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Post by IceCoffin on Mar 25, 2010 12:01:40 GMT -8
~Elveda, Market Streets~
Sam ungracefully trampled through the streets, hurrying his way back home. The mud staining his wounds flew off bit by bit as he galloped, and frequently, the dirty projectiles were flung into the faces and clothes of passersby. It was nightfall by this time, and anyone that was outside at the time was either heading home, or indulging in what little nightlife there was to have in this city.
Revelers who had welcomed the New Year hours earlier were now no more than drunkards who wandered aimlessly outside Their houses, Their families too embarrassed to allow Them inside. The street vendors busily closed shop, and Those wealthy enough to rent a real storefront have long closed up for the night.
But, there were still people in the streets nonetheless. Sets of Twins wandered about arm-in-arm, babbling about the day's delights. And New Year's tourists form the Cradle could be seen bemoaning the lack of nighttime entertainment in this "sandhole" of a city.
The only "entertainment" there was to be had, as some visitors realized, was in the Lonelies, who came out at night. All day long, the horned, Twin-less pariahs of society hid from the festivities, knowing well that if they were seen, society would balk. And with the Orphanage not too far away, being seen by Twins was a big deal.
Lonelies scraped at the ground, some crawling like little wild animals, picking and nibbling at scraps of food left in the streets. Others huddled together for warmth, for desert nights were cold. Yet more Lonelies celebrated the New Year in their own way, presenting Lonely children with mismatched clothes they found in the dumpsters, or fantastical stories about Lonely societies that were too far-fetched for anyone to believe. The awkward, pathetic Lonelies here were entertaining to some, and perhaps that was the reason anyone would actually let them remain in Elveda City proper.
However the biggest draw tonight so far, was the crazed Lonely man running around town, unintentionally flinging mud in people's faces. Sam was bewildered by the stark contrast of Elveda's nighttlife to its daytime hustle and bustle. He didn't know which way to go, or where to turn. Every street he looked down was strange and unfamiliar, devoid of throngs of Twins and colorful store signs.
Dazed and confused by the guise of nightfall, Sam slowed just a bit, and wandered aimlessly around town. Beaten by the waves of exhaustion and the burning pains all over his chest and backside, Sam could hardly think about where he was in town. All he could do was see, hear, and smell. And even those senses were as dull as the throbbing, starved pain in his gut.
Twins who spotted him jeered and mocked the ungainly Lonely, but Sam was too bewildered to notice. He continued to wander around, and eventually found his way outside the city.
The air was stark and bare, with bored Twin guardsmen being the only souls in sight. They didn't care that Sam had wandered his way out, because it didn't quite matter so much.
"If one Lonely left the city, so what? Who cares?"
Sam's ears didn't register the comment as meaning anything at all. He just liked the strange cool feeling on the night air. And with that, he fell backwards into the sand, winded by the pain of his wounds and sheer exhaustion.
Fine dust flew into the air around him, but Sam was too tired to worry about it. He stared up at the sky, his eyes now fixated on the moon. Oh, what a beautiful moon...
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Post by Del on Apr 10, 2010 11:33:43 GMT -8
Parisa :: Desert
Being buried alive was an interesting experience in itself. It was soft and comfortable... well, except for the lack of air, but even that didn't seem to matter as much after a while. And although she was locked into place by layers of sand, it felt as if she was floating. Parisa assumed this would be the end, though she didn't really mind...
Until she felt something tugging on her hair.
Suddenly, she was dragged upwards, a fist clenched firmly in her hair. Upon hitting the surface only feet away, Parisa shrieked; she had not expected to be unearthed...
It was, of course, the man she had been traveling with. Clearly, he had been buried in a similar manner since he was also coated in sand. Chattering on his shoulder was a very angry Scrunt, punching his master’s face with tiny hands.
Head free and upper body loose, Parisa began to move her arms towards the surface through all the sand; she and the man made a joint effort to remove her from underneath the desert. Once free, she choked out some sand, fell on her back, and panted heavily, sucking in the sweet, clean air. The two of them remained still and silent for a long while, their breath the only sound in a vast expanse of heat and sand... (well, that and cursing cries of their scrunt companion).
