FaithsRose

Elemental Academy [Currently Accepting!] -closed-

Saqui darted back as Kohana was pulled from her hand, a sharp pain flickered through her chest as she watched the ice crawl over the tomahawk's handle. 'At least he's not broken...really got to work on my hold' She thought as she hovered backwards, intuitively strengthening the swirling barrier of air surrounding her as she could do little more than watch the watery construct pad itself out with an impressive set of ice armour.

Narrowing her eyes, Saqui studied the elemental's new shape, noting that it had changed it's core back to a watery state. As it lurched forward to take a swing at her, the Lakota was prepared for it. The solidity of it's new form made it's movements more jagged and...predictable, if one was paying close attention.

She dashed backwards to avoid the first swipe, her stomach dropping as she witnessed the elemental's claws slice through her barrier as easily as a warm knife through butter. '...that wasn't supposed to happen' She thought as her mind churned out new attack plans and added a plethora of dangers to the list already in her mind. As the elemental lurched forward a second time and swung it's other arm at her, Saqui ducked and dodged to the side, sailing underneath it's hulking arm and curving around behind it.

Dashing around wasn't going to get her any further however, so she made the decision she'd been putting off. Moving a good metre or so backwards, Saqui pulled her arms in front of her, holding them horizontally across her chest with her palms facing each other. _{(Looking very much like she had just praised Yevon)}

Being sure to keep her eyes on the water elemental as she fully expected it to spin on her at any moment, she dropped her swirling barrier and pulled the air into the gap between her palms to create a ball of thrumming energy. She hadn't used Yum to his full ability but it was time to call upon one of his siblings to assist her.

Waziya, the north wind and bringer of winter.

As she thought about him, the air between her palms shifted and contracted at first, the temperature in the air surrounding Saqui started to drop as well. To put more energy into the attack, the Lakota dropped down to the ground and spread her feet apart. Pulling her arms down to her side as the elemental turned, she waited just long enough to give it a chance to turn and face her...though whether it did or not in those few precious moments didn't stop her from finishing off her attack.

Holding the ball by her side, Saqui braced herself for what was to come before she thrust her hands forward, propelling the icy ball towards the water elemental. As soon as it left her hands, it contorted into a large stalactite shape, the very edges were solid but the inside -very much like the elemental in front of her- was still air. As it shot towards the water elemental's torso, there was an almighty howl behind Saqui and an icy torrent of wind hammered past her.

As it passed the Lakota, it caught her off guard and she had to dig her feet into the ground to keep herself from being dragged towards the water elemental. 'Should have worn a jumper, ack, freezing myself here!' In the end the only way to protect herself was to wrap a barrier of air behind her, using it to make Waziya's howl slide around her and into the water elemental, with the hopes of speeding up her stalactite to create a more severe wound and then freezing the elemental solid...

It wasn't turning out to be the best plan so far, she had been forced to waste her precious energy to protect herself from her own attack...talk about smooth moves.

@Zelosse

Athalia - Ski trip

Rain ground her teeth together as she turned away from Andro, the lack of response from the gorgon both worried and frustrated her. Even if she knew in the back of her mind it wasn't Andro's fault, she hadn't experienced anything like it before so she couldn't understand what Andro must have been going through...if she'd taken a moment to think it over she might have been able to see the similarities between it and wolfsbane poisoning....

But in all honesty her mind was focused on the task at hand. When Andro's arms weakly slid around her neck, Rain released the air from her lungs, visible in the cloud that swept free of her lips.

"Try and hold on, I'll lift you up" The werewolf told her, reaching behind her she pulled Andro round before lifting her up onto her back. If the gorgon hadn't undone her coat, the werewolf quickly did so before leaning forward and encouraging Andro to lean against the heat she could offer.

Once she had done this Rain pulled herself up onto her feet, holding Andro in place on her back she shrugged her up so that she was easier to hold onto.

"Piggyback...that was the word I was looking for earlier..." She mumbled, awkwardly tugging the edge of Andro's coat around her sides. Even if it wasn't air tight, the heat radiating from Rain's body seemed to be enough to practically envelope the gorgon and the insulation of her coat helped to trap the heat for longer still.

"Stay awake up there..." Rain told her as she dragged her feet through the snow and headed back in the direction they'd come. The storm was getting worse and seeing things through the blizzard of snow was becoming difficult, even for Rain but she was sure she could see one of the towers ahead.

---A few hours later---

It wasn't clear how long they had been walking for, even though Andro was light the effort it had taken to get them both through the snow had taken it's toll on Rain. She'd lost sight of the shadow she had thought had been a tower ages ago, they'd passed by frost tinted evergreens and steep slopes but the ski lodge was nowhere to be seen.

