Estylwen

Beyond the Horizon

That sounds like the perfect slice-of-life if I ever heard one. I really like the CS, ERode! :D

Lunaire, I'm not sure if you wanted to wait for 76, but you could always post now. It'll keep the ball rolling in the meantime. :3

Elementals: Void Assault

Haha, posted! I guess anyone could really post now, though I'm looking forward to Yahtzee, Jab and Urukhai posting. Sleepy Thema could say something too. :3

@Ginger, Jab:
Did you guys decide where you wanna go in the morning?

Elementals: Void Assault

Having not considered keeping score, Cora briefly mused with Yahtzee over their points. She was in this more to gauge Yahtzee's performance, and she knew he wanted to test his skills. Their last point would be his to claim, as he so poetically put. Cora scoffed, wondering what flashy fire move he'd pull next. Her hands twitched in anticipation as he drew in a breath, held it, and nodded.

When she thought 'flashy', she wasn't expecting dragon's breath. As in literally. Yahtzee blew out a great wall of hot flame that licked its way to her, roaring with raw power. Acting on pure instinct, Cora threw up the quickest shield of ice in front of her, and the fire met it in a great hiss of steam. Fiery flames rushed around on all sides of Cora, almost encircling her in wicked heat for several agonizing moments before the dragon attack abated. 

As the smoke cleared, Cora's shield crumpled and fell to the ground in a heap of steaming, shattered ice. Along Cora's blocking arm were dark, ashy embers that thinly smoked. A few places on her cheek and face also had the same burn marks, though these were more intense and stark in contrast to her pale skin. 

Wincing, Cora gingerly touched her face to feel the damage. "Well, I think the last point goes to you. You're saying Salamander taught you that?" Under her touch the burns iced over, covered in a thin layer of frozen water. She did this for all her burn marks to soothe them and take out the heat. 

"Don't worry about these, I'll have Phil look at them in the morning." Cora said in response to his eyes gracing her burns. She didn't hold him responsible or anything, she knew what she was getting herself into. 

With a nod to Yahtzee she walked back over to the fire pit, donning her black hoodie but not bothering to zip it up. "Phil," She said, plopping down on the other log beside him. "Tomorrow morning, as soon as there's enough light, do you think you could try healing me before we take off?" She gestured to the burns along her cheekbone. 

The fire burned low as the night went on. Cora added the remaining logs to the fire, but for the most part watched it die down. Will offered to take the first watch, to which Cora nodded appreciatively. Quite drained from her matches before (plus whatever shit she sustained), Cora curled up on some dead grass. Not as shitty as sleeping on stone, at least. She considered, patting down grass that flaked away under her hand. Rolling her hoodie up, she used it as a pillow in the effort to get comfy. Surprising to her insomniac self, the moment she shut her eyes she was out. Little snores escaped her lips, but besides that Cora was still as the grave. 

Will's voice woke her sometime in the night, but her grogginess made it hard to remember exactly what he said. Groaning, she dragged herself up from the dirt, draping her shoulders with her hoodie. It took an excessive amount of energy to stumble to the entrance, but through half-open eyes Cora only saw Will in the low fire light. "Mm, what's going on, Will?" She asked tiredly, rubbing her eye. 

Academy 218 - Superhuman School (Always open)

Lacking the Animal Meta instinct, Aislin couldn't quite understand Jaska's feelings of utter success at his kill. But his enthusiasm literally burst from his face, contagiously so. Aislin had to smile back. "I can't say I've tried raw deer before, but you must have been so fast to catch it! That's impressive, Jaska." 

The moment she brought up the exploration Jaska shut down. Well, not literally, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. In a mumbling tone he said something about having the freedom to do what he wanted, but Aislin knew there was more to it. It sounded like he had a falling out with the other kids already. She remembered when that was her constantly back in grade school. Kids were just so cliquey, sometimes it was only luck that got friends. 

A twinge of relief reflected behind her eyes when Jaska perked up to the mentioning of cave exploration. She acknowledged the fact that kids have beautifully short attention spans, Meta or not. Whatever bothered him before was forgotten briefly as he heartily declared he'd lead them there. He was even up for some competition. "Alright, race ya!"

Jaska took off through the tree branches, Aislin quickly gliding after him along the jungle floor. How he moved was very fascinating to watch, a mix of quick claw work (that likely left the meanest scratches on the bark) and aerial assists. This was the first time Aislin had really seen Jaska's wings at full length. The speed he could get out of them was crazy as he leaped off each branch. 

Aislin's movement wasn't nearly as fancy, or even as fast. She could gain good speeds using the world like a longboard, leaned forward as the bubble effortlessly rolled inches above the ground. But she could only go as fast as she could connect to the new earth under foot. Reckless speeding up didn't allow the animation to really take root in new dirt, dissolving her power just as quick. 

Jaska's top speed was out of her reach, but for the most part she could keep up with him as they darted through the foliage. The forest trembled in the aftermath as they raced each other through trees and around huge rocks, not as concerned with where they went as much as the journey there. Keeping Jaska's flying monkey moves in the corner of her eye, Aislin was able to enjoy the jungle they flew by. Rosebushes passed them by, as well as fruit trees bearing little oranges. At one part the trees opened up to a clearing with babbling spring water flowing downhill. At another Aislin swore she saw a mushroom the size of her head. But after a good amount of time, they stumbled across something promising. 

