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Post by Del on Sept 21, 2009 18:52:23 GMT -8
Finvarra Delafonte :: Lonely slums
"Soheila," Finvarra said after finishing his examination of Jerome, "Want to do something. Today? Yes please. Am bored sometimes. Like now. Bored. Maybe no horns can come too?"
Waiting for a reply, and having excited himself, had begun to skip in a circle around the two lonely he traveled with. Hopefully they had something to do, yet Finvarra has no idea what he wanted from the day. He would see what they had to say. Silver eyes attempting to focus on Soheila and Jerome as he spun around, Finvarra waited for one of them to reply.
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Post by Lily on Sept 22, 2009 20:14:51 GMT -8
Soheila Galibarda - Lonely Slums
Fin let loose a barrage of inquiries concerning the man in front of them. Soheila expected as much, for Fin, being the inquisitive boy he was, was never short a question:
"Soheila, this your man? When this happen? Kind he is? Maybe? I not know. Why he hero? Why no horns? Where horns?"
Smiling slightly at the crouching boy, Soheila parted her lips in preparation to speak. She may have been blushing a bit, but she couldn't tell. Nevertheless, and without hesitation, Soheila spoke: "No, Fin. He's not my man." she said coming to a pause. "He is a good man though. That's why he is a hero. He does things to help us, Fin. That makes him good." She was about to answer the questions concerning Jerome's horns when she looked up, and noticed the lack thereof.
Instinctively, she raised her hand as if to point out his absent horns, but forced it back down to be polite. She opened and closed her mouth several times, not knowing quite what to say. Finally, after a moment of tongue-tied silence, Soheila again spoke to Jerome.
"M-may I...ask?" she managed to say. "Your horns. That is..."
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Post by Cameron on Sept 22, 2009 20:33:31 GMT -8
Jerome Salazaar - Lonely Slums
Slightly amused by the boy's antics, Jerome could not help but smile. He was impressed; he actually had to try to be charming. This boy had done it in several seconds by just being himself. Fascinating.
He agreed with what she had said about him, finally letting it sink in that he was, in fact, a hero. Not an orthodox hero, but a hero nonetheless. Soheila was sharp, responding to her companions questions quickly and efficiently. When she realized that he had no horns, however, was when she lost her aforementioned tactfulness.
Jerome didn't necessarily find it embarrassing, for a lot of people thought that he looked like a Twin at first glance. The only betraying features were his currently hidden tattoos, and his lifeless silver eyes. Her reaction made him feel bad, for he didn't want her to get flustered or feel awkward. He quickly held up his hands to his chest with the palms facing her, as if to say, "It's okay, no big deal."
"This may sound strange, but I shave them," he said, bending over slightly. He parted his hair about an inch above his widow's peak, revealing two tiny, sharp points emerging from his scalp. "They're rather impressive when I let them grow out, but I can't very well walk right into Twin-only events with horns poking out of my head."
Jerome proceeded to lick his right index finger, and press it against the flat of his left wrist. After applying some pressure, he removed his finger to reveal a large black smudge. "I can even hide my tattoos now, to further my disguise as a Twin. If it rains though, I'm screwed."
He sighed. "It's sad that I must hide my heritage to do my job around here, but that is the price I pay," he lamented. "But, now you know. Nothing but smoke and mirrors." Jerome attempted a smile, but it was a weak effort. He really did miss his horns.
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Post by Del on Sept 23, 2009 10:56:03 GMT -8
Finvarra Delafonte :: Lonely Slums
"Smoke and Mirrors! What this mean? I not know. I not know much, but I know little things. Sometimes. Maybe. Soheila? What we do today? Smokey mirror no-horns hero coming with?" Finvarra asked in his usual manner. Most people would have been overwhelmed by the rapidity of the young boys questions, yet Soheila had always been patient and attentive enough to understand Finvarra. He, however, did not know his manner was unusual; for all he realized, everyone understood him perfectly.
Sitting still all fours like a dog, Finvarra waited for his friend to reply. If he had had a tail it would have been wagging.