Luckily, at some point they'd passed through a forest and had come face to face with an ice covered mountain face. Rain had followed it until she'd found an opening. From there things had started to look up or so she hoped...She'd had to put Andro down and wrap her in her coat, before travelling back out into the storm.

Right at this second she was crouched next to Andro and a pile of dried out timber. Rain only knew how'd she managed to get it.

"Come on, don't go out on me now you useless..." She muttered, zapping the bottom of the fire with a short burst of lunar energy. The second time she did it, there was a spark and a tiny flame was lit.

"Gotcha'" She exclaimed, a triumphant smile on her face as she willed the fire to grow. The wind's direction meant it wasn't coming into the cave for the time being, which meant it wasn't a threat to Andro or the baby flame as it got it's bearings and started to grow. With the flame back up to full strength, it could provide Andro with more warmth.

Rain exhaled a sigh as she sat back on the cold ground, looking over at Andro as she did. Her mind was already trying to figure out what else she could find to help her. Her eyes were focused on the gorgon but judging by the glazed look she had, her mind was elsewhere, which is probably why she wouldn't have noticed if Andromeda was awake or asleep.

Athalia - Ski trip

We could do that o.o The only way forward now is to get Andro somewhere she can warm up enough to start talking again ^^' Which in my opinion can be done one of two ways:

A) By getting her back to the ski lodge. Pros: Straightforward, quick, storm could be used to keep Andro there as long as wanted before being taken to a hospital. Cons: Safe zone so a distinct lack of danger, lots of other people, not many props to rely on.

B) By finding a cave. Pros: Straightforward, isolated, danger zone, chances for awkward cuteness, length of time spent there can be controlled by the storm. Cons: Would flow better with a small TS of sorts, out of the way, heavily relies on interaction to work.

I mean either one of those could be built up with a few more small ideas if you were up for them.

I'll admit that I am quite keen on exploring a potential romance between Rain and Andro ^^' It could be interesting to see how it pans out.

Athalia - Ski trip

Okay then o.o I'll make them get to the ski lodge in my next post.

Suppose so, my opinion usually is it lasts as long as the ideas roll in :/ but if you'd rather end it soon, then it should only take a few more posts, if even that, to do ^^'

Athalia - Ski trip

Yeah ^^

Well, either or if you want. If they got separated Rain wouldn't stop searching though <.< She's stubborn like that ^^' They could make it back to the ski lodge or a cave or something?

Depends on how far you want to go with this. I think considering how bad Andro's hypothermia is, if we want to progress anything story wise will need to get her somewhere that she can warm up enough to be able to do more stuff ^^'

Athalia Academy Season Four: Back on Track (Freaking Finally, amirite?)

Crash hadn't been aware of the people staring at him as he'd shifted back, they'd blended into faceless props, as soon as he'd caught sight of Kathy. His face split into a wide grin at her comment, though he resisted the urge to touch the back of his neck, just. "Heh, I'll admit it, err, wasn't my best move...it was meant to be a little more impressive than that" He admitted, his hand lifting up towards his neck though at the last minute he looped his finger into his necklace, running it along the string until it touched the triad before dropping his hand again.

As a rule of thumb the red haired man wasn't the most perceptive individual around...unfortunately for Kathy, when he was around her this rule seemed to bend. 'Was she just...No, I must have something on me, somewhere...did I scuff my trousers?' Resisting the urge to look, he cleared his throat and glanced down at his own feet, a coy smile on his face "Good" He responded, seeing as he couldn't see any damage to clothing, the shapeshifter came to the conclusion that Kathy had been checking him over for injury, rather than checking him out. It was the only rational explanation...right?

With that 'rational' thought seated in his mind, rather than the realistic one, Crash felt a little more confident with his compliment after watching Kathy's reaction. With a chuckle of his own Crash looked down at Kathy's shoes again, moving over to the ballroom as she did "You definitely made the right choice then" He grinned '...smooth...I'm so out of practice. A social party is a terrible idea...fate, I'll do whatever you want tomorrow just please let this go right tonight' He was so busy worrying, that he almost didn't notice Kathy had stopped to look up at him. Suddenly feeling even more self conscious than before, Crash lifted his hand up to his neck and raised his eyebrow questioningly at her "Everything...okay?" He asked, not entirely sure what it was she seemed conflicted about. Though he decided against reading too much into it as she gave him a simple answer and waited for him before heading into the ballroom.

Once inside, Crash felt a small wave of anxiety pass through him. There had been quite a few people outside but he'd barely noticed them once he'd caught sight of Kathy. Inside the ballroom was a different matter, there were a lot of people in here, almost all of whom he didn't recognise and most probably hadn't met before. The last time he'd been around this many people had been just over six months ago...with this in mind, Crash subconsciously edged a little closer to Kathy, brushing his hand against hers as he lifted the hand furthest from her and tugged at the collar of his shirt before touching the patch covering his eye, drawing his fingers through his fringe in an attempt to hide it better. Taking a deep breath, the shapeshifter glanced down at Kathy and tried to smile but the corner of his visible eye was unnaturally tense.

