Vesuvius00

Samhain Intrigues

From the trees, a man who was adorned in bluish armor with chain mail spaulders which ran along his arm stepped forward from the wooded side of the ruins, sheathing a blade that glowed a vibrant orange before transforming into a large white dire wolf before joining Kaeleer in the front.

@FallenTrinity

oh, It's Soron!

Samhain Intrigues

I posted! if there's anything wrong or confusing just tell me please
for now, I'm off to bed. Goodnight!

also, I'm okay with being lumped together as one group for now if that's what's happenening

Samhain Intrigues

Erin Céleste

---

Lightning. Everything always started with lightning for Erin. Even her own life.
Now, it seemed the lightning would send her off as well.

It was a storm worth remembering, at least. Ever since sunrise it had been raining cats and dogs- not literally, but it certainly seemed possible with how much rainwater was building up on the street outside the little bakery's front picture window. The script "Panadería Céleste" written in green on the window was easily seen against the mixed grays of the storm as Erin looked out at the streetlamps now flickering to life as the day came to a close. The store was closing too, though it had been empty all day anyway. No one wanted to brave the elements on a day like today for simple pastries they could just get later, once nature had run its course. She was glad no one had tried to, honestly. People die in weather like this.

Normally, Erin was the kind of person to warn people away from dangerous situations, though most didn't take her very seriously. Today though, it seemed like that had changed. Everyone she spoke to took her advice- and she'd even managed to convince her mother not to go out today. That morning as the woman was just about to leave, she just listened to Erin instead. I guess wishes do come true...

Erin was cleaning the front room, humming as she swept up the dust that had collected on the floor over the slow day. Or, at least she was until a crash of thunder and a whispering voice broke her happy tune. "_{^{TemIdMehEn TemOrr CenOrrMehEn TemOrr WehOrrNoDiEnRinLaAmNoDi...}}" The words were nonsense. She closed her eyes for a moment as they came back, repeating themselves as she tried to decipher their meaning. It took her a while to realize that she didn't really recognize this voice. "_{^{CenOrrMehEn... CenOrrMehEn TemOrr WehOrrNoDiEnRinLaAmNoDi WehIdTemHa MehEn...}}"

After a while the sound of the rain and the thundering outside faded away, and all she could hear was the quiet voice in her mind, until that too stopped. Confused, she opened her eyes again, only to find she was not where she’d ought to be.

---

Pale sunlight filtered through cracked and broken windows, only to land on an old stone floor riddled with holes where moss and other plant-life forced themselves to the surface. Suits of armor and strange creatures lined the walls of the room, while those around Erin seemed to be human. They all looked confused, some hurt, others terrified or angered. There was much chatter, from both the group and the monsters surrounding them- none of which Erin understood. Snippets of english phrases would catch her attention, but the native speakers of the tongue went too quickly for her to make much of it. A few tried to speak to her, but she brushed them away easily. "No comprendo nada que está haciendo. I don't understand you."

For at least an hour this went on. Luckily, her voices came back before too long. The silence had been more worrying to her than anything. Moving forward, they would help her think through all of this, though they didn't seem to know what was going on here either, so they weren't much help yet. More people appeared, and the cycle of confusion continued as each new person tried to figure out the same things the rest of them still didn't know: "Why are we here?" or "Where even is here?" People kept trying to talk to her, and she kept saying the same thing. Eventually, she moved to go sit in one of the corners of the room, whe hopefully she wouldn't be bothered so much.

"Welcome to my collection, mortals."

Words. Words she couldn't understand but felt like she should have. Words said by a thing which bowed to the group of confused humanity before another thing began talking. Erin recognized the words "Pretty", "Husband", and "Queen". What was going on?. The man which spoke to them first spoke more, interrupted a couple times by the one sitting on the throne. It seemed that whatever speech he gave was meant to be taken as an order by the group, because as soon after the words stopped people began walking to one side of the room or the other. Erin didn't move. She had no idea why she would need to. This was a nice corner.

As Erin sat there, things started to get interesting. A fox with nine tails appeared, and turned into a man with nine tails. Not too much later a giant wolf appeared, and turned into a giant man. By the time the next man appeared, she expected him to turn into a little bird or something, just to throw them all off.
"Ne~ That would be the thing to do, wouldn't it?"
"They want you to be confused. Just watch the Fox-man."
"Chi! He's pulling people around? What, did they choose the wrong side of the room?"
Just.. leave the other people alone.
"Ne~ This place is dangerous, isn't it?"
"Chi! We should go."
"You should leave, like right now."
I can't. I don't want them to try and talk to me. we wouldn't understand each other.
"Ne~ They really wouldn't understand Spanish?"
"You could try speaking English."
"Chi! Which one would we even talk to?"
Well, considering that people were running around and leaving, there weren't many left there that she really could try to speak to. The wolf-man didn't seem too busy at the moment. Erin stood and sighed, stretching for a second before beginning to walk towards the man. "¿Hola?" She spoke quietly at first, wondering if he'd noticed her yet. Once she was near him she stopped walking, keeping a respectful distance. "Perdóname."

"¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor? Dime qué está pasando. ¿Por qué un lobo? ¿Por qué nos movemos en grupos? ¿por qué ese es un zorro? ¿Por qué es todo esto suceda? Her tone was as calm as she could make it. She spoke clearly in spanish and then tried to translate for herself in English. "Help me please? I don't understand anything... You, him, this all. Tell me please. No entiendo nada."

Spanish translations

I understand none of what is happening.
Hello?
Excuse me.
please could you help me?
Tell me what's going on. Why a wolf? Why are we moving into groups? why is that one a fox? Why is any of this happening?
I don't understand at all.

Samhain Intrigues

on the CS it said you had to be at least 15

Samhain Intrigues

*peeks around the corner*
Hi everybody! I just got accepted... so I'm gonna go work on a post now.
I hope you guys all like Erin!

Samhain Intrigues

Erin Céleste

Erin Céleste

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Basic Summary

Name:
Erin Petrona Céleste

Alias:
just Erin

Age:
17

Gender:
Female

Birthday:
July 29

Home in the Mortal Realm:
A small town in the south of Spain, near the border with Portugal

---

---

Personality

Personality:
The world is full of stories, voices speaking out, just waiting to be heard. If you listen closely enough, you can learn to speak back to them as well. Erin may seem ordinary and calm when you first meet her, but if you pay any attention at all you’ll soon realize that she sees the world a bit differently than most anyone. Everything has meaning, nothing is an accident, and you can always try to do something to change what might have been fate. At first she is reserved and polite, but as she gets to know someone she begins to let her more eccentric nature show, eventually trying to teach them how to hear the voices too. She has an overall skeptical view of people but an optimistic outlook on life.