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Post by CO on Sept 23, 2009 11:33:35 GMT -8
~Orphanage VII~
Dante had gone nearly unnoticed after quickly killing the few guards that stood in his way. It seemed as though there were others assualting the Orphanage as Dante could see guards running towards a different part of the desert.
Taking this opportunity, Dante quickly slipped into the halls of the Orphanage, making this the most stealthy entrance into an Orphanage Dante had ever done.
He quickly did away with his sheild of light magic and opted for a more stealthy approach, which he had learned over his many years of Lonely Liberation.
He took a deep breath and an immense darkness expanded from the links of chain on his left wrist and filled a small radius around his body.
As he made his way through the halls he encountered a set of guards, which he was quickly able to kill due to the shock and surprise of the technique. After a few minutes, he began to hear the distant sounds of a fight down one of the hallways.
Proceeding quickly, Dante had to sidestep a fireball flying in his direction before hearing someone yell out “Alright, Ellie, it’s time we showed these idiots our convictions and what it means to fight for something you believe in!”
"How inspirational," Dante thought. He could tell there was something different about the two twins that were back practically back to back against the guards. It wasn't the fact that they weren't wearing a guard uniform or that all the guards were against them, it was the look in their eyes.
Dante had seen many twins in his lifetime and had known many twins who were sympathetic to the Lonely and the latter always had a particular look in their red eyes.
Dante prepared to create a weapon to help the twins once the time was right.
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Post by Lily on Sept 24, 2009 17:33:18 GMT -8
Soheila Galibarda ~ Lonely Slums
"It's okay, no big deal." Is what Jerome had said.
Soheila however was a perceptive woman, and she could tell, whether it just be women’s intuition or her own keen perception, that he didn’t mean that in its entirety. He continued on to say that he shaved them, showing herself and her companion his miniscule shaved horns.
Trying to imagine what Jerome went through when he shaved his horns, Soheila winced. It was surely a painful ordeal. Soheila’s hand had gone to her own horns, caressing their curves, their length.
She couldn’t imagine herself without them.
Jerome revealed another secret: a sort of concealing makeup he wore to distance himself further from his true self for the sake of lonely ones everywhere. "It's sad that I must hide my heritage to do my job around here, but that is the price I pay," he said with a touch of lamentation in his voice.
Soheila felt as if she connected with Jerome, even if it was on some minute scale.
“I’m sorry.” Soheila apologized. “Even if it’s not a ‘big deal’ like you say it is…”
Looking to Jerome in a moment of silence, a familiar voice brought her back out of her trance-like state. It was the light voice of Fin, back with more questions.
"Smoke and Mirrors! What this mean? I not know. I not know much, but I know little things. Sometimes. Maybe. Soheila? What we do today? Smokey mirror no-horns hero coming with?" Finvarra asked in his usual manner.
Turning again to her friend and bending down in the manner that Fin walked about, Soheila gently took the boys hands in her own, smiling. “Smoke and mirrors…” she started but immediately trailing off, “smoke and mirrors…means magic Fin. You know what magic is. Now, we’re going to help Jerome today; show him the city. I’ll need your help Fin, okay? We’ll go together.” She said finishing with a smile.
She shared that smile with Jerome, looking up to him; that hornless man with silver eyes.
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Post by Cameron on Sept 24, 2009 18:51:14 GMT -8
Jerome Salazaar - Lonely Slums
Jerome realized that he couldn't hide his sorrow for that split second; upon looking at Soheila's face, he could tell that she felt his pain. Her apology saddened him even further. Why had she apologized? He did nothing due to her questioning that he would not have done willingly, and yet, she still apologized. For all his life, Jerome only dealt with the selfish and greedy. Even Mr. Shleft was prone to such behavior. Yet, this woman was different. Was this what normal people were like?
"Smoke and Mirrors! What this mean? I not know. I not know much, but I know little things. Sometimes. Maybe. Soheila? What we do today? Smokey mirror no-horns hero coming with?" Fin had interjected jovially, without any sort of segue. Jerome suspected that Fin had no sense of manners, but didn't quite realize it. Either that, or he simply did not care. Regardless, Jerome simply found him charming.
