[IC] {ROLEPLAY CLOSED] - Through The Pages - Fairy Tale Roleplay (Private/ Invite Only)

[Vicier]

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[Vicier]

The Moors ~ Fairy Tale World

The both strong and rather irresistible smell of salty sea air washed in through the halls of the castle as her bare feet once more hit over the stone one after the other, the sound of porcelain and glass shattering against the wall filling the room before the sharp and extremely jagged shards falling to the ground, creating a rather dangerous hazard for all others but herself- oh, how the morn had been one of such grand productivity… long ago had she dealt with the petty squabbles of the sea witch; forcing her to once more return back to the depths of the ocean under threat of serving as the main dish in a lavish feast… even still, she had found time enough to pay her favorite, though still rather extremely temperamental kitty a little, and long needed visit; if not just to test his patience, and wear it thin for amusements sake… though now she stood before her throne, her normally ever darkened eyes all but glowing a gold in color as she glanced about in front of her, watching on with almost no joy in her expression as not only the servants, but also the knights that had been tending to her hurried to leave the room; each moving as quickly as they possibly could so that there was even that slim chance they would be lucky enough to escape the angered wrath of their Queen.

She was in a mood… even she could see that she was being a complete and utter bitch to all those who had done nothing to gain her anger being taken out upon them. They were merely doing their jobs; and as far as the truth went, it was a perfect case of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time… by the Gods, her hormones would not stop raging- waging a terrible war within, and causing for her ever increasingly dangerous, and more than common temper tantrums to piss even her off. The answer, however, was simple; she had to tell him… no, she had to tell the both of them- it was almost killing her to keep it to herself in the way that she had for these past couple of weeks; and how in the name of Hades was she supposed to explain herself when-… She didn’t even want to think about it right now; she couldn’t… there were far more pressing matters weighing upon her mind- the shadow man throwing a fit about the wild goose-chase she had sent him on many years prier, Rasputin groveling and begging for her to release his soul when the deal they had struck was yet to be completely fulfilled, Rothbart and his both strange and creepy fascination with cursing people into creatures thanks to his disgusting animal fetish.

Either way; that was what had set her off in the first place… It was just a comment made in passing; one which had been directed more towards the condition of her health, however it was more than clear that it had not been taken very well within the eyes of the Queen… eyes which were now burning brighter than they had ever done before, her long darkened locks fluttering lightly upon her back and over her shoulders as the magic which coursed through her veins began to build up, wrapping tight and almost visibly around her very figure as she lifted her arms slowly from where they had been held tensely at her sides, the very action causing the vast amount of shards that she had not long ago created to lift up into the air, hovering in place as though patiently awaiting some sort of order to fall from her lips.

“..you dare say such things about your Queen..!”

Throwing her arms forwards and towards where the stragglers remained, stumbling over one another in their big attempt at being able to leave the room in time, she caused the shards to sail through the air and soaring towards them, the corners of her soft pink lips turning up and into a both malicious and rather venomous type of smirk as she heard their panicked shouts, and screams of terror fill the air surrounding her at those who had been too slow in their actions got caught; most either injured or killed by the sharp edges of the glass and porcelain, as those in the group still able to walk quickly picked each other up before eventually, they left her standing alone within the room, standing before her throne- silence… my, how it was golden…

The sudden feeling of her stomach churning nauseously caused for her to hunch over slightly, her face scrunching up in disgust as her left hand dropped down to press lightly against her stomach, her right reaching back so that she could hold onto the arm of her throne for support, the large and extremely luxurious seat helping to keep her both upright and upon her feet- she hated being sick… the nausea, the tiredness, the lack of interest in almost all that she had to do… it showed weakness, and that was something she could not afford to show anyone; especially not Jafar or her brother. The very thought of it caused her left hand to grasp the arm of her throne tighter than she had ever before; the ever familiar magic still pulsing throughout her body causing the wood to crack slightly under her firm grasp.

Straightening herself back up once she had managed to regain the composure that she had lost due to the rather small bout of nausea she had received, she turned her attention once more back to her throne before she dropped herself back into it, her body lounging lazily into the cushioning as she crossed her legs over one another, her left hand working to smooth out the skirt of her dress she wore as she held her right hand out, her expression now one of pure boredom and her eyes once again flashing over a beautiful gold in color as she caused one of the goblets of wine that had been spilled to fill itself, her left hand lifting up to readjust the familiar hat she had stolen from her brother’s quarters upon her head as the now full goblet floated over and into her hand; the young woman swirling the bright red liquid within around a few moments as she stared into it, trying to sort through the thoughts that seemed so clearly to be plaguing her mind as she gave no sign that she was planning on moving from where it was that she sat lounged within her throne.

[smarty0114]

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If someone had asked Charlie when he was 10 where he thought he'd be at 17, the answer most certainly wouldn't have been, "Running from a very angry police officer." As it so happened, that was exactly what Charlie was doing at 17, and luckily he happened to be a lot faster than the police officer. He dodged pedestrians and weaved through crowds, a stolen wallet clutched in his hand, and a mischievous grin on his face.

How exactly had he gotten in this situation? Well it all started because Charlie had sneezed, mid pickpocket. His mark, a pretentious looking college kid, had shouted for a cop, who just so happened to be walking down the street. Charlie had booked it, arms pumping and legs propelling him forward as fast as he could go. So that was how he'd gotten to this point. Not too complicated. Luckily for him, this was not his first police chase, and nor was it Wendy's. He grinned as he neared the black SUV they'd nicked a while back, when they were in Ohio.

That had been a good night. He and Wendy had found the car, left in a parking lot, keys on the front seat. It was practically an invitation to steal it. So they had, and they'd taught themselves to drive in that thing, although Wendy had always been much better than him at doing so. He went to fast, turned to hard. He figured most of his life had been like that.

Finally reaching the car, he yanked open the door, and shouted one word to his partner. "Drive!" The SUV sped down the main street of a small town called Hollis Ridge. The cop who'd been following him was visible in the side mirror, panting and growing smaller as he and Wendy got farther and farther. "Well, I think it was worth it. This kid was loaded!" he said as he sifted through the wallet of one Lucas Channing. Wendy looked over and smiled at him. "Where to next?" he asked. "You'll see."

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They'd been on the road for a few hours and Wendy was ready to finally reach their destination. She and Charlie had been running, non stop for the past three years, and this was going to be one of the first places where they could stay for more than a few weeks. She was excited at the prospect of having somewhere other than a car to sleep. Not that she was unhappy with her and Charlie's lives. The opposite really, but she did miss some of the finer things.

"Can you just tell me where we're going?Charlie asked. Wendy grinned and looked over at him. "If you'd look in front of you, you might see where we are you oaf." In front of them, on the horizon, there was a large sign welcoming them to Lake Tahoe. Charlie looked over at her, one brow arched, inquiring as to why the hell they were here. Getting everything she needed to from just that look, Wendy laughed. "My parents have the cabin here, remember? They won't be coming down anytime soon, and I know the code for the security system so they won't even know we're here. And plus there's going to be a big party at the ski resort, so we'll have some great opportunities to swipe some stuff," she said, justifying her decision.

Charlie just nodded. She knew he wasn't going to be thrilled. He hated to be reminded of their parents. Well, her parents, but they loved him just like any child. She thought it was because he felt guilty, for taking her away from them. But she'd chosen that on her own, not that he seemed to understand that.

The rest of the ride to her family's cabin was in silence, but when they arrived, Charlie didn't hesitate in getting out. Wendy went over and hugged him, grinning. "Come on, we deserve a little rest and relaxation. And where better but this nice little cabin," she said. Charlie just smiled in silent agreement, and followed her as she walked up the stairs and to the front door.

[YoshiSkittlez]

Jack Woodard - Present Day - Tahoe City

He felt warm. Much warmer than what the usual temperature within his hotel room on a cold, snowy morning in Lake Tahoe, was. Finding difficulty in opening one eye, Jack squinted as the morning light streamed down onto his face, forcing his eye back shut immediately as a pressing headache formed it's way between his eyes. Peeling open his eye in a second attempt, Jack let out a tired groan wanting at least a few more minutes to sleep in, but he had his work cut out for him today.

Taking stock of his limbs, Jack opened his second eye to find his cheek pressed intimately to the bare backside of a woman and an arm wrapped around her waist, hand resting on her abdomen. The events of the night before slowly filtered through his sleep-induced mind and Jack couldn't help but to smirk at his good fortune.

Taking great care to untangle himself from the still sleeping woman, Jack placed a gentle kiss on the backside of her shoulder before he managed to sit upright on the bed and fish around for his clothes, finding his t-shirt first and slipped it on. Standing up, he pulled his worn blue jeans back on, working on the belt as he made his way over to the front door of her apartment and wiggled his shoes on, not even stopping to bother with the laces.

Taking a minute to run his fingers through his long, shaggy brown hair, Jack slipped out the front door quietly, so as not to wake the waitress he had met at the bar just last night. The last thing he needed was for her to get the wrong idea that last night had meant something. She didn't seem like the type that would, but then again, anything was possible when you were drunk.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Jack began the walk to the main street where he could hail a cab and make it back to his hotel room for a quick shower and change of clothes before heading to the ski lodge. Taking a quick look at the clock on his old flip-phone, he found that if he hurried, he would have just enough time to arrive before the throng of tourists did. It took fifteen minutes; even at the crack of dawn the city was traffic-busy, pressing the thought that he might want to think about saving up for a motor bike to get around quicker... maybe they had bike rentals at the lodge? He hadn't even thought to check on that before.

He had arrived in Nevada a day short of a week ago, dreams of his past haunting his sleep. He was made of wood again, constantly calling out for his Papa, wandering among never ending hallways with no doors feeling more and more frightened with each step he took. A heavy weight was brought down on his chest, making him stop to look at the necklace The Blue Fairy had given him, her final words to him echoing around in his wooden head again and again.

"Remember Pinocchio... if you help the children to remember who they are, you will have the chance to come back some day. And if your heart proves you to be selfless, brave and true, you will finally become a real boy. Stay with them Pinocchio, they need you."

Jack physically scoffed as he remembered the subject of his dreams lately. Selfless, brave and true? Boy had he fallen far from that mark! But he still had a promise to keep. He supposed it would be easier if he hadn't been separated from the group upon their initial arrival to Earth, but that was neither here nor there. Fate had it out for him making everything he did one step forward and two steps back.

Pulling out the necklace from underneath his shirt and letting his thumb brush over the tiny pendant, he raised it to his lips for a kiss. He would not be returning home, not when there was no hope of not being turned back to wood, but there was still hope for the others. He just had to get them to believe.

With a quick shower and a change of clothes that was better suited for the snow-dusted morning, Jack headed back out to the busy streets, stopping at a corn-dog stand on his way to get something into his stomach, grateful for the break in softly falling snow underneath the kiosk's umbrella.

"Lookin' a bit tired this morning. Rough weekend?" The man behind the corndog stand asked.

Jack smirked, reaching to his back pocket to pull out a couple one's from his wallet.

"Eventful." He replied, slapping the money onto the kiosk, putting his wallet away before grabbing the two corn dogs handed over to him.

"Ah, well, could be worse I suppose. You take care ya?"

Jack gave a half-assed salute with one of the corn dogs, chuckling a bit to himself as he then bit off the end and headed on his way down the street. He was nearly finished with the first one when he felt a pair of eyes on him from behind. Stopping, Jack turned to find a young boy, no older than eight, staring hungrily at the second corn dog in his opposite hand.

Jack didn't have to guess where the boy came from, or what he wanted. It was clear in his ragged clothes and unwashed hair that he was living on the streets, and had been for a few months now. But it wasn't the clothes and the unwashed hair that let Jack know this, it was the look in his eyes, the same look he himself held for a number of years before landing a job as a street performer and managed to save up for a tiny studio apartment back in Manhattan. It could have been days since the boy had found something to eat, and his heart went out to the kid.

Adjusting his weight a bit, and popping what was left of the first corn dog into his mouth, Jack headed over to the boy, handing him the remainder of his breakfast. Wide eyed and full of awe, the boy graciously took the corn dog from Jack and turned to leave.

"Hey kid!" Jack called out, reaching back to his front pocket. The boy turned, fearful at first that it was all just a trick and Jack would take the corn dog back as some cruel joke he had been subjected to over his experiences of begging for food. Instead, Jack pulled out a crisp ten-dollar bill he had swiped from the man at the kiosk while he had been paying for his corn dogs and placed it into the boys hand. "Dinner on me yeah?"

Grinning madly, the boy bobbed his head up and down, the worn woolen cap on his head threatening to topple off his large brown curls. Jack just smiled and patted him on the back, sending the boy on his way.

Feeling a bit lighter in his step, Jack turned back around and called for the cab that would then take him to the ski lodge, whistling a specific Disney tune to himself as he waited.

[Vicier]

The Tahoe Lodge ~ Earth, Lake Tahoe

The familiar sound of her best friend’s voice filled the air of her room as she once again turned her attention back down to the books and folders that were splayed out over her desk- she was running behind on time, and had more than enough decisions to make, and paperwork to fill out and process through. Straightening herself up within her desk chair as she placed the pen down over the open page half-filled with her handwriting, one upbeat song turning into the next as she lifted her left leg up from the ground, slipping it underneath her body so that she could become slightly more comfortable as she once again settled down and back against the cushion, her head dropping back to rest lightly against the top of the padding of the seat as she let her eyes flick up to rest upon the personally signed CD cover that sat open next to the player.

’Eli; miss seeing your face- be sure to come visit me again soon. Love Sebastian <3’

God she missed him… Sebastian was her best friend; one of the only people who cared about her enough to sit on the phone at strange hours of the night, talking about random crap until one of them eventually fell asleep on the other… but then, that was what happened when you lived halfway round the world from the one person aside from family that you truly cared about... The very thought had her heart sinking slightly within her chest as her bright ice blue eyes slowly moved instead to stare sadly at the photo frame that stood tall beside the CD player and the study books that lined the top of the shelves above her desk- the beautiful beach themed frame itself holding a picture of the both of them messing about in the surf together along the beach by his family home back in Australia.

It had been almost a year since the both of them had last seen one another; the last time being when she had taken her two week vacation… the surf, the sand, the sun- it was a welcomed change from the refreshing chill of the snow capped mountains she usually spent her days carving her path into. That’s what she needed… she needed to head off on another vacation; get some time away- competition season was over, well and truly, she had more than enough money saved up to get her back down to the land of Aus for another couple of weeks… it would be a nice surprise for him, not to mention it would be a chance to relax and have some fun as well…

“..nawwe… what’s with the long face so early in the morning..?”

Pulling herself out of her daydream as the sound of her little sister’s voice filled the room from somewhere over by the door, Eliza turned her head against the rest, allowing her beautiful ice-blue eyes to meet with that of Annalise for a few moments of silence before finally, she chose to answer, “Anna… I’m busy right now… don’t you have work to do, or something along those lines..?”