Sexuality:
Demiromantic Asexual

Relationship Status:
Single, doesn't really care to mingle

Fears:
Nyctophobia – The fear of darkness, blindness or the inability to see at all.
Sedatephobia - The fear of total silence.
Iatrophobia – The fear of doctors or therapists.

Likes:
Thunderstorms/rain, music/singing, baking/cooking, Tea, and the color green.

Dislikes:
Most "Normal" people, lulls in conversation, people who don't like music, candles or flame, and candies/sweets

Other:
- She loves music and so will sing to herself and the voices, and she tends to hum when she's happy
- She talks to the voices out loud: whispering under her breath to them when she's in public, and gets very animated when she believes she's alone.

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Appearance

Height:
5'6"

Weight:
180-ish

Eye Color:
Green and Gold (See picture above)

Hair Color & Style:
Long Red/Ginger hair kept either down or braided in various different ways

Build:
Mesomorph, non-athletic

Skin Tone:
Caucasian

Style:
She usually dresses for comfort and function rather than looks. T shirts, jeans, and comfy sweaters are very common for her.

Other:
unless you count her gold-flecked eyes and abundant frekcles, there's nothing much to say here.

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Skills

Skilled:
Baking/cooking
Acting
Communication/debate
memory/memorization
Observation/discernment

General:
Singing/dancing
any art form/creative outlet
swimming/running/other similar athletic activities
reading/writing

Unable:
Sensing the mood (and acting appropriately)

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History

Who were you:
Erin was born in the middle of a thunderstorm, the first lights she ever saw were the jagged bolts of lightning outside. The the people of her small town say that’s why her eyes are fragmented between green and gold, the lightning having shattered her soul at birth. The eyes are the windows to the soul after all. Growing up, they all attributed her strange behaviors to this as well. Before the age of 10, she’d gained a reputation as a troublemaker. She would go about town in her younger years and cause all sorts of mayhem, asking questions that ought not be asked and playing pranks, harassing the townsfolk, or at least in their opinions she was. It was never her fault though, they just couldn’t understand why she had to do this. A slight inconvenience is much better than death, after all. They’d never listen when she’d try to explain that. The townsfolk would swear that she had the devil in her.

She can’t recall when she first could hear and speak to the voices, she believes it was before her father died in a fire when she was 7, but thinks it must have been after she almost drowned in the river at age 5. She wasn’t unlucky, or cursed (that she knew of), those things just seem to happen a lot in her town. The voices tell her sometimes who’s going to be in danger next, and sometimes they only tell her that something bad is going to happen in a certain place, and she’ll try to get people to avoid it. Usually the voices are right about something bad happening, but the details are always slightly off, like the time when she was 9 and they told her that the sky would fall down and crush everyone, it was really only chunks of ice that fell accompanied by thunder and lightning. Usually she could try to do something to “save” the people, but if they didn’t listen to her and got hurt anyway they’d blame her for it, claiming that she’d caused their misfortune. Around age 11 she stopped openly trying to act on what the voices told her, and decided that people might trust or believe in her more if she acted more like them, stupid and oblivious to the potential danger of the world around them. She helped her mother run the bakery then, after years practicing she became an almost “normal” girl, unable for an outsider to tell she was different at all. It helped when talking to those that didn’t know her as well, but many of the townsfolk were too wary and untrusting of her even after her change of tactic to believe her at all.

...

It was dreary outside as lightning broke the skies, the warm little bakery empty as no one would dare brave the elements on a day like today for simple pastries they could just get later. Erin was cleaning the front room and humming as she swept, at least until a crash of thunder and whispering voice broke her happy tune. The words she thought she’d heard were nonsensical, and she closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to decipher it. After a short while the sound of the rain falling hard on the roof and the thundering outside faded away, and all she could hear was the quiet voice in her mind, until that too stopped. Confused, she opened her eyes again, only to find she was not where she’d ought to be.

Family:
Father - Othello Céleste (Deceased)
Mother - Desdemona Céleste

How did you fall into Fae hands:
... a classic case of "be careful what you wish for."
Her wish was that people would listen to what she tells them.
Well, they do, but they don't really believe her or care at all.
And now, it doesn't really matter.

---

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Current

Court/Faction:
Property of the Spring Court, but under the care of the Fall Court for now.

What do you plan to do about your situation:
"Oh, I'm supposed to be doing something?"

Possessions:
A cell phone at about 87% battery right now (basically a day of charge left)
An old IPod Nano and headphones (5 days of charge left at normal levels of use. The older Ipods were awesome.)
All the clothes she's currently wearing:
A few hair ties which she's wearing around her wrists like bracelets
One pair of worn but comfortable tennis shoes
One pair of socks
One Pair of Underwear
One Sports Bra
One pair of blue jeans
One graphic t-shirt with the words "Mind on my music, music on my mind" written in bubble letters on the front (in Spanish)
One Black zip-up hoodie with the words "Lisztomania- a need to listen to music all the time." Printed over a graphic of a pair of headphones on the back (In English).

Relationships

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Name: Desdemona Céleste
Relationship Details: Erin loves her mother, but their relationship is really very shallow. Desdemona leaves Erin to her own devices most of the time and gives her plenty of space, and Erin doesn't really mind that. They are companions at best, and familiar strangers at worst.

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Name: Othello Céleste
Relationship Details: Erin doesn't really remember her father at all, but whenever she thinks about him she gets a warm feeling. She loves him and respects his memory.

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Name: The Collector
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Falk
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Yggdrasil
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Yin
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Kaeleer
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Desdemona
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Yusuke
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Bodil
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Elsa
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Vae
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Melinda
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name: Noah
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

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Name:
Relationship Details: (What do you think of them)

---

So, she’s not actually psychic or magic or anything, just insane. The “predictions” the voices give her are very vague, however she herself is very observant, noticing patterns and cues as to what might happen next in a series of events the same way we might predict the outcome of a scene in a book or movie given the story told to us so far by the author.