After some time, Parisa picked her body up and looked over the horizon... the path the gargantuan spider had traveled was clear... if they headed back in that direction they were sure to get back on track... hopefully. But how could they walk all that way?
Then she noticed something in the distance. It was the bike, half buried in the sand and probably past its use. Still, she could not help but feel hopeful at the sight. She inhaled sharply and vigorously tapped the man on his shoulder as he lay half sleeping on the ground. Startled, he sat up and clumsily made his way to his feet. At first he could not see what she was pointing at so excitedly, but after some time he too saw the bike lying in the distance. He jumped up and gave a cheer, and Parisa began laughing. They were both so happy, so shocked to find this bit of good news, to know they might survive after all, and, in their frenzy, they embraced one another.
It was a moment before they realized what they were doing. They stopped, looked at one another, and sharply separated. An awkward silence ensued. The man laughed a little to ease the tension before pointing towards the bike once more. She nodded, not looking at his face, and the two began to walk.
Once they made it to the bike, they pulled it out of the sand and examined it. While it was unlikely that the bike would actually work, they couldn’t help but hope. The man cleaned sand out of the bike’s many pipes and crevasses for a few minutes before offering it to Parisa. She bent down as he stepped out of the way and snapped her fingers to jump start the vehicle. At first it choked and sputtered, but it eventually began to run smoothly. Their excitement was almost tangible.
The three companions mounted the bike and began riding. It seemed like their luck had turned for the better.
Hopefully it would stay that way.
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Post by Gabby on Apr 10, 2010 16:35:16 GMT -8
[ Kallias – En route to Baris ]
Kallias quickly sat down on the bike and swatted at Rassus simultaneously, revving the vehicle so that as soon as the Lonely girl got on, they were off. Swerving, he kicked up a disc of sand and sped off in the right direction: the now jagged horizon. The mountains were there; they just needed to get to them, and quickly. It would still take a few long days, but at least hope was visible. He felt both Rassus’s and the girl’s fingers desperately try to hook onto him as their speed jumped from nothing to full throttle. Hastily, without looking back, he plopped the scrunt on the space in front of him and grabbed the girl’s arm, wrapping it around his torso.
Leaning forward both with determination and aerodynamics in mind, Kallias attempted to steady the beating of his heart to the hum of the bike. He was glad that the vibrations could mask his fear-induced trembling. They were lucky. Almost too lucky. Kallias haphazardly ruffled the scrunt’s furry head in thanks. If it hadn’t been for his burrowing, Kallias wouldn’t have managed to get out of the sand. The animal tried to hit away his hand, in the process practically slipping off the bike. Kallias chuckled nervously to himself.
Five minutes perhaps had passed, stretching into hours it seemed by the anticipation caged in all of their chests. While their hope did rest on the taut horizon before them, it was still too small to dispel the anxiety. Rassus especially was not calmed; his paws grabbing the handlebars, he jumped up and down as if that might make them go faster.
The earth exploded behind them. The shockwave sent the bike forward into a nosedive, Rassus flipping over, but Kallias – along with help from the Lonely girl – managed to even out the bike enough with their body weights to stay upright. None of them needed to look back to know it was the spider still in pursuit, just barely missing them, its open jowls teeming with sand. Kallias didn’t even think to help his dangling brother, instead all of his concentration was bent on escape. One leg after another emerged from the ground, causing Kallias to sharply swerve at any given moment.
Strangely, Kallias felt the girl behind him shift in position. They now both sat back to back, one arm wrapping around his shoulder, the other outstretched. Even against the bright, although setting, sun, Kallias noticed shadows grow in front of him. The girl jerked back slightly as the ball of light shot from her hand, aimed at the monster. He smirked. Distance shrunk between them, their possible salvation, and their demise.
