty much ignored his words, unconcerned any more with the elder of the duo. Her eyes turned, instead, to the younger traveller. For, it seemed, the more withdrawn youth was going to speak his own piece. Lo and behold, the teenager had more sense than his peer, at least so far as Schi' could tell. A slight grin played across her muzzle, bones tingling with excitement at the prospect of going on an adventure. They hadn't exactly invited her along, but she had some sort of control over them. Besides, it was better to have a seasoned adventurer in such a group. She doubted very much that either of them had ever seen anything adventurous in their whole lives. Then again, the female had heard that those out of clans were soft. This was merely one example. The fact that it took them twice as long, often, to gain Mastery was sad. To have been withdrawn like that... oh, what a sad thought. Schism defiantly wouldn't have liked it much. Arching her back, and stretching in a rather feline way as the second of the companions turned and began to leave, the female had a rather Cheshire cat smile on her face. Smoothly standing up, and using long-legged movements so she was walking beside the youth, she glanced back at the older male, then spoke in a conversational tone. <font color=gray>"A quest, y'say? Though I can't say it sounds entirely true, I've heard enough wild stories in my lifetime to be able to discern that you at least believe this is true. Sounds like you two need someone more experienced in adventures. No offense, but neither of you seem to know the first thing about questing. If you want your map, you can have it. But I also offer my assistance, if you want it. Though your friend over there might not enjoy having me along."</font> She grinned as she looked at Cairn, though there was no sign of what she actually thought of the older male. <Font color=gray>"So, what d'ya say? Oh, I almost forgot. The name's Schism tal Sunhawk."</font> As if anyone would know - unless they had studied the Tribes, for some reason - that "tal Sunhawk" indicated that she was part of the largest, toughest Tribe out there. But who cared?</font>
<font color='#810541'>Schism was coming with them? The very idea was insane! She was arrogant, obtrusive, sly... but on the other hand she did seem to know her way around, she had his map, and she was a sorceress. Having someone that powerful would be a big help, especially since she was right. Rallyn, he knew, had very little "questing" experiance and Cairn, while used to wandering and taking care of himself, had never had he been forced to go somewhere specific to fetch a certain item. Yes, she would diffinetly be a help, if they could work together and if they could get her to believe that they were not doing this out of pleasure. Cairn glared at Schism tal Sunhawk as she and Rallyn walked away. tal Sunhawk; he had heard of it before. Sometime long ago when he was younger and still living with his clan the name had been mentioned to him. What it meant, however, remained out of his grasp. He knew there was something about that name, something he should remember, but couldn't. Cairn stared at the bandages covering his paws, a fleeting look of sorrow flashed across his face. He snorted loudly, adjusting his packs as well before he fell into step behind the two. <span style='color:navy'>"Who's to say I wouldn't enjoy every moment in your company Miss Sunhawk? Certainly not I."</span> He returned the smile, his eyes however remained cold and flat. <span style='color:navy'>"Its your choice Rallyn. She already knows most of why we're here and we were told we could only tell 2 people about the quest anyway."</span> The poor kid was looking a bit beat up as well. He too was covered in mud and it was almost as if a dark cloud had settled over his personna. Cairn looked at his friend in concern, cursing himself for his selfishness. He hadn't even thought of how the current events would be affecting the younger 'dragon.</font>
<font color='#000080'>Rallyn felt a wave of relief wash over him, bringing his stretched out nerves to a peaceful standstill, calming him down. He rather disliked tensed, unfriendly situations and since this one had, more or less, untangled itself in one of the best ways, the black green pendragon couldn't feel happier. Swishing his tail slightly, he slung his burden over his back and looked upwards, meeting Schism's look. She had walked over to stand beside him, to offer them company. Rallyn couldn't believe it for a split second. Why would a completely independent and powerful sorcerer like Schism want to join them? But he discarded that thought, for what did the answer mean to anyone? Nothing, actually. It wasn't needed. Rallyn pushed all these nagging, curious and prying questions deep into the back of his head. There, behind a locked door (if you can imagine brains having doors, that is) raged his inherited semi-elemental nature, Curiosity. Years going