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Post by kihaku on Dec 7, 2007 7:13:15 GMT
Hearing that all traditional roles of males being the dominant sex were totally reversed, Elena's mood improved a little bit. She listened raptly to the customs she would have to remember, and was pleased with most. Though she got a sort of small sense of satisfaction that she didn't have to sign her respect of males, it did sort of give her the impression that she might very well have to be rude to some men. At least, that's what "dominant" meant to her.
Kihaku didn't really care either way. This wasn't his planet, so he'd rather not draw attention to himself anyway. He and Cham, now similarly dressed and looking as if they could be dead-head brothers, would follow silently in tow.
Elena stepped forward and strode confidently down the road, keeping her posture right, and her eyes on the prize. She straightened her gauntlets as she walked, her eyes flowing from person to person, door to door, animal to animal, taking it all in, yet keeping aloof and reserved. She was glad to be amongst others again, but she was alternately hyper-aware that these people were not like anyone she'd ever met before.
A new planet, a new people.
It wasn't all that far really to the medic's housing, and they arrived quickly. Elena, the first to reach their destination, rapped lightly against the door, though the metal around her first set of knuckles gave a distinct metallic ring to the knocking. She hoped she wouldn't look like much of a threat, the wrist armor was really the only thing on her that suggested she was a warrior.
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Post by chameleon on Dec 7, 2007 7:22:45 GMT
The door swung open all the way, a woman in a long black dress and equally dark black hair greeted them, though no smile was upon her face in the last bit. The one big... and stressed big, outstanding feature of her was that she was 6 feet 6 inches tall. She was very beautiful, her hair nice looking, but she almsot matched Kihaku in his height. She looked at the newcomers and her eyes lingered on Chameleon for a long while, almost as if she wanted to speak, but her attention brought itself back down to Elena. "Greetings sister," the woman, looking to be in her early 20's said, putting a palm to her chest in greeting. "What might I be able to do for you?"
Chameleon lowered his head slightly as she gazed at him. He didnt speak a sound for he knew it would fall on deaf ears. She wasnt allowed to speak with him, her looking at him for so long was something she shouldnt have done either.
"I see" she said looking to Atsuko hanging in Cham's arms. "I will heal her, though you must inform your companions they are not permitted within my household," she said reaching down and taking Atsuko from Cham's arms. Even for her slender build, she seems powerful and strong.
"Elena, it's alright, go with her, Kihaku and I will be on the outside of town where we came in from. Just come back with Atsuko when she is well." with that he grabbed Kihaku by the sleeve of his cloak and tugged for him to follow. Now wasnt the time for Kihaku to try and force his way into the woman's house.
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Post by kihaku on Dec 7, 2007 7:36:43 GMT
Elena returned her greeting in kind, placing her palm upon her chest and not letting a single emotion flit across her face. She listened to this Shota speak her peace before she was allowed in, a little surprised that the woman was able to carry the young girl with such ease. "Don't worry about them. They know their place." Though it was meant to keep the charade that she was familiar with their world, she couldn't help but feel a dig in her side, a small twinge of guilt that Chameleon was a Forsaken, and as such would never be accepted by anyone on his planet of origin ever again.
Kihaku, on the other hand, thought his sister spirit was making fun of him, and almost wheeled around to berate her for being so fucking smug about the whole situation. However, knowing full well the situation they were in, he decided not to cause a stir in such a quiet scene. Still, he did jerk his sleeve free of the boy's grasp, speaking tersely to the youth, "I appreciate your concern, but you never assume to lead me like a pet, Chameleon." He shouldered past him roughly, fuming and irritated by the time he'd reached the treeline.
Elena followed Shota into the house, keeping a watchful eye on the tall woman. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, it was just that she was an unfamiliar person, on an alien planet, carrying her unconscious friend to perform acts Elena could never hope to accomplish. Not much to worry about, but still a little voice told her to be wary.
"I came here when... someone told me you were the medic here in Surf Village. My companion, Atsuko, fell ill when she watched two animals fighting. She tried to stop them, hence the blood and bits of meat on her clothing. I hope we did not disturb you?"
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Post by chameleon on Dec 7, 2007 7:44:16 GMT
"That is a lie," Shota said simply laying the girl down in the bed softly, moving a hand over the girl's forehead brushing away the hair so she could get a good view of her forehead. She ran a finger delicately down the middle of her forhead to the bridge of her nose. She seemed to be looking at something in particular that wasnt entirely visable.
