Tessa shook her head. "You haven't wronged me." She said softly, nervously taking the braided strands of hair and twisting them once more. Pushing with her legs, she lifted herself up to perch on the side of the bed. "You seem very different from the nobles I've known before." She decided, biting her lower lip. "Thea too. Perhaps you aren't all so bad. Perhaps....I was too harsh." She had reacted hastily, and she knew it. But perhaps she shouldn't have tried to pass judgement in the first place. "To be honest, I...came here because earlier, when you introduced yourself, and everyone was talking, it just got overwhelming for me, and you walked away. I thought you were upset, and I wanted to apologize." She laughed softly, sadly. "I guess I have a lot more to make up for now." A smile curved her lips, it was subtle, but true. "I don't think I'm going to mind being your guild mate, Conrad. I hope you'll help take care of me." If he truly did care for others, that cross would be heavy to bear indeed. Perhaps by ensuring that she didn't act hastily again, he could lighten the load just a little bit. "I'll make sure no one bothers you while you sleep." She promised, finally letting the strand of hair fall from her fingers as she placed her hands on the bed. "It's the least I can do."
I'll work on Finding Nemo next. Also, please don't progress through the spoiler unless you are ready for the PG-13 content. It's graphic and gory and this is your warning. It's gonna get worse from here on out. For now, here's Mulan Spoiler The figure stole between the tents. Swift as the coursing river. A black shadow, creeping from the illumination of the lamp back into the dark. The freedom had done more to reveal the hypocrisy of the figure's previous life then anything else that had been thrown down. The matchmaker, the dresses, the make up, everything had been to make the perfect bride. Something that would never be. Slipping in between the flaps of the tent, the figure gently released the sword with a nearly silent hiss. The trainee never stood a chance, his cry of alarm muffled as the shadow used the force of the typhoon to bring the sword down, slicing into his chest cavity with near perfection. As blood spilled and muscle tore, the figure reflected that the mentor of this would have been proud. But he had yet to witness the refinement of the technique that had been passed from his father to him, and now the shadow. Be a man. He would have said to the soldier who was now writhing in death throes on the ground. Die with honor. The soldier had already wet himself, there was no honor to be had. Quick work was made, and before long, the parts that would have given him honor were no longer attached to his body. The figure left them next to him, already setting sights on the next tent. Each trainee fell with ease, before having their genitals removed and set aside. Be a man. It had been so hard. Trying to fit in, trying to keep the secret. Well, now the secret could come out. What a man was would be redefined. With all the strength of a raging fire. The counciler's tent was second to last. He had long gone to bed, his tall hat resting in its honorary table next to his bed. When the figure left him, intestines trailing over the bed, the hat turned upside down and resting on his crotch. A joke for what he would never be able to compensate for. The last tent was still illuminated by lamp light. He was waiting, when the shadow entered. The fight was quick, but nowhere near the clean kills that had been performed prior. He was good, too good, and stabbed through the shadow through the side. Be a man. The final thrust cut him through the throat. He fell to his knees, gurgling as one hand grasped uselessly at the torn flesh to stop the river of blood that spilled onto the ground. The figure watched him, impassive, before sweeping the family sword to the side, and cleanly cutting off his head. A momento, to so the family would know what had been done. Grasping the head by the hair, the figure raised it to stare into the lifeless eyes before planting a gentle kiss on the not yet cold lips. "Be a man." she whispered, her short hair brushing her cheek as she exited the tent. Her horse, black as night, stirred restlessly as she tied the head to the side of the saddle and pulled herself up. The dragon, a figment of her desperate imagination made real, crawled onto her shoulder, its tongue flicking her ear. "Good." It whispered, tail brushing against her neck. "You've saved us all." She had, hadn't she? By turning them into women, she had made a better life for the females waiting back home. Now they would never be taken advantage of, never have to perform for their husbands. Matter of fact, she highly doubted they would ever have to cook for a man ever again. She clicked her tongue to Khan, and mysterious as the dark side of the moon, disappeared into the snowy night. "Thanks, Mushu."