“Wow; okay, someone’s grumpy this morning. What’s wrong; wake up on the wrong side of the bed..? Besides, I think you’re doing enough work for the both of us…” Hesitating in the doorway only the briefest of moments, Anna lifted her hand up, tiredly ruffling her long red locks of hair as she made her way further into the room before finally, she dropped down onto the end of her sister’s bed, “What’s going on with you lately anyway…”

“Huh..? Oh, nothing... nothing; I just…” Sighing out softly in defeat of the fact that she knew her sister wasn’t about to give up until she got answers, Eliza scrunched up her face ever so slightly as she sat forward, her arm reaching up until she had managed to take a hold of the photo frame she had been looking at moments beforehand; her body once again relaxing against the back of the chair as she held it in her lap, a small though still sad smile playing over her lips as she thought back to those days of fun in the sun, “..I just miss going to the beach and spending time with my friends, that’s all… I mean, it’s been almost a full year since I last saw Sebastian; and well, it’s not like I have any competitions coming up anytime soon… what’s stopping me from packing up after Snow-Fest, and going to visit with him for a while…”

“Wait… you’re going back to Australia..?” Quirking her eyebrows in obvious interest at the words that were falling from her sister’s lips, Anna took a moment to herself before finally, she tilted her head lightly to the side, a small though knowing smirk playing over her lips as she did her best to once again catch her sister’s gaze, “..ah-huh, and uh… this little visit of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with the massive crush you’ve had on him for the last God knows how many years now, would it..?”

“I-I-…” Unable to hide the light blush that seemed intent on creeping across her cheeks at just what it was that her sister had said, Eliza lifted her head up from where it had been rested against the back of the chair, her hand lifting up to awkwardly ruffle her long platinum blonde locks as she turned her attention and gaze anywhere but towards the girl trying to get a rise out of her this early in the morning, “That isn’t-… argh, never mind, there’s just no getting through to you, especially at this time… Speaking of which; you better hurry up and get moving or else you’re going to be late for your shift at the lodge.”

“Heheh; and that just answers my question… but fine, whatever you say; I wouldn’t want to be late for my shift, and especially not while dad isn’t here.” Lifting herself up from where she had been sitting upon the bed, Anna couldn’t help the soft and amused giggle that slipped out through her lips as she headed back to the door, pausing only for a moment in the doorway so that she could look back at the blonde, a playful glint flickering across the surface of her eyes before finally, she disappeared from sight altogether.

She loved her… more than anyone else in the world; but God, she could be so tiring at times. Closing her eyes for a moment in order to sort through her thoughts, Eliza once again let her attention drop back down to the photograph she held within her hands before finally, she sat forward once more, her arm reaching out so that she could place it back in its place before she fell back into the chair, a relaxed sigh falling out through her lips as the sound of the front door opening and closing behind her sister wafted up from down stairs.

“..I’ll call him later… but first, time to get back to work…”

[YoshiSkittlez]

Jafar Sholeh - Present Day - The Moors Castle

Appearing in a quick flash of fire, the smoke had barely enough time to dissipate before Jafar knew that Maleficent was in one of her moods without even having to lay eyes on her. Having been serving his Queen faithfully over the duration of thirteen years, there were certain things that The Serpent King had been able to pick up on rather quickly - most notably being her moods. His eyes lazily watched as a handful of servants ran past him without even taking notice of his sudden presence, shards of wood and what looked like glass following after them as they screamed in terror and fled for their lives. With a tired sigh, Jafar righted his gaze back to the entrance of the throne room where he knew the center of the commotion to be coming from; where Maleficent resided. Really, he had only left Agrabah in the first place to have a nice, quiet and relaxing evening with his Queen; perhaps share stories from their day with one another - he had a particularly pleasing report on The Evil Queen, Cilla Grimhilde and knew Maleficent to have a few stories of her own, but it didn't look as though he would be getting any of those things this evening. Not when she was in such a mood that had her servants' paying the consequences. It was quite possible that one of Maleficent's stops she had made that day did not go according to plan - his best guess would of been The Lion King; such a sensitive, over-tempermental beast.

Readjusting the grip of his cobra-headed staff, Jafar drummed his fingers against it's shaft, seriously considering just going back to his palace in Agrabah lest he ended up putting Maleficent in an even worse mood by his mere presence. Not to mention, Jafar was never particularly fond of dealing with Maleficent when she was in a mood, it was exhausting, delicate work - like trying to diffuse a bomb without proper instruction. One wrong comment, one wrong look or expression, one lack of a comment she expected from him, and it was all over. But Jafar quickly decided against leaving when he realized then that she would have been able to sense his power the very moment he arrived, knowing that he was here, close by. If he left now, there was no doubt about it, he would have made things very, very much worse. And he knew by experience that such a thing was possible.

Closing his eyes for a moment, bracing himself for the torrid of emotions that was about to be thrown his way (perhaps literally), he once more adjusted the grip on his staff and forced his feet forward, keeping his head held high with an air of confidence that only came with being (arguably) the most powerful sorcerer within all the realms. Using his fingers to brush away the curtaining lock of hair over the right side of his face with his free hand, Jafar entered the room, tapping the head of the staff against the threshold has he passed it by to audibly let Maleficent know that he was there and entering. His dark eyes looked over the scene in front of him, the corners of his lips curling into a firm sort of smile as though he were trying to hold it back.

The room was in absolute shambles. Servants, young and old either lying on the floor, dead from the shrapnel of the carnage, or trying to drag the others away that still had a chance of living. Truly, it was an amusing sight, watching the rabble scurry like frightened rats before him. But he hadn't been the reason for their fright. The woman sitting upon the throne, nursing a goblet of wine was. And it was that terrible power that had him falling in love with her all over again. Truly beautiful as was the woman herself. So long as her anger wasn't directed towards him, anyway.

"Shall I post a "help wanted" sign on the front doors of the castle, then?" Jafar asked, unable to contain the snide remark in his amused enthusiasm.

He knew his cheek could only get him so far with her current temperament, however, and decided to move on. He continued to walk across the room towards her, tapping the end of his cane with every other step he took, it's sound reverberating off of the stone walls to fill the still silence of the air. Upon getting closer, however, Jafar then realized the source of her mood that had his steps faltering slightly, his amused, almost child-like expression shifting into something that more resembled annoyance and impatience.

Her outfit... the hat she wore promptly on the top of her head... she had gone to see the Pirate again. If it weren't a trip to The Pride Lands, the only other area that was guaranteed to put Maleficent in a bad mood was in the company of Captain James Hook. He didn't usually know the nature of these "drop-ins" Maleficent was so keen on doing to those who swore to serve her, nor did he usually particularly care. What was concerning him, however, was the state in which she returned after these visits. Just what could the Codfish do to get under her skin so successfully almost each and every time? It was utterly perplexing - and yet such was the constant puzzle that was his Queen.

He wouldn't lie. The thought of simply snapping his fingers and engulfing the putrid hat in flames crossed his mind. Though without knowing the true purpose as to why she had the hat in the first place kept him from doing so, and instead stopped just a few feet in front of her. With his free hand, he waved it in a small semi-circle at his head height, a plume of orange smoke appearing in her lap and then dissipating into nothing. Left behind was a small shard of what looked like glass - jagged and broken off of something much larger and apparently important by the smug look that Jafar then gave Maleficent as he took his free hand and rested it on the small of his back.

"A fragment from our dear Queen Cilla's mirror. It's amazing what one can accomplish when the target succumbs to the effects of viper venom laced into their wine." Jafar told her with an air of pride in his voice. Then, shooting her a side-ways glance, "She's fine. A fraction of the dose we slipped the Lion when he, too, became unruly. But enough to let her know she may have her toys back when she learns to play nicely."

[BlueAjah]

Present Day ~ Lake Tahoe

Snuggled in her soft, blush trench coat, Ariel breathed in the rich scent of her coffee as she took another much needed sip. The day before had completely drained her of all her energy. One of her Youtuber friends had been wanting to do a collab for quite some time and their schedules had finally matched up so she had flown all the way from New York to San Francisco. While she had an amazing time visiting the city for her second time, she couldn’t deny the amount of exhaustion she felt.

Being a YouTuber was full of interesting things, Ariel never knew what to expect next. It allowed her to travel across the world, attempt the strangest things, one could say it was the dream life. Everything about the job description shouted her name in bold letters. There was no other thing she would rather be doing. All of her life she had always felt there was something more, something beyond her,and Ariel believed this was exactly that.

After spending the whole day before touring San Francisco and filming a Disney challenge where she had completely kicked butt, Ariel now sat within a quaint little coffee shop in Lake Tahoe. With two weeks of freedom before a fan meetup in London, Ariel couldn’t pass up a chance to go snowboarding at a nearby ski resort. It had been years since she had stepped on a snowboard and she couldn’t wait to rip the course to shreds. She could still remember the first time her parents had taken her to a ski resort in Switzerland.

Dozens of tourists sat within the coffee shop, hiding from the cold outside. Sometimes it was interesting to simply sit in public and watch people. Everyone had their own story and Ariel was incredibly intrigued as to what everyone’s story was. She couldn’t explain why but people seemed to fascinate her. Shrugging, she took another sip of her steaming coffee as a little girl in pigtails sat beside an older woman, who Ariel assumed was her mother, and sucked on a watermelon smoothie. A smile spread across her lips at the sight. Children were absolutely adorable and she could spend hours being around them. One day maybe she’d even have her own. Although she could never make a commitment so easily for Ariel would continue her adventures for as long as she could. As she was about to take another sip, a petite blonde with an excited grin on her face slowly made her way over to Ariel.

“Oh my gosh, are you Ariel Banks?” She asked in a high pitched voice.

“Aww, yes I am.”

“I absolutely love your videos on YouTube, I watch them all the time. I can’t believe I’m meeting you. You’re so amazing!”

Ariel smiled. “That’s so sweet! Thank you so much.”

“Would it be okay if we took a picture together?”

“Of course!” Ariel set down her coffee and stood up beside the girl. Meeting fans was one of her favorite things. It was incredible to know that she entertained so many people. Although sometimes she did prefer to hide behind dark shades and blend into a crowd.

Pulling out her cellphone, the girl snapped a few photos of the two and thanked Ariel again before returning back to her family. Ariel needed to check into the ski resort before it became too late so she grabbed her tan bag and made her way outside. Goosebumps spread across her arms and she instantly regretted not wearing her winter coat, which was locked in the rental car a few blocks away. Fashion wasn’t everything but it did tend to trump over many things.

A half hour later, Ariel found herself in the lobby of the ski resort her friend had picked out for her. Soft music played in the background and she found herself walking to the beat of it. While she would never pursue it as a career, Ariel enjoyed singing and listening to classic hits. She particularly enjoyed Disney music, another reason why she had destroyed her YouTube friend at the challenge. Maybe it was the happy ending but Ariel adored Disney movies and could literally watch them over and over again all day

The clerk sitting behind the counter gave her a slight smile and sighed, obviously tired from work. Giving the lady her best smile, Ariel approached the counter. They exchanged conversation and details of her identity several minutes before she was finally given the keys to her room. Ariel didn’t plan to stay long so she only carried three bags, one of which held her camera equipment. There was no break of her videos with the exception of the holidays or emergencies.

Pushing shades up her nose, Ariel gracefully walked over to the elevator and eventually made it to her room. She instantly pushed play to a playlist of Disney music and opened her Mac to begin editing a thumbnail for her latest video.

[smarty0114]

Present Day - Lake Tahoe

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Lucas hadn't had the best day by any means. After eating an early breakfast, a teenager had pick pocketed his wallet, which had much more money than he was comfortable losing, and the cop had lost him after getting into an SUV. He'd filed his police report but eventually he was forced to accept that he'd most likely have to get a new wallet.

After that fiasco, he'd gotten into his car, a gift from his parents, and began the rather lengthy drive from Hollis Ridge, Nevada, to Lake Tahoe. Waiting for him there was a pleasant room in his favorite ski lodge, where he'd be attending a celebration in place of his parents. His father was busy with work and had insisted that Lucas go in his stead.

After a long drive of Lucas silently fuming over his lost wallet to the tune of 80's classic rock, he arrived at his destination. The ski lodge was run by a nice family, the Bries. There were two daughters, Eliza and Annalise, who he'd met a few times in his visits to the resorts.

He checked in at the resort, and made his way to the elevator, where he rode up with a redhead who looked vaguely familiar. He got off the floor after her and went to his room where he took a hot shower to relieve the stress of the day that had barely even begun. Afterwards he got dressed in snow clothes, having decided to go hit the slopes. He was here to have fun after all.

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Present Day - Oz

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Glinda's eyes fluttered open as the rising sun beamed in through her windows and onto her face. Smiling, she sat up in her bed and clapped her hands, summoning to servant girls. The girls rushed about the room, getting her gown for the day prepared. Once they'd finished, she stood up and let them slip the dress onto her. Still smiling she held out her hand and one girl placed her staff in her hand. Staff in her right hand, she snapped her fingers together and her hair rearranged itself into neatly arranged, wavy tresses that cascaded down her back.

She left her room then, her servants falling in line behind her as she walked through the magnificent halls of her castle, her elegant dress trailing behind her. "Have all the preparations been made for the festival?" she asked a servant, who answered with a quick nod. The festival she was referring to was the Elevation Day Festival, the celebration of the day Oz was formally joined with Maleficent's queendom, a glorious day. It also happened to be the day that Glinda became the Good Witch of the South.

She waved her hand as she neared the main doors of the palace and they swung open, revealing a crowd of Ozians screaming her name. She walked out and floated up to a platform that was waiting for her and with a wave of her hand, the crowd stopped talking, their voices having been magically silenced. Smiling she began to speak, her voice carrying over the crowd. "Today my friends, we celebrate our elevation to higher place, a place of wonder. Joined with the Queen, we are a much better people! Now, let's have a celebration the Glinda way!" she shouted, giggling as the people's screams resumed.

Music began playing around the outside of the palace and servants poured out, food in hand. Festival games sprung up in the empty fields and people flooded to them, shrieking excitedly, while Glinda smiled softly. This was what she'd always wanted, all of this. Power and nothing more. Her soft smile grew into a grin and she began to dance to the orchestra music that had begun to play, laughing all the way.

[YoshiSkittlez]

Scar - Present Day - The Pride Lands

There was an overwhelming aroma of fermented grapes and perfume filling the small room that Scar spent most of his time in for relaxation. Lounging back in the plush red settee, he turned his head slightly to let his dark eyes flicker over to the half-naked woman reapplying a generous amount of oils to her hands. With a sweeping gesture of his hand he motioned for the girl to come back to him, relaxing his neck back against the settee, hanging over the lip a bit as his head was up slightly higher than the height of it's back.

Head tossed back and body sinking into the plush cushions below him, a gravely sound came from Scar's throat as he felt the servant running her oiled hands on his bare chest and shoulders, making his already tanned skin shine. With his eyes closed, the hands of a woman running over his bare skin, the King couldn't help but to chuckle at his good fortune. He had absolutely everything he could ever want. Power, women, riches galore... and a particular pleasing memory of watching his brother's life being drained from his eyes as Scar slipped a blade between his ribs.

“Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word."

Raising his head back up to rest properly on his shoulders, Scar motioned over another woman to bring him a goblet of wine before continuing on in his recite, talking to no one in particular but feeling the need to fill the empty air around them with something.

"The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
And some when they are old."

His dark eyes happened over to a second slave girl, a knowing smile flickering across his lips as she refused to make eye contact with him. He kept his eyes on the woman, hearing the sound of his wine being poured into a goblet which was then handed to him, and he took it respectfully, now speaking directly to her.

"Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
The dead so soon grow cold."

The slave girl who Scar had his eyes on fidgeted on her feet, the thin scrap of silk he had all his slave girls wearing slipping down over her chest a bit but she freed a hand from the tray she was holding to cover herself back up, going out of her way to keep her eyes away from him.