Erin's voices

I'm realizing that Erin has three distinct voices. They don't have 'names' but I'll be calling them Ne, Chi, and Aya.

Ne- Never refers to Erin at all and has a vocal tic: "Ne". Ne offers suggestions based on what is best for those around Erin, and often will place others' well being over Erin's. Conscience. Superego. When Ne is in the hotseat, Erin is more prone to self-destructive behaiviors in favor of helping others. Chi normally choses "Flight" over "Fight" but depending on the situation...

Aya- Refers to Erin as 'you' and has no vocal tic. Aya offers Logical suggestions and reasons based on current situations. Tends to be the middle ground between Ne's way of thinking and Chi's. Empathy. Ego. When Aya has control, Erin is a bit more unpredictabe as to what she'll actually do. Given a "Fight" or "Flight" situation, Erin may just freeze up if Aya is in control.

Chi- Refers to Erin as 'we' and has the vocal tic: "Chi". Chi offers suggestions based on what Erin wants and what is probably best for her, even if they may not be possible. Selfish hopefulness. Id. When Chi's at the wheel, Erin is unfazed by pretty much everything. No "Flight" responses, only "Fight" (Remember though, not every "Fight" is actually a fight).

..::Ascension::.. .2 (High-Casual)

Training Games (Part 1)

Southern edge of the City, Vrondi Capitol
^{About 3 years ago...}

The day was bright, and the air was cool as Alexis walked alongside her best friend Clara at the front of the group. Genos and Aster walked at the back of the group, and Ryba was in the middle of the two pairs. They were all on their way to the city of Twilight: they'd decided on it just the night before, sitting up late around the fireplace in Genos’ living room. They were a few hours away from home now. They'd left at dawn to avoid Aster’s dad, and to try and keep the goodbyes to everyone else short.

Well, saying goodbye to seven people in the span of ten minutes sure was a feat- it would have taken longer if two of her brothers, Able and Seven, hadn't missed it. It was hard to say goodbye to them all, even though Alexis knew she wasn't leaving for good. She had already told her Father so many times that she was leaving, that she loved him, that she'd miss them all, and she promised to be careful out in the world. Yet, when it came time to actually say goodbye, she couldn't stop thinking of so many more things she wanted to say, but didn't have the time to put the thoughts to words anymore. She just hoped that her hug had been able to say everything she couldn't.

The twins, Lexi and Leith, tried to play it cool when she hugged them goodbye. Leith said he'd probably see her on his travels as a messenger once in a while, so he actually was cool about everything. Lexi had always been a bad liar though- she squeezed Alexis tight before Aurora pulled them apart. Aurora didn't say anything other than farewell, but she didn't really need to. She'd been the one to convince Alexis that it was okay to leave home in the first place- Aurora was the one who was also planning on going out to explore the world one day.

Her Stepmother, Kim, was probably the easiest to say goodbye to. She was more a friend to Alexis than a Mother, and that was fine with the both of them. Alexis hugged her, and Kim simply wished her well, and told her to write home once in a while. Kim's son Kyle (Alexis' youngest brother) had tried to keep her from leaving by locking her in her bedroom that morning, before she woke up. He'd refused to hug her when she said farewell to him, but she still tried. It took the combined efforts of at least four of her other siblings to keep him from running after the group as they left.

Alexis smiled at the memory as Clara elbowed her side. "Whatcha smiling about Ali?"

"Stuff, and things." Alexis replied with a shrug as Clara poked her again.

"Heh, don't overwork your brain there Alexis. Stuff can be taxing." Genos' voice drifted up to the two girls from where the Lassa/Sol hybrid walked in between Ryba and Aster, his tone teasing enough to be annoying but not to the point where Alexis couldn't just roll her eyes and continue talking to Clara. Clara on the other hand couldn't stand to let the comment slide without adding to it.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her thoughts to make sure she doesn't try to think of anything too difficult."

"Ha. ha. ha. Who says what I think about is difficult? "Oh! that'd be me!" "Shush Clara. It's mostly just worries about my family and how I'm supposed to go about doing things now that I'm not surrounded by 7 other kids now, and how they'll get on without me there now too. But I was actually remembering how Kyle had tried to follow us when you'd asked me that, Clara." Alexis turned to smile at her friend before noticing that she and the rest of the group had stopped, and were now a little way behind her on the path.

"I'd say that's some pretty difficult stuff to think of right now." Ryba spoke quietly. That's how you could tell she was being serious most times.

"Come on guys. You know I'm gonna miss them while we're out having fun exploring the world! Besides, these thoughts aren't that bad. Just wait until I tell you how worried I am that Genos will do something extremely stupid within the next day or so." Clara and Ryba laughed at that, Aster clapping Genos on the shoulder before the group started walking again.

---

It really was a beautiful day. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Alexis felt like she was rising with it, floating up into the cool spring air to join the clouds up in the sky. She was walking at the back of the group now, alone and humming to herself as she watched Genos and Aster racing each other short distances up the path. Ryba was keeping up with them, while Clara had tried and failed, stuck in between Alexis and the other three as the Sol caught her breath.

Alexis was falling behind now, she noticed the three up ahead had stopped to wait for her and Clara to catch up. She began to run the distance, stopping just short of running right into Ryba as the seraphim stood with her back turned to the two Sol girls, watching whatever Genos and Aster were doing. Alexis stepped around her so she could see too.

Genos had Aster in a headlock, and Aster was laughing as he attempted to throw Genos off of himself. After a minute the two were separated by Ryba, and Aster looked to Alexis and Clara before grinning back at Genos. "How about we let them decide?"

"Decide what?" Clara asked the question at the same time as Alexis, and the two friends smiled at each other before Genos answered.

"Who's the strongest in the group, me or Ass-hat?" Aster shook his head at the insult but said nothing, waiting to see what the girls would say. Alexis shook her head. She didn't know, but she also didn't want to encourage the argument to continue. Clara seemed to do the same, at least until she spoke.

"Niether of you are the strongest. Ryba and I have both beat you in fights before, and I bet even Alexis could knock you both on your asses."

"Clara! Don't encourage them." Clara didn't listen, just smiling at Alexis as she continued.

"But then the question was who's the strongest in the group. So of the three of us... my bet's on me. Sorry Ali, but I'm pretty sure I could beat you if we tried to find out." Clara patted her on the shoulder while Aster and Ryba laughed. Genos seemed a bit too steamed at his question being redirected to notice the teasing. Alexis just shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest as she spoke sternly, as if she were addressing a troublesome sibling.