"How... is he?" She said looking back at Elena briefly. "Chameleon, is he well?" she asked in a tone that didnt seem entirely sure of herself. She looked to the side and grabbed a few herbs from the counter on the bedstand. She was muttering under her breath lightly, a few choice words could be heard 'panic attack'.... 'stress markers'.... 'dead lines'... But overally, she was concentrating on her patient.
Outside, reaching the edge of town Chameleon followed Kihaku. "I wasnt trying to lead you away like an animal dammit, but you dont want to make a scene, I was afraid that Elena's words might make you blurt out something rude, which may have gotten us turned away." he said looking back towards the house. "Atsuko will be fine soon, Shota is a terrific healer." With that, he took a seat on a flat stone
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Post by kihaku on Dec 7, 2007 7:56:31 GMT
"That is a lie."
Crap.
Elena wasn't about to deny the fact that she'd manufactured a story so as not to seem suspicious, though in doing so and geting caught had most definitely given that impression, but then again she had no intention of letting this stranger know who they really were and why they were there. Though she was a healer and may need to know why she was unconscious, it really wasn't any of her business, and as such the Chaos Spirit wasn't about to give away any particulars.
"How... is he?"
"He? He who?"
"Chameleon, is he well?"
Elena stiffened, and her face solidified once again into an unreadable mask. Her heart had slowed to a dull thud, keeping herself calm in a situation that could go in any direction. Cham, as painful as it was, was a Forsaken, and as such was supposed to be an outcast to anyone and everyone they came into contact with. If this woman was willing to break tradition to inquire as to Cham's health, then she might be someone who still bore a heart-felt grudge against him or his family.
Or worse.
"Not that I see it as any of your business, but he's doing as well as a Forsaken can manage." She made sure to stress the word, as if to remind her of Chameleon's social status, and, as an ulterior motive, prod her into leaving well-enough alone.
"I know better than to make a scene, I haven't lived centuries for shits and giggles, boy." Kihaku leaned against a tree, but was forced off the trunk. The Oblivion was vibrating so violently he almost believed it was trying to free itself from its place on his back. Reaching back, he stroked the smooth, black surface, and it calmed under his touch. "This place... I don't like it any more than you do, apparently."
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Post by chameleon on Dec 7, 2007 18:18:49 GMT
"He brought down the wrath of the planet against himself when he killed those men," she said almost pained by having said it. "It is the will of Planet that we not commit acts of violence," she said in a voice that sounded as if it had been drilled over and over again into their heads. "But... he shouldnt be here. I took him to the shuttles so he would leave this planet, but he came back. It is not my place to ask why..." she said leaning lower of the girl. Shota's black hair was draped across her back, her fine features and alabaster skin seemed somewhat unnatural in her beauty, yet, there was something oddly familiar about her.
Shota placed a tender hand to Atsuko's forehead. Her eyes seemed to brighted to a higher green as her hand began to glow. The green glow of Channeled Energy was strong, though Elena would easily be able to tell that it wasn't as strong as Cham's. "Your friend, she had a panic attack. I wont ask anymore questions from her, she should be coming around any moment now. But, I do, however, need you to retrieve your two friends. The leader, the tall one," she seemed to stall at that and her eyes seemed to twinkle.
Her look vanished the moment it seemed to cross her eyes. No one emotion was seen from her. Her face remained emotionless. "And Chameleon. Please dont bring attention to yourselves as you bring them back."
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Chameleon seemed restless, looking back at the house that held the three women. He looked up at Kihaku, his sunken eyes watching him for a moment. The sunlight hit his features from under the hood. It didnt look pretty but he did seem a lot like Kihaku. "I miss it, you know," he said in a low voice almost to himself. "It was my home for such a long time." he stood, lowing the hood of his cloak. "But, I'm also beginning to miss Dragonia, and we should head back there. It feels wierd not being able to touch Channeled Energy."
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Post by Shei'ki\Agatha on Dec 7, 2007 23:02:08 GMT
Atsuko had experienced the touch of Channeled Energy a couple times by now... so she knew well when she was being touched by it again... a woman named Shota had her hand upon her... she seemed gentle... felt warm... and in there, in that woman's body, was a good soul. Not much could be told... Atsuko was exhausted, after all... but something about this... made her feel more at ease, relaxed her. Whatever tension was in her body before this was faded... and though she still felt a raw wound from the loss of one of the works of her hand, she slowly forced her eyes to open.