"Some love too little, some too long,
Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
And some without a sigh.
For each man kills the thing he loves,
Yet each man does. Not. Die!"

His eyes narrowed on the slave girl, for a moment, before his smile returned causing his face to lighten as if his own words were bringing him pleasure.

"Long. Live. The King!" He shouted in a cheer, raising his goblet into the air as a sort of toast to himself. He then brought the goblet of wine to his lips, his leg swinging from the settee below him and let out a graveled laugh, draining the goblet of it's contents and catching the eye of the slave girl as he did so. She was a thin woman, forced into Scar's particular taste of what a woman should look like physically, bound by shackles at her ankles and holding a tray of assorted fruits for his consumption should he ever need it. Her jaw was set firmly, the hands holding onto the tray shaking as her grip tightened and the moment she made eye contact with Scar, she jerked her head and looked the other way.

"Oh Sarabi, do lighten up!" Scar lulled, rolling his thick neck around on his shoulders with his eyes rolling, as if all hope had been lost and the mood entirely ruined.

"Not while you still stand where he once stood." Sarabi replied, keeping her head to the side to give him her profile. Scar in turn sat up on the settee, practically throwing his massive body off of it and lunging at at her, closing the distance between them with just a few powerful strides. Sarabi flinched, but held her own as Scar snatched a pear from the tray of fruit she was holding. Keeping his eyes on her, his head a mere three inches away from hers, he bit into the flesh of the fruit, feeling the juices gush from his mouth and trickled down, getting caught up in the hair that made up his small beard. His stare was piercing, and the longer he did so, the more she began to shake but not of fear; but of raw anger.

Sarabi had always proven to be the more difficult of his servants. It might of had to do with the fact that she was his brother, Mufasa's wife, before he had brought an end to his brother, but Scar couldn't be entirely sure... nor did he really care. There was something... overall satisfying of forcing the wife of his brother into submitting to his each and every desire. With his opposite hand, Scar reached out and traced his fingers over her prominent jaw line, of which Sarabi immediately jerked her head away from his touch, causing Scar to smirk with a mouth half-full of pear.

"Bansai?" Scar called out, his voice somewhat sing-songy; not at all matching the intensity of the look he had on his face then. The soldier guarding the doors of the room stepped forward, pressing a fist to his chest and bowed respectfully.

"Dominus?" he asked politely.

Scar took a moment or two to chew over the bite of pear he had in his mouth before speaking again, feeling Sarabi's bravado wearing off the longer he did so.

"To my bed chambers, I think." Scar replied before taking his gaze away from Sarabi and to his Bonsai, holding up a finger on the hand that was still holding onto the pear for him to still a moment longer. "And see shackles bound tight. I wish not to harm such beauty."

"Dominus!" The Bonsai nodded, bowing again before motioning with his hand. Two other stationed guards jumped to attention and walked to Sarabi, one using a key to release the shackles at her feet while the other did away with the fruit tray she was holding and began to bind her arms together.

"You may have my body Scar, but it will not be me! IT WILL NOT BE ME!" Sarabi cried out, a fire in her eyes as she struggled against the two men that were now dragging her away. "YOU WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO MUFASA!" she called out as they dragged her into the hall, slamming the doors shut behind them causing her last words and the sound of the doors to echo all around them.

Anger suddenly fueled his blood then as his hand balled up into a tight fist, crushing the pear in his grasp into a sticky mess of juice all over his hand. He let out a cry of rage, going over to the remaining servant woman and knocked the tray from her hands, spilling the cut bread and cheeses all over the floor with the metal platter hitting the stone floor adding to the noise of the room. Gruffing in annoyance, Scar stalked over to the settee and threw himself down onto it in a sitting position, throwing his arms back to rest on the lip of the back. Immediately, he caught the eye of a soldier staring back at him.

"YOU!" Scar barked, startling the soldier into looking away from him lest he be punished.

"Y-yes my K-King?" the soldier stuttered.

"See Malaika's history lesson doubled this day. I've a bitch to break." Scar commanded, his temper already seeming to simmer.

"Y-yes my King." the soldier acknowledged and quickly departed the room.

Gods, give him patience and a strong arm for the task now at hand.

[Vicier]

The Moors ~ Fairy Tale World

“..do not dare to patronize me, Jafar…”

Already he was growing on her last nerve... his words on once again needing to hire new servants causing her head to tilt lightly to the side, and her soft pink lips pursing ever so slightly as she continued to stare lazily into the goblet she held precariously within her hand; the bright red liquid held within swirling around ever so gently as she took a few moments to herself, doing all that she could to sort through the thoughts that seemed to so clearly be plaguing her mind, before she even bothered to give any sign that she planned on making a move from where it was that she sat lounged within her throne- her darkened eyes watching on for only a few moments longer as she continued to swirl the liquid before finally, she slowly lifted her attention, her intense gaze meeting with his own, “..I do not care if you hold favor within my court or not; I am in no mood for your snide remarks, nor am I here for your personal amusement…”

Finally relaxing the grip that she had around the goblet of wine that she had been nursing ever since she had called it to her hand not moments before he had entered, she allowed it to slip away and through her fingers, her other hand clasping around the fragment of mirror as the rather unmistakable sound of metal clanging against the floor echoed out through the throne room as she stood herself up from where she had been sitting, her arms swinging lightly by her sides in time with the gentle rhythm of her hips as she began to pace back and forth, as though the action would help to calm her nerves, or give her some piece of mind, however they both knew that it had never once before helped to calm her emotions in the past… why in the world would she have believed it to be any different now, “..if this is the only reason as to why you are here- I swear to the Gods, Jafar…”

Stopping still as she felt the cool glass pressing against the palm of her hand, she came to a complete stop, lifting her hand and opening her fingers from around the fragment so that she could get a better look at it- Cilla’s mirror was something that was rarely ever let out of her sight… something that was more precious to her than anything in the world, just as the trunk full of memories resting in her bedchambers was to her… nevertheless, it did seem that he had gone out of his way to please her.

Things had not exactly gone to plan… she had already been annoyed during her little trip to visit her brother on his ship; it was the very reason that she had stolen away with his hat in the first place. She had gone to visit him with all intent on telling him what it was that she had hidden- to finally explain to him what it was that had her in such high spirits over this past month; but it had all shattered around her the moment that he had laid eyes on her. He wasn’t happy with how she had turned out, the way that she chose to live her life- the revenge, the heartache, the manipulation… his little sister all but lost in a world that the both of them had been thrown into.

She had been wanting to get her hands on this for a while now… her sights set upon it for as long as she had been keeping her secret from the both of them, however, much unlike the Sultan who stood in front of her, she wouldn’t have been so delicate in her methods. Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly as she caught sight of the swirling grayish mist appearing in the shard she held in her palm, she took a moment before finally, she let her attention glide back over to where he stood watching, her fingers once again curling around the mirror as she brought it back down to her side.

“..you have my attention; not to mention, have earned points in my eyes for what you have done… nevertheless, if you expect my gratitude, then you shall be waiting quite some time; perhaps even, eternity…” Turning her head to the side, she lifted her free hand up to adjust the large hat she wore upon her head, her long dark locks falling down over her shoulders, “..oh; if you are planning on staying with me this night… brace yourself; I do believe we shall be entertaining a guest tonight…”

[Vicier]

Avonlea, Province ~ Fairy Tale World

Late… she was running late; no, she was way past running late- she was going to be in trouble when she finally got home. Her sister was going to kill her for keeping her waiting all night, but what else was she going to do? She had had no other choice in the matter… there had been a mistake, a major screw up by one of her crew, and as the chief mechanic, she was the only one who was considered skilled enough to fix it- the King’s own words. If she didn’t, she would have been screwed worse than she already was. Estúpido... Just because she was more advanced than those who he had charged under her care… She huffed out a sigh, her hand coming up to roughly slip back through her hair, pushing it back off of her face so that she could get a better look at what she was doing as she made her way down the cobblestone streets of Avonlea, her dark brown orbs flicking over to the house that she was able to call her own as she grew closer and closer to it, her feet carrying up to the front door where she nervously paused, bracing herself for her sister’s wrath… the morning was not going to be getting any better, at least, not this moment anyway…

“Audrey! Usted estúpida puta! You know that I have an important match today, you did this to me on purpose!” She hadn’t even been able to grab the handle before the door swung open and her older sister was in her face about being late. She knew that it had been coming; knew that she was going to have to face her sooner or later, but right now she was too tired, and too busy to deal with her sisters crap. Shaking her head softly from side to side, she turned her body slightly so that she could slip past her and into the house, not even bothering to give her a second glance as she headed further inside, her eyes searching around for something, or someone that she couldn’t see.

“Alright, nice to see you too, Nena… keeping your anger bottled up and ready for the ring I see. Look, I don’t have time for you to lecture me, and neither do you, so why don’t you just tell me where she is, and then get out of here…”

“Tienes suerte de que ella está aquí…” She didn’t even bother flinching as she heard the sound of the front door slamming shut somewhere behind her, though she wasn’t about to deny the fact that it annoyed the hell out of her- if her sister’s rash actions woke her up… She closed her eyes for only a moment as she tried her best to keep her temper under control. Her sister was a special case- she could both make her calm and get her to show a happier side of herself that she hadn’t in many years… or she could pull the opposite effect on her altogether by sending her anger spiraling out of control; right now, she was having the latter effect…

“O que? Huh? You going to beat me down- you going to leave her with even less familia than she already has?” She couldn’t remember doing it, but she had turned to face her sister- their bodies close against one another’s as they stared each other down, neither one of them giving any signs that they would be backing away from the other any time soon. It hadn’t always been like this; they hadn’t always been at each others throats- their temper was inherited, that much they both knew for a fact, but since they had moved to Province all those years ago… they had attempted to reign it all in, if only for the sake of their new familia- no, their only familia, “Go on- do it… but you can’t can you, Nyah. Heh, eres patético; you won’t risk losing another siste-…”

She couldn’t help but flinch- her sentence cut completely short as she felt a sharp pain shoot through her cheek-bone, forcing her head to the side with the force that had so suddenly hit against it, the sheer power behind the blow causing the skin to split apart and a cool trickling sensation to slowly make its way down her face from where she knew she had been injured. She had actually hit her… it wasn’t a first- the two of them had gotten into several fights in the past; though it was the first time that Nena had ever become violent towards her at the mention of their late sister. Lifting her hand up from her side as she straightened herself up slightly, she pressed the tips of her fingers against her cheek where she could feel the most pain, her hand lowering down slightly and her head turning to look in its direction until she was able to see just how hard her sister had punched, the sight of the bright and fresh crimson blood staining her fingertips causing her jaw to clench.

“Fuera…”

“A-Audrey, please-… I didn't mean it- come on, you know that…” She could see it clearly in her sister’s eyes; she regretted punching her the moment that she had completed the action. But it didn’t matter anymore, the damage was done and there was no taking it back now, no matter how much Nena may have wanted to do just that. Now there was only one thing that she wanted, and that was for her sister to leave; she had things that she had to do, and the longer that she was there, the longer she was just going to stand around arguing about stupid mistakes and a past life that always caused a fight to break out, "..Kiara..."

“I said get out!”

She didn’t even bother to watch- she couldn’t, she was too angry. Instead she listened. Waiting until she heard the sound of the door closing behind her sister before she even thought about relaxing in the silence of the hallway- her shoulders slumping ever so slightly as she turned her back on the door, her feet carrying her further into the house that she was able to call her own. Her sister had crossed the line- no, she had destroyed the line completely; and it was just pure luck that she had other priorities on her mind that didn’t involve Nina hanging around the house with her. Slowing down her pace as she drew into the lounge area, she allowed her dark gaze to scan the area, seeming to search for something before they finally came to a stop on what looked like a pile of blankets, however the small mess of tangled brown locks poking out from underneath them let her know that she had indeed found what it was that she had been looking for; the very sight of her daughter sleeping calmly upon the cushions, bringing a small though undeniably loving smile to her lips- she looked so peaceful, so content; her own little piece of heaven right here in front of her…

It was much too early in the morning; it was time for her to go to bed. Her little Elaina… her most precious little world. Moving around the couch so that she was standing in front of her daughter, she reached out towards her as her body leant over slightly, her fingers light as she brushed them over the child’s forehead, brushing her soft fringe back and off of her sweet face so that she could see her properly- her arms slowly sliding down the child’s body before wrapping around her as gently as she could manage; careful not to wake her daughter from the sweet dreams she could only imagine that she was having as she lifted her up from the cushions she had been resting on, pausing for a moment as the child began to stir before she held her protectively against her chest, “My Elaina… it’s time for bed my precious, and beautiful baby girl…”

“..she looks so much like her father; not that I’m saying she doesn’t look like you…”

The voice, though she had been expecting to hear it soon enough, still caused her to jump slightly and to turn around in her surprise to face the large man that stood in front of her with his hands shoved deep into the recesses of his pockets; a small though ever saddened smile crossing over her lips and pain flashing across her features for only a moment at the mention of the father of her child. It had been four years since she left his side once more- she hadn’t even found out that she had been expecting until long after he had been gone from her life… but ever since then, the rest of the team had all taken it upon themselves to help her out as much as they could, even when she didn’t want, or need it, “It’s fine… I know what you mean Sweets- I look at her sometimes and all I can see is him; it used to hurt, but it gets better with every day that goes by…“

“..it’s been four years since you left; you saw it, Audrey, he’s sunk too far… you’re of two different worlds- don’t you maybe think that it’s time you moved on? You deserve to be happy.” She couldn’t help the small bout of protective hesitance in her actions as he reached forward to take the sleeping child, her arms finally relaxing enough to allow him to separate the mother and child so that she was once more able to move around freely, her hand coming up to rub exhaustively at her face for a moment before she shook her head softly from side to side in response to his question. Why did people feel the need to point out what they believed others to be deserving of? Was it some sort of weird illness that had no possible cure, or was is just because people were too nosy to but out of other people’s business… either way, she didn’t have the luxury for things like happy endings- in her experience, they just didn’t exist.

“Whether you think I deserve it or not, it doesn’t matter- I was happy, and you know as well as the others what happened… I went back; shared a night of pure bliss; but he has travelled too far from me...” It was her day off and she didn’t have time for any of this; much like her sister, she was running late, and if she left it for too much longer she was going to be left out of the running altogether. Crossing her arms over her stomach so that she could grab hold and pull her top up and off over her head as she turned and made her way across the room, she balled it up in her hands before tossing it through the door that led into her room ahead of her as she continued to make her way towards it, her body leaning over slightly to snatch up the tight leather top that she had gotten out for herself earlier the day before in the hope that it would help her to save time, “And look at where that left me- do not get me wrong, I would never complain about being a mother, I love her more than anything; but I barely get time to spend with her, Gaston has me working sunrise to long past the sun setting, and what I get is still not enough to support our familia…”

“You know that we’re willing to help you out as much as you need us to; all you have to do it as-…”

“No- I don’t like charity. I’ll earn my own way, and I will support my familia on my own.” She cut him off before he could even finish his sentence- she knew exactly what it was that he was saying to her, but there was no way she was going to accept their help. She could support her familia without their help, what kind of a mother would she be if she couldn’t do things on her own? Clenching her jaw for only a few moments at the thought of having to look her baby girl in the eyes if she ever failed to provide for her, she dropped her attention down to her hands as she tugged roughly on the bottom of her top, making sure that it was covering her properly before she slipped her hands up behind her neck, fastening the leather straps tightly as she let her attention turn back to where Sweets was standing cradling Elaina in his arms, “..speaking of which, I have to go- it’s high stakes, and once I win, I’ll be able to get her something special… I’ll be back once I’m done, I don’t know how long it will be this morning though.”