"I want no part of this. I don't care who's the strongest."

"Okay, but if you had to pick?" Aster asked as he pointed to himself, a sly grin on his face.

"If I had to pick... Ryba. It's Ryba." She returned the seraphim's smile as Ryba put an arm around her shoulder.

"See? That's why I like you Alexis. Anyone else notice that she was the only one to vote for anyone but herself?" Genos nodded, muttering something about "Typical Ali" before Aster punched him in the shoulder.

"Wait, no I'm not. You didn't vote for anyone Ryba."

"I voted for myself in my head. It counts." Clara laughed with Ryba as she said the words, while Genos and Aster went back to wrestling with each other again. This time Aster pinned Genos before speaking.

"You know, there's only one way to find out now. A tournament! One free-for-all bout, and then a few individual matches. Genos got out of the hold and stepped away from Aster, rubbing his arm where Aster had held him down.

"Yeah, okay." Genos began stretching his arms as Aster looked around the area. The road cut through an open field here, the surroinding jungle's treeline not too far away on either side. It would work well as a battlefield.

"Guys, no. Not okay." Alexis' protest was ignored as Clara grabbed her hand and dragged her off the road and into the grass, Ryba following the two of them. Pretty soon, they were all standing in a wide circle in the tall grass, Genos shouting guidelines for the fight.

"No magic or abilities right now, save that for the one-on-one matches."

"Are we really doing this?" Alexis refused to participate. The others had their weapons in hand, Genos and Ryba with their twin swords, Aster and his warhammer, even Clara held her Morningstar at the ready. Alexis' bow wasn't even strung, still sitting comfortably in her quiver along with all the arrows she wasn't going to use against her friends.

"Seems like it." Ryba held her stance as she stared down Genos. Those two fought on a regular basis, so they were probably the other's greatest challenge in terms of strategy. Alexis was more worried about Aster. His strength normally led to him not even bothering with a strategy. Alexis glanced at Clara, who'd been looking at her with an unreadable expression. Great. She wasn't worried about Clara, but she was worried that her friend would try to prove her earlier boast.

Aster called the match to start.

Immediately, Genos and Aster were on each other, Aster's hammer blocking Genos' precise sword strikes. Ryba joined in, helping Genos drive Aster into a corner before the two turned on each other. Alexis hadn't moved yet, and Clara was still watching her.

"Ali, aren't you going to arm yourself?"

"I don't want to fight. I refuse." As she spoke, Genos and Ryba paused long enough for Aster to get a hit in on Ryba, the seraphim dodging too slowly. She backed away from the two to look for another opening, glancing at Alexis and Clara as they talked.

"If you don't fight, you accept that you're the weakest in the group Alexis."

"Fine. I surrender, you all win." Alexis turned to go back to the road, but before she could Clara and Ryba got in front of her, blocking the way.

"If you surrender in a real fight, you'll be dead.

"But this isn't a real fight. This is a pissing contest that those two let get out of hand." Ryba smiled at her words but said nothing, she probably agreed that this was a stupid endeavor. Clara on the other hand, frowned.

"Should still take it seriously. Pretend this is a real fight." She tightened her grip on her morningstar, and Alexis began to think that Clara was going crazy. She decided to try one more time to get out of it.

"Why?"

"Because... I wanna know who's really the strongest too! You never take any of our matches seriously, and now you refuse to fight at all! You're stronger than you know, I'm sure of it. But you have to treat this like an actual fight!"

"What? CLARA I'M WEAKER THAN ALL OF US AND YOU ALL KNOW IT!" Alexis screamed at her friend as she and Ryba started coming closer to her, slowly walking through the grass. "No! I'm not going to fight you, because I already know I'll lose, and I don't want to hurt you!"

"I'd like to see you try and hurt me." Ryba spoke the challenge softly as she brought her sword out to the side, ready to strike as soon as she got close enough. Alexis started backing away. Clara saw this and moved to circle around her, the two of them pushing Alexis towards the treeline now.

"Alexis! Hurry up and string your bow!" "They're gonna beat you into the ground if you don't try to fight back!" Alexis glanced over at Genos and Aster to see that they'd stopped fighting to watch her situation, and as soon as she looked back to the two she was dealing with, Ryba attacked her. The blow glanced off of her chainmail as she dodged out of the way towards Clara, who took a swing at her with the Morningstar but missed as Alexis kept moving. She ran through the grass the rest of the way into the trees, disappearing into the shadowy brush.

Clara started to follow her, but Ryba decided she was done chasing after Alexis for now, and the two were soon exchanging blows just the same as Aster and Genos. Alexis climbed a tree and say on one of the lower branches, watching as the two duels went on.

Clara eventually got hit, Ryba landing a deep slice on her left leg. As the Sol fell to the ground, Ryba said coldly "You're out." before heading over to Genos and Aster. Clara healed herself with a spell and got up, glancing at the spot in the trees where Alexis had disappeared before going to the road to stand and watch the rest of the fight from a safe distance.

Aster was strong, but Genos was tactful. The two were pretty evenly matched. With Clara out and Alexis missing though, they stopped fighting each other and turned against Ryba. Alexis couldn't watch. Eventually, Aster knocked Genos out with a blow to the stomach, the lassa falling to his knees as Ryba and Aster moved away from him to finish the fight. Clara went and made sure Genos was alright -he'd only gotten his breath knocked out of him thankfully. Alexis decided it was probably safe to come down from the tree now.

Aster went out with a cut to the shoulder, which Alexis healed since she was closer to him than Clara at the moment. He thanked her and then bowed to Ryba, graciously accepting defeat. If it had been Genos, the two would have kept going until the rest of them would've needed to break them up. She and Aster started to make their way to the road, but Ryba called out to Alexis before she could.

"Congrats Alexis. You and I are the only ones left." Alexis turned to see Ryba taking another fighting stance, this one defensive instead of the attack forms she'd been using against everyone else.

"uh, what do you mean? I went out first- I ran away."

"Retreat is not defeat. You took a tactical advantage, by removing yourself from the battlefield."

"No, I surrendered before I left. You won Ryba, you're the strongest in the group." She glanced over to the others standing on the road, the look in on her eyes asking for help.