The first bright orb missed its mark, but the girl was quick into whipping up another. This time Kallias could tell she’d hit it. There were a brief pause in the creature’s movement, only to be filled by its displeased cry. Nevertheless, it was fast to recover. This sort of pattern continued until they reached a steep gully. Rocketing over the edge, the scrunt, man, and woman glided through the scorching air, the spider barely hindered by the step because of its long legs. While it may have seemed like a setback, Kallias knew, upon their rough landing, that the eroded boulders that began to grow more frequent could save them. Sand turned into dehydrated dirt, and they now sped along a long-dead riverbed.
Kallias veered to the left, following the rivulets left behind by the water that once flowed through, heading what used to be upstream. This slightly discombobulated the monster. Leaping into the riverbed, the spider splintered the dirt. Surprisingly, however, what rose into the air as a result was not dust but mud. If anyone could see beneath his goggles and mask, they would see a look of utmost smug triumph painted on Kallias’s face. He knew about this place, that below the surface of a seemingly lifeless river, water still sluggishly remained. The heavyset tarantula now had to struggle through mud with each step, whilst they glided smoothly above the top.
This was not the only thing Kallias knew about the area. Steadily before them, the walls of a small gorge emerged. The thin opening had been carved by the river they traced. If they could just get into that crevice…
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Post by Del on Apr 10, 2010 21:48:11 GMT -8
Parisa :: Fleeing The Spider :: The Dry Riverbed
As the three travelers speed through the dry riverbed at breakneck speeds, Parisa couldn’t help but feel amused. A few days ago she could have cared less if her life ended at the hands of the spider… but now… everything was different. Why was she fighting so desperately to stay alive?
She flung light, as fast and hard as she could, at the spider’s face. Most of the time she missed, yet each ball of light affected the spider in some way. She simply could not believe the position she was in.
The spider’s gargantuan legs crashed around them, many times nearly hitting their tiny bike, yet the man deftly swerved out of harm’s way each time. They were working so hard to survive – both of them – and they were doing it together; they had to make it to that gorge. It was in this moment where the realization struck her on the most subconscious of levels: they were a team. It would take her some time to fully grasp this idea, and, in fact, she really had no idea what she was thinking at the moment, but somewhere deep inside she knew.
And suddenly, the lonely girl didn’t feel so lonely.
The spider let out a blood stanching cry, rearing its mighty head into the air. It shot a string of silk from its spinet, of which the trio barely managed to avoid. Parisa flung another ball of light at the creatures face, but this time the release was much different. As soon as the magic was projected from her body, a cold sweat began to overflow from her pores. The black hand once again gripped her mind, and the faces of her victims rapidly flashed through her mind; Parisa began to sway dangerously on the back of the bike, and she felt herself begin to slip; her world slowed down.
The moment she had lost her stability, the man knew. As she fell, she could see the man turning to grab her, she also saw one of the creature’s massive legs headed straight for them. As he grabbed her to pull her back up from her half-fallen position he noticed as well. He tried to swerve, but between her, the bike, and the speed of the leg, he was ultimately too slow. Though he managed to move them away from the brunt of the force, the spider still managed to clip the side of their bike.
Suddenly, Parisa, the man, and the scrunt were sailing through the air. The blow from the spider’s leg had sent them, the bike, and the debris from the earth flying. From her viewpoint in the air, the lonely girl saw the spider rear back. In slow motion, she saw the web release from the spinet once more as it made a b-line in their direction; they had been so close to the gorge, so close to their salvation. For a moment, her body and mind gave up; for a moment, she let herself accept death willingly, but only for a moment.
Willing the strength from the very fiber of her being, the lonely girl felt her light penetrate the hand of darkness in her mind. Light washed over her skin, radiating from every pore in her body. She felt fresh and free. She felt like a bird. She felt like an angel.
In her moment of glory she grabbed the man and the scrunt. She shot forward, penetrating into the gorge like a bullet, the tarantula crashing into the cliff face only moments later. It screamed in anger.
Relief flooded her body. They were safe; somehow, they were safe.
Thank god.
And there, mid-flight, mid air, the lonely girl lost consciousness as she often did. She did it with a smile on her face.