"We’ll go together,” she had said so softly, so elegantly. And then she looked at him, smiling genuinely. She was certainly different from any other women, or at least seemed like it.
You barely know this woman, Jerome. Sure, she looks nice, speaks nicely, treats the crazy kid nicely, smells nicely... But, she could just be deceiving you. You're smarter than this. Don't get cold, but don't trust her too much. Remember the last one? The one that literally stabbed you in the back? Trust your instincts.
A voice in his head. His own? Jerome wasn't sure. This wasn't the first time he had a sudden train of thought just rush through his head. It surprised him, but whatever the voice said was generally just sound wisdom. Common sense. Nevertheless, he nodded at Soheila and smiled back; this time, stronger.
"Lead the way, comrades."
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Post by IceCoffin on Sept 25, 2009 6:49:43 GMT -8
~Orphanage VII: Outside, Elveda Outskirts~
The Guards now focused the sudden movement of yet another insane opponent, Sidri, as he rushed at Them with his large steam-spewing blade. The blade thrust him forward, and once the smoke subsided, it was clear that the sword had landed itself into a soft, fleshy target. The Guards were shocked and dismayed at the sudden turn of events, and panicked upon hearing the strange man’s cheerful response.
One of the Guards’ nerves had the better of him, causing him to quickly fire a Choleric spell towards his off-beat opponent. “Hey! Cheater! I can't do that, so you shouldn't either!” he cried. The Twin who fired the spell stood there in a stupor, not fully aware of what he just did. But once his senses came to him, the strange man was running towards him shouting, "Cheaters get the penalty!"
The woman who stood at the edge of the battle resumed control over her Diluvial water spells, and released the man she was drowning. Once his brother rushed to his aid, she began to attack again, creating graceful vines of water that wrapped around the two Twins’ legs. Though she did not initially appear to be a warrior in any way, shape or form, a smile crept across her face, fueled by adrenaline.
Meanwhile, Sam was recovering from his fall. Dry sand filled every crevice of his mouth, and some even had gone down his throat. As he slowly pushed himself up, arching his back like a cat, he shook his head. Sand flew from his hair and face. Sam used his right arm to hold himself up, while his left arm wrapped his chest, forcing himself to cough violently. The looser sand spilled freely from his mouth, and the action of his coughs caused the more toughly-packed grains to be forcibly spit out.
Particles of sand and dirt still remained in various parts of Sam’s mouth, and his shoulders and belly burned with the impact of his fall. His own burn scars all over his chest now screamed in a painful agony and his breathing was labored by the dust that swirled beneath him. However, despite the pain, Sam slowly –but painfully- stood up.
Coughing still, he welled up a ball of saliva in his mouth, and spit some muddy sand to the ground. While he could breathe a little better now, he still couldn’t talk. And though it was his bad judgment to leap at the Guards, Sam didn’t notice, or care. His silver eyes glared at Them with what could be described as murderous intent.
He blinked, sand falling from his eyelashes, and his eyes glanced towards the entrance to the Orphanage. The two others were putting up one hell of a fight, and Sam was too weak to attempt running into the Orphanage alone. However, he was forced to wait. Though the burning pains he felt all over his body alerted him constantly that he was pushing himself to his limit, Sam didn’t completely care. This was war.
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Post by Toku on Sept 25, 2009 17:22:01 GMT -8
~Ellie Arundel: Elveda Orphanage~
Leander did always manage to say the stuffiest things at the oddest of times but Ellie dismissed it for now. Instead, she directed her attention at the two mage twins that began to encircle them.
“Leander...” Ellie spoke up, “I think that it’s time for you-know-what.”
Leander turned to look at her, eyes wide, “Seriously? Ellie-”
“Come on, we haven’t done this in a while!” Ellie pleaded, “It’s a sure-fire way for us to win this!”
Leander still didn’t look convinced and for a moment, Ellie thought that he wouldn’t go through with it. However, she watched as begrudgingly, Leander began to assemble his cello back together into it’s instrument form, posing himself to play. “Just don’t strain yourself too much...”
“Don’t you worry about me.” Ellie said reassuringly. She spread both faces of her fans out fully and extended her arms, striking a pose, “Just start playing. You know how the song goes.” Meanwhile, the mage twins watched them warily, unsure of whether to strike or defend.