"Sorry Ali, Ryba's technically right. Besides, there was no rule set that said you could surrender."

"You can take her Alexis!"

"gee, thanks guys." She muttered to herself as she glared at Clara and Genos. They just smiled back at her.

Aster was more useful. "If you can keep distance from her you have the upper hand, at least." Genos and Clara nodded along in agreement.

"Maybe, but not if she doesn't even string her bow." Ryba spoke, raising her sword. Alexis looked at the others one last time before sighing and turning towards Ryba, meeting her friend's gaze. For a long moment, neither of them did anything, they just stood there.

"Come on, then." And as soon as she spoke, Ryba charged at her. Alexis still didn't move. A second later she fell to her knees, Ryba's sword stuck in her side. Clara ran over as Ryba stepped back in shock, the look in both of their eyes telling Alexis that they thought she was crazy.

As Clara helped her heal the wound, she locked gazes with Ryba again. "I told you guys, I won't fight my friends."

Aster and Genos had come over to her now too. As Clara helped her stand back up, Genos called the match over. Ryba won, though she didn't look very happy about it. Aster shook his head at Alexis as he took her hand to help her back to the road. "No, we get it. Hell of a way to make your point, Ali."

"Yeah.. I'm sorry about that, by the way. I kinda just didn't know how else to get it through to you guys."

Aster pulled her into a one-armed hug as she finished the apology. "Well, I forgive you."

"Forgiven. But, you scared the hell outta me Ali." Clara said quietly from her other side. Ryba and Genos said nothing as they took the lead as the group began to travel again.

After walking on for a few more hours, it began to get dark. Aster and Clara had been walking by Alexis this entire time, even though with her and Clara's healing she was fine. Alexis thought that maybe staying by her was their way of apologizing for making her participate in the fight in the first place.

As the sun began to set, Aster called over to Genos and Ryba, who were walking ahead of the trio. "Should we make camp for the night now?"

"Yeah, might as well." Genos called back as the group came to a stop. It took until a little past sunset for them to get the camp all set up. They'd have to get better at that. Alexis settled down next to Clara by the campfire once everything had been taken care of, and after a while she fell asleep there.

To Be Continued...

---

"I thought I told you before… You’re not alone Suleykaar. I’m not going to let you be alone."
"I’m going to help you get Soron back in whatever way I can, okay?"

After Sophia and Qobo left the garden, and after Alexis made her promise to Suleykaar, the two walked into the temple together and were led to a large room where various monks were preparing for whatever spell Qobo was going to use in order to bring Soron back. Alexis watched the activities of the monks from where she stood quietly at Suleykaar's side. There was an altar where she assumed the ritual was going to take place, and many of the monks were going around, gathering scrolls and other such items. It bothered her how they all seemed to know exactly what they needed to do. How many times had they attempted to revive the dead?

She kept her thoughts about that to herself, though if anyone was paying any attention to her, they would see her discomfort in her expression. It was probably just due to her own fears regarding the dead but, she felt that this was only going to end up making the situation Suleykaar was in worse. What if they weren't able to bring Soron back? She hadn't seen Suleykaar's reaction first-hand, but the aftermath of it on the battlefield had been terrifying enough. She couldn't imagine what would happen if he was disappointed here, if Soron ended up lost to him forever. She looked over to the Dragon, and for a long minute she debated with herself over trying to convince him to change his mind. At least then he could pay proper respects to Soron, and let his spirit rest in peace.

She looked down at her feet as she made up her mind. She couldn't tell him this. It would break his heart- and her promise to him. She could only hope then that the monk's ritual worked, and that Soron really would be okay.

She noticed Qobo and Sophia in the room, speaking with one of the other monks that was dressed similarly to Qobo. After the other monk left, Alexis decided that she should probably try to talk to Qobo now, before the ritual started. "Suleykaar... I'll be right back, okay?" She spoke to him clearly, beginning to walk away once she'd said it. She didn't know if he'd really notice if she left or not, but she wasn't willing to look into his mind and find out. If his thoughts were consuming him, she didn't want to fall into them as well.

She walked up to Qobo and Sophia, bowing her head slightly before she spoke so she hopefully seemed respectful instead of as extremely worried as she really was. "Master Qobo, I.. I was wondering if this will really work. Suleykaar is a friend to me, and I'd hate to see his reaction if Soron was lost... I can't bring myself to talk him out of this, or to try and stop you from fulfilling his request, but I can't get myself to think about anything else either.. so..." She looked down for a moment, wondering where she was going with this.

If it didn't turn out well... but she had made a promise to Suleykaar to help. She supposed, the only way to do that was to ensure the ritual worked then. Her eyes met Qobo's, a small spark of determination shining through as she spoke next. "Is there anything I could do to help you bring Soron back?"

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

E'nasha Williams ~ Yarosmere

---

"To review, we're going to beat you so you're not considered traitors by the crown, ensure that any disguises you need are in place so you don't get revealed and killed, and be on hand if everything goes to an absolute disaster and you need to get out of the palace as fast as possible. Any questions or requests?"

E'nasha sighed silently before shaking her head. This was going to turn out okay, right? Obviously it was well-thought out and, well there wasn't much else they could do. She went along quietly as they got the 'cosmetics' out of the way before the group was portal-ed to the desert sands in front of the Castle.

They landed in a pile, and E'nasha was pretty much trapped by the others around her until they all started getting up. The pressure of the other's bodies on top of her own made her aches just that much worse. The beating she received for authenticity sake seemed to also have been a release for the Sand Cobras' anger as much as a ruse to her now. She got up as soon as she could, apologizing to those around her as she crawled out of the pile.

"Even in the night the ground, it is uncomfortable. Why would people choose to live here."

As she stood, she heard Baulder speaking, probably to himself, but answered his question anyway. She walked beside him towards the castle gate as she spoke. "Some live here because they have no choice, others stay because this is where their family is. It's not that bad once you get used to the heat, most of the hard things about living in a desert are made easier over time." She used to live here, she would know... but this place wasn't the same as it was in her childhood. Too much had changed with the rise of the new king... she wasn't sure she wanted to come back anymore.

The gate opened as they approached, and the group was rushed by the other half of the college students as they were taken inside the castle. El'kan hugged E'nasha as soon as he saw her, and even though he asked a million questions she stayed quiet for now, only hugging him back. Aramir waved off the guards as they tried to take the new arrivals to the infirmary, and E'nasha thanked her quietly as they were all then led to a courtyard and patched up a little by the other students.