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Post by Gabby on Apr 11, 2010 6:04:56 GMT -8
[ Kallias – En route to Baris, Desert Gorge ]
Light. It had been there to save him many times it seemed. Just as he opened his eyes, the last few images of his subconscious mind flashed before him. The clouds of floating dust acted as screens to the projection, allowing him to see things that confused him, disturbed him. He’d done such a good job not remembering. But for some reason, this light was a trigger in his head. Goggles and mask completely knocked off by their landing, Kallias stared with a certain look of devastation in his vermillion irises, brow furrowed, unblinking. After a moment he coughed, using his arms to lift himself up slowly, head turning to glance over his shoulder to look from whence they came. The monster had gone. Deeming it safe to move, Kallias turned from his stomach to his bottom, inhaling sharply at the pain ricocheting from his side. The unclean air was unkind to his lungs. He scrounged for his mask until he found it, slapping it over his nose and mouth.
Drained, pained, and still plagued with lingering fear, Kallias suddenly realized he hadn’t been alone in that whole ordeal. Rassus and the girl… they couldn’t be far. Getting to his feet was a task but he managed, and the search was quite fruitful. Not only did he find Rassus – curled up behind the cover of two rocks – but he also found his goggles (which he put on), the bike (rather, large pieces of it), and finally the Lonely girl, a.k.a., their savior. Willpower fueled the strength in Kallias’s weary arms to lift her up out of the dust. When he had her steady, he lowered his forehead to hers momentarily, as if to somehow transmit a message from his skull to her brain. It was, of course, a message of thanks, of utmost gratitude. Upon her discovery, Rassus finally decided to emerge from his hiding place and continue with his previous endeavors regarding her.
Kallias set up a makeshift camp further down in the gorge, far enough that not even the legs of that spider – if perchance it did return – could reach them. He was careful not to dig down too low when making a fire pit, since hitting water would dampen everything. The sun by that time had disappeared from the sky, leaving only remnants of its light to work with. And being surrounded by two steep walls didn’t help. Nevertheless, Kallias got by, like he always did. In the warm firelight he fought off heavy exhaustion in order to examine his battle wounds: bruises, scrapes, small gashes. He shook his head and laughed at how inconsequential they were in comparison to the thing that made them. A miracle.
His gaze flew over to the sleeping frame of the Lonely girl, hoping the injuries she sustained were just as minor. He had laid her on one of the blankets they’d brought along with them, her cloak thrown over her body to combat the creeping cold. Her face, partially lit by the flames, almost matched the dirt upon which she laid; it was coated in it, disturbed only near her hairline where the sweat of terror and effort had turned it into drips of mud. Based on that, Kallias couldn’t even imagine how bad he looked (and probably smelled, for that matter). He frowned in displeasure.
Kallias then looked at the bike. If Dante could see it, he would be so upset. Kallias had every intention of fixing it (again) and also improving it, but that was tough to do in the middle of nowhere. Tough, but not impossible. The sacrifice that Kallias had to make was his drill; he disassembled it almost entirely in order to get more parts to fix the bike so they might be able to ride the rest of the way to Baris. Tubes, pipes, and sheets of metal littered the sand, arranged in some logical way only logical to Kallias. There was no way he could muster the stamina to work on it then. He’d have to wait until morning.
In the meantime, Kallias drank from a vial that hadn’t been shattered – since a good few had been throughout their entire ordeal. His thirst felt neverending. But he didn’t want to drink all of the good water, knowing that the Lonely girl probably deserved it more. So he’d taken just the head of his drill and twisted it into the ground until he hit liquid beneath the surface. The water was a bit… crunchy, for the lack of a better word, but it was drinkable. Rassus, unlike his brother, had some remaining energy that allowed him to hunt. The scrunt was almost suspiciously gracious with his prizes, bringing back four smaller rodents, one after the other, for them to share. Kallias did all of the dirty work before putting the meat in the fire. He attempted to wash his hands in the little pool he’d drilled, and after doing so, he filled it back up with earth.