“Your stubbornness continues to astound me- is everyone like that where you come from?”

“Oh you have no idea…” She couldn’t help the gentle chuckle that fell from her lips as she began to make her way back through the house and out the front door, though unlike her sister before her she did all that she could to shut it softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping child that still remained in the arms of the doctor, safely within the four walls of their home- her hand slipping down into her back pocket to pull her gloves out as she began to make her way back down the cobblestone roads, her dark eyes flicking down to her hands every so often as she tugged on the leather finger-less gloves that she usually took with her when they were out on a job. If she won tonight, she was going to take the morrow off work as well, at least then she could spend time with Elaina… for now she just had to hope that there wouldn’t be any interruptions to her morning- the last thing she needed was Isabella and the rest of the Knights showing up to ruin her plans…

[Vicier]

Simba Lionhart and Kidagakash Nedakh

The Wildes & Atlantis ~ Fairy Tale World

The gentle sounds of rustling leaves and snapping branches flitted through the air, startling the creatures below and causing them to scatter about in all directions in their rush to get out of the way of the young woman who seemed to be focusing on something not too far a head of her. Ignoring the other creatures as they were of no concern to her; she pushed herself through the tops of the trees, using the branches and the power of her own body to propel herself further and further before she came to an abrupt halt above the small clearing in which her prey felt safe from her touch. The warthog she had been stalking now feeling as though it had finally lost her as it relaxed, lowering its snout so that it could graze on the grass below; crouching low against the branch, she kept her bright blue orbs locked on the creature that was to be her next kill- her prize in which she would return home with.

Her soft pink lips parted only slightly as she calmed her breathing, keeping it almost completely silent as she lead herself further out onto the branch, careful not to make even a sound in fear that she would scare away the strange beast below her; slowly removing one hand from the branch, she reached back, her fingers grazing over the bare skin that was her leg, tracing her thigh until she gripped tightly to the dagger that she had pressed against her flesh by the thick bit of blue material tied around it. Her long white locks falling down over her shoulder as she leant forward, her toes splaid over the branch as she kept her balance; the gentle breeze brushing over her skin while the sound of flowing water nearby caused her to think back to her home, she had to get this over with soon so that she could return and get back to the responsibilities awaiting her.

Hesitating, she waited for the right moment before she pushed herself forward, her body flinging down from her perch until she came into contact with the creature, its surprised and terror filled grunts and squeals filling the air as she used her weight to keep it pressed firmly against the ground, straightening her back once she had gotten the dominance over it, she lifted up her arm, holding the dagger high as she began to mumble thanking it for its sacrifice so that she, and any others who feasted upon its meat could live.

Basking out in the long, dead grass of the plains, Simba uncrossed and crossed his legs back together, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. Lying out on his back, arms extended out with his elbows level with his head and hands laced together holding the back of his head he could feel the heat of the afternoon sun beating down on his tanned skin that would have forced anyone unfamiliar with the land to scrounge for shade on the open plains, but Simba reveled in the heat. It was days like today that the young youth didn't feel like doing anything but soaking up what the sun had to offer, maintaining a comfortable body temperature and storing the energy given by it for a later use; should something come up. A slight breeze picked up, flitting through the long grass that kept him otherwise hidden from lying down in it and caused the ends of his shaggy blonde hair to tussle about, forcing Simba to untangle his hands and brush away at the tickling hairs that brought his moment of serenity to an abrupt halt.

Huffing out a bit of air in annoyance, Simba sat up and pulled back his hair against his scalp, pulling off a bit of elastic twine from his wrist and fastened his bangs back into a ponytail, leaving the rest of his hair to hang down to his broad shoulders and upper back. Running a hand over his face, dispelling of the tickle that still seemed to linger, Simba forced himself up to his feet, his head on a swivel as he looked about for his oldest friend. His mind reached out to the animal, calling it by name but the swine was not answering, he could no longer feel it.

/You dirty old pig, where did you wander off to this time?/ Simba scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat perplexed by the absence of his friend so his bare feet began to carry him, his mind reaching out as far as his limits would allow for any sign of the Warthog. After a few moments, a chilling scream reached Simba's ears that went straight down into his heart, halting his movements almost immediately.

/No! No stop! Please! You are hurting me! Help!/

Simba's pulse quickened as he reached out to the animal calling for help, feeling the aura of the very friend he had been looking for. His upper lip curled up into a snarl as his legs began to carry him swiftly through the dead grass with the speed of the gazelle he had bonded with earlier that morning until finally he happened upon the scene of another human being with her hand raised, dagger in hand ready to put an end to his friends life. Forgetting the spoken words of his language for a moment, Simba instead let out an anguished yell as he sped towards them. In the blink of an eye he had his arms around the human, the momentum of his speed throwing the both of them away from the squealing warthog into a confused tumble in the grass until finally Simba used his weight to his advantage and dug his knees into the soft earth below them, pinning down the other human underneath him. His hands immediately shot to the humans wrists, holding onto them tightly against the ground as he got his first good look at the would-be murderer.

"What is wrong with you? What did Pumba ever do to you?" He asked in anger, his blue eyes sizing up what he realized was a woman that was underneath him.

Struggling against the sudden weight that had forced itself against her body, and had caused her to go tumbling over the ground, she fought back, an angered yell slipping through her lips to add to his own as both voices now filled the air around them; barring her teeth at him, she growled, her hands balling into fists as she pulled, her muscles showing behind her skin as she tried to rip her wrists from his grip, her dagger long gone from her her own grip. Breathing heavily, her chest heaved up and down, her expression showing her anger and aggression towards the man that was holding her against her will, and for doing nothing at all wrong; clenching her jaw she stared at him, looking over his facial features as she tried to determine how much of a threat to her he truly was, the bright blue tribal markings just under her left eye matching their color, and standing out against her pale skin, showing him that she was most definitely not from where he was, "مجھے اپنا پیٹ کھول جانا یا میری بلیڈ کاٹنے سرد سٹیل محسوس ہونے ..! یہ میرا آپ سے آخری انتباہ ہے ..! اب مجھے جانے دو ..!"

Not even bothering to give him a chance to respond to what she had said, she twisted her upper body, her bright blue orbs shutting tightly as she wrapped her mouth around his forearm, sinking her teeth into his skin deeply, and trying to inflict as much pain as she could so that his grip would at least lax on that wrist; once she felt the hesitation in his grip, she pulled her arm from his hold, the fist she had made moments earlier coming up to connect with his jaw, stunning him just enough so that she could push him to the side, her body turning as she scrambled back to her feet. Bending as she ran, she scooped up her dagger slipping it back into place against her thigh as she pushed herself faster over the ground, her hair flying back behind her while she tried to put a large enough gap between them so that she could lose him, stumbling sightly she turned her head looking back over her shoulder to chance a look at where he was before she disappeared, her body slipping through a well hidden cave entrance and out of the light that the sun had to offer them.

Looking down at the woman below him, Simba blinked a few times as sounds and utterances came from her mouth, but he was unable to understand what any of it meant save for the tone she used, in which he was able to gather that she was angry. He could care less if he was putting her under any distress, however. She had caused himself distress by putting his friends life in danger, as well as being in an area where he had made sure he wouldn't ever have to come into contact with another human again. Feeling her teeth unexpectedly sinking down into his arm, his left grip flinched on her wrist giving her all the time she needed to wrench her hand away and clip him across the jaw. Stumbling back into the grass, not quite sure what had just happened he watched as a blur of blue and white rushed out of his view. Rolling himself into an upright position, Simba looked to the Warthog, extending out his right palm to touch the snout of the pig. A soft, blue glow came from his hand upon contact, feeling a sense of calm coming over them both as the animal came to the understanding that the threat had passed, and a similar calm washed over Simba in feeling no injuries from his friend. After ensuring that the other was okay, Simba jumped up to his feet, the scar on his hand losing it's blue luminosity and caught a glimpse of the blue and white blur before she ducked into the safety of the trees.

/Stay here, I will return./ Simba relayed to the pig, which in turn grunted out a huff of air, it's front hooves kicking at the dirt underneath him in which Simba was able to understand clear as day as,

/Be safe, my friend./

Nodding, Simba turned his attention back to the area of trees in which he had seen the woman disappear in and let his legs carry him the fair distance. He hated trees, it was far too easy to be ambushed where as the openness of the plains brought him more calm as he could have nearly a perfect view of all things around him. Once in the trees, however, by a stroke of luck he caught a glimpse of her strikingly light hair as she disappeared once again in what Simba was sure was just a rock wall. Maneuvering through the trees with the agility he had forgotten he had, he reached the area to find it to be not a wall, but the mouth of a cave. Throwing all caution to the wind, he ducked inside, intent to get in a word to the woman.

With no intention of stopping, she pushed herself forward, her feet causing small stones and pebbles to dislodge from the earth, and to roll over the ground that she forced her body to leave behind as she ran towards her destination, trying her best to leave him as far behind as she could so that he would give up the chase, and in turn, leave her alone; her lips parted as her breathing became heavier, her arms swinging back and forth at her side, catching some of the stray droplets on her skin as her feet hit the water her body weaving back and forth past the pillars of stone that had naturally formed that came into her path.

Reaching out she used her hands to pull herself up a small rock wall formation, her body not stopping as she reached the flat, her stomach muscles tensing as she thrust herself into the deeper water, taking the shortest path she knew, her pace slowing down slightly as she pushed her body through the water, her hand reaching out to press against the stone wall as she once more glanced back, her gaze catching on his before she ran straight towards a huge stone wall on the opposite side of the large cave, her body turning to the side as she slipped herself through the gap, leaving him behind as she came out into the bright light and fresh air of her homeland.

Pausing for a moment, she looked out over the tall ledge, her eyes falling down on the overgrown jungle-like terrain that when one looked properly, they would see that it hid the ruins of an ancient city; backtracking slightly, she turned her back to the city, her body slipping to the side as she hid herself behind a couple of large rocks, her eyes locked on the entrance as she stopped moving, waiting to see if he had given up or if he was insistent on following her to the ends of the earth in his anger.

Even though the woman had speed and agility of a lithe frame on her side, Simba had the strength and experience in tracking things that didn't wish to be found on his. She managed to keep a gap between them as he continued to follow her, as Simba was unable to get closer than about thirty feet from her. Digging his bare feet into the rocky ground, ignoring the varying sensations of first loose pebbles and then suddenly puddles of water from the cascading waterfall that kept a majority of the mouth of the cave hidden, he continued his pursuit. He watched as he tried to close the distance as she grabbed hold of a ledge and hoisted herself up with the ease of a wild cat. Digging into his reserves of a leopard cub he had bonded with not two weeks ago, he followed her lead by bounding up the side wall before catching the lip of the ledge and pulled himself up and onto his feet.

Following the path she set out before him, he continued running, jumping with the strength of his legs a good few feet out into the open air before plummeting down into the deep waters of the cave. Just as he resurfaced, he caught her figure on the opposite side, slipping in-between a gap of rocks in the wall. Pulling from the strength of his arms, he swam to the rock ledge and pulled himself back up, heading towards the gap in the rock wall. The space was a bit of a problem, his broad muscles making it a bit cramped and causing a brief moment of claustrophobia, but Simba managed to ease himself through and broke free into the openness of the large stone floor beneath him. He came to a sudden stop, however, when he realized that he had entirely lost sight of the girl. Forcing himself into a walk, chest heaving as he looked around for a sign, he found nothing. Passing by a small formation of rocks, he scratched the back of his head, trying to dispel of the water that dripped from the ends on his shaggy blonde hair his eyes darted in every which way, trying to catch something that would give her away as he was sure she hadn't gone far.

Clenching her jaw as she watched him pull himself through the gap and into the air, she had to stop herself from making any sound that would alert him to where she was hidden, her bright blue orbs narrowing as she watched his every move; being careful not to be seen by his ever watchful gaze, she slowly removed her hand from the rock in front of her, reaching back once more, she let her fingers brush over her thigh, silently pulling the dagger from its place against her thigh, her body moving with the shape of the boulder as she crept out from behind it.

Being sure to stay out of his line of sight, she kept low to the ground, her feet slowly creeping her around and closer until she was able to stand up tall behind him, her free arm coming up and around as she pressed the heel of her palm against his forehead, her fingers gripping tightly to his hair as her other arm came around, pressing the blade hard against his neck in a show that she was not going to be messing around anymore- he had crossed the line when he had followed her... and now he was going to pay the price for his actions.

"تم کون ہو ..! اور تم کیوں میرا پیچھا کر رہے تھے ..! مجھے جواب یا میں نے تمہاری گردن کاٹ اور سانس لینے سے روکنے گی ..!" Her voice was clear and demanding as she jerked his head backwards, her chest pressing against his back as she kept a tight grip upon him, her blade pressing further against his neck, giving him a warning as she waited for him to answer her questions, "مجھے جاننا چاہتے ہیں مجھے کیا بتا ..! اب ..!"

Simba's breath caught in his throat feeling first her cold, wet fingers against his forehead and second the cold sensation of something sharp against the nape of his neck, more than likely a weapon.

/Oh. That's where she went./

Carefully, as she began to rant in a tongue he did not understand, he opened up both hands for her to see clearly and raised them up in a non-threatening stance. The way he saw it, he didn't have very many choices here. His toes were only a foot or so away from the edge that would send him plummeting down hundreds of feet into the jungles below, more than likely being impaled by a branch or sharp stone to slow his fall, and at his back a woman hell-bent on making his peaceful, lazy afternoon soak in the sun as troublesome as she possibly could... with a dagger.

"You want to tell me why you're after Pumba? Did he foul up your watering hole? Because he does that a lot, I wouldn't take it personally." Furrowing his brows as she asked him something else that he did not understand, he gently shook his head, droplets of water falling from his hair and onto his already soaked brown shirt. "I... I don't know what you are saying!" He answered in a tone of frustration. The corner of his eye caught the slight glimmer of the scar on his hand. Turning his right palm towards him a bit more, looking over the lion cub scar he had since he was seven, an idea came to him. She wouldn't like it, and he probably wouldn't either, but really what choice did he have? He hadn't ever tried to bond with another human before... he just hoped it held the same regulations that the animals had.

Exhaling a breath he didn't know he had been holding, He twisted his head to the side and ducked down in a swift motion, ridding her hand from his forehead. The motion caused the blade of her dagger to cut into his neck a bit, but it was a small price to pay for what he needed to do. As he was ducked down, his leg spun his body around so that he was facing the woman, his left hand shooting to grab her wrist that held the dagger while his right hand, palm out, pressed to her forehead. The same light blue glow that had been on his palm when he had made contact with the warthog appeared, casting a blue light over her pale skin as he flooded her mind with the knowledge of himself, the pig she had tried to slaughter, and his reasoning for being angry. In return, as he reached out with his mind, he received very little information as her mental blocks were up, but he managed to gather that she was fearful about something; a treasure she didn't wish to be found... a secret...