"Friends! I'm so glad that you're alive, but absolutely disgusted that the Resistance would disgrace us by treating you in such away. You have my word that we will find and destroy them. There will be nothing left of those cowardly fools but ash and blood by the time we are done."

E'nasha flinched as Yolin's voice rang out over the courtyard. The man was dangerous, she knew that much from what the others had said happened after she was pulled through the shadow portal at lunch, and she'd really been hoping to stay as far away from him as possible now they were back. Luckily, he clapped his hands and continued way too cheerily for someone who'd just promised to kill an entire group of people. Dinner was ready, and it's time to meet the king.

E'nasha sat between El'kan and Baulder at the table, and began filling her plate with the familiar foods laid out before them. She pointed out a few of her favorite things to Baulder as well, even though she knew he'd probably end up trying them all by the end of the meal. The king sat to the group's right, though in her mind he didn't look regal so much as like a rogue. He had long dark hair and a sharp nose, a square jaw and piercing blue eyes. He was a pretty man, but in her mind he was still nothing like she had imagined the king would be. While she was pondering this in her mind the king spoke to them, and Darius was quick to answer.

"I imagine the College has questions about my reign."

"Something like that. It is not often a new nation is formed from beneath an existing one. Can you tell us how that came to be?"

Before the king answered, she spoke up as well. "I have a more personal question, if you'll indulge me your highness. We may have been told this before, but what is your birthname?" As far as she knew, a person's name also told of where they were from. It'd be kinda cool if she could guess his hometown, if he had one.

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Pia and Aemilius

"He calls me a survivor, but I don't really know why."

Name:
Pia Jay Sindile, child of the Dragon Aemilius Kimball.

Age:
10

Blood%:
80% Tyro, 20% Nayu

Gender:
Female

Sex Preference:
Asexual

Height:
4'6"

Weight:
About 65 lbs

Physical appearance:
Age younger than 5: See picture above.

Age 5-12:

Age 13-20:

Age 20-30:

Personality:
Pia is curious and adventurous but also still cautious of the world as a whole. She is energetic and playful, caring and empathetic towards others, and loves to spend time outdoors exploring or inside reading a new book. She will talk to anyone who's friendly enough to chat, though she may not trust so easily. Aemilius likes to compare her to a bird: always ready to take flight.

Faction:
None

Pet:
If you asked her she'd say Aemilius, but not really.
She gets along well with the little draconic creatures she's met, but none of them stick around for very long. Neither she nor Aemilius have any real desire to keep a pet.

Exp:
In terms of school subjects:
Aemilius taught her to read and write, and has started trying to teach her more complex things like maths and magic, but so far Pia seems to be a bookworm determined to read all she can, and avoids doing that which she finds difficult (magic) or that which she simply dislikes (math). From books she's read she has various knowledge of the world around her, such as geography and facts about the plants and animals of different areas she's read about, or the histories of any of these areas as well. Aemilius doesn't like talking about the past with her, but does encourage her curiosity and supplies her with whatever books he's can on subjects she asks about. Aemilius' lair may not be a great library, but his book collection is fair.

In terms of magical ability and use of powers:
Aside from the two spells Aemilius has managed to teach her, Pia has had trouble keeping her soul's power under control. She can use each of her abilities granted to her by her blood, but the skill and consistency of which she uses them is highly erratic. The only one she has entirely under control is her night vision, which is passive in the first place.

In terms of fighting ability:
Considering the fact that Pia is a little girl, she's not going to do very well in a fight. Not to mention that Aemilius doesn't want to train her in any weapons (more due to the fact that he's a pacifist than anything) but also because he wouldn't know how to train her either. He himself only ever learned unarmed defensive techniques, and that was in his Dragon form. Pia carries a small sword but doesn't know how to use it past "swish swish stab".

Spells:
Rex Chronos - This spell's name means "King of Time" -which fits what it does quite well. Pia can alter time around herself in a very specific way: She can make herself appear however old she wishes, by aging and de-aging herself along her current timeline. The effect only lasts for a day at most, and she needs a day of rest before she can do it again. Returning to her normal age is not a part of the spell and takes no energy to do- she will automatically revert to normal if she falls unconscious or dies while the spell was in effect.

The "current timeline" part is what trips most people up when she tries to explain it. Choices she makes and events that happen will affect her current and older self in different ways;

For example if she were to be cut right now, and then age herself up a few years, she would have a scar where the cut was because that aged-up version's timeline is a direct continuation of her current self; but if she'd aged herself up a few minutes ago she wouldn't have a scar because the cut didn't happen in that aged-up version's timeline. If she were to age up before the cut happened and then age down to her true age, the cut wouldn't be there anymore and wouldn't show up later either because she's not in the same timeline as the aged-up version of herself that got cut.

The age-down part is less confusing, because timelines are more solid in that direction. If Pia was cut and aged down, the cut would vanish until she returned to her true age, when it would then re-appear because it happened in her timeline before the point she's returning to. If Pia was aged down and got cut before returning to her true age, there would be a scar where the cut was because Pia's past is always a part of her current timeline.

If Pia is killed, she automatically reverts to her true age, and the death is irreversible no matter if she was aged up or down from her true age when the killing blow was dealt.

Majestatis - This spell's name means "Majesty" -which has nothing to do with what it does. It is a spell that sets things on fire randomly (Because Pia can't control it all that well yet). Pia has even set herself ablaze with it before. Luckily, they are normal flames that can be put out with water or controlled by anyone with the ability to control flames.

Abilities/Powers:

• Thermal energy manipulation & Conjuration
• Fire manipulation
• Adrenaline boost
• Heat detection
• Fire breath
• Heat resistance
• Hot blood
• Night vision
• She's cold blooded and requires warmth - extreme cold is her bane. Cold damages her stamina and could potentially lock up her muscles. Eventually, after long exposure the cold will force her to sleep.
• Her body can turn hot and overheat quickly - too much activity can cause her to go into a paralyses from exertion.

Weapons:
An old sword given to her by Aemilius, the Mírage Blade which used to belong to him before the Dragon wars. It changes shape depending on the person who wields it, becoming a mirror of their personality. Otherwise it's just another, normal sword. Swish swish stab!