Their meal sizzled and popped in the flames of the fire. From one of the pouches they’d brought, Kallias found a ratty deck of playing cards and dealt them between him and Rassus to pass the time.
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Post by Del on Apr 11, 2010 11:56:33 GMT -8
Parisa :: The Gorge :: Camp
Parisa woke to the smell of cooked meat. Slowly, she half opened her eyes and rustled slightly from her horizontal position: everything hurt. She decided to lay there for a while longer, resting and keeping to herself; she wasn’t sure if the man had realized she’d awoke or not. Regardless, he paid her no mind as he tended the fire, the food, and his card game with the scrunt.
They really were a funny pair, he and the scrunt, bound by an almost brother-like relationship (or so it seemed). Even her dead heart couldn’t help but find them endearing, however slightly. She smiled to herself… and then stopped. Why was she smiling? What was she feeling? Why was she feeling? It has been so long since she’d had to deal with emotions… This warm feeling she felt in her chest as she watched them… what was it?
In the end, deciphering her mind turned out to be too troublesome; it forced her to think for herself, and that was something she didn’t like to do (though, in all honesty, it had been so long that she’d really forgotten how). Parisa put it out of her head. She sat up, body painfully protesting, and used her right hand to help support her tired body. As she applied weight to her hand, she inhaled sharply and stanched a cry of pain, and this startled the man and the scrunt. They both looked up swiftly in her direction, and looked surprised to see her awake (well, she assume it was surprised based off the man’s body language, for she couldn’t see his face). Ignoring them for a moment, Parisa looked at her hand; her index finger was clearly dislocated – it bent sharply to the left, cutting across her other fingers. She wasn’t quite sure what to do.
She looked back to the man, uncertainly. Although they had gone through too much together in the past few days, she was still afraid of him; after all, that mask didn’t help. Still, something in her gut told her she could trust him. Hesitantly, she raised her hand out and above her cloak for him to see; he winced at the site of her disfigured finger, but then he looked concerned (she thought). Quickly, and almost a little too much so, he came toward her. At first she felt like running away, but she calmed herself before her instincts managed take over. She waited patiently for him, hand held out, ready for him to examine.
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Post by Gabby on Apr 11, 2010 12:35:30 GMT -8
[ Kallias – En route to Baris, Desert Gorge ]
Kallias’s face scrunched as he examined the Lonely girl’s finger. He’d seen injuries like it before – most times on his own body – so he knew what he had to do. It wasn’t a complicated procedure, but it was certainly painful. From beneath his goggles, Kallias stared at the girl; she still looked down at her hand, not knowing that his eyes had darted upward. He heaved a relatively deep sigh, then catching her attention. He got settled in front of her, kneeling and subduing his own discomforts before reaching up to his face with his free hand. Undoing the buckles, Kallias removed his mask from his face. Regardless of this development, the shadows cast from the fire still distorted and hid a good part of his face. That, and his goggles remained on. Again, he knew this was disadvantageous – considering it was nighttime – but he was a Twin. He was shocked she hadn’t run away already. He just didn’t want to make her more uncomfortable. So they remained on.
He immediately began talking to decrease the awkwardness of removing his gasmask. “It’s dislocated,” he stated plainly, mouth going crooked as he fought off a displeased frown. He briefly rubbed his jaw, facial hair scratching against his calloused fingers. This was obvious information, and the Lonely girl stared up at him expectantly still. “It’s not too bad. But there’s no easy way to fix it.” Her silvery eyes flickered away to the ground. “May I?” There was a short pause before she nodded hastily, forehead already creased in hopes of preparing for the inevitable pain.
Kallias set the girl’s hand in his left, right hand at the ready. He swallowed. “Would you like me to count?” Her gaze jumped up to him momentarily again before nodding. He could feel her begin to tremble. “To five, all right?” Kallias inhaled. “One. Two!” Quickly and expertly, Kallias realigned the girl’s finger. She squealed, both from the agony and from the surprise. Tearing her hand away, the girl sent Kallias a flash of resentment. “I didn’t want you to pull away,” he tried to explain his deceit, but she simply curled up and cradled her hand, ignoring him.