The side of a cliff face was littered with large holes that descended deeper into the darkness, and a smell of cool humid air drifted up from their openings. Aislin grinned from ear to ear the moment she saw it, slowing down and stepping off her bubble as it merged back into the earth. "Jaska, you led us right to the caves. We made it!"

Jogging up to the nearest entrance, Aislin gently put a hand against the stone wall and leaned her head in, trying to spy how quick the floor dropped. Some openings had ladders leading down, others with steps built into the side. It looked steep, so as long as they took it slow Aislin was sure they'd be fine. 

Smiling again, she took another gulp of lush cave air, drinking it in. "Ah, can you smell it? I bet some of these cave systems have underground springs. Maybe even hot springs, if the Academy considered it."

Aislin gave the little Meta a wink. "Ready for some real exploring?" Picking the entrance with the only solid set of stone stairs, Aislin began making her way down. Her hand was glued to the wall as the other side of the stairs held a darkness that gave no indication how far the drop was. But after a thirty-second walk the stairs plateaued out to a small ledge that gave more breathing room from the edge. The various holes of cave entrances from above shone down, illuminating the ledge. Beyond that Aislin saw the path split off a couple ways, and she turned around to wait for Jaska to join her in the cave. He should probably be leading them through this too; she wasn't much for navigating. 

Elementals: Void Assault

urukhai said
post is coming today, and you can hold me to that

Hehe. xD

Jabking said
Thanks, when we inevitably go to Atlanta (be it sooner or later) you will likely learn more.

You've piqued my curiosity. That sounds like a sweet side arc.

Beyond the Horizon

Posted! I can always edit it if it's not quite what you were thinking. I was planning on having Avis arrive at the island in my second post anyway. That gives Lunaire a chance to post something before I actually get there. Cuz I'm not sure what the Great Rift is gonna look like, hehe. XD

Beyond the Horizon

Every single meal on the Feather was plain rice, just as it'd been for the past six years. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, white rice -- that's all she had on board. She almost considered starving until she discovered how to make sticky rice. It was more appetizing, and she taught herself how to eat it with chopsticks. It was a little skill the locals on the eastern side of the world showed her in exchange for an ex-miner's emerald. 

She spent days at a time fantasizing about food. It was a good way to forget all she had in the cellar below were sacks upon sacks of rice, among other things like sugar and kegs of water and wine. The wine was her favourite, it was a gift from a British farmer living on the coastline. He had extra, and tossed it into their rice trade for a few more chipped gems. It was evident how much his farm struggled to make ends meet, and she tossed a couple more rubies on the table before she departed. 

It was an interesting life to lead, living on an airship. It meant months of living close to the sun. Sometimes it was lonely, but she knew her safety was assured in the sky, and she enjoyed her freedom of adventure. She was her own person, free to sail the world. 

Captain Avis Cassell, sole operator of the H.S. Red Feather. Yeah, it was a nice title, but the ship was such a clunker she didn't think much of it. However, putting time into the maintenance of the Feather certainly brought a sense of pride; it could withstand anything the sky threw at them. The ship hadn't quit on her yet, even after years of sky travel. 

The Feather was beautiful (albeit rusty), its hull standing at 14 feet and extending almost twice that in length. The hull was a mix of steel and copper with small, circular glass windows decorated with huge gears. Three large balloons gave the ship most of its flight, draped with a tight netting mesh that came down in ropes that connected to various key points along the railing. Four steel windmill propellers extended from the sides of the ship's hull, the two forward ones smaller than the back. Most noticeable on the ship was its large fin rudder at the back, extending a few metres out and splayed with several rods of copper with red leather webbing (it was the rudder's design that gave the ship it's name.) 

Behind the hand-crafted wheel, the back of the ship was raised an extra level with two sets of stairs along the railing that led down to the main deck. Underneath the wheel platform was the Captain's Quarters, closed off with double doors. A copper, hollowed-out mast rose up from the main deck, stopping just underneath the opening of the middle balloon. It gave a continuous flow of hot air to all three balloons from the steam engine below. A steel grating between the wheel and the mast opened to the lower deck where Avis put all her goods. 

With a satisfied smile Avis leaned on the starboard's steel railing, looking out at the vast blue ocean spanning in all directions below them. The hiss of steam accompanied her all her life, and this was no exception. But, up here in the clouds, she welcomed it. The Feather, even if she considered it a clunker, was quite dear to her heart.

The Captain was an excellent navigator, but even she could draw little sense from the coordinates she uncovered on land. Regardless, they supposedly led to paradise and Avis took what she could get. Out in the endless blue their success hung on a sliver of a dream, even if her entire being was invested in that dream. 

Tirelessly the Feather continued their journey forward. 

Rubylust [Estylwen x Wrensthav]

Of course, have at 'er! :)

Elementals: Void Assault

Urukhai, I've always been curious. What does your sig mean?

Academy 218 - Superhuman School (Always open)

@Allen:
Poor Dana. I almost wish Aislin could be in two places. But OMG is Jaska adorable. You write kids quite well. XD