History:

Aemilius Kimball

_{Aemilius is Pia's adoptive father. He's an NPC, but plays an important role in Pia's life and story.
His history is a part of hers.}

Aemilius is ancient, older than pretty much every other dragon we've met so far. As a Dragon God he represented Family and Faithfulness, but once the Dragon war broke out he left the world to its own devices- preferring not to pick a side due to his pacifist nature. He went into the mountains of northern Gaia and has remained there ever since.

He didn't avoid people or panic when anyone came to find him: he likes visitors. In fact, there was a town in his territory where the people from there come to visit him regularly. They talked to him about the past, debated with him over all sorts of things, asked his opinion for help making decisions, and generally just spent time with him. He's not sure why this town never just forgot about him, but he didn't exactly mind that they hadn't.

One day though, about 7 years ago, the people stopped visiting him for a time. For a month, his life was quiet, and he soon realized that he was getting lonely. He normally didn't go to the town himself, but after so long without a peep from them he began to worry.

The town was empty when he got there. No one remained- at least, no one living did. Even the livestock had all been killed. The town looked as if everyone had just dropped what they were doing and went out into the street. There were no bodies in the homes, only out in the fields and road, but there were meals on tables and fireplaces ready to be lit as Aemilius investigated.

On the third day after his discovery of the slaughter, he realized another strange thing: Only the men and women of the village were there. There wasn't a single child's body anywhere to be seen. It didn't register for him at first because he never had any children come visit him, but in a village like this there should have been a few at least, right? He later found some tracks at the far edge of town that led into the forest: a small hoard of tiny people (children, he now realized) being led by two pairs of adult footprints. He followed the trail as far as he could, until it faded away on the rocky soil, and started trying to track them by scent from there. Not too much later, he met Pia.

There were no other people nearby, not even the scent of anyone else was left anymore. Pia was alone, standing on a fallen tree until she saw him and fell off in shock. He had forgotten before he approached that he might be frightening to children like her. She was okay, and stood back up a moment later to peer at him from over the side of the tree. Intent on not scaring her again, Aemilius lay down on the ground where he was, far enough away from her that hopefully she wouldn't be uncomfortable as he watched her. Her curiosity seemed to win out over any fear she may have had though, because a few seconds later she was walking up to him.

She was very young, and when he asked her what her name was, she didn't say anything. Later, she'd tell him that it was "sweetheart", but that was just what her parents had called her so often that she didn't know her own name. Aemilius transformed into his humanoid form and got her to follow him back to the village, until he realised that with no one else there except for bodies, that would be a very bad place for the child. So, instead he took her up the mountain to his lair, and from that point on he's been caring for her as if she was his own child.

He named her Pia Jay Sindile, but calls her "Piaget" (pronounced pia-jay) as a nickname. Sindile means "Survivor", and Piaget means "Little One".

Pia has lived with Aemilius for almost as long as she can remember.

Her only clear memory from before she met the Dragon: The night they stole her and the other children away. A man wearing a black, hooded robe and a woman with piercing blue eyes that looked like they glowed in the moonlight.

They came to her house and took her while she and her parents were asleep, and did the same with all the other kids in town. They'd never see their village again. Most of the others were older than her; she remembered being afraid to talk to them because of that.

The man and the woman led them into the forest, and away away away from town. They made all the children stand in a circle, and then everything went white.

When Pia woke up it was daytime again, and she was all alone in the forest, laying on top of a fallen tree.

She's never told Aemilius about this. She's not sure how long before he found her it all happened.

Trivia:
Likes: The color purple, like the sky at twilight. Birds. Reading.
Dislikes: Math, magic, fighting, and large bodies of water.
Fears: Drowning, being trapped in a room full of strangers, or being lost in large crowds.
Deepest Desire: To find out the truth about that night, what really happened. To find the man in the dark robe, and the woman with the bright blue eyes.

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"Well, at least you seem to be enjoying yourself."

Adrian Nept

"Some days, I feel everything at once.
Other days, I feel nothing at all.
I don't know what's worse:
Drowning beneath the waves
or dying from the thirst."

Name:
Adrian Nept

Age:
24 (26 years younger than Tydra)

Blood%:
100% Lassa

Gender:
Male

Sex Preference:
Bi

Height:
5'8"

Weight:
160 lbs

Physical appearance:
See picture above.

Apparel/clothing:

Personality:
Adrian is the kind of man who you could know for years, and never learn anything about what he cares about or who he really is. Some call him misunderstood, or even shy, but really he's just careful.

He's sociable and easy to get along with, but hard to read and even harder to understand entirely. He does not trust easily, if at all, and once you've gotten onto his shit list, you're never going to get off. He is humble in terms of how he sees himself, truly believing that he's not worthy of any praise he gets for his feats, though when it comes to others he is a very accurate judge of character. If he trusts you, you can know you've earned his loyalty as well as his friendship, if that's what you wish. In casual conversation, he likes to tell jokes and do other things to try and keep the mood light; a habit gained from spending time with his sister, as he'd always prefer to see her with a smile on her face.

When he's alone, he will hum or sing to himself, and probably try to practice a few spells or techniques in any free time he has. He has a very slow temper, and an almost childlike energy about him at all times. He can't seem to sit still for very long, always wanting to do something or move around at least. He may mumble things to himself from time to time, carrying out imagined conversations to help him think.

Faction:
Magoi

Pet:

Ryukek

Ryukek is an old sea-dragon, which used to be feral before Adrian charmed her with a song sometime in his youth and now she is fairly docile most of the time. She is Nilamar's mother, and a loyal "pet" to the Prince. She cannot fly, being a Sea dragon as she is, but she can go on land for a while so long as she returns to the water within a day so she can breathe more easily. (She can breathe air, but it is not preferable to her.) Nilamar is her son. Ryukek will wander throughout the day, but never goes too far from Adrian so that he couldn't find her if he wanted to. She will stay behind at home if he must go on land for any amount of time longer than a day. Water/Ice and Heat (Breath attack of Ice or Boiling Water/Steam).

Nilamar

Nilamar is only half sea-dragon, his mother being Ryukek and his father some unknown (and likely feral) land dragon. He has known Adrian since his hatching nearly 6 years ago, and shows an intelligence that causes Adrian to consider him a friend rather than a pet. Nilamar is able to fly, and can swim fairly well also. He can breathe both air and water without any apparent difficulty. Nilamar sticks close to Adrian most of the time, wherever he goes. Water/Ice and Lightning (Breath attack of Lightning or Ice).