The black-haired woman above her... seriously reminded the girl of her mother. She had a... certain something about her, that made her feel totally calm. The pain of her loss felt... distant. Her bright eyes blinked once in the light of the room, and she drew a thick sigh. She was sore... her head hurt a little, but that was only because she had pushed herself so hard using her energies like that: it felt good, though... having to strain herself like that. At one time, she'd have been bleeding from her ears had she done so much, but this time, she merely was sore... and she knew that would pass once she got some good bed rest. She was getting stronger. The more she used her powers, the more she could use them... funny how that worked... but at least she wasn't as sore as she should have been.
"Aa...!" she tried to speak, and discovered her body was REALLY quite tired. "Mmmh..." she murmured, and scooted herself up to her elbows, blinking her eyes groggily as her body severely protested. Her abdominal muscles felt like she had been doing a lot of situps. As her big, radiant eyes looked over Elena and Shota, and shestarted to get an image in her mind of the bigger picture. Atsuko did not at first let the woman take her hand away from her, gently holding a couple of her fingers. Good lord she was a big woman...
Just the same, Atsuko looked up to the woman, and made eye contact as her eyes glowed softly for a brief moment... but a moment later, Atsuko released her, and sat back once more. "Thank you.... Shota." she said softly, a little shocked by what she had really seen when she had looked into the woman's eyes. It was amazing, really, how much she could learn from simply looking into someone's eyes and touching their hand.
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Post by kihaku on Dec 8, 2007 10:34:44 GMT
Elena still looked at Shota as if she were trying to understand her game, but decided do as she asked anyway. Despite the fact that she didn't trust the Elicoorian medic as far as she could throw the gargantuan woman, she asked specifically for Kihaku and Cham, and if she wanted to let them into the house then that was her choice. Elena let her aura spike for a fraction of a second and instantly died down. Stepping towards Atsuko, she finally took her eyes off the healer and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a kind smile.
"You feelin' better, Suki?"
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Kihaku listened to Cham bellyache about missing home, but said nothing on the subject. Sure, Cham was an outcast, exiled from everything he'd known and loved, shunned by those closest to him, and denied the very joy of life from the planet itself, but for fuck's sake, he was alive, healthy, and had a new place to call home. He even admitted that Kihaku was like a father figure to him, and though he was too dense to realize it, he had a girl who cared deeply for him.
"Dragonia is the only place on this damned plane of existence I actually care whether it gets ruined or not. Like you, I'll be in... a better mood once we've left this back-water planet."
His senses suddenly pricked when he felt Elena's energy spike. It wasn't very large, and it wasn't sustained for very long, but it was enough to catch his attention. "They're done. C'mon." He pushed away from the tree trunk and walked briskly towards the house once more, except this time he knew what to expect. Not caring if he drew looks from bystanders or not, he was just about to barge into the building when Elena promptly opened the door for him and Chameleon.
"I thought you knew better than to cause a scene."
"Do you see people making blood-curdling screams? Are they fleeing in terror?"
"No, but-"
"Then there is no scene. Is she alright?"
"Uh... DUH!"
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Post by chameleon on Dec 9, 2007 3:35:43 GMT
Chameleon followed close at Kihaku's heels, though him and Kihaku had gotten a few momentary looks from some of the villagers, it was nothing too horrible. As they arrived at the door. He didnt speak or question anything until Shota loomed in behind her.
"You two may come in," she said quickly moving away from the door again. "Your friend is doing fine."
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Post by kihaku on Dec 9, 2007 6:54:26 GMT
"Your friend is doing fine."
Of course she is, if she wasn't this would be a very different conversation. Of course, he would only ever think such a thing, especially with Elena around. Instead, he settled for a disgrunted murmur of acknowedgment before moving deeper into the residence, closer to Asuki. He peered at her with his piercing crimson gaze, and, in finding nothing visibly wrong with her, moved off to one of the shadowed corners and leaned against it. It wasn't nearly as much gloom as he would have liked, but it would have to do.