Barring her teeth as she felt her hand slip from his head, she let out a frustrated yell, her body taking a couple of steps back as he shot his hand out, taking hold of her wrist tightly and taking her dagger completely out of play; her eyes widening slightly as she felt his palm press against her forehead, the simple touch of his hand seeming to open up some kind of door, her mind flooding with information that was not even her own, but that were his. Bringing her hand up, she gripped tightly around his wrist, her nails digging into his skin as she tried to pull his hand from her head but to no avail, her eyes shutting tightly and her brows furrowing as she did all she could to figure out what exactly he was doing to her; after a few moments, her grip on his wrist relaxed, slipping from his arm altogether as he finally let her go, allowing her to stumble backwards until her back pressed flat against the trunk of a nearby tree.

Opening her eyes slowly she turned her gaze to meet his, her chest heaving up and down with each and every breath she took as she tried to process through the information that he had just forced on her, "He-... He is your friend." Her words, though still holding the same tone that she had been using when demanding information from him earlier were slower, the young woman trying her best to think back to the lessons she had received from her father before fate had torn her family apart, "T-That creature out there..."

Relief washed over Simba as he could now recognize the words she spoke, and with the relief also came the confidence that she wouldn't try to harm him any longer; confirmed when she stumbled back a few steps away from him. Straightening his posture he slowly lowered his hands to his sides, the blue glow on his palm fading back to its original fleshy color of a scar and gave her a slight nod of confirmation.

"Pumba." He said again, his eyebrow quirking a bit as if he were wondering why the name of his friend wasn't obvious to her by now. "I heard him calling for help, he was trying to make you stop. Why? Why didn't you stop? Is taking another's life so easy a thing for you?" With each word he spoke, his tone became more and more angry, though as he finished his last sentence he stopped himself and sighed. He was trying not to come across as a threat, and he wasn't doing a very good job. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Poom-bah..." She repeated the name slowly, and mostly to herself as she lifted both of her hands up, the dagger dropping to the ground at her feet while she pressed her palms against her temple, her brows still furrowed in confusion as she searched through the new information, her mind basically replaying his memories of him and how the two of them were connected with one another. Groaning in frustration, she curled her shoulders over, her upper body hunching over as she tried her best to do more than one thing at a time, her mind screaming at her to both listen and converse with the man standing in front of her, as well as process everything she had been given by him; shutting her eyes tightly once more she shook her head from side to side, her expression clearly showing the battle that was raging on inside of her head.

Hearing his questions directed at her, she shoved all other thoughts from her mind, her head lifting as she once again opened her eyes, letting them quickly flick behind him and towards the city before she stared him down, praying that he hadn't noticed her slip up, her body straightened away from the tree as she once more took up a defensive stance, her right foot pressing down on the hilt of her dagger her toes curling over it ready to flick it up to her hands at a moments notice, "I ask you the same. Why have you come? You do not belong here outsider. Leave now before I drain the life from your body."

"Outsider?" Simba had to hold back a laugh. "I've lived here, in this unclaimed part of land, for over half of my life; just me and the animals, no one to bother us until you decided to make a snack out of Pumba!" His blue eyes glanced down at the dagger she was attempting to grip with her feet. Realizing that arguing was getting them nowhere, he sighed out again and shook his head, holding both his hands up, palms facing out towards her to once again show her that he was no threat. "Look, you don't have to threaten me alright? I just don't want to see you around my home or my friends again, we do well enough without human interaction... so-" He made a gesture with his hands as though he were shooing her away. "-go back to where you came from, find some place else to get something to eat; this land is protected by me."

Flicking her foot up behind her, she reached back, gripping hold of the dagger once more as she held it tightly at her side, taking a couple of steps closer and closing some of the gap that was in between them as her anger began to boil under her skin at his words of warning for her to leave, "I have roamed this land for three hundred and seventy years. Who are you to try and rid me of my home!"

Lifting her arm up slightly higher she once again let her anger and frustration show over her face, her body slowly moved closer to his with each step that she took, her mind working in over time as she tried to decide whether she would allow him to continue speaking with her, or whether she should just slaughter him where he stood on the ledge, "These lands and its people are under my protection. I do not take kindly to outsiders trespassing. You have no say or business here. Now leave!"

The more she seemed to talk to him, the less he understood; the complete opposite of what was supposed to happen when he bonded with someone. But now that the bond had been created, he simply had to get her to agree to lower her mental walls so he could at least try to figure out what was going on. Reaching out with his mind, he sent her a feeling of calm and sincerity, whether or not she accepted it was entirely up to her. He had never tried to bond with another human being before, so the territory was all unknown to him; though it couldn't be much different than bonding with a wolf or a lion... right?

Something then caught his attention. As he continued to try to calm her mind, he noticed her eyes continually flicking past his shoulder and looking at something. Furrowing his brows in confusion, unable to get a read from her own mind he simply turned his head to look behind him. At first all he saw was more thick brush and jungles suspended hundreds of feet below them, but as his instincts told him to take a better look, he focused on what was laid out before him. His mouth hung open, taking a few steps back towards the woman without realizing it, accidentally bumping back into her though even then he still didn't seem to notice. It wasn't just a jungle laid out there below them, but an entire city!

"How... how is this possible? I thought... I was the only one here..." Blinking, he forced his head to turn back to look at the woman before him, confusion clear on his face as he continued to try to reach her mind with his own."Three- three hundred and seventy years? You... you have a very strange way of counting the seasons..."

Lifting her free hand up she pressed her fingers against her temples, her eyebrows furrowing as she felt a strange sensation beginning to spread through her body, the calming and sincerity of the emotions filling her and causing her to falter in her choices, her arm lowering only slightly; whatever it was that was going on with her right now, she didn't understand. How was he able to inflict these feelings upon her..? Causing her emotions and thoughts to conflict with one another... whatever it was that he had managed to do when he had touched her forehead, it had somehow managed to open her mind up to him, allowing him entrance into both her thoughts and emotions; the walls in her mind that were keeping him out slowly beginning to lower, inch by inch as she let the calm wash over her, "W-What have you done to me-..."

Her head snapped up, what little of the walls in her mind that had lowered once more building themselves up as she heard the words slip from his lips, causing her to follow his gaze out to the city which he had only just noticed for the first time, dropping her hand and bringing the other one up to meet it as she moved herself so that she was now between him and the city, she pressed her palms into his chest shoving him roughly back the way they had come, trying to force him to leave, "I do not understand why you say such things. There are but four seasons in a single year."

Practically teetering on the edge of the cliff that would send him falling to the city below with one wrong step, Simba didn't even hear the woman's inquiry on what he had done to her; too engrossed in the knowledge that he had been living above an entire civilization all these years and never saw a single sign of human life until now.

"Incredible..." He sighed out softly to himself before suddenly he felt a pressure on his chest. Looking down, he saw the woman pushing him back, putting distance between him and the city he had become so interested in; he hadn't even noticed that she had broken the small bond he had managed to create with her as she seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Hey! Watch it!" He stumbled back a few steps, having been caught off guard but he quickly regained his footing and stood his ground. "What is your deal? You... this... " Simba made a vague gesture with one hand to the city behind her. "None of this is making any sense! Who are you?"

"This is my home! Others can not know you are here, outsiders are not welcome by the people. I am the only one to protect them; it is my duty, my responsibility as Queen." Her stomach muscles clenched as she forced all her weight into him, her feet pressing hard into the ground as she tried to force him back the way they came, "You cannot stay here. Leave now, or I shall not hesitate to end your life."

Standing up straight she groaned out in frustration, her eyes baring into his as her chest continued to heave, adrenaline coursing through her body as she stared him down, her expression making it clear that she was not playing around with him, her crystal shining on her chest, "Argh..! Kidagakash Nedakh!"

Taking her last outburst as some sort of curse in the language she spoke that he didn't understand, Simba just shook his head, holding up both his hands trying to have everything come to a stop around him. His head was spinning with questions, information, feelings... not at all something he was used to thinking about all at once from living the last thirteen years in a carefree lifestyle.

"Wait... you're a Queen?" He asked, staring back into her eyes with a look of confusion. How far exactly had he ventured away from The Pride Lands? The impulse to try and make himself seem superior in this argument came to his throat by telling her that he was a King; well... technically, but he swallowed the thought before it reached his lips. "What's a Queen doing going out hunting? Don't you have servants or hunters to do that for you?" He asked, perhaps letting on a bit more than he intended to about his knowledge of royalty.

Dropping her arms back to her side, she stood her ground, staring him down as she continued to listen to him, her head nodding in response to his question in regards to whether or not she was really the Queen of the city lain out below them, "Yes. Is this hard to understand? Are there not Queens in your world?"

Narrowing her eyes slightly as he began to interrogate her with question after question, she pulled her head back slightly, trying to figure out why he was so insistent on learning about her and about the city, clenching her jaw she huffed out a sigh before turning her gaze away from him completely, her feet moving her away from him so that there was now a fair bit of space in between them, her body relaxing slightly as she looked out over the city below the both of them, "We are not thriving... True, my people live, but our culture is dying... My people scavenge for food at the edge of the crumbling city. I cannot expect them to continue living in such a way. I will do what I can to ensure their survival..."

Ignoring the question about Queens being where he came from (as that was far more difficult for him to explain than he would like), Simba tilted his head to the side in curiosity, folding his arms over his chest in a non-threatening manner.

"Why don't you just ask the animals to move their herds closer? There is plenty of wildlife out there. Too much in fact, I'd offer up my friend Timone right now but something tells me he wouldn't go down without a fight, and that's one argument you can save yourself from by just leaving him be." He laughed a bit to himself, finding some sort of inside-joke with himself but quickly recovered and continued. "You just happened to pick the one warthog who I've a close connection with. Just ask the buffalo herd I saw the other day to move closer, they could feed you and your people for a while; pretty big herd."

Scrunching up her face in confusion, she turned her head looking back over her shoulder at him wondering why he was suggesting such a strange thing for her to do, her body turning slightly so that she could look at him properly, "Why do you suggest such strange things? People cannot converse with animals, such things are impossible."

Frowning she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, letting her eyes glide up and down his figure as she tried to figure him out, her mind flicking back to what he had done to her earlier, her mind still full of things she needed to think about, "What did you do to me before... Why is my head drowning with things I do not understand."

If it was at all possible, Simba looked even more confused than before.

"You... cannot converse with... the animals?" He asked, unfolding his arms from his chest and turned his palm up towards him, his blue eyes looking at the scar there, examining it closely as though it were the first time he had seen it. Forgetting completely that this was the same woman who had tried to eat his friend and then shove him off a cliff not soon afterwards, Simba once more approached her, taking hold of her wrist with one hand and turning her palm upward with the other, finding no scar there. Shaking his head a bit, continuing to look down at her palm with little droplets of water splashing down onto her skin from his wet, unkempt hair, Simba sighed.

"I don't understand... I thought everyone could bond..."

Furrowing her brows she watched as his expression seemed to get more confused then ever, his body quickly moving over the ground to close the gap between them, her own feet moving her back a few steps as he reached out to grab hold of her wrist tightly, his other hand shooting out to turn hers over as though he was looking for something, "What are you doing..!" Balling her free hand into a fist she brought it back, her jaw tensing until she heard his voice soften, his expression clearly showing her just how confused he really was about whatever was going inside his head; relaxing her hand, she lowered it back down by her side, narrowing her eyes out of pure curiosity as her feet moved her once more to where she had been standing moments before he had frightened her into moving backwards.

"I do not know about those in your world. But in Atlantis the people cannot bond with creatures of the earth." Letting her head drift away to glance over at the city below them, she hesitated for a few moments before she brought her attention back to him, her hand flipping to take a hold of his own wrist as she turned on her heel, her feet carrying her away from the cave entrance gently pulling him along behind her, "Come. If you are to stay we should not waste time by the entrance to your world. I shall have the people prepare a feast to welcome you to the city."

Feeling his arm being pulled, and in turn his feet moving without his consent to keep himself from toppling over, Simba watched as the woman started to drag him towards the city, his blue eyes widening in realization.

"Wait, I'm staying?" He asked, re-running her words over in his head. His heart rate began to quicken, the very idea of being around more human beings causing his airway to restrict and his already wet palms to get sweaty. "Wait... WAIT!" Planting his bare feet firmly into the rocky ground, Simba managed to wrench his wrist away from her, taking it back in and massaging the slightly irritated skin there from her firm grip. His chest was heaving, breathing becoming more and more difficult to do as his eyes continued to jump between the woman and the city in which she ruled over. "I... I'm not really a people person..." He explained a bit awkwardly. He knew what being 'the new guy' would consist of; it happened every time an exiled lion tried to join a new pride... lots of examination; questions, tests... no. Simba was not cut out for that.

"I'm fine, really..." He reiterated, resting both his hands back down to his sides again and turned to leave. "Just, don't pick on Pumba anymore, alright? He's had a hard enough life."

Her body whipped around, her hair lifting up off her back before flying over her left shoulder, her head following the circle her body started as she lifted her gaze to look up into his bright blue eyes as he ripped his wrist from her grip, her brows furrowing in slight confusion, "You will not stay..."

Her chest tightened slightly as she felt a strange sense of emotions unknown running through her body, causing her brows to furrow as her eyes shut tightly, trying to sort through what was happening to her, she still had no idea what it was he had done to her and clearly it wasn't settling so well with her at all. Lifting her hand up, she pressed her fingers to her temple, rubbing them in small circles while his words drowned out into nothing more than background noise as she tried to keep herself standing up right; unable to keep up the effort of keeping her walls up against him while trying to cope with the new emotions that were now seeping into her body, she let her walls come crashing down, her mind opening itself wide for him to search through as she fell back against the closest tree, her other hand coming up to join the first as her knees shook, eventually giving way under her body.

Turning his gaze back to the woman, he noticed the color of her tanned skin starting to pale in her face, her fingers shooting to her temple; he could feel her body weakening just as if it were his own.

"Hey, you oka-" His own legs began to shake, unable to understand for the brief moment that her mind had lowered to him completely, and like a broken dam, everything she had been holding back from him plunged into his own mind. Gritting his teeth, Simba's hands shot to either side of his head, attempting to stabilize the amount of information that continued to flow into him. It was all a jumble, flashes of images, a word here and there, blurred colors; nothing stood still long enough for him to concentrate on.

A hot stinging sensation came to his knees as his legs gave out on him, forcing him down onto the rock surface but he continued holding onto his head, afraid that if he let go it would explode. Every sound escaped his ears, replaced only by a high-pitched buzzing that he was sure had something to do with the black spots he was seeing in his vision. He closed his eyes tightly, clamping his jaw down even tighter as his back hunched over himself, his face just a few inches from the stone with his elbows resting on the surface as some extra support. It was too much, way too much. Perhaps bonding with another human being had rules, rules in which he did not follow... if this was to be his end...

Forcing his head upwards, his back following suit vertebrae by vertebrae, his let loose his head with his hands, pulling them into fists at his side as his head looked up to the sky as he let out a pained shout, putting everything he had into his own mind to sever the connection. And then... it was gone, and Simba collapsed down onto the ground in an unconscious heap.

Her eyes shot open, staring down at her lap as suddenly the emotions that had been drowning her moments before came to an end, leaving her body as though they had never been there at all, her chest heaving up and down heavily as she tried to regain her composure enough so that she could move again; lowering her hands slowly, she glanced around her person, her bright blue orbs coming to rest on his unconscious figure laying on the ground in front of her, causing her to narrow her eyes as she tried to think back to what had happened that would have made him collapse upon the ground. Glancing around, she pulled herself back up to her feet, waiting but a few moments as she tried to maintain her balance before she moved forward, her body crouching down and her arms reaching out to pull him up into a sitting position, her body lowering as she pushed her shoulder into his stomach, her free hand reaching out to grab her dagger, sliding it back into place before she heaved him over her shoulder and shakily getting to her feet; gritting her teeth together as she turned and slowly began to trek through the jungle like terrain, eventually coming to the outer city and the wall of rubble that separated both sides.