Kara bobbed her head in time to the music, just enough that it wouldn't be noticeable, but she could still feel like she was rockin' it. She hadn't spoken to anyone, or really noticed them, up until now. She could have, but she just didn't feel like it. Most of her interaction had been watching the gentleman, apparently the one who had been expecting them, and thus, the one who hired them, speak by reading his lips. Which she wasn't very good at, but this was a really good song. And if she was going to have to go the entire "adventure", without her music, then she really needed to finish this song. Which was ending in three....two...one. As the last drumbeat rattled her ears, she yanked the earbuds out with a heavy sigh and wrapped the cord around the phone. At least no one was trying to, or would try to get a-hold of her. There were perks to living alone, being alone, and staying alone, and this was one of them. No one to worry about except herself. As she stepped onto the monorail, she blinked at the antics of the three adults in front of her. Well, it was really Tali and Mitch. Bram seemed to be an observer, like herself. Maybe they would get along. She glanced at him, then away as she went to find a seat and wait for the others. Just because he wasn't excitable didn't mean she wanted to talk to him. Right now anyway. Maybe later. After they got wherever they needed to go.
Tessa nearly retched at the idea of holding a human heart in her hands. However, she swallowed her vomit like a champ and took the box from the ground, opening it and peering inside. A small pit of relief formed in her stomach, thankfully the props weren't so real that they had actually taken the time to find a human heart that wasn't being used. And before that train of thought went any further, Tessa shut the box and quickly set it to the side. "Yes, um, thanks." She muttered, her hands twisting behind her back in distress. Tessa shrugged, her fingers flying through the strands of hair. Braiding was something she had copious amounts of practice at, so much so she could have done it in her sleep, if people did that sort of thing while sleeping. "Why would you ask? Why do you care? You just met me. I understand why you would take the..." She stopped and swallowed past the lump in her throat. "The hit, for Vance. But why ask about me?" She tried to disregard Conrad's words about hiding he was a noble. She was hiding things too, and she didn't have the strength or capacity of mind or emotion to reveal them now, much less to someone she had just met, and attacked. The braid now finished, it slipped from her fingers and hit her collarbone with a slight thump. "I just don't get it." Because she didn't. How could someone she caused so much pain to, someone who didn't know what she had done or who she could be, call her friend? And beyond that..."You should sleep." She muttered next, her tone only slightly admonishing. Conrad had been sleeping when she walked in, and he should be resting now, so his body could heal.
"So....that's it?" Gambit remained where he was, more then a little confused on the events that had transpired. "Uh, ya know, I think I'm gonna stick with my crew. Namely them." He pointed to the retreating backs of Rogue, Scott and Jean before hurrying towards them to catch up. Whatever Cyclops said they would do, he would probably do. Unless it involved cats. He didn't like cats.
Tessa stumbled back from the hit, then used psammokinesis.
Veera had been about to explain to Tatiana that they would find a way to fulfill the witcher's oath when the door was knocked upon, with more force then would have been necessary. Something told Veera that Tatiana wasn't expecting any visitors, and so the witcher quickly untied the girl, wrapping her up in the blanket before gently brushing Tatiana's hair from her face. "Stay here, and if I don't come back in five minutes, hide under the bed." It wouldn't necessarily throw off anything of the monster variety, but it might fool a human attacker. Drawing her swords, Veera proceeded down the hallway just as the door was broken down. "Alright bitches, Evander is in the house!" "Not for long." Veera muttered as she stepped into the hallway and swung the steel sword first in an upper cut. It may have been a bit aggressive, but the cut wouldn't be so hard that it would do more then slightly maim the intruder. It wouldn't help her to maim a peasant while she was praying the one in the next room wouldn't die in the time she was away. Teriana stepped through the portal, quickly closing it behind her before Yana had the time to send anything, or even worse, herself, through. She hoped that William would find what he was looking for, but for now, she had other things to worry about. She sighed as she rested the basket on her right hip, frowning. In her rush, she had teleported herself ten miles away from her desired location. Well...nothing for it, she was going to have to walk. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she started along the dusty road, walking towards a small village in the distance. Zack tried not to lean too much on Seth, but the buzz from the alcohol was wearing off, and he was getting tired. "My dagger." He mumbled, hastily stowing the painted iron item in its sheath at his side. "You shouldn't have done that." He responded in regards to Seth's words about the witcher. He had had enough of them for two life times. Bryce sighed, strapping his shield back onto his back, but leaving his sword out. "I'm not taking my chances. I think you can handle it." Bryce told Seth, a small disapproving frown on his face. "You know how I feel about you messing with the witchers. What did you do now? And where exactly is she? I don't want her to find our sanctuary. You can't put everyone's lives at risk, Seth, there's more at stake here then your ability to have fun." It must have been pretty bad if Seth felt the need to pay off Callum in order to get into his and Zack's good graces. Still, Bryce hoped it was manageable. There was only so much gold available to bribe witchers with, and he didn't have enough for every single one that ran around the northern regions, let alone the entire continent.