Looking back up at the dance floor, he lifted up onto his tip toes and caught sight of a few familiar faces. Ryuu and Criston were on the far side of the ballroom, across a sea of unfamiliar faces and next to the speakers. Unsure whether Kathy would have seen, Crash turned back to her and leant down so he could say "Ryuu and Criston are on the far side, I can't see anyone else yet. But did you want to go over to them?" He asked, trying not to raise his voice too loud but conscious of the fact she might not be able to hear him. He'd hoped that they'd be able to talk a little more, but with so many people in the room, his confidence had plummeted quite spectacularly and being near other people he knew, seemed like a safe move.

Torn between wanting to spend more time with Kathy...alone and his invented idea of 'safety' with the other Athalians, Crash ended up standing there like a lemon. In an attempt to explain himself, he bashfully added "It's been a while since I've been...to a party"

@Theobromine

Elemental Academy [Currently Accepting!] -closed-

"A good afternoon to you as well, miss Shikoba. Thank you for attending."

@Zelosse

If Saqui could have truly expressed her happiness at such a simple greeting, it would have been in a manner akin to a dog wagging it's tail. Seeing as she lacked the necessary appendage, her smile grew a fraction or so wider instead, as she bashfully moved herself out of the way. It was a silly reaction really, it made sense that the headmaster would know who she was but a part of her hadn't expected him to. The momentary buzz of excitement soon burned away as more students piled into the clearing.

She wasn't sure if she should be surprised or nervous by how many students there were. She recognised a few faces, one of which was Brunhilde. But overall she couldn't place many of the faces around her, it hadn't occurred to her to socialise around her studies over the past week...instead she'd spent all of her free time, off exploring and sketching...or training come to think of it.

With so many people gathering nearby, Saqui hopped up onto her feet conscious of the fact she wasn't wearing shoes unlike her fellow students. Pulling her bag onto her shoulder and keeping her sketchbook in her hand she cast one last look down at the letter in front of her before she turned the page. With her pencil at the ready, she glanced around her to see if anyone was going to do anything interesting.

Luckily for her, something interesting did happen. Watching the elementals form before her, was so enchanting that for a long moment Saqui could only move her eyes as she took it all in. It wasn't until the earth teacher stomped the ground that she was able to shake herself out of her stupor, just in time to witness the forming of the large platforms. Before the elements could move she hastily flicked her pencil across the paper of her notebook, edging out each of the elements forms as they wandered off to their individual platforms.

'Just an hour?' She thought, taking in what Kano said despite concentrating on her sketch. It was a good opportunity to look up at him and refresh her mind before finishing off the rough sketch of the headmaster among the glittering storm of energy...well it would eventually glitter.

She couldn't help but consider lifting her hands and excusing herself from the test, especially when there was a rich selection of battles to watch instead. Especially the one involving the dark elementalist and the fearsome colossus, made up of the two elements that many thought were polar opposites, yet here they were working together. Much like Saqui had grown up believing they did.

Closing her notebook with a soft thud she slid it into her bag and made her way through the gathering of students between her and the platforms. Her eyes flitting between Brunhilde, Luke and Zephyr as they took on their chosen elementals. She reached into her bag to draw out her flute, reaching behind her and tucking it through one of the belt loops of her trousers. By the time she had made it to the front of the group of students she had Kohana in her hand as well, moving over to the two teachers she placed her bag on the ground before taking a deep breath.

Looking up to see two more students hopping up into an arena, Saqui realised how behind she must have been. She watched the girl wielding fire for a brief moment before she flicked her glance over to another who was facing off against one of the water elementals.

"Well here goes nothing" She murmured, padding her feet against the ground one last time before she lifted off of it and glided up to the platform belonging to one of the water elementals.

---

Once she was up there, she kept herself from touching the ground and hovered a foot above it. Watching the elemental carefully Saqui reflexively contorted the air around her to form a protective bubble, visible because of the currents that continuously swirled around her. She tested Kohana's weight in her hand and flexed her wrist in preparation for what was to come.

She'd deliberately decided against facing the air elemental and opted for the challenge of besting another. Though she couldn't tell if facing off against the water elemental had been a smart choice. Water was a formidable force, it could be calm and patient or quite the opposite. Just by looking at the elemental Saqui couldn't decide which one it was...she wanted to wait, allow it to make the first move. But the past week played on her mind. She had been told to be more offensive with her ability and now seemed like the best time to show the teachers what she was capable of. What she'd been holding back.

Lets see if the last week of torture was worth it... The Lakota thought, eyeing up the elemental once more as she sifted through the pantheons of her people, deciding which one to ask for aid.