Shifting him on her shoulder slightly so that he would be protected by her body from the sharp edges of the rubble that made up the path blockade in front of them, she reached out with her free hand, moving a lot slower than she normally would have done as she climbed up the wall, awkwardly pulling both herself and him up over the ledge, and onto the flat surface causing some of the Atlanteans who were wandering around doing their day to day tasks to stop and look over at her with concern, surprise and curiosity. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she held her free hand up to them in a motion to wait before she breathlessly got out the words she had been thinking about, "جاؤ. ہم اپنے نئے دوست کے اعزاز میں ایک استقبال دعوت کا انعقاد کیا جائے گا کہ لوگوں کے درمیان میں لفظ پھیلانے . میں اس شہر میں جانے کے لئے کافی ان پر اعتماد اور جیسا کہ میں نے اس سے لوگوں میں سے ایک کے طور پر علاج کیا جا کرنے کی توقع . آپ کے خاندان یا دوستوں کا علاج کرے گا کے طور پر اس کا علاج ، مہربان اور رحم کر . اب میرے دوست کیا جائے زیادہ ہے ، جاؤ ."

Smiling as she watched the woman nod her head in understanding of her words, her gaze turned down to the steep drop and to the ground below her, her body swaying from side to side nervously before she closed her eyes and took that step off the edge, an angered yell escaping through her lips as she landed, pain shooting through her ankle; stumbling as she stood back up, she made sure that he was okay before she began to move again, her body limping down the many streets until she finally came to her destination, the large doors of the palace being opened for her as she got close enough, her free hand coming up as several people began to rush to her side to help, "نہیں ... میری فکر نہ کریں ، آپ کرنے کی ضرورت ہے کے ساتھ جاری رکھنے کے لئے براہ مہربانی ، میں ٹھیک ہو جائے گا . آپ کی تشویش اپنے دوستوں کے لئے آپ کا شکریہ ."

Continuing inside, she turned moving through one of the curtains into a large room filled with cushions, her body leaning over as she gently lowered him onto the pile, her own body dropping down beside his causing her face to relax once the weight had been taken off of her ankle, reaching up she tilted her head pulling her crystal up and off from around her neck, her body leaning forward as she pressed the end against her ankle, a gentle blue glow surrounding it as the pain began to subside.

[YoshiSkittlez]

Jack Woodard - Present Day - Tahoe City

There was a small group starting to gather in the lobby, though most kept their distance almost everyone within thirty feet of the man in the center had their heads turned to him, giving him their attention even if they didn't want to. It was the same thing every day for a week now. In order to start familiarizing himself with the area, Jack had figured that his best shot at getting the job done was to get his face well recognized. Sure he could have just purchased an all-access pass to the resort and got his name spread around that way, but there were plenty of other things he'd rather blow his money on and this... this was just too much fun.

"Alright, alright... who's got a quarter? Anyone got a quarter?" Jack asked, directing the crowd in a way that made one wonder if he was just born with a high aptitude for charisma. A few people fidgeted, digging around in their pockets and purses until one girl finally found what he was looking for and handed it over. Jack took the quarter, flashing the girl a smile and then palmed it in his hand, making sure those close enough were able to see.

"You know how people change the consistency of metals?" he asked, in return getting a few blank stares back, causing Jack to re-illiterate. "You squeeze a piece of metal and it gets hot in your hand right? You change the consistency of metal..." he explained, bringing awareness to the small crowd. "Well look.. watch..." He pinched the quarter between his fingers, licked his lips a few times and brought the quarter to his lips and stuck it halfway between his teeth, keeping his fingers away so that everyone could see. With what looked like a bit of struggle on his end, Jack eventually pulled the quarter from his clenched teeth and revealed what looked like bite marks on the quarter, as if he had taken a bite out of a cookie. This caused a small amount of panic and unbelief to those around him watching as Jack just smirked and 'chewed up' the bit of quarter he had 'bitten' off.

"Wait... wait... watch, look..." Jack said, calling their attention back to him. Holding up the bitten quarter for them to see with his thumb and forefinger, he made a spitting gesture and the quarter was made whole again. The crowd's reaction doubled, one girl even screamed getting the attention of the very few in the room who didn't want to be bothered by such a nuisance.

He wasn't exactly sure why he had ended up in a ski lodge in Lake Tahoe of all places. All Jack knew was that one minute, he was living a pretty good life of Street Magic on the streets in New York, getting paid decently for his impromptu shows (and even better after cashing in the little trinkets he managed to snatch from his customers while they weren't looking) but for the last month before his surprise trip to the other side of the country he had been getting some very strange, vivid dreams. The dreams themselves didn't explain anything, they were just flashes of his life back home, back with his Papa Geppetto; flashes of The Blue Fairy and of a cloaked sorcerer who gave him the necklace he never went without, and then flashes of this place. He wasn't sure why this place of all places in the world was somehow linked to his past, but each time these dreams came he woke with a start, the necklace around his neck burning hot against his skin forcing Jack to remember why he had been sent here in the first place.

While the crowd worked off their excitement, Jack couldn't help but to feel the weight of the small pendant around his neck, worn underneath his dark blue t-shirt in case it drew any unwanted attention. He had made that mistake already by running into one of the guardians who apparently worked at the lodge who recognized it first hand. He wouldn't be making that mistake again; that conversation had been awkward enough but at least he knew he was in the right place. He had come to the conclusion long ago that it was the necklace that was driving him to remember these things; even if it was in dream. Something wanted him here, and after waiting thirteen years for even a sliver of a clue as to what he was supposed to do, it finally came.

Gods. Had it truly been thirteen years that he had been here? It certainly didn't feel like it was that long. He could still remember the very day he came out through the other side of the portal, he could even still remember the feeling of overwhelming fear that came over him when he realized that he had come through alone. There were so many people around him when the portal opened, so many children though younger than him, were still children he could relate to. There were two older guys and a woman with the group as well, but he hadn't been paying them too much attention though the tall, lanky one he had run into at the lodge on his second day here had been one of them. But as he watched the portal closing up behind him he had the sickening feeling of complete isolation, realizing that he had been somehow separated... he vomited.

That was when he had also come to realize he was no longer made of wood. It was strange to get used to all the... fleshy bits and needs of a true human body. And though he was alone from his world, clutching onto the necklace given to him by the cloaked sorcerer for dear life, help had arrived as he had run into a group of homeless boys that took care of themselves, reminding him of his time spent on Pleasure Island... but without the donkeys. It took nearly four years after that before he started to forget about why he had been sent here. The children he was sent to look after only just flashing images in his brain as it was getting harder and harder to remember what they looked like. However with the constant companionship of the necklace given to him by the cloaked sorcerer, he could never truly forget, but how was he to watch after the children if he couldn't find them? And so he pushed aside his duties as guardian and tried to focus more on the life that he was creating for himself here. It wasn't much of a life... but what else could he do?

Pulling himself from his thoughts as some of the people around him started to beg for another trick, Jack pulled out a brand new, sealed deck of cards from his pocket, handing it to a red-headed woman who was new into joining the group.

"You wanna see some magic?" he asked the girl. From what he could tell she was somewhere in her mid twenties, maybe a year or two older than him... worthy of a second glance as she took the deck from him and muttered a shy "sure."

"Go ahead and open that up. There are fifty-two cards in that deck... I want you to pick one. Show those around you but don't show me." The woman did as he asked and unwrapped the new box, handing one of her friends the plastic garbage so that she had a free hand. Thumbing through the deck she picked out the four of diamonds and showed everyone, going out of her way to make sure Jack didn't see.

"Put it face down on top." he instructed and the red-head complied before Jack took the deck back from her. "Alright, I'm going to cut the deck in half..." He did so. "and put it back in the box." He slipped the cards back into the box and then handed it back over to the woman. "Alright, just hold onto that but not too tight, just loose enough that you feel like you might drop it but don't actually drop it." The woman nodded and Jack pointed to the top of the deck where the flap was still open.

"Alright now I'm not sure if I can get this to work... it's a new deck after all..." There was a change... suddenly, a single card from the middle of the deck seemed to be wedging it's way out of the deck, like an invisible finger was pulling it up from the box millimeter by millimeter. Just that was enough to shock everyone around them and the red-head nearly dropped the box, making Jack put his hand on hers to keep her from doing so. "Just watch, I need to know if I got your card right." A few silent moments later, and the top of the card was revealed - the four of diamonds.

[Polyurethane]

Captain James Hook

The Moors ~ Fairy Tale World

The waves of the ocean crashed against the ship’s hull, rocking it back and forth in motion with the waves. One of the most fearsome crew of pirates to ever set sail was bustling about on the main deck, preparing to moor the ship. A high pitch whistle was heard by the crew, then a voice called out;

“Drop the anchor and secure the sails! We’ve reached the moors lads!”

The short and pudgy pirate who had called out the commands scurried across the deck and into the captain’s quarters while the crew brought the ship to a halt.

“We’re ready to get you ashore cap’n and retrieve your belonging.” The plump pirate said as he started to get the captains things in order. He reached into the captain’s wardrobe and pulled out a red frock coat, decorated with gold buttons.

The captain stood out of a throne he had acquired while on one of his many adventures and held out his arms for his coat. His first mate helped the captain with his coat and buttoned it up, giving it a light brushing to make sure everything looked just right.

“We want you to look good for the queen.” But his brushing was cut short when the captains blue eyes, like that of the blue forget-me-nots, met with his own. If looks could kill, many a man would be dead by the captains icy cold gaze. The captain’s first mate gave a nervous gulp and then stepped back. “Well best finish getting you ready.” he said as he scurried off to get the rest of the captain’s belongings. He picked up a dual, golden, cigar holder and placed two cigars in each slot then handed it to the captain. Once the captain was presentable his first mate opened the cabin door and shouted for all to hear. “Captain on board! Make way for Captain Hook!”

Out from the cabin Captain Hooks footsteps resounded across the ship as silence washed over the crew. But the silence was broken as soon as Captain Hook stepped out of his quarters and appeared to his men. They all cheered for their beloved captain, the most feared man to ever sail the seven seas!

A chant of his name, Hook, had broke out among the crowd as he stepped out and brandished the iron hook that was at the end of his arm in place of his hand. One of the pirates aboard the ship had one too many drinks, Skylights they called him. As hook passed by, Skylights lurches clumsily against him, ruffling his lace collar. Without pausing for even a moment, the captain held out his iron hook and ran it across the clumsy pirates chest as he walked by. The sound of flesh and shirt being torn was heard as well as the screech of a dying man. The other pirates kick the body to the side and continue admiring their captain. In all of this not once did Hook remove the cigars from his mouth, but just casually strolled on. His first mate, Smee, was not far behind cleaning the blood off his hook and straightening his collar as he walked to the dinghy they would take ashore.

For most men a calm demeanor was not something to be feared; but when it came to Hook, he was never more sinister than when he was polite. He stepped into the dinghy, followed by Smee, and a few of his other crew members who would row the boat ashore. He remained standing while they rowed to shore, and stepped out onto the beach as soon as the boat stopped.

“Cap’n, should we come with you should things get nasty in there?” Smee asked as he stepped out of the boat.

“No Smee, wait here for my return.” Hook said without even turning to face his first mate. In front of him stood the castle of Maleficent, the Dark Queen. He made his way up to the castle doors. The closer he got to the doors the more annoyed he got at his current situation, if it wasn’t his hat it was something else he would have to waste time to come back and retrieve. His stride never once ceased, even as he threw open the doors to the Dark Queen’s throne room. His sights were focused on Maleficent, and the extravagant hat that sat upon her head. Though he had tunnel vision for his hat, he saw that Jafar was in the room as well but chose to pay him no mind whatsoever.

“Maleficent you foul witch, I haven’t the time for your silly games. Every minute I spend here is one minute less I spend finding Pan! Now may I please have my hat back.” Hook said sternly, holding his hand out to the Dark Queen waiting for his hat.

[Vicier]

The Pride Lands ~ Fairy Tale World

^{Flashback Collab ~ Swan Lake ~ Ft. Scar Lionhart}

The now familiar smell of must, dust and parchment, while a comfort on most days was now pressing on her patience as the history lesson she had almost been done with was doubled; the King’s reasoning for doing so unknown, though his orders carried out as yet another book was placed down in front of her, the monotone voice of the scholar drowning into the background, and causing her to wish that she were somewhere… no, anywhere else other than sitting at the desk within the castle’s library. Why was it that she needed to know of the past, when the future is what was lain out before them..?

Sighing softly, and almost inaudibly, she stood herself up from where she had been seated for Gods knew how long, the legs of the seat scraping over the ground as she began to move, the book she had been reading held open within her arms as she slowly made her way around the desk and over to the settee that was stood in front of the roaring fireplace, the flame dancing lightly over the logs and the light glowing over the pages as she lowered herself down, her legs lifting up so that she could lounge in comfort as she continued to read the words as best as she could- to say that it still wasn’t a challenge would be a lie… the actions of both reading and writing oftentimes causing frustration and becoming nothing more than a chore to the young woman now she had no other choice but to learn the skills of being a Princess…

What means did this skill have to help her in any way..? She had spent majority of her life sleeping under the stars, and by the bank of the lake; her only company that of the animals which she could commune with thanks to the curse that had been placed on her all those years prior… by the Gods, had it truly been two months since she had been taken from her prison, and brought to the comfort of the Pride Lands..? It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had last flown through the sky; dreaming of the day when she could break free, and explore the vast world that spanned out around her… it was only thanks to the faithful night she had met him, that her dream to do just that had come true…

---

Two Months Prior...

The gentle orange glow of the sunset clipped her wings, ruffling her feathers ever so slightly as she closed her bright sky-blue eyes, the almost beautifully rhythmic beating over the breeze carrying her back towards the lake which she had now called her home for the last thirteen years of her life, the vast and slightly ruined castle grounds spanning out beneath catching her attention as she slowly opened he eyes once more, her small and rather lithe frame tilting to the side as she slowed her descent; the strikingly graceful and white swan easing itself down over the air current until she had almost completely touched down, the very tips of her wings disturbing the lakes surface as she pulled her upper body back, her webbed feet dipping down into the water before eventually, she slowly lowered her body, coming to a graceful rest- thirteen years spent as a swan… this life was all she knew; and while it had taught her a thing or two when it came to flying and swimming, the curse Rothbart had placed upon her all those years ago was most definitely beginning to wear thin upon her patience.

The time was nearing… the sun setting in the midst of her flight back to the lake, leaving only a few minutes more for her to do what it was that she wished. Lifting her gaze up from the waters below, she turned her head, her eyes fixated upon the beautiful orb of the moon as it slowly lifted itself up over the trees and into the sky; the young Princess (now swan) watching on in anticipation as the light streamed down upon her, its rays hitting the lakes surface. Once more returning her gaze to the surface of the lake, she shut her eyes tightly, her wings lifting lightly from her sides as small delicate strands of water began to lift, circling her body until she was no longer within sight; her stomach twisting with the all too familiar nausea as she felt herself beginning to change- yet another thing that the young girl had grown to accept about herself over the past years of her life.