Giving up, Kallias scooped up his mask from the sand and made his way to his seat from before, holding his side and limping slightly. He plopped down with a sharp gasp but recovered. Rassus threw a small pebble at his head to get his attention before pointing back down at the cards. He comically ow’d and flicked a pebble harmlessly at the scrunt as well before settling back into the game. But before he did completely, he cleared his throat and added: “My name is Kallias, by the way. Rassus.” He kinked his head towards the disgruntled scrunt.
He began to bring his mask back to his face once more.
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Post by Del on Apr 11, 2010 13:27:00 GMT -8
Parisa :: Gorge :: Camp
“My name is Kallias, by the way. Rassus.”
Kallias and Rassus. It was strange to finally have names to the faces, but the names suited one another somehow.
She couldn’t concentrate on them at the moment, however: her hand hurt too much. Plus she was a bit miffed about the surprise realigning. Still, he had helped her, so she couldn’t really complain. She curled into a ball and cradled her hand for about ten minutes. Once the pain died down a bit, she looked back up to find Kallias and Rassus playing game of cards. Kallias laid down his hand and Rassus began chattering angrily. He ran a couple circuits around the fire pit in the frustration of defeat, and the two began a new game soon after.
It looked fun, whatever they were playing. She watched from her vantage point, barely moving her head up so as not to be noticed. After three or so more games, however, Kallais looked up to see her watching them; she had clearly forgotten to hide herself after a while, for she was now openly watching them both. Embarrassed, she looked to the ground.
“You want to play?” came a cautious baritone.
She looked up, silver eyes widening. At first she was taken aback, not sure what to do. They stared at one another for a good minute before she made her decision. She nodded. Slowly, she shuffled her way over, still wrapped in her desert cloak, and came to sit beside him; her body was shaking. Kallias made room for her, moving the cards out of the way and setting it up again; Rassus simply glared. Once they had settled, the man spoke again.
“You know how to Jotori?”
She nodded her head no.
“Well, then… I’ll teach you,” he said amiably. And he did. The tutorial lasted a few minutes, the game itself wasn’t hard to grasp. In Jotori, each player is dealt six cards and the goal is to get as many cards from the other players as possible. This was done by each participant laying their highest card down and whoever had the highest out of the three got to keep their opponents cards. It was simple, but it was fun. They began their first game, and as she lay her cards down, a feeling began to unfold; she caught herself smiling several times throughout their game: watching their surprised faces when she’d place the highest card, seeing Rassus throw the nearest debris every time he lost his hand, hearing Kallias’ contented laughter… it made her… happy.
She won the first game.
Rassus cursed her, quite loudly, in his secret language, and Kallias gave her a friendly smile and a bold pat on the shoulder. She smiled back.
What was this warmth she felt? It radiated from somewhere deep in her chest, and it surged to all areas of her body and mind. She was confused, but she was happy. As Kallias dealt the next hand, her happiness became too much for her frail and battered body to maintain. She looked up at Kallias; she opened her mouth, air moving past her vocal chords in a familiar yet uncomfortable way; her voiced cracked and moaned as she used it for the first time in nine years:
“M-my name… it’s---”
Startled, Kallias looked up at her suddenly; he was clearly shocked to hear her voice. Both he and the scrunt stared at her speechless and waiting.
“---Parisa.”
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Post by Gabby on Apr 11, 2010 14:43:33 GMT -8
[ Kallias – En route to Baris, Desert Gorge ]
Their card games lasted well into the night despite their collective exhaustions. There was laughter, shrieks, and frustrations – the latter two mostly from Rassus – together to create an atmosphere that greatly contrasted the past few days’. They all needed it. Kallias could tell Parisa, who finally mustered the courage and trust to share her name, needed it most of all. Of the times he glanced to her throughout their many games, he watched the light dance on her face, accentuating curves and crannies in her flesh. And the indentations that usually associated a face when it came to smiling and laughing were nearly absent. It was as if her face hadn’t moved much in a long time. He found himself smiling a bit more than usual, too.