by, the young male had learned to lock it away, because this trait, even though it may have been prized above many by some ancestor, was not at all welcome nowadays. Pendragons didn't like Niotis poking their noses into their souls - even Rallyn's occasional Dreamwalking had gotten him into several places he had no intention of visiting (for example into Karryasa Grader's dream, where the lost shadow of Iversia Seneca lingered, making threats of eternal battles). So now Rallyn just absorbed the bare fact that Schism was coming along, feeling rather happy about it. She did look like someone who knows the ways of exploration and travel. "I'd be honored to have you with us, Schism," he said, beaming at Cairn and then at the Sunhawk tribeswoman. A brief thought about whether it was tolerated to call sorcerers by their first name crossed his mind, but it was too late anyway. "No, really!" he added hastily, just in case the polite phrase had an unwanted hint of irony in it, "It would be great. And I won't try to convince you about exactly how true is our quest, you'll find out soon enough if we stick together." His voice had a grim edge to it, but he continued cheerfully, the stress and responsibility sliding down and away from his mind, taking Damoklos's sword that had indeed hovered above Rallyn's head for a while, with them. "My name is Rallyn. Rallyn Luckest. And since we're all setting out together, you can just as well hear out the whole tale..." And off he went, telling the whole story briefly, describing how the two of them had been wondering around the school when sudenly everything started freezing right before their eyes - even other pendragons. How Kakosenas hade made her entrance, looking like completely crazy and causing them to underestimate her - until Rallyn started to get enveloped by the ice also. How Kakos had withdrawn her enchantment for their promise of delivering some things through a secret message, to somewhere, or someone, called Shadowlack. He finished, rather out of breath, going through the events yet again inside his head. It all seemed to happen so... so long ago. And it felt like it had happened to someone else, who had tracked the events in a journal for Rallyn to read. The young pendragon was starting to wonder whether it was really happening to him, after all. His paw sneaked into the pocket of one of the packs, finding the crumbled paper with a vile "grocery list". Well, at least one thing I can be sure of, he though, grimacing, This is happening to me, and it's happening now. No way out. And again in a brief expanse of time he was grateful for Schism joining them.</font>
<font color='#000F22'><blockquote><font color=#330000 face=georgia size=1>Schism was certainly not the most easy to love of pendragons. She had her perks, but the adventurer was definitely one who could push the wrong buttons. Often enough, it was on purpose, but that didn't make her any less irritating to those who fell beneath her scalding tongue. Often, she gained enemies for the wrong reason - a misunderstanding, perhaps. In this case, she might have added another to the list because he had been irritable. Ok, well, that blame didn't fall on her shoulders. Then again, she hadn't made her complete decision about the male pendragon just yet. After all, one bad start didn't mean he was a terrible creature, over all. Everyone had bad days. Heck, she often did, and it was a real pain if she had to have someone hate her because of it. The sorcerer's thoughts about Cairn softened at that fact, and she tilted her head slightly, looking at him in a manner that showed some sort of acceptance, perhaps even sympathy. If what they said about the quest was true, she couldn't really blame him for his bad behavior. In fact, she probably would have acted similarly. Then again, she actually would have stolen the map back, either with physical battle, or a simple magic trick that would take it from him, and return it to her own paw. At his age, though, he probably didn't have that sort of capabilities just yet, even if he was a sorcerer. Schi' didn't expect Cairn to be of a similar mind to drop the frigid atmosphere of before, though, therefore, she merely kept her own resolution to be less critical hidden. Besides that, she had other things to focus on. Tongue flickered out, brushing across her lips as she waited, almost nervously, for their response to her offer. It had been awhile since she had gone adventuring, and the idea was thrilling. If they declined her rather kindly offer, she would probably just leave, without any permanent mental scars from the experience. They'd be the fools, then, though. A Master in Sorcery was not someone to be taken lightly, and the offer of a temporary alliance was a rather intense one. In fact, if she hadn't been so eager for something to do, Schism might have been more wary about offering her services. As it was, she could always retract what she had said, and