Tessa shrugged out of the cloak and handed it to Akari before tossing her hair back. "That's pretty cool." She complimented the other girl. "But don't the titans find us by smell too?" Zack watched the exchange, his mouth pulled down in a slight frown. "I wasn't going to say anything, but you really do need a bath." He commented towards Tessa; his heart wasn't in the sarcastic response as he considered the implications of the cloak. And what it could do in the wrong hands. "That could get a lot of the wrong people hurt if someone with bad intentions got a hold of it." He pointed out, thinking of one person specifically. Veera stumbled to her feet after Flame helped her with the tourniquet and bandage. It was a temporary solution to a very serious problem. Her arm throbbed, and her fingers tingled as the circulation was cut off, making it impossible to hold a sword in that hand. She switched to her other, awkwardly handling the weapon as she pulled her arm in close to her body. "Go after Flame. They want her the most. Get her out." She said through gritted teeth to Gale as she turned to Drake. There wasn't much she could do without getting in the way, but she managed to stick her leg out and trip a scout running by before stabbing him with the sword. The world spun for a moment, then righted itself. She was not weak enough to go down without a good fight. She prepared her body and ejected the hook from her maneuvering gear, swinging forward and slashing with most of her remaining strength, decapitating a second scout before releasing the hook from its hold in the wall. The awkwardness of only having one functional line left in her gear, besides her injury, sent her crashing to the ground. She rolled with the force of the fall and ended up back on her feet, sword held in front defensively. "Come at me, bitches." She hissed, eyes narrowing.
Sometimes light shines through from the most surprising of places.
Bump post. The man walked down the road, his tattered coat held tightly around him. He didn't make eye contact and he didn't look up as he entered the small building. Inside, people had gathered to make food out of the small means they had collected. A shelter, of sorts. He had once been one of them. Now, he looked at them with disgust. After Noah Mackey's preachings, he was ready to help usher these people, his friends, out of this world. Anything to save them from the heretical threat of aliens. He pulled out a timer, with a small, home made button on the side. Taking a deep breath, he paused to pray for all of their souls, before jamming his thumb down. The explosion could be seen from miles away.
Tessa walked over to the bed that Conrad rested on and turned around, before sliding down. Her back against the frame and her knees pulled up to her chest, she let her hair fall forward to frame her face, taking a couple of the strands in her fingers and beginning to braid them. "Whenever you have the time." she replied softly, sensing Damian's uncertainty. Was he afraid of her? Or was he just afraid in general? She still had to talk to Conrad, but she would wait until Damian was gone. It seemed like such a silly thing now. But she might as well follow through, now that she was here. Although it seemed conceivable that his anger from the previous conversation might now be directed at her lack of control. She hunched over slightly. No, he said we were friends. But friends fought. Even new friends. All she could do was wait to bring it up. No backing out now. No more running. She promised herself. If she left destruction behind, she had to fix it.