In fact, he’d been enjoying himself so much that he nearly forgot about their meals still roasting in the flames. Haphazardly, Kallias leapt up from his spot, stumbling as a result of the pain in his side. He steadied, though, and grabbed the meat from the fire, holding the sticks impaling the food at arm’s length. Rassus mirrored his brother’s movements and rushed over as well, scurrying up Kallias’s shoulder, climbing across his outstretched arm, and grabbing some of the stuff for himself. It was clearly too hot, though, and soon the scrunt screeched and threw the slab hatefully onto the ground. He soon pounced down to further abuse it. Kallias simply gawked down at the animal, not knowing whether to be amused or concerned.
He made his way back to Parisa, handing her a branch. He warned her of it being really hot before setting down again, pulling a vial of water from his belt and also dropping it in her lap. They mostly ate in silence when the meat had finally cooled down. The meal was silent but fast – they were all ravenous – and by the end of it, the quiet became a sort of paradoxical lullaby. Kallias rubbed underneath his goggles, blinking in exaggeration in attempts to expel the tiredness. But he eventually figured it was best not to fight it. It’d been a… long day, and he needed to be up early to start work on the bike.
“Well,” he announced, clapping his hands together and yawning simultaneously, “I’m just about to pass out. I will see you two in the morning.” He made his way over to his little makeshift bed and dramatically laid down, soon regretting it with a groan.
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Post by Del on Apr 12, 2010 12:18:56 GMT -8
Parisa :: Gorge :: Camp
Once the festivities came to an end, Parisa helped Kallias close up camp for the night. After setting up beds and putting away cards, she curled up underneath her cloak and blanket. As she lay there trying to fall asleep, the lonely girl reflected the last week or so of her life. So much had happened. So much had changed... though she still wasn't sure if it had been for the better or not.
But she felt that she would know for sure soon, and she was sure she knew the answer...
Her body drained and exhausted, the lonely girl fell asleep rather quickly, hoping that the sun would take its time rising the next morning.
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Post by IceCoffin on Apr 12, 2010 13:00:58 GMT -8
~Elveda: Outskirts~
Though he was hungry, tired, and injured, Sam also felt relaxed, as he rested in the cool, moonlit desert. His eyes were fixated on the moon. It was such a powerful thing to him, really. While the sun would blind one's eyes in the day, the moon was tranquil and comforting to gaze upon.
Sam couldn't quite remember the last time he really looked at it, though that moment was only but a month before. Despite that, he liked this moon better anyway- after all, the nights he spent in Baris were always too bitterly cold to think properly.
"What a lovely sight to spy with these tired eyes... Coming out at night, when the Lonely ones play," Sam muttered.
The moon had arrested his gaze, and its light filled his mind with a distant warmth, despite the coldness of the night air.
"In contrast.... The sunlight... It spears the eyes. Cackling in fiery cruelty as it bears the weight of its heat upon us..."
Sam groaned, not because of this strange lament, but rather because he was still hungry. But, there was no turning back now: he could scarcely move a muscle in his body.
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Post by CO on Apr 13, 2010 9:46:22 GMT -8
~Desert: Elveda Outskirts~
The horizon began to slowly turn a bright pink as the sun began to rise. With a loud cough Dante quickly sprang up, expelling sand from his mouth. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. Elveda wasn't too far off now and he should reach it by the time the sun had completely risen.
He stood up and shook the sand out of his clothes and hair. After taking a drink of water from his canteen he began walking once more towards the city. "Ugh, Kal is so lucky. He's just breezing through the desert on my bike. It's not like he's getting attacked by any giant spiders or anything. Bah..."
After a bit of walking Dante could see something in the sand up ahead. It looked like a pile of clothes so he quickened his pace to reach it faster. As he continued towards the mass he began to notice that it was, in fact, a person.
"What kind of insane moron sleeps in the desert?!" Dante asked as he was now standing over the body. "Is that... SAM!?!" Carefully Dante pushed his face over to get a better look and it was, in fact, Dante's old pal Sam.