(Nilamar is fairly weak considering he's barely 6 years old. He doesn't fight much unless he has to.)

Exp:
He spends most of his time training his spells and soul mastery, in order to use his natural abilities to their full worth. He's not the most mathematically or technologically minded, but he is a skilled tactician and diplomat, and his magical ability is still improving day by day. He passed the trial of breathing when he was 15, and has no trouble transitioning between water and air breathing at all anymore- due to constant practice with it, and out of necessity. He prefers to use a sword if he must fight above water, and spears when under the waves.

Spells:
Ice make ___ - Adrian can make various things out of ice, such as the spears he summons in battle or a barrier of ice. (Complete list: spears, wall/barrier, floor (an Ice slick), spikes/hail, and snow.)
Summon Lightning - Summons a bolt of lighting that Adrian can shoot at people. Underwater use not recommended.
Whirlwind/Whirlpool - This spell creates a vortex around Adrian, swirling air or water around him and sucking thing up into the movement with the force of the spinning.
Soul Bind - Adrian can cast this spell on any living soul, binding them to where they are and immobilizing them completely. A green aura can be seen around the target once they are bound. It only lasts about 30 seconds, or until the person who is bound is hit by another attack. Only one person can be bound at a time.
Charming - He can charm wild animals that would otherwise be hostile, making them his allies for a time until the charm wears off. The charm is cast by singing to the creature. The charm can be made permanent if the creature willingly continues to follow him after it would normally have worn off. (This is what happened with Ryukek. Nilamar has never been charmed, he just likes Adrian already.)

Abilities/Powers:

• Gravity Manipulation
• Liquid Manipulation
• Water Conjuration
• Water Manipulation
• Water Sensing
• Electricity Absorption
• Gills
• Underwater Detection
• Water Walking
• Water Healing
• Resistance to Electricity
• He can breathe both Water and Air.
• He is very easily dried out if not wet, and the longer he is left without water he will become dehydrated and his scales will grow weak and begin to flake.
• He is more susceptible to heat when dry.
• Webbed feet and hands can make movement on land difficult.

Weapons:
Sword and Spears. He has a sword of his own, and can craft as many ice spears as he may need at a time.

History:
When Adrian was born, his sister Tydra was already Queen. He grew up hearing the stories about how it happened: the previous Queen's death, and then how his sisters Thala and Tydra were tried together in the rush to name a new Queen. Thala died in the final part of the trial, and Tydra was left to be named Queen... Ever since Adrian was only seven years old, he understood that his sister preferred to be alone most of the time, always so closed off to others as she frequently went on journeys to explore the ocean's depths. He assumed her attitudes and hobby were because her life was most likely constantly in danger because of her title, and so he began to worry and fear for her as well. It wasn't very long after then that he decided he would be helpful to her, or at least that he would try to be. He learned about magic that interested him, and devoted himself to mastering his own soul's powers as well. He learned diplomacy and, as much as he hated it, forced himself to learn to fight as well. Adrian would be the best ally his sister could have, and hopefully they could be friends as well.

When Adrian was 9 years old, he met Ryukek while out of the city on an exploration of his own. He'd slipped away from his guards and anyone else tasked with watching him, swimming around alone in a coral reef not too far from the city. At first, he thought Ryukek was playing with him, not trying to have him for dinner. Adrian sang to her as they "played", and slowly Ryukek stopped wanting to play with him, instead just following him around until he eventually went home. He had no idea that he'd charmed her until his magic teacher told him that he must have unknowingly cast the spell on her when he sang. Ryukek has never really left him since that day. When Adrian was 18 Ryukek had a son, who she let Adrian decided to name. This is Nilamar.

Trivia:
Likes: His favorite color is yellow, he enjoys the rain and storms most when above water, and his favorite time of day is midnight no matter where he is.
Dislikes: The concept of Karma (or any uncontrollable power that apparently influences things in the world), Alcohol, and Drugs of any sort (including medicines- which he will refuse to take).
Fears: He fears for his sister's life, and her general safety as Queen... His personal phobia however is of Spiders and other such creepy insects. There aren't any stupid bugs like that underwater.
Deepest Desire: Time travel, for many reasons.

Trial of Breathing

Adrian Nept - 15 years old
^{9 years before the start of IC}

Adrian swam to his place in line, at least 20 other people standing alongside him as they all waited for the signal to go. The trial was going to be easy, as far as he knew. All he had to do was catch a fish.

The fish were nicknamed Airfish by those that lived in the capitol, because of their role in the Trial. They were a bloated type of fish, kind of like a pufferfish, but without all the spikes or poisonous blood. Airfish live in the water currents, and only pass through the capital three times a year by these currents. The goal of the trial was to catch one as they swim by, without getting pulled away by the current yourself. The stream of the current leads to a tunnel, where the pressure built up within would likely kill anyone unlucky enough to get trapped inside. No one has ever returned from the tunnel's depths, so it's impossible to know for sure.

Well, almost no one.

Adrian glanced behind himself to see his older sister, Queen Tydra, watching him. If he got into trouble, she'd pull him out of it.... though he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. He could do this. He was confident in himself, and he wasn't going to let himself get anywhere near the entrance to the tunnel. If it got too dangerous for him, he could always back out and try again in a few months, when the next school of Airfish would come through.

As he turned his attention back to the stream of the current in front of him, the overseers called for everyone to get ready. The fish were here, Adrian could see their dark shapes moving quickly past him just before the woman to his left jumped into the stream. She was whisked out of sight, and soon everyone else was doing the same thing. He took a breath before throwing himself into the current as well.

It was hard to move around, unless you were going with the water. There were people trying to fight the current, swimming against it in vain as they realised just how difficult this was going to be. The school of Airfish was scattered as they wove their way around the people thrashing about in their stream. One swam right in front of Adrian, but when he tried to catch it the fish just slipped out of his grasp. He could feel the power of the current pushing him along, and decided not to fight it yet. It would only tire him out more quickly.

Besides, he could use this to help him for now, as they were still a long way away from the tunnel. He swam through the current to one side of the stream, and waited for the next fish to try and pass him. He kicked out -going with the current- and got in front of the fish, attempting to hug it in order to capture the creature. He almost had it, but then it slipped free when another