Tessa ran her fingers over the silky material before swinging it around her shoulders, all dramatic like, and fastening it around her neck. She closed it around her body, and then looked down. "Whoa." Zack muttered, hands dropping to his sides as his mouth opening slightly. "My body's gone!" She exclaimed, a slightly British accent appearing in her voice before it was once more subdued by the constraints of time, reality, and the RP rules. "This is really cool, Akari." She said before pulling the hood up and vanishing. It was strange, she decided as she stepped to the side. Zack's eyes were still on where she had been, the last place he had seen her. He couldn't see her. She stepped to the side a bit more, creeping closer. His eyes didn't move, though she could see the skin on his arms where is rippled with goose bumps. So he could sense her, but only with his instinct. She bit her lip, wondering how this would work with the titan before stepping back. She tripped, a small movement and inconsequential, except that the movement jolted her hair forward, and a few strands left the safety of the hood. I'll have to tie it back. She realized grimly as she righted herself and moved to complete Akari's instructions. The cloak took some getting used to, but in no time she was moving gracefully. The only issue was her hair. After Tessa disappeared, Zack felt himself shiver and the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Tessa must be creeping around. He decided, eyes flicking left then right. He couldn't see her, except...there. A lock of brown hair flashed, and was gone. He turned to look at Akari, wondering if she noticed too. He couldn't imagine she wouldn't say something, she was the sharpest of them all. Veera bit her lip, trying to stem both the pain and the flow of blood with her hands. Drake had come in and saved Flame. Good. She was safe. But the woman rushing towards Veera had death in her eyes. She was going to take down whomever she could, she had nothing to lose. Shit. Veera thought weakly, sinking to her knees. Just then, like an assassin from the skies, Gale dropped on the girl from above, stopping her in her tracks. She was kind of surprised the other female's back didn't break, but chose not to question it. Gale knew some scary things, it seemed. "Veera!? What's going on here?" He asked, holding the woman captive. She opened her mouth to speak, cut off by a tickle in her throat. She coughed once to clear it before starting again, her voice slightly groggy. "Um..she attacked me, and Flame. It was a distraction....I failed..." Again. Bill's face flashed through her eyes, and she blinked to clear the image of his broken body. "We have to get out of here." She tried to continue, her hand clasping tightly to her arm, for the little good it did her. Awkwardly, she undid the belt underneath her 3D maneuvering device, wrapping it around her arm just above the wound and pulling it tight with her teeth. She would need a helping hand to clasp it, however.
I need an adult.
Enough that you're probably not going to be on khv any time soon. Never underestimate the power of PMS.
Hey beautiful, glad to see you popping around.
Tessa saluted the king once more, her face flushing. She knew Griffin hadn't meant any offense, but it still hurt her a little. She shook it off and righted herself, unbuckling her gear before heading over towards Akari. Glancing at Zack, she sighed with a smile. He was still in dreamland, probably with Adelina. That was fine with her. She didn't need him trying to defend her honor. "What should we do, Akari?" She asked the girl quietly, letting her hands fold in front of her. Zack only unhooked himself when he noticed Tessa standing in front of Akari. He really should start paying attention, he decided as he hurried over to her. Especially because one never knew with Akari's experiments exactly what was going to take place. For now, he put the thought of Adelina out of his mind. There would be time for that later. Veera was distracted by Flame's cry of pain, and turned, taking her attention off the enemy for just a second too long. She knew this, and jumped to the side just as the sword pierced her arm. The tip smacked into her tibia, pain radiating up her arm as what sounded like a crack resonated through her body. It would have been far worse if the sword had run her through, but she yanked the arm back, sword still impaled in it. It would be better to leave it in, she knew, in case it struck an artery, but that left her completely open and unable to defend herself as the weapon weighed her down. She swung her sword, managing to cut the woman through her armor. Whether she actually made a wound, she had no idea. She just needed to keep her back, as her own sword dropped to the ground and she gripped the hilt of the weapon impaled in her arm. She had no choice, she realized as the woman came at her again. Ripping the sword out with an accompanying spray of crimson liquid, she turned it around and ran the woman through before stumbling back, her hand pressed against the opening even as blood seeped through her fingers. I might need an adult.