This had been her world for as long as she could remember- a normalcy that had been forced upon her by the man who had gone out of his way to personally lead her life to the ruins that it was in this moment, though it no longer hurt… The pain of knowing she could never again be considered a normal girl; that she was different… different to all those other girls she saw running about the near-by village during the day…

Opening her bright eyes slowly just as the threads of water and light engulfed her entire being, she finally once again stood herself tall, her head lifting up to the moon above her as the water returned back to the lake in which she stood; the young woman taking but a moment to shake out her long and wavy blonde locks, once again happy to feel them brushing lightly over her back.

Bringing her attention back down from the glowing moon hanging in the sky, Odette brought her hands together in front of her body, her hands gently taking a hold of her gown as she slowly though surely began to walk herself out of the lake, and back to the bank where she spent her nights sat in the company of her friends, happy that for once her time as a young woman would not again be tainted by the presence of the sorcerer holding her captive. Pulling herself up onto the bank, she let the material of her dress slip through her fingers, her eyes closing as she brought her hands up, running her slender fingers back through her long blonde locks of hair as she turned her mind back to the night… and to how she would now spend her peaceful evening…

"Do that often, do you?"

The very moment that the sound of a males voice drifted towards her over the breeze, her body freezing in place as her head turned and her attention began to wander over the area, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly as she scanned the tree line surrounding the lake, her eyes finally managing to settle upon the strong and towering figure of a man she had never before seen- it was clear he wasn’t from the area; his skin too dark… his dress too foreign… The air of the Kingdom held far too much of a chill for the simple traveling coat and pants that he wore; his rather extensive collection of belts covering parts of his masculine chest, and holding the various weapons he kept close on his person… his appearance screamed for her to flee from the area; though there was just something about him… something that made her want to stay and learn more about the stranger wandering her lands.

“..unfortunately…” Keeping her gaze fixated upon the man that stood leant against a nearby tree, she lowered her hands back down to the folds of her dress, her shoulders relaxing in both a physical show that she was not going to flee into the night and away from his company, and in a show of relief that the man standing before her was not the sorcerer of whom insisted on keeping her captive.

Lowering her light gaze down from his own, she turned her head, gesturing up to the moon with her attention and hand as she began to explain just that little bit more, “..I must be on the lakes surface when the moonlight touches the water; only then may I return to being a human… Once the light leaves, I have no choice but to turn back into the swan you saw not moments before… no matter where I am, this my curse…”

Turning her attention back over to his own, she smiled softly, a slight sadness flickering across her features as she brought her hands together in front of her stomach, her fingers lightly playing with one another as she hesitated a moment, her head soon lowering out of respect as she reached out to take up the sides of her dress, her eyes once more closing as she curtsied in his direction, both out of respect and politeness, “..apologies; I beg you to forgive me my rudeness… My name is Odette; welcome, sir, to Swan Lake…”

For a moment the man said nothing, just letting his dark eyes look the girl up and down; not at all in an alluring way, but that of observation. After what seemed like hours, the large man dropped his arms from their crossed position and put his right foot that had been resting on the truck of a tree, back down on the soft grass and turned his head so that he was no longer looking at her, but at the reflection of the moon on the lake.

"Cursed into being a swan." he said, repeating the information she gave him and then shook his head a bit, a light, breathy chuckle coming from his throat though it held no humor behind it. "I can think of worse." There was no sense in frightening the girl, so he said no more on the meaning behind his words. "You live here, kid?" he then asked, sweeping his thick arms around in a gesture towards the clearing they were in and then jerked his thumb so that it was pointing back towards the castle. "Or does The Great Animal bring you to break words?"

“I would sooner give my life, than to willingly break civil words with such a monster.”

Her sudden outburst didn't seem to preterb the man at all. He simply stood there, looking amused if anything, and quietly listened.

Her normally soft and love-filled eyes hardened slightly, showing resentment towards the man that stood before her- as the sun rose to break the morn, at least he would be able to leave. Allowing her gaze to linger upon his body a few moments longer, she fell silent; it wasn’t particularly often that she was able to speak within the company of another, to relax in the company of one who was not trying to force her hand… to say that it wasn’t comforting in one way or another would have been a lie, even if he were a stranger.

“Live..?” The word was simple, but laughable when compared to the situation that she had been forced into for the last thirteen years. Letting the beautiful material of her dress slip from her fingers, she brought both of her hands together in front of her stomach, allowing them to rest against the front of her skirt as her head tilted to the side, shaking lightly from side to side as she explained the answer to his question, “I would not call what I do living… Being held captive, and as nothing more than a prisoner in the grounds of my own home, by a man trying to force my hand in marriage does not give the impression that I am able to live my life, nor does it bode well for the opinion I hold of the sorcerer either.”

"You don't care for him, then?" the man asked, though his tone gave way that he already knew the answer. He took a moment to look upon her almost thoughtfully, seeming to consider something, consider her. "Another thing we have in common."

“I have no need, nor intention to like my captor… and I very much doubt that any force in existence will ever lay cause to change my mind upon the matter.”

The man then began to walk towards her, through the long grass and began to remove the fastening on the buffalo-skinned cloak he had clasped around his neck.

"The winds grow heavy. If you're to remain out here, it is better to do so while warm." the man offered, gesturing with his free hand towards the damp condition of her dress. Tensing her body slightly, Odette kept her gaze locked with his as he extended his hand out, offering it to her. The young girl showed obvious reluctance before taking the cloak, her stunning light blue eyes slowly dropping down and a small though thankful smile playing over her soft pink lips as she drew it closer into her body in a sign of acceptance of the gift given.

With the removal of his cloak, it left the man completely bare in his chest, arms and torso save for the belts around his waist and chest where he kept a multitude of weapons holstered that had been otherwise hidden before. But it didn't look as though he'd be bothered by the lack of clothing in the slightest. Clearly, he was no man of Swan Lake.

“..thank you… truly this gift means much to me; there are not many who are as kind as you are sir…” Taking but another moment to look over the cloak in her hands, not taking any notice of the scoff that came from the man at the word "kind." She lifted her arms up before swinging them round, pulling the cloak around her body and fastening the clasp, her fingers lingering upon the material before she took a gentle hold of it, her shoulders hunching forwards ever so slightly as she revelled in the warmth that was still lingering within the cloak from when the man before her had been wearing it himself.

"You despise The Great Animal as I do, therefore, we have a common enemy. That makes us allies." he explained, an air of confidence in his face as the muscles in his jaw seemed to tighten as he inclined his head a fraction.

“..I wish not to pry; and please do not feel obligated to answer, however…”

Furrowing her brows in slight confusion, she once more lowered her hands back to the front of her dress, her fingers curling lightly and tangling up in the material as she tried to think of what reasoning he had for coming to Swan Lake- the man had made it perfectly clear that he was an enemy of Rothbart… it was that very fact that had the both of them stood together in pleasant conversation, and with the knowledge that they were allies in their plight to get away from his wrath… so then, what could possibly be his reasoning, “If you, much like myself, do not care for Rothbart and his ways… why sir are you here..?”

"The Great Animal took claim upon my life. My presence here is to have answer of transgressions past. Thirteen years ago, the pitiful Royal War General had not the means, nor knowledge to do so. I stand before him now as a King. A King with knowledge and cursed strength. He will give answer and atone for his wrongdoings... one way or another..."

“I… understand the pain in which you feel, your Majesty; however, I fear that Rothbart will not pay mind as to whether or not you are a King.” Taking a moment to let the words hang in the air, Odette slowly lowered her gaze from his own, her fingers toying lightly with the folds of her dress as her long and wavy blonde tresses fell down and over her shoulders, framing her face sweetly under the light of the moon which continued to stream down over the area around the lake.

The King, in turn, reached his hand over his broad shoulder and to his back, finding the hilt of his sword and pulled it from the sheath. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air as he brought it around and over the top of his shoulder, then holding it out in front of him. He tested the edges with the pad of his thumb, eyes on the blade as he continued to listen to the her.

“He is not one who listens well to what others have to say… nor is he one to care much for titles when there is something on the line that he wishes to poses.” Closing her eyes as a slight pain seemed to rise within her chest, she lowered her head even further, her bright blue eyes opening slowly and focusing instead on the soft patterns embroidered into her dress rather than on the memories that began to flood her mind, “Thirteen years ago he took my life from me… took my father from me- slaughtered him right before his three-year-old daughter’s eyes… A King, much like yourself, cut down within his prime. Such a title did not stop him then; forgive me for saying this, your Highness, but I do not think it will stop him this night…”

The King's lip curled into a snicker of amusement, still keeping his eyes on the blade.

"That may be. Though I give very little choice. The great animal will end this curse..." The King dropped the hand that had been testing the edges and swung his sword around, as though attacking an imaginary being. "or he will face his." The King lowered his weapon down to his side, letting his dark, black eyes fall back upon Odette.

"I've no complication with sliding a sword between his ribs, watching for that precise moment when life leaves body to join the souls of the Underworld." The King raised the sword once more, examining the edges now with his own eyes. "It would be a great burden off my shoulders should I have the pleasure."

Moving for the first time since she had left the calm waters of the lake, she turned her head away and to the side, the young Princess weary of the blade that had been drawn as she made her way back down to the lakes edge, her soft gaze lifting to take in the castle which towered above them, the soft glint of metal shining under the moonlight catching the corner of her eye, causing her to turn her profile to him, her attention taking its time to once more return to the imposing figure she had been conversing to for quite some time.

“He has given me a night free from his constant persistence; and as such, shall not be making an appearance down by the lakes side that I am aware of. Should you wish to face him in battle, he will be within the castle walls… there is an entrance just past the tree line; it will take you directly to the main hall.”

Lifting her hand up from where it had been rested against the front of her dress, she motioned in the direction that she spoke of, showing him the path that he needed to take before she once more allowed her arm to drop, her hands both coming back together in front of her stomach, “Though I still do not know you name; I wish you luck, your Highness, and I pray for your safe return.”

"You're too kind, Princess." The King said, declining his head to her a fraction but not a muscle more. Though whether or not he used the sublte gesture and her title was genuine or condescending, it was near impossible to tell. He righted his posture and headed in the direction of the castle to which Odette had pointed out to him, though near fifteen feet out, he halted his steps and turned his body, giving her his profile. "Hey, kid..." He paused, taking a moment to look her over once more. "You can call me Scar."

[smarty0114]

Lake Tahoe - The Ski Lodge - Earth
Interacting With - Elsa/Eliza(@Vicier)

---

---

Lucas grinned as the cold wind hit his face, toying with the strands of hair that hung out of his grey beanie. He hadn't been skiing in quite some time, always busy with school or helping his father. He thought it'd be nice to just let loose for a few hours, before he'd have to put on his professional face for the party. But, he'd decided that before he hit the slopes, he'd need a partner, someone who would most certainly leave him in the dust on the way down the mountain.

This decision had led him around the back of the lodge, over to where the Bries lived. During his visits before college, he'd met the Brie girls a few times, and each time he remembered as being an amazing time. He'd always gotten along well with them, and he considered them good friends, even if it had been around two years since he'd last gotten to see either of them. But all that time seemed to melt away as he stood outside the window he knew to be Eliza's.

"Hey! Eliza!" he shouted, before kneeling down and scooping up snow. He patted the snow until he had a perfectly made snowball, one that he would have envied when he was a child, and tossed it up at her window. He missed, and picked up another one, this time launching it right into the center of the window. He stood outside, grinning like a fool, waiting for her to open up the window and recognize him as the culprit, and then come on down and join him.

[Vicier]

Avonlea, Province ~ Fairy Tale World

“..mierda..!”

The ever familiar sound of the engines roaring to life ripped out through the docks of Province, the tires seeming to fly over the cobblestone and wood causing loose stones to crunch underneath their weight as each bike sped down the familiar route that had been lined out for them to take; the sound growing further and further away, disturbing the normally peaceful morning air of the docks as she hurried to catch up to them, though knowing that she was never going to be able to do so- it was over… she’d missed her chance at earning the extra gold, and for once being able to spoil her child with something special, and a day where the two of them could just sit and spend time with each other…

Clenching her jaw as she watched the bikes disappear around the corner and out of her sight, a frustrated groan fell from her lips, her head shaking from side to side out of disbelief to her own stupidity until she turned away from the scene that was causing the more seedier side of Avonlea to get riled up about who was going to be the winner now that the reigning champ had been left out of the running- the very thought that she had once again let her precious daughter down had her hands balling into fists, the sound of wood creaking under the pressure of the blow as she brought them both down upon the lid of a nearby barrel.

Sighing out softly in defeat, she pressed the palms of her hands into the barrel, her dark eyes shutting tightly for a moment or two before finally, she stood herself up tall once again, her expression blank and almost completely unreadable as she brought her hands together in front of her stomach, pulling her leather gloves off one after the other before she tossed them down onto the barrel; her dark eyes looking out, though not particularly seeing the view of the ocean as she gazed out over it, her mind reeling about what she was going to do now she had missed the opportunity that had been presented to her.

A few moments later, a low, throaty chuckle resounded off of the cobblestone walls, reaching her ears. While usually the sound was associated with either taunting, or danger, Audrey knew it to be neither as it was a particular laugh she had grown familiar with over the years. It was his laugh...

Stepping out from behind the corner, a man made his presence known as he stepped towards her, his arms outstretched as if to say "here I am!" His frock, a deep sea-green in color, swished with every step he took - the blood-red waist coat poking out underneath complimenting the loud accessories of belts and sashes making anyone wonder just how the man got around without ever making any sound.

"Not exactly a hard woman to find, Kiara. But ye sure do make it difficult to catch up to ye." the man smirked as he closed the distance between them. With a soft smile, reserved for only those single few he held a high regard for, the man trailed out his tattooed hand, letting his fingers catch her chin to softly have her looking back at him in an angle he found most appealing.

"What ye may call misfortune... I call... opportunity..." he went on, a slight gleam in his eye and smirk on his lip. "Had ye won... well... perhaps my visit 'ere to Avonlea would 'ave gone unnoticed. It's rather amazing, isn't it? What a few, shiny gold pieces can do to a person 'til it's run dry..."

“..Jones, you know that every single piece of gold I earn goes into raising my daughter… this win was going to be no different; except now…”

She didn’t even want to think about how disappointed Elaina was going to be when she found out that her mother wasn’t going to be able to spend the following day with her; the girl was going to be heartbroken… at least this time, there wasn’t any promises made to get the child’s hopes up. Closing her eyes for a moment as she let a soft sigh fall out through her lips, she tilted her head lightly to the side, her chin slipping away from his touch so that her cheek was instead resting against his fingers, her shoulders physically relaxing and her body leaning up against the barrel- there had always been something about him… even throughout her years spent living in the Pride Lands, he had always managed to somehow pull her from her bad moods; her darkened thoughts, and back into the light with nothing more than smooth talk, a dashing smile, rather flattering intrigue towards her and her well-being.

Lifting her hand up from where it had been rested over the top of the barrel, she ran her fingers back through her long and wavy dark locks, pushing them back and off her face before she once more lowered her arm, her hand coming to a rest on the leather gloves that she had taken off moments beforehand, “..I’ve let her down again…”

The man, Davy Jones, as he was called, didn't waiver his visage as Audrey's spirit began to dwindle. He had seen her in times like this before; worse even. It seemed that he had timed his visit just right, for who else in this God-forsaken Kingdom could look after her better than he?