Elena, on the other hand, had many different scenarios running through her mind about possible connections between Shota and Chameleon. She was pretty sure that she wasn't the jealous type, but she wasn't sure how she would handle it if it turned out they were at one point romantically involved. In all honesty, she was risking a large chunk of her life by even acknowledging his existence, and here she was talking about him and even right to him. Deep down, Elena felt sure she could never be able to compete with that, but settled on the knowledge that nothing could be ascertained for the moment.
Not comforted, she sat down next to the young goddess, putting her arm around Atsuko's elbow, just as she had with Kihaku not too long ago. Holding the young girl close, Elena once again felt oddly at ease, a peace settling over her as if she weren't on a possibly hostile alien planet. "Thank you Shota, for helping our friend."
"Is there some kind of expected payment?"
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Post by chameleon on Dec 9, 2007 7:05:45 GMT
"Yes, payment," she said looking to Kihaku. She walked towards him with a nod. She almost matched him in height. Her black dress and black hair made her look as if they were matched. She stared at him for a long long moment before moving on to Cham bending low, she looked him close to his face, pulling his hood back.
"Shota... your not..." he said uncomfortably averting his eyes and shifting unsteadily.
Without a word, she planted a kiss to his forehead. "It's been a long time Chameleon." she said standing up straight again. Her face didnt seem to change at all, the same emotionless expression stayed there.
She looked back at Kihaku. "I believe you are the leader of this group here, and for payment I request something. To get off this planet, you need a voucher, someone to give permission to ride a shuttle. Forsakens such as Chameleon here, are expected to go straight there and leave. The rest of you would require vouchers, which I can provide. I only ask that you take me with you." she said folding her arms.
Chameleon's head rose, looking to Kihaku. Cham didnt have the place to deny her, she had asked Kihaku. Her even asking a man was not common. He didnt entirely have a problem with her leaving, but he didnt understand why.
"You may have questions of why I wish to leave Elicoori, and to that, I have to say, is none of your business." She said flatly. Her bright green eyes watched Kihaku's red ones.
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Post by kihaku on Dec 11, 2007 6:53:57 GMT
Elena did her best to remain calm duing the whole exchange, her light brown eyes watching the scene unfold before her emotionless eyes. Though her face seemed to be composed of flawless marble, her teeth were clenched so that she had to remind herself to relax, just in case she would accidentally break a crown or something like that. Still, her warrior spirit would never allow her to break through that iron facade she created for herself, that unbending wall that protected her from the prying eyes of others.
Kihaku, on the other hand, was still staunchly entrenched in the corner of the room, arms crossed before his chest, eyes burning in the gloom of his hood with a curiosity that could be interpreted either as malicious or benign. Neither the Oblivion or the Nirvana moved as he contemplated the potential traveling companion, nothing betraying a single emotion, save for his glimmerng crimson eyes.
Finally, he pushed himself away from the wall and walked slowly forward, footsteps reverberating off the wooden floor like drumbeats of some macabre death march. His strides brought him to stand only inches behind the young Elicoorian male, his presence an empowering one for Cham, and an undeniable one for Shota.
"You don't want to share your reasons for coming, yet ask for us to carry you along as payment. You show obvious affection for Chameleon, though the laws of your planet demand that you not. Honestly, I don't care either way. You want to come," his eyes slitted, his aura misted only barely, his very soul glowering as much as his persona, "Convince Chameleon. He's the only one who actually wants to leave."
Elena's breath caught in her throat.
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Post by Shei'ki\Agatha on Dec 11, 2007 15:52:27 GMT
Atsuko remained rather neutral on the matter, watching the events unfold. It was Elena that broke her from her trance, when she felt a bit of tension from the chaos spirit beside her. Pulling a strand of her hair from her eyes, she outright put an arm about her shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze, rubbing her arm vigorously for a moment before looking at her, a little grin painted on the girl's features.
Ah, but other things were happening as well. When Atsuko had passed out, her creation, Mwin, had been tangled in her hair. When they had gotten to the little hut that belonged to Shota, he had snuck out of his mother's locks, and scaled the walls, the ceilings, and scurried across Shota's floors, the big, friendly spiderexploring this place curiously, feeling around as much as he could. His eyesight was not the greatest, so it was inevitable that he'd bump into something... the bed upon which Atsuko and Elena sat. He hit it head first, and with a chitter, he drug his little body up onto it, using his urticulating hairs as a means to grip the sheets.