“I hope you guys enjoy the show...” Ellie thought smugly. Immediately, her foot began to tap out a beat, “A one and a two and a play that song, Leander!” Ellie commanded.
He started at once, a strong forceful melody emanating from his cello. If Ellie didn’t already start dancing, she would’ve been compelled to by her brother’s music. The mage twins decided by now that it was time to strike. From their palms, they began to shoot out a torrent of fireballs, all aimed toward the Arundel twins.
“Fat chance!” Ellie said, already too far into her routine to allow herself to stop. She could feel the scrolls on her back already beginning to create the magic, blades of win circling around her and Leander. The fireballs were effectively blocked but that wasn’t all. Leander’s music was causing the earth below to rise, large fragments levitating in air as if frozen. “Ellie now!” he called out.
“Okay, you have to say the incantation with me!” Ellie said as she stopped in place from her pirouette. She looked at her brother and met his nod.
“Listen to your melody of destruction!” the two chanted together, “Sforzando!”
The fragments of earth began to spread outward now, colliding with the blades of air that Ellie had created. As the two opposing forces met, the fragments of earth broke into many pieces, blending in with the air. It was a debris storm and one that spread out in a circular shape around the twins. Ellie had to remain in place, her arms outstretched as her scrolls conjured up the magic. “Leander get down!” she yelled at him. Drawing out every reserve of her power, Ellie pushed the debris storm toward the mage twins, capturing them in it. She could hear screams of pain as they were simultaneously battered by the rocks and sliced by the winds.
The magic building, it wasn’t long before it built up into such a strength that it formed into an explosion. Accompanying it was a sound so loud that possibly everyone in the orphanage could hear it.
Seeing that it worked, Ellie grinned, “See Leander?” she panted, “I told you it would...” she took a few steps toward him then collapsed to her knees. She let out a grunt of pain as she felt herself make contact with the ground but then began to giggle to herself, “Oops. Sorry, it looks like I kind of overdid it again...”
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Post by Lily on Sept 25, 2009 18:12:01 GMT -8
~Leander Arundel: Elveda Orphanage~
“See Leander?” she panted, “I told you it would...” Ellie said in an exasperated voice.
The attack was a complete success. It couldn't have gone better. After the sound of the explosion resounded through the corridors of the orphanage, Leander's sister faltered and fell to her knees. Seeing his sister collapse, he rushed to her aid, supporting her in his arms. He looked at her sternly for moment before butting his forehead against hers and smiling, laughing just a bit.
"I told you, Ellie..." he said a mocking tone. "You always overdo it...what am I going to do with you?"
Brushing a lock of hair from his face, he helped his sister get back on her feet while using his cello as a sort of structural support fulcrum; Leander wasn't terribly strong in the physical field--something his sister made fun of him for quite often when they were younger.
After regaining their composure, Leander looked about. The guardsmen were decimated. He doubted any of them would be bothering anyone ever again. He could here noise coming from all directions of the orphanage. Their little impromptu show obviously drew in more of an audience than they had anticipated. It seemed someone had already sneaked in backstage during the performance for an autograph...
Leander could sense the stranger nearby, yet out of sight; the strangers movement sent vibrations through the floor hinting Leander of his presence. If it was a man or woman, however, Leander could not tell.
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Post by Del on Sept 25, 2009 18:50:12 GMT -8
Finvarra Delafonte :: The Cradle :: Lonely Slums
“Smoke and mirrors…” she started but immediately trailing off, “smoke and mirrors…means magic Fin. You know what magic is. Now, we’re going to help Jerome today; show him the city. I’ll need your help Fin, okay? We’ll go together.” She said finishing with a smile.
"Oh. Yeah. I know magic. Soheila make it always. Shiny. Pretty. Hurts my eyes if I stare at it too long. Magic. I'll help on tour. Try to. Not sure where things are. Sometimes. You ready, no-horns man?"
"Lead the way, comrades," Jerome said.
"Come? Rades? What that mean? Whatever. I not caring. Let's go now!" He said as he bolted forward. After a hundred feet or so, Finvarra stopped, looked around, and came bounding back. "Uh," he said, "Where we going?"