Yum was a no brainer, the whirlwind.

It should be said that whether the spirits actually answered or not was irrelevant, as long as she believed they would, the magic happened.

With a heavy sigh, Saqui looked over at the water elemental.

"Forgive me"

With that said she rolled her shoulders and twisted her wrist a second time, swinging Kohana in a circle as she did. Before the swing had completed the Lakota leant forward and dashed through the air, rushing towards the water elemental and swinging Kohana up towards him. The uppercut move was accompanied by a swirl of air pressure as a torrent of air built up around the edge of pipe tomahawks blunted blade. And as she twisted Kohana back around for another uppercut move, her free hand shot up to hover close to her torso. Each swing of the tomahawk sent a sharp edged curved blade of air towards the water elemental's fluid body, each one intending to cleave parts of it off. Saqui herself remained just out of reach, enveloped in her protective bubble, sending the blades of air in close and personal rather than her blunt weapon.

Athalia - Ski trip

Stupid internet bugged out on me last night -.- had to rewrite the post this morning because I stupidly clicked post without copying the text >.< Sorry about that.

Oh by the way, where do you want this to go next? ^^' I had a few ideas for later perhaps if you'd be cool with that but for the time being was there anything that you wanted to happen?

I'm sorry if I've taken control >.< Was free styling quite a bit...

Athalia - Ski trip

Rain exhaled in relief as Andromeda opened her eyes, she kept her fingertips against the gorgon's cheek, transferring over what she could. The black lines seemed to slide up her fingertips, tracking across the veins in the back of her hand as the poison made its way through her bloodstream.

She inclined her head in acknowledgement of Andro's thanks, dropping her eyes from the sunglasses down to inspect the rest of the gorgon's snow suited body. It'd been close but it looked as if they'd both managed to make it with only minor injuries, the cut on Rain's back had already closed leaving nothing but a smear of blood and a thin pink line in its wake. And the few burns she'd gathered from the snow were well on their way to healing, unfortunately they were taking longer because she was pulling more things to heal into her system.

A shiver ran through her as the wind whipped against her back, grazing her raw skin as it whistled past them.

"Yes, captain obvious...we do" Rain murmured in response, her lips lifting in an amused manner. It wasn't the time for light hearted jests but their situation was becoming so dire, she couldn't see it doing any harm.

"Can you move?" She asked Andro, already figuring the answer wouldn't be positive after how much it seemed to have taken for Andromeda to lift her head a moment ago.

"I can carry you...but not this way" Rain added, hoping that Andro was still capable of understanding her. "What's that damn human word for it?" She mumbled under her breath, her brow furrowing as she tried to remember it.

"Can't sodding remember...what I need you to do, is unzip the front of your coat in a minute and then put your arms around my neck okay?" The werewolf tested, she wondered if it was worth explaining herself but decided that the less talk she threw at Andro the better. She'd do it her way for now and simply show Andro what she meant.

Rain begun to shuffle, pulling her legs up towards her body without breaking the contact between herself and the gorgon, she wanted to drain away as much of the hypothermia as possible before doing so...unfortunately by now it's severity was far beyond Rain's ability. Even if she did take as much as she possibly could, the chances were it would only scratch the surface, maybe make Andromeda a little aware at least. The only thing it definitely would have done was helped her to move her muscles, the lethargy and discomfort there was an easy transfer unlike the rest...still it was questionable whether this would help if Andro's mind was still foggy.

"Do it now, Andro" Rain told her, before she withdrew her hand and scooted her legs underneath, pressing her hand up against Andro's side to make sure she didn't topple over, Rain very awkwardly turned herself around so she was facing away from Andro and was down on one knee, carefully repositioning herself so that Andro was now leant against her back.

"Now grab on" She sunk down as much as she could so that Andromeda didn't have far to reach but the situation was going to be awkward either way. Trying to get an unresponsive person on one's back was not an easy feat, but in Rain's mind it was the best place for Andro to be, Rain wouldn't be able to be her wind breaker but the coat should have been thick enough for that and this way Andro would be able to absorb more of the heat Rain had to offer.

'Damn luna cycle! Why couldn't we be blessed with the ability to change forms at will?!' she silently cursed her ancestors as she glanced over her shoulder., being a large anthropomorphic creature with a thick coat would have been a blessing right now...she was even sure her desire to protect Andro would override her wolf self's desire to kill her.

Athalia Academy Season Four: Back on Track (Freaking Finally, amirite?)

@Theobromine I've written up most of a post, was just waiting to see how things panned out in the ballroom ^^' Which happened a while ago...Sorry I've been super lazy on the post front recently >.<

Had a pile up of RL stuff so I kept copping out of writing up long group posts and just paid attention to small ones -.-' I will definitely get a post up very soon!