The spider, the size of a small dog, looked for his mother once more, climbing atop the bed, and staring at the two women on it. Atsuko sat there, with her arm around Elena, whom his mother had just met. The innocent creature scurried towards them quietly, climbing his way up into Atsuko's lap, where his mother subconciously stroked the fuzzy spider and glanced down at him.
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Post by chameleon on Dec 11, 2007 17:53:48 GMT
Shota turned towards Chameleon, looking down into his eyes. "Will you allow me to join you?" she said in a steady voice.
"Shota, you know what will happen when you leave, right?" he said with a sigh. "Coming back wont be as simple as snapping your fingers. We only came here by accident. Dragonia, my new home, is full of things that make it great, but it can also be deadly. There are people on Dragonia powerful enough to destroy this village with a single strike. If you go there, you will have to learn to fight, to protect yourself. This is acts of evil to our.... your people. You wont be allowed to return here, you'll be in the same shape I'm in."
Shota turned away and walked across the room, she brought a single delicate looking hand to her chin in thought. As if unsure if she would agree to such a proposal. Her head looked up, as if she figured out what she was going to do. She walked swiftly to a cabinet and pulled it open, fishing around as she found a small box. Opening the box, she slowed, putting her hands in slowly, and pulling something out. Slowly she turned around towards Chameleon and Kihaku (Elena and Atsuko were to her left) and she was holding a pair of daggers. The daggers had a black hilt and smooth blades. They looked plain but deadly at the same time.
"You... kept them?" Chameleon said sounding almost alarmed.
"I'm ready, allow me to gather a few herbs and some of my clothes and we'll be on our way." she said with a nod as she began moving around her small cottage.
Chameleon nodded, still a little surprised. He looked up at Kihaku and muttered, "Those were the blades that got me banished, turned to a Forsaken." he said looking down and then his eyes connected to Elena. He didnt know what to say to her, it seemed as if he hadn't spoken to her for a long while. He moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
He whispered into her ear. "I hope you dont mind her coming, but it only feels right to take her with us if she wants to leave here."
Shota glanced over seeing Cham put a hand on Elena's shoulder and for hte first time, a slight smile came to her lips. "So, Chameleon, have you found yourself a new Promised?" She wandered over and her smile spread a little further when she looked at Elena. She placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze before she turned back to her activity.
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Post by kihaku on Dec 12, 2007 7:25:23 GMT
Elena wasn't quite sure how to interperet Chameleon's accepting Shota's help, but obviously it meant a lot to the both of them, as evidenced by the exchange when the black daggers were brought out from their hiding spot. Her heart sank when he accepted her wish to travel with them, but she didn't feel as if that should have been her response; instead, she should have been glad that this person, someone Chameleon knew and could relate to his life on Elicoori would be coming with them...
Someone, she knew, would be able to make him happy.
Elena was fighting to retain control of her emotions, and losing, when she felt an unexpected touch on her shoulder. Looking up, she thought at first that it was Kihaku, until the veins criss-crossing his face corrected her assumption.
"I hope you dont mind her coming, but it only feels right to take her with us if she wants to leave here."
She shrugged, not enough to dislodge his hand, but enough to get her point across, a point she didn't one hundred percent believe herself, "Not at all. She knows you, you know her, it was your choice." She pulled slightly on Atsuko, careful not to disturb the little Mwin, but indicating that they should be ready to leave soon. It was then that she felt another hand on her shoulder, only this time it was Shota, and she could barely contain an inexplicable chill of hostility run down her spine.
"So, Chameleon, have you found yourself a new Promised?"
Elena, still in we-are-enemies mode, thought she was being sarcastic, and she wasn't about to take such malicious banter from some mortal laying down. Her face settled into a nice, friendly smile, the glimmer in her eyes equal parts forced mirth and iron resolve. Gently pushing both of their hands off her person, she sighed and responded.
"Don't worry. Chameleon isn't interested in me. A month or so ago, I told him how I felt about him," she looked at him with her facade cracking slightly, "but he never promised anything." She turned away, stalking past everyone, through Kihaku, and out the door to stand outside, leaning against the building, with her hands crossed over her chest. Her eyes were moist, her vision was blurring, but she stubbornly refused to let the threatening tears fall from her eyes.
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