Veera sneered at his back as she watched him go before slipping into the alleyway of one of the other houses. Because her creator is having issues related to typing, she spent the three hours scouting out the chosen house, learning the occupants, and breaking in, in very little detail. She crept through one of the top windows and past the sleeping occupant, a small boy, into the main room on the upper floor. When that was empty, she followed the hallway, down to where his mother was apparently busy making some sort of meal. The rest of the house was empty. Damn. She quickly left through the window she came in, a shadow fleeing out into the air just as the small boy woke. Checking the next house, and the next, showed that everything was calm. So where had she gone wrong? It was the last house she stopped at, she stood there and clenched her hands, grinding her teeth. In the middle of the floor lay what looked like an index finger. Just a general inspection told her it was from someone who fit the age of the man she was looking for. Keeping the string of curses she mouthed silent, she left the residence and made her way back to the desired meeting spot, two and a half hours later. Now all she could do was wait, and see what Hunter claimed for his prize. She would never admit how much it burned her that she had lost, but a small amount of that was overcome by curiosity, and excitement. She had found someone to challenge her, at last. Kara followed Thomas, leaping into the fray with her fire. Literally. The cave lit up as her spell bathed the walls with light. It didn't last for long, but when it ended she faced a second enemy, while Thomas was either stabbing or hugging the other. She wasn't sure, and at the moment it would be suicide to look as the man came at her with his sword. She ducked underneath and punched him in the side, moving instinctively. The move nearly broke her knuckles as she hit plate armor. Kara winced and backed up, ducking another swing before shifting to the side. It was then she noticed her ax, strapped to the man's back. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed, leaping at him and clawing his face with her nails. To be fair, was the only unprotected part of him that she had found, for now. "THAT'S MINE!" His sword missed her face by inches, cutting off a lock of hair that fluttered to the ground as she struggled to gouge out his eyes with her fingers. At some point, the logical part of her kicked in, and she grinned as her palms heated once more. "Burn in hell, mother fu-" the rest of her sentence was cut off by the sound of the man's scream as she roasted him alive, cooking him like a lobster in a pot. When it was over, she wrinkled her nose at the smell and pushed his body over to yank her precious weapon off his corpse before standing. Her palms burned from the hot metal as blisters formed around the overly sensitive skin, and her stomach roiled, but she would throw up later. Right now, she had her weapon back, and that was all that mattered. Turning, she glanced at Thomas. "I didn't realize such a shy boy would have such impressive prowess in battle. So who are you really?"
You're all officially accepted.
Well...two out of three wasn't bad. Veera watched the girl struggle and narrowed her yellow eyes. The girl seemed to be regaining her functions, but Veera was hesitant to untie her. If another seizure hit, it would take all of her strength to keep Tatiana still, and she didn't want to add to the girl's injuries by breaking any bones. On top of that, she didn't recognize Veera. "Your short term memory is being affected. My name is Veera, I am a witcher. You were injured, and took one of the witcher's potions in order to keep yourself from dying. I tied you up to keep you from hurting yourself. I'm afraid that for the time being, I must refrain from untying you, for your own safety." This was going to be one long day. "I don't have time for this." William was clearly delusional, and she already had enough on her plate. A semi frozen man with brain damage was just one more thing she didn't need. She cast the signs to begin opening the portal, keeping her awareness open in case Yana decided to be a little shit and attack her. Come to think of it, could Yana help but attack her? For once, just let me out of here with my clothing intact. She prayed to the gods. The last time she and Yana had met, not only had her house been burned, but their battle had left her favorite dress in tatters. She would really rather not walk across the countryside in a nearly naked state. Far too many men had gone home missing important limbs. And that was not fun to explain the city guards. Bryce blinked as Seth came into the picture. Well, shit. This was going to get even more interesting. "He's a witcher. Took a disliking to Zack over here. I'm trying to save his life." Bryce narrowed his eyes as Seth tossed the gold to Callum, or what appeared to be gold. Seth never worked an honest day in his life, so no doubt that the gold came from his latest victims. Bryce would only hope Seth hadn't gone above his usual thievery and prank pulling. Bryce dared not risk saying anything in the presence of a witcher, and a clearly depressed one at that, but he dearly hoped Seth hadn't caused problems. "So, do we have a deal?" He asked Callum, letting his shield lower a small amount. Meanwhile Zack still remained standing in the river like a useless tool. At this point his creator is debating giving him hypothermia.
Ana sighed with relief as Analise settled onto the bed without being dropped. "Thank you." she said to Zephyr, choosing to ignore Isabella. How did someone respond to those types of comments anyway? They made her skin crawl, and she chose to keep her mouth shut about her own abilities. No doubt Isabella would want to cut open her head too. She pressed her fingers to the small wound in her side in an effort to stop whatever bleeding was left and carefully removed the dagger before sitting down next to Analise. "I'm way too old for this." She muttered to herself. @Takeru Tenkuji @Aelin FireHeart