leave later if it got dull - or she found out they were wrong, about this whole "quest" deal. It wouldn't surprise her, really, especially given that older male. What happened to stop being critical? C'mon, Sunhawk, you can do better than that. She immediately mentally chided herself. No reason to be so horrible towards the other, even if it was only in her mind. Sheathed claws slid out of their containing chambers as Cairn responded to her words. She lifted both forepaws, and slid her wrists together, flicking the claws in a manner that he probably couldn't comprehend. It was a "truce" symbol, for the frigid status of his eyes hadn't gone unnoticed. Though he had acted light and without a grudge, there was something about that ice that suggested otherwise. Then again, there were some males that liked "feisty" females. The mere thought caused her to grin lightly, and put her paws back on the ground, continuing her original actions. Eyes flickered towards the sky, noting the time of day, at which she nodded slightly. There was still enough time to get whatever it was they wanted, probably, as long as there weren't a million different things to collect. Besides, was it all here? Or had they collected everything else before? Maybe they just wanted to get the Manik Swamplands out of their way? That seemed probable. It would have been her first stop, if she had been them. Then again, she would have picked excess, and sold or trade it in order to get everything else. She was relatively good at bartering, a trait she had picked up from being Tribal. As Rallyn began to speak in response, she was warmed by the positive response. The fact that he hadn't called her by her last name, along with some term of "respect", was a plus, as far as Schi' was concerned. Especially since, as soon as she found it to be her turn, of sorts, to speak, she was going to inform that older fellow that she would prefer to be called by her first name. "Miss Sunhawk" just sounded so proper, and, besides, if he really wanted to call her something like it "Cyster Sunhawk" would be more appropriate. "Cyster" being the appropriate term for someone of her status in the Tribe. Then again, it was also a casual term, and she hated how the proper one sounded. Therefore, if he didn't want to call her Schism, then he would just have to call her Sunhawk, or nothing at all. The whole "Miss" thing was highly overrated, anyway. A soft snort escaped her nostrils. No one in the Tribes would have whipped that out. Indeed, if they were unsure of her rank, it would have been "sorceress", due to the fact that she had admitted to the fact that she was, indeed, such a being. As Rallyn gave his name, Schi' contemplated coming back with some sort of courteous Tribal greeting, but, it seemed, there was more that the youth wanted to say. She settled for a gracious nod, instead, and a smile that was a sort of "nice to meet you" indication. Ears swung forward alertly as he began to speak of the reason for their quest, about the whole story that had gotten them into this mess. She had to admit, if they were lying or delusional, they were pretty darn good at coming up with stories. This Kakos sounded like a true blue villain, that was for sure. The sort that always came up in a legend, too. Some sort of magic user that was bent on vengeance of one sort or another. It sounded like something straight out of the storybook, but there was a ring of truth to it that history often held. They could be making just that, here, too. Though no one would ever know, it was likely. Shadowlack didn't sound promising, really. The mere name inspired - or tried to inspire - shivers. Schism wasn't phased, but that was just the way she was. As fearless as they came, that was her. A slight nod was given, before she spoke, finding room to do so. <font color=gray>"Interesting tale you've spun, Rallyn Luckest. Though I don't particularly like the sound of this 'Shadowlack' thing. You two are planning on bringing some sort of weapons, right? In case this... Kakosenas decides that she isn't inclined to allow you your freedom? Villains tend to be like that, sometimes, if the legends and my own experience are any indication."</font> She replied, tilting her head a bit, then looking at Cairn. <font color=gray>"First off, it's Schism, not 'Miss Sunhawk'. Secondly, I don't believe I caught your name."</font> Schi' grinned lightly, and tilted her head at him in inquiry.</font>
|:| O O C |:| .:pokes back sadly:. No... I check it regularly, but it appears that Storm has left us. I PM-ed her about a month ago and she said that she's got family problems and hasn't been on since.
<font color='#000F22'><blockquote><font color=#330000 face=georgia size=1><font color=black>& out of character</font> <font color=midnightblue>Mm... I've been waiting for Storm, too? And... yeah, well, I'll admit, I haven't been checking this topic daily. Because it did seem sort of deadish? :nods slowly:</font>
