Leave Out All The Rest

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Shei'ki watched him with very critical, observant eyes - eyes of determination. She had the look of someone who knew how to concentrate, that took things seriously. And she did - it bugged her when things didn't go right, when she was ignorant... and she wanted to make things right, more than anything.

Eiffe, however, was interested only in seeing him screw up - not even because she disliked him... but because she wanted to wipe that cocky grin off his face - putting up this tent was a...

"Sonofa..." bitch? In five minutes flat, he had it up and running, and Shei'ki nodded in understanding. Boy... did Eiffe ever feel dapper right about then. Humbled, she shut her eyes as he passed her - no need to gratify his ego when her own needed a good nuzzling.

Shei'ki dusted herself off as she watched Vahn go back to the fireside, to his spot by the tree, and took a good... long look at her Nymph. Then tapped the back of her hand, as if to say 'don't sweat it' on the woman's chest, and turned again to the.. fantastically erected tent, giving it quiet admiration.

He DID do a good job.

Deipthe received Vahn with a warm smile, and as soon as he sat, she offered him the stew she'd poured for him, complete with a little piece of waybread, fork, and knife. It smelled... wonderful.

"Taste for yourself, Mr. Helper - you earned first bowl." She said, and the other two sat. She spooned a generous portion, as generous as Vahn's, to Shei'ki, then a small bowl and a plain, smooth oak stick to the woman in red. both took their allotted portion gratefully, and set in to eating the moment they received it. Stick and all, in Eiffe's case. Deipthe served herself last - her bowl was modest, smaller than the others, but she took a sizable chunk of bread with it. All of this seemed without hesitation or pause - she'd done this all before, like she was used to taking care of the two girls and herself on a regular basis.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

He was the last to actually start eating, watching as the Naga served everyone, including herself. He looked down at the bowl and piece of bread for a couple of minutes before he started eating. It had been so long since he had a good meal and there were no words to describe how he felt at this moment, but his actions spoke louder than words ever could. He began to eat his meal, graciously, smiling, and happier than he had ever been, or at least that he had been in years. Even weaseling his way out of the clutches of the council paled in comparison to having a warm meal of such great class surrounded by pleasant company.

There was no way he could bring himself to speak until his meal was done. Every bite, every sip, every slurp was better than the last and as his manners began to dwindle with the meal, he could imagine everyone starting to stare. It's not like he minded, honestly. He was enjoying this meal and wouldn't change anything about this moment. Freedom was such a beautiful thing and things were finally turning around for him again.

After finally finishing his meal and practically licking the bowl clean, he set the bowl down next to the Naga and with a gracious smile, thanked her for the amazing meal. His simple, "Thank you for the meal," did not begin to display his true gratitude, but displaying such gratitude may display weakness in the eyes of a threat. The truth of the matter was he still didn't know these people and decided it would be best for him to try and learn some more. "So, I hear you're trying to find some ruins in the area. Is there any reason in particular you're looking for it?" He was leaning back on his elbows again, resting and watching them as they too finished their meals.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

The question was normal - what WOULD be the harm? Shei'ki set her half-consumed bowl in her lap, and sat up straight and worked on swallowing her mouthful of soup before continuing. A nod - a visual cue - from the Naga made it pretty obvious who made the rules about conduct and manners at the fireside.

"There's supposed to be some artifact in the ruins that I've been given a project to get..." and she turned a little distant - she got that look in her eyes again. The look of someone who had some serious shit on her mind. On the face of a sixteen year old girl, that look was very much out of place. She clutched the wrapped walking stick she carried near her... perhaps it should have been noticed earlier that she carried it with her no matter what, that she never let it out of her sight - even when she was working on the tent.

She clutched it and chewed her bottom lip. The look on her face was totally detached - whatever was on her mind, it bothered her.

"Can you imagine? A girl her age, expected to do something like THIS." Deipthe said, and Eiffe snorted, grinning, the stick in her mouth dangling halfway. The portion that was in her mouth was blackened, and smoke rose from her lips as she chewed on it.

"Sheesh a shtunt - been a shtunt for a yeer anna haff - dey'sh tryin' t'gerrid off mish-tresh, ahm tellin yah" the woman said, amusement... and anger apparent in her tone. Shei'ki drew into herself, ignoring her stew now. That was what bothered her. Right on the head.

Deipthe shot her the evil eye and scowled. Eiffe seemed to be immune.

"They wouldn't put Shei'ki in any real danger - you know that as well as I do, Eiffe ((OOC: Eye-fee))." Deipthe said, and pulled the stick out of the woman's mouth to wag it in her face as an accent.

"... and don't talk with your mouth full, Eiffe... mother's love." Deipthe said, and shook her head, sullenly stirring her stew with her spoon. She'd barely touched it so far.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

It was interesting watching the three of them interact, or rather watching the Naga and Eiffe interact while Shei'ki seemed to look fixated on something now. The look on her face was definitely one that seemed out of place on her, but it was a look he had a lot when he was her age as well. Sixteen. It was eight years ago for him, but it felt like an eternity had gone by since those days. He was even more headstrong and cocky, strong willed and determined and during those waning teenage years is where he started to become a threat to the council since he took weapons away from great enemies. Then the idea dawned on him.

Sitting up straight and in a hurry, he looked at the group and addressed them all at the same time to see who would answer first. "Who was it that sent you on this mission, if you don't mind me asking?" The way he worded it and his tone of voice spoke irrelevance, but his actions before asking the question proved otherwise. There was definitely something going on and bothering him and he wanted to see if his ideas were true.

The council had sent him on many missions suited to his "abilities" expecting one of two things from him: success to further their goals or a chance to off him in the process. God he loved showing up with proof of the accomplishment of their mission, keeping the big trophy in his hidden arsenal. They never cared that he kept the weapons since they feigned their stance in peace and said that they had no need for objects of war or weapons of those who opposed them. By this point, he was balling up a fist in the dirt of the forest.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Deipthe exchanged glances with Eiffe, but they saw no reason to tense up or any reason to be suspicious of Vahn - no reason at all, but he obviously had something on his mind, and the intensity with which he spoke of this burned in the context he tried to hide from the three females.

There was a pause. They did not understand the significance of any of this - and the only person who had it in her head that the council was out for her was busy chewing on her stick - she'd gotten it to the very tippy bit and wasn't about to butterfly away before she got the main course down the hatch.

"The head council of the Academy" Shei'ki said, blinking. She thought it obvious she was a mage of the academy - obvious enough that she didn't see any trouble with mentioning their name.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

He was hoping that for whatever reason it wasn't the council, but of course it would be. He was still thoroughly upset, there was no reason to alarm them. Still, maybe there was a better way to get things done and still have the last laugh against the council. Sure, maybe he would be using them, but he would rather use them now and show them the errors of the council than let them suffer in the same cycle he was in for years.

Letting his fist go, he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "I would like to help you ladies with this mission you have. I have no interest in any artifact that you find, but as someone who was once working for the council, I want to help you." He wanted to tell them that he wanted to show them the errors of their ways against the council. They usually found a way to recognize a threat and nip them in the bud before their real powers manifested.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Shei'ki and Deipthe were taken aback by this sudden change in the way the conversation flowed - he wanted to help them? Shei'ki wasn't used to this, but she wasn't complaining, either. She had no idea what to think anymore... but the fact that this man wanted to help her put her at ease, somewhat, and she couldn't explain to herself why.

Deipthe accepted his help with a nod, but it was not her decision to make, after all was said and done - that was up to Shei'ki. She was the mistress... all she could do was advise her.

"You think so, Deipthe?" Shei'ki asked her, giving her a little look. She didn't need much encouragement on the matter, but she valued Deipthe's opinion. After all, Deipthe was... like a mother to her, in a funny sort of way.

"Oh yes... There is a possibility of people and creatures living in ruins like these. The more eyes we have peeled, the greater chance of avoiding a mishap we have... besides" she looked to Vahn. "... I don't believe in accidental meetings." that last part was quieter, but she smiled at the man.

"Then it's settled."

Eiffe snorted. "What, I don't get a say in the matter?" she began, and shot Shei'ki a bitter glare, to which she and Deipthe responded. "Yes?" in the same frame of voice, at the exact same moment, politely... though the tone implied otherwise.

"... Can I have some more soup?" she added, and grinned at them. She could have cared less, but that would involve paradoxes of time and space itself - and she was too hungry to break the fabric of reality as we know it.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

He was secretly grateful for being allowed to go with them on this mission. If the council was involved, there's usually something that is meant to take care of the ones they send. The best thing he could do was foil the council's plan to off them and then let the girls know what the true intentions of the council was. But for now, there was nothing else he wanted to do except actually turn in and call it a night.

He looked at the empty bowl by Diepthe, since he finally got her name in passing. Taking a deep sigh, he nodded to the women as he made his way to his feet. He had turned halfway before turning his head back to them. "Thank you for letting me accompany you and thank you for the meal once again." He turned his head and walked back to his nook against the tree, stabbing the sword back into the root and sitting down, facing away from the group as he tried to fall asleep.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

The girls did not stay awake for very long after the male went to bed - they had quite a day ahead of them, whether they found the temple the following day or not - the mountains were not hospitable to foot travel, and if it weren't for a sense of.. calm that pervaded the campsite that night, it might not have been comfortable to sleep in, either.

Shei'ki turned in first, accompanied by Eiffe - a finished meal didn't mean much... because when she moved close to the girl, she seemed to dim a little. To her, a human form was inconvenient at night - she'd be up, snacking on wood, all night, and she'd be up to no good in no time from simple boredom alone.

So her human form had to go.

She didn't like the feeling - it was like getting cold, shrinking, and falling all at the same time - and she was. Suddenly, she collapsed into a pile of clothes, a sturdy, lit metal lantern, and a rush of hot air. Shei'ki reached out to catch her, and grabbed a handful of the clothing that had been on her body, and pulled the lit lantern from the leather clothes the lady in red had worn, clipped it to a chain she pulled from her staff like it was nothing at all, and entered the tent.

Deipthe worked the latest, stayed up the longest. She put away the food, she cleaned up the mess, she made sure the fire had enough food, and she did so cheerfully - it was normal for her, she didn't mind it at all, it seemed like. When at last she did turn to the tent, she shot one final look to Vahn, asleep by the tree, at least she thought.

The night would be cold. In the mountains, it always was. She couldn't let that stand, and he'd been good to them - she went into her pack, and produced what had to be a blanket, which she put gently on him, then entered the tent herself, taking the bag with her.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

Vahn wasn't asleep when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Diepthe grace him with a blanket. He pretended to shift in his sleep and smile, though the smile was genuine in thanks for the blanket. The night did end up growing colder and it was something that was far from comfortable. He might have ended up being sick if it wasn't for the blanket that helped him get through the night. For the rest of the night, he slept, even if it was uneasily, he slept.

The early morning came with the dew around him and almost a dead silence. There was a slight breeze, not his own, but it was making the end of a chilly night almost unbearable. He rose to his feet, wrapping the blanket around himself as he made his way into the forest a bit away from the camp. He didn't want to carry his weapons at this time and the rest of the field was unnecessary. Focusing his elements, he used the air around the weapons to lift them out of the ground and set them beside the tree where he was sleeping not a few minutes before.

With the blanket still wrapped around him to keep him warm, he went out maybe a hundred meters or so from where they all slept. Feeling he was a decent enough distance away, he started this morning the same way he has started every morning for the past four years, in song. However, this was no ordinary song. His songs told a story as he experimented with different tones and pitches, trying to get things done correctly. It was part of his training that he stuck to as he knew one day it would be important to him. Mastering this would bring him one step closer to getting back at the council.

[Shei'ki\Agatha]

Shei'ki awoke first, with a start - Deipthe slept coiled around her in snake form, wrapped tight around her whole body... and she lost no warmth as she pulled the blankets down. The moment she stirred, and started robing herself against the cold, the metal lantern gave a soft puff as the femenine flame within came to life.

As Shei'ki robed up, she fed a piece of bark into the lantern, smiling as the flame nymph took it in tiny little hands, barely formed of the heated flames within, and started to eat, lighting the bark, bit by bit, into ash, gaining strength quickly.

Deipthe was the last to awaken - she tended to be. The gentle undulations of Shei'ki's movements in getting dressed - OVER TOP OF HER - was always enough to wake the serpent up from her sleep. As Shei'ki pulled her tunic over the snake, she wriggled her head free, and brushed her cheek against the girl's, eliciting a warm smile from her.

"Morning, Nanna" she murmured, and started fitting the leather tunic and robes she wore - Under her clothes is where Deipthe would stay, right up until the part where the buckles were fastened and the garnments tightened to working conditions - she was trying, mostly, to keep warm.

But she had to get out, and as she wriggled free, she became the naga again. This time, rather than the simpler clothes she'd chosen last night, she put her long hair away from her eyes by binding it back with itself, forming a little bun in the back and letting most of it dangle freely. She wore a colorful, heavier sash, and wrapped it all down her front, a leather tunic, and her jewelry. She felt like looking good today.

Shei'ki and Eiffe looked at one another, and grinned. It was rare when Deipthe got like this, rare indeed. She wasn't oblivious to them either... she, in that light, with that look she gave them, drove Shei'ki right outside, clutching her staff, Eiffe and all.

Then, she froze. She heard... a voice? Was that Vahn singing?

Deipthe joined her long before she moved - she should have been taking care of the fire, it was polite - but Deipthe had no chance to complain. She heard it too. Better than they did.

They looked between one another, and shrugged, then got to work.

By the time that Vahn returned, they had the tent picked up, the campfire set up, lit with breakfast ready, and Eiffe, her feet in the flames, clothed, but bootless.

[Vahn x Dimitri]

The song lasted for half an hour, telling the story of the movement of the wind and how they swirled about bringing the leaves to a dance. The leaves turned on the tree and began to fall off and start to die, seeking retribution against the tree that spawned them. The leaves began to fall from a tree that he was facing and with an almost unnatural speed, the leaves crashed into the tree. This had gone on for the past ten minutes or so as he refused to stop singing the song until he absolutely needed to end it.

Leaf after leaf crashed into the tree and fell flat, doing no damage to the tree at all and it was getting frustrating. Day after day, he sang songs hoping for a different result. Whether it be leaves, sand, anything that the wind could carry, he tried to let the song turn them into a weapon, but to no avail. His tone shifted to one of frustration, passion, angst and he kept it there for the majority of the time, but got nothing. His voice was almost raw and the morning cold did nothing to help him breathe and keep his vocal chords strong.

A sympathetic tone became the end of the song as he needed to bring the song to a close for his own health and to begin his day as the sun was finally appearing above some of the mountains. The song ended and he took several deep breaths as the sweat on his face was cool to the morning breeze. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes so that air could travel all down his throat and cool his nearly expended vocal chords. Looking down again, he noticed something on the tree at about eye level. It was a single, living leaf, impaling the tree. He touched the leaf with a smirk on his face and kept that look of satisfaction all the way back to camp.