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Post by Lily on Sept 25, 2009 20:00:20 GMT -8
Soheila Galibarda - Lonely Slums
"That's a good question." Soheila pointed out.
Turning to Jerome, she placed a hand on her waist and pointed inquisitively at the man. "You said you needed to find someone, correct? For a contract? If you'd be so kind as to tell me who you need to see, Fin and I would gladly take you on the scenic route and show you some interesting things on the way! You'll have your own personal tour guides for the day." She paused momentarily while pivoting towards Fin, and gently gesturing towards the animalistic boy to move forward, but not too far ahead. She smiled sweetly as she watched him bounce around and make a scene.
"We can chat while we're walking." she added casually as she took a step in the direction Fin had went. After taking a few steps, Soheila looked over her shoulder; her countenance was pleasantly demure. "I don't want you to get lost." she said. "It's like a labyrinth here to those that don't know the streets. I'd feel terrible if our people's hero were to get lost while under my watch."
Turning her head in a swaying motion, her hair moved through the air like some sort of ghost before falling back down parallel to her body. She continued walking, calling ahead to Fin not to go to far without her.
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Post by Cameron on Sept 26, 2009 9:39:37 GMT -8
Jerome Salazaar - Lonely Slums
Jerome blinked several times. She was surprisingly playful; something he particularly enjoyed. "Niccolo Hein," he managed to reply as he began to follow his two tour guides. "Around his late twenties, already balding, very unsavory-looking if I do say so myself."
Once he caught up with Soheila, he matched her stride. "Wanted me to off a particularly flamboyant set of Twins. They would just go around, and zap any Lonely they could find giving them a hairy eye. Officials around here would turn and walk the other way if they saw the pair looking especially malicious that day. They were a very powerful set of Twins, Romulus and Regulus. I had heard rumors that they were considered two of the most powerful Choleric users The Cradle had seen in a few decades."
He paused, debating on whether or not he should continue. Jerome did not wish to be boastful, but the tale was just as impressive as the scars that came with it (which he found particularly impressive in themselves). He opted to merely shrug, and say, "So yes, Niccolo Hein. Do you know of him?"
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Post by CO on Sept 26, 2009 21:45:35 GMT -8
~Orphanage VII~
The battle ending with a rather impressive array of twin magic. Twin magic always fascinated Dante, controlling the elements, making almost a literal endless set of possibilities.
Dante could see the twins eyes in his general direction, though the darkness shrouded his body. He raised up a shield of light around himself and lowered the cloak of darkness, now being face to face with the musical twins.
"Hello, I am the leader of the Sons of Su Seheri. I am here to participate in the liberation of the Lonely Ones here, as I see you two are. Since we share a common goal would you like to team up? It's completely up to you and, should you chose not to, I'll be on my way without another word. Should you like to team up, I'll drop the guard and skip these formalities."
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Post by Lily on Sept 29, 2009 18:51:20 GMT -8
Leander Arundel - Orphanage VIII
"Hello, I am the leader of the Sons of Su Seheri." is who the man who emerged from the shadows introduced himself as. The Sons of Su Suheri were a well known liberation front in the underground world of lonely salvation.
"I am here to participate in the liberation of the Lonely Ones here, as I see you two are. Since we share a common goal would you like to team up? It's completely up to you and, should you chose not to, I'll be on my way without another word. Should you like to team up, I'll drop the guard and skip these formalities."
Leander analyzed the man carefully. Head to toe. Immediately, he felt as if he could trust this man. He could see it in his eyes. Leander exchanged looks with Ellie, having an entire conversation in sanctity of their minds. They had to decide whether or not accept this man's help.
Was he a danger to the mission? Or was a blessing?
Nodding at his sister; their deliberations complete, Leander turned to the man.
"Your aid would be most appreciated." announced Leander. "Anyone who fights for our cause is an ally to us." He nodded his head once more, giving a faint smile.
"I'm Leander Arundel, and this is my sister Ellie." he said with a sense of urgency in his voice.
"What shall we call you, Son of Su Seheri?"
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