The sun was almost completely risen now and he knew that if Sam stayed here any longer he would probably die or something, so he carefully picked up the sleeping man and propped him over his shoulder and continued walking towards Elveda.
Within twenty minutes, the near exhausted Dante stumbled into Elveda with Sam over his shoulders causing plenty of heads to turn. He even swore he heard a "Get a look at that Lonely! Crazy bastard!" but he couldn't be too sure.
He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but as he continued through the streets he heard Sam's stomach growl quite loudly. "Some things never change..." Dante said with a laugh as he looked around for the nearest food stand. As soon as he found it, he became quite aware of just how hungry he himself was.
Dante bought quite a bit of food and propped up Sam in a chair at his table. He looked down at the food and then up at his sleeping friend whose head had fallen back and now his mouth was wide open. With a shrug he picked up some food and crammed it into Sam's mouth. It served two purposes. One, to get him to eat, and two, to stop that loud snoring...
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Post by Gabby on Apr 13, 2010 10:42:21 GMT -8
[ Kallias – En route to Baris, Desert Gorge ]
Regardless of how much sleep he ended up getting, Kallias rose to the rings of his internal clock at dawn. Apparently he’d tossed and turned, too, because he did a little dance to get the sand out of his pants as soon as he managed to stand. He stopped, though, when his vision set upon Rassus and Parisa who still slept beside the smoldering fire. He shivered in the chilly morning air. He rubbed his bare arms and prodded the embers with the tip of his boot. The soft branches suddenly collapsed, sending glowing sparks upward in Kallias’s direction. He hopped back with a short yelp, freezing to the spot, waiting for the two to awaken. He breathed in relief when they didn’t.
Immediately, Kallias went to work on the bike. First he gathered a bunch of stones and piled them into two separate pillars. He used these to prop up the skeleton of the bike so that he could lay underneath it and do what he had to do. He went about his business as courteously as he could, peeking over every once in a while to see if the others had stirred. But they didn’t, so he eventually fell into a place in his mind filled with brave ideas and crazy calculations. It wasn’t long before he’d left the bike and found the sketches he’d brought with him, drawing on top of his already-new concepts. Concepts just seemed to pour from his fingers and into his pencil.
Sunlight began to creep down the left wall of the canyon, but time was irrelevant to Kallias. He worked and worked like a machine: silent, meticulous, and systematic. Rassus finally woke up, glared at his brother, and then scurried off to find breakfast.
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Post by IceCoffin on Apr 13, 2010 12:18:09 GMT -8
~Elveda: Marketplace, Open-Air Food Stand~
Sam awoke with a sudden jolt -or was it a choke?- once the entirety of some mysterious foodstuff (plus a hand) shoved its way into his mouth. He fell over onto the table, coughing up the rather vile mess, and stared up at the man who had nearly choked him.
Suddenly, the strange Lonely's gaze brightened up, "...Dante?! Ooooh, I didn't know you were edible!"
Sam meticulously picked apart the mess in front of him, moving the food in a mysterious, but ultimately random, order until he deemed it safe to eat. Then, he dove into the meal, filling his tortured stomach with glee.
Once he finally finished his meal, Sam looked up again, still unsure as to what to say to Dante. He let out a loud burp, and then coughed.
"...So, what brings you here? Are you here to keep me company?! I was terribly lonely."
Sam stuck his lower lip out for emphasis, and pouted.
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Post by CO on Apr 13, 2010 12:33:28 GMT -8
~Elveda: Marketplace, Open-Air Food Stand~
Dante could only look on as Sam quickly devoured everything in front of him. It wasn't anything new to him, he had seen Sam act this way before. It was just kind of refreshing to see someone like Sam again. It had been far too long.
"...So, what brings you here? Are you here to keep me company?! I was terribly lonely."
"Well, I was coming here to Elveda to check up on some things when I got caught up in the raid on Orphanage VII. But then again, what else is new, that always happens to me. But what exactly are you doing here Sam?" he asked after taking another gulp of water from his canteen.
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