"Ah. I see. That is... quite the plight..." Jones agreed, slowly letting his hand slip from the side of her face. "I'd be so inclined ta offer me services, but... it seems... something has weighted me down, rendering me quite useless. What- what is that?"

Jones began to dig his hand in and around the golden sash tied around his waist, seeming quite perplexed for a few moments until finally, his hand caught around a rather large satchel.

"Ah! There ye are! Thought I'd lost ye to the locker..." Jones began to untie the string that kept the satchel fastened to his person, and then, cupping it with his hand, he tossed it up a few times, listening to the sound of coins clicking together for a few moments before tossing it over to her.

"Now... ye see... I had hoped that, that satchel I'd obtained, indisputably honestly and undeniably justly - quite recently, in fact - could buy ye and I a few days pleasures..." Jones wiggled his eyebrow. "However, in light of certain... circumstances..." He paused, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing up his finger to tap at his lips as though in deep thought. Then, with a shrug, he dropped his arms and smiled. "I suppose I could... extend such pleasures to... smaller company, as well... absent the brothels, of course."

Her soft lips parting in slight confusion as to the situation, Audrey turned her gaze down to the satchel she held in her hands, her dark gaze flicking over the insignia branded into the leather before all of a sudden, it began to make sense in her mind- these were the winnings… what she would have collected had she been in the race. The gold she had been planning on spending on her daughter from the beginning, and now thanks to the sticky fingers belonging to the pirate that stood before her, she had them within her grasp.

Lifting her gaze and attention once more so that it was resting upon him, she couldn’t help the small smile that played over her lips, her fingers curling tighter round the leather satchel before finally, she slipped the strap over her shoulder, letting it hang by her side in a show that she was accepting of his gift, “..of course…”

Turning her gaze down to glance at the leather gloves laying on the lid of the barrel, she reached out and took them in her hand, slipping them back down and into her pocket before she turned her head to once more give him her full attention, “..I should be sure to give her your regards; or will you be coming with me..? I don’t plan on returning home anytime soon; I told Sweets that I didn’t know how long I would be… If you have no plans, a few drinks would be welcomed…”

Jones returned her comment with a smile. Then, extending out an arm, he approached her once more until his palm was pressing up against the small of her back, guiding her to walk with him to no place in particular, but it would only be a matter of time before they would find a tavern or something of the like.

"Thought ye'd never ask, lass."

[Vicier]

Lucas Channing and Eliza Brie

The Tahoe Lodge ~ Earth, Lake Tahoe

The normally peaceful atmosphere of her room was broken as the sound of snow smacking into, and breaking apart against her bedroom window drowned out the music, causing her to jump and turn her attention around to the glass that she was sat next to, the young woman’s bright ice-blue eyes narrowing in slightly and her lips turning up lightly out of pure curiosity as she once more lowered her feet to the ground, her body lifting from the desk chair as she reached out towards the window, making quick work of the latch before opening it up, her body stooping underneath and her hands resting against the ledge as she looked out to see just what it was that was going on; a gentle chuckle slipping from her lips, and her smile growing brighter as her gaze came to a rest on the one figure she hadn’t been expecting to see.

“Lucas Channing; the famous Prince of Yale…” Shaking her head lightly from side to side, Eliza paused for just a moment before she leant her body over the window sill, lifting herself up onto the balls of her feet as she reached her hand forward, taking hold of some of the snow resting untouched on the roof before she playfully threw it in his direction, knowing full well that there was a big chance that none of it was going to hit him.

“What are you doing here..? I haven’t heard a word from you since last summer, and now here you are outside my window. I didn’t think you were gunna come this year.”

Lucas sidestepped the snowball, grinning up at Eliza. He chuckled as she brought up his notable period of silence before shrugging. "What can I say? I'm an incredibly busy college student. But you couldn't possibly think I would miss the famous Brie party. Even if I had wanted to, my dad would never let me."

He chuckled before kneeling down and scooping up another snowball. He stood back up and shouted up at his friend. "Now get on down here and come skiing with me, or I'm chucking another snowball into your room!"

Unable to help the way that her eyes rolled at his threat, Eliza once more shook her head, her hand lifting from the sill to instead press lightly against her chest, the young woman feigning a look of shock as though she were completely disgusted in the blackmail before she nodded, giving him the answer that he was actually looking for, “Alright; you win. But there’s no way that I’m skiing. You know that I’m a boarder all the way.”

Holding up a single finger in manner that asked him to wait a few moments, she pulled herself back inside of her room, being sure to close her window completely, gathering up the paperwork that she had been working on and her snowboard before she wandered across the room, slipping her feet into her shoes and pulling her jacket from the coat-rack beside her door as she passed, her steps quick as she made her way down the staircase and out the front door, grabbing her keys and mobile as she went.

“We just have to make one stop before hitting the slopes; a party planners job is never done…” Closing the gap between the both of them, she slowed her step, coming to a stop in front of him and holding up the paperwork for him to see, “I just need to file this, and make sure that everyone knows what they’re doing; then I’m all yours, I promise. We’ll have the whole day to catch up if you want.”

Lucas grinned when Eliza agreed to go with him, and he waited outside for her to come down. It had been too long since he'd seen her, although it had been too long since he'd seen most of his friends from his earlier years. Between his schooling and his father's grooming him for the family business, he hadn't had much free time.

He looked up at Eliza as she joined him, and explained her duties. "I'll go with you then," he said with a smile, "I'm sure a business major can be of some help." He followed her off, feet crunching the snow beneath his boots.

As they walked, Lucas turned his head to her. "So, can I expect this party to be the grandest bash it normally is?" he asked, smirking at her, as he began adjusting his beanie until he felt like it was just right, a bit of a nervous tick he'd developed.

“Oh, most definitely; I’ve put a lot more into this years celebration… I don’t know why, I just feel like this year is so much more important than any one before- everything just needs to be perfect.”

Unable to help the way that her soft pink lips split into a bright smile, she turned her head so that she was instead looking at him, taking a moment to really take him in for what felt like the first time in forever- that was the problem with long distance relationships; no matter how much of an effort you put into maintaining that connection, it always felt like a lifetime between visits. Shoving the stray thought of her relationship with Sebastian to the back of her mind as it threatened to put a damper on her mood (damn; she really had to call him...), she leant closer into Lucas, her shoulder playfully hitting against his.

“That means you too- you have to be Mr. Perfection for me tomorrow night.” Pausing for a moment, she shifted her things over to the one arm as she raised her other up, snatching the beanie from right off his head as she hurried a few steps in front, holding it teasingly in front of him as she turned her body, a soft chuckle falling from her lips as she began walking backwards, “That means none of these; suit all the way Lukey-boy.”

Lucas shook his head and chased after her, ducking down and throwing her over his shoulder so that she was upside down, looking at the snow covered ground. "I don't know. A suit might be very difficult for me. It's not like Mommy and Daddy Dearest didn't have me in one for half of my childhood," he said with a chuckle, setting her down on the ground. "But I guess for my favorite snowboarder, I can make an exception."

Squealing softly, her eyes widened for only a moment as she felt her feet lifting up from the ground, her long platinum blonde locks and hood falling down over her head as she squirmed in his arms, her own tightening around the stuff she was holding; only relaxing again when she was once more replaced on her feet in front of him.

“And this is why we’re friends- you’re seriously the best..!” Lifting her hand up she lightly placed the beanie back on the top of his head as she leant closer into him, the smile never once leaving her soft features as she placed a gentle kiss against his cheek in thanks. He was here as a guest; his only job to relax and enjoy his time off, and here he was, agreeing to her rules just so everything went perfect- he seriously couldn’t have been a better friend.

He laughed as they continued walking before his smile fell, a more serious topic entering his head. "Hey, do you remember those dreams I used to had? The ones where I was in like, a throne room? And a woman was saying goodbye to me? I've been having them again. They're fuzzier than they used to be, grainy almost, but there's also more to them."

"This time, I'm running through a castle and there's someone chasing me, but then, this woman is there and she grabs me and then, I'm in the orphanage. It's strange, I mean they just started coming back a few weeks ago, and I don't know why," he said. His voice had gotten quieter, without him even noticing, and his face looked concerned. Eliza had always been the only person he could talk to about his dreams, she just seemed to understand them better than anyone.

“Hey…” Slowing to a stop as she caught the tone of his voice, and the look in his eye, Eliza hurried to stand in his path, her free hand coming up to rest lightly on his shoulder as she did all that she could to meet with his gaze; worry clear over her features as she tried to comfort him the best that she possibly could in that moment.

“Lucas; you have nothing to be ashamed about… and you know you aren’t the only one.” Dropping her head down, she closed her eyes for a brief moment before she once more lifted her head to meet his eyes with her own, “Every single time I see that white strip in Anna’s hair..? I can’t help but feel guilty, and to be honest, a little scared too. I don’t know what it is, or why it makes me feel that way; but I understand what you mean…. You know my dad found us out in the snow right..? Well, I was six years old, and I have no idea how we got there- I can’t even remember anything from before then either…”

Lucas shook his head. "I've always thought it was weird. You just ending up in the snow, me just ending up in some forest and being brought to an orphanage. I just don't get it," he said. He bit his lip, frustrated, before shaking his head. "I mean that isn't normal, at least not that I know of. People don't just show up, it's just so strange!" He lowered his voice quickly, breathing in and out slowly. His temper had a habit of flaring up, especially when he started thinking too much about his adoption.

"Never mind, I shouldn't have brought it up. Let's go get these papers filed," he said with a forced smile, swinging his arms as he began walking, turning around and walking backwards and gesturing for Eliza to follow. "Come on Ms. Party Planner! We've got an extravaganza to finalize!" he shouted back, his usual grin returned to his face.

[YoshiSkittlez]

Sebastian Beachley - Present Day - China Eastern Airlines Airplane

"No! Water! Wa-ter! The clear stuff. You know, H2O?" Sebastian groaned out in frustration as he tried to explain to the stuardess, who he was certain didn't speak a lick of English, what it was that he wanted to drink. It was a long flight from Shangai, China to Los Angeles, California - 14 hours to be exact, and the beverage cart only came around once every few hours. And each time it did, Sebastian would request water and end up with something else entirely.

"Ooh! Juice! You want juice?" The stuardess picked up one of the clear, plastic cups and started to pour him juice.

"Wa. Ter. Water. WATER!"

"Okay. Here juice." The stuardess handed Sebastian the beverage, a bright smile on her oriental face, seeming pleased about something Sebastian couldn't even fathom before she moved to the next row, speaking Chinese to get their order.

Sebastian had no choice, it was either juice or be parched for another few hours until they got his request wrong, again.

"Last time I take China Eastern Airlines." Sebastian grumbled to himself, slumping against the window of the plane and sipped at his juice.

It was quite the ordeal to travel from one side of the world to the other. Living in Australia and wanting a holiday to America took quite a bit of effort, and patience, something Sebastian wasn't exactly known for throughout any time of his life. First a car ride from Bells Beach to Melbourne, then a plane from Melbourne to Shangai - Shangai to Los Angeles and then finally, another plane from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe where he could finally get to surprise his best friend, Eliza. The two of them hadn't been able to talk much lately, what with her snowboarding and his motocross seasons starting. It was sheer luck that brought the two of them to meet one another - a shared sponser that held certain world-wide events that had them bumping into each other quite often in their starting seasons. But as they got older, even though their Sponser stayed the same, their competitions grew more intense, and kept to their sport rather than a medly of various sports at the same time. They kept in contact though, Skype truly was a wonderful invention. They took turns taking time off to visit the other, once a year. And even though Sebastian had been the last one to visit, he knew that a surprise visit for Eliza's Snow Fest was just something he couldn't pass up. His last album release did really well with his band, landing him a few extra bucks he could spare for a spur-of-the-moment ticket, and now he found himself on an over-populated plane where he was sure he was the only one that spoke English.

Was the sun following the plane? Or the plane following the sun? With the drastic time zone difference between countries, Sebastian lost track of how it really all worked. It seemed to be daylight for hours, and then suddenly, nighttime. Did he sleep during two different nightime cycles? In only fourteen hours? It was highly confusing and his simple mind simply couldn't retain any more information.

He impatiently tapped at the window, subconsiously to a rhythmic beat he had been working on for their new album and counted clouds that hovered below them and tried to make shapes out of them to pass the time. The Asian male that sat next to him shot Sebastian a rather irritated look before adjusting the volume on the TV screen embedded into the back of the seat that was positioned in front of him, making sure his earplugs made a tighter seal and attempted to drown Sebastian out. It took every ounce of will power to keep Sebastian from making a face at the man, but he soon grew bored of his most recent way to stay entertained and sat back straight in his chair, tapping his fingers on his legs in the same beat.

"Alright." Sebastian squirmed around in his seat, trying to locate the seatbelt and eventually managed to free himself, standing up and let out a rather loud sigh of relief as he was able to stretch his legs. Then, turning to the man that kept Sebastian parted from the isle, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to let the man know that he wanted out. When the man didn't even so much as give him a second glance, Sebastian loudly (and quite obnoxiously) cleared his throat, and when that didn't even work, he gently tapped the man's shoe with the toe of his shoe, which seemed to immediately get the man's attention.

"I gotta pee." Sebastian explained, though he didn't know why he bothered.

"Shénme." the man responded, giving Sebastian a rather bland look, which made the teen roll his eyes.

"Pee! Releasing of the waters! Draining the main vein! Relief!" Sebastian tried, hopeful that there was some kind of key word the man would understand, even if just to get him to move so he could go past.

"Nǐ shuō shénme?"

Sebastian groaned, throwing his hands up in the air in defeat.

"I don't speak Chinese! Why don't they have English speaking people on an international flight? This makes no sense! You know what? Forget it. Baked potato. Bicycle icicle, icing frosting Jack freaking Frost." Sebastian kept spouting off a slew of random words, his tone increasing in annoyance until finally the man started to get the hint and got up for Sebastian to move past him. "Bumblebee Tuna!" Sebastian waved off the man in a sort of thanks, taking to the isle to find one of the planes bathrooms that were hopefully unoccupied.

"God, Eli. The shit I do for you sometimes..."

Checking his watch, Sebastian groaned. He had another 10 hours to go.

[smarty0114]

Location - The Lodge

After getting settled into the cabin, Charlie and Wendy had decided that they'd spend the day at the ski lodge, where the party was being held the next night. Charlie still had the credit card he'd snatched of the one guy and so payment wouldn't be an issue. The two drove over and paid for the day, but Charlie was left on his own after Wendy spotted some YouTuber who's autograph she desperately wanted. They were teenage runaways, but she still watched YouTube.

On his own, Charlie headed outside, grimacing as his face was pelted with the cold winds of Tahoe. He got a pair of skis and strapped them on before heading over to the lift. It had been quite a few years since he'd been skiing, in fact he'd still been living at home with Wendy. He smiled as he thought of the memory, him with his father and mother and Wendy-well, Wendy's father and mother. His parents were elsewhere, and they were damned good at not being found.

His mind having taken a turn for thoughts he didn't want to think, he focused on the line he was in. It wasn't too long, but Charlie hated waiting, and his foot tapped the ground anxiously. As he scanned the crowd, watching the people around him, he noticed one man in particular, walking with a blonde woman. He looked familiar, but Charlie didn't have time to place it before he was sent up the mountain. Whatever. I'm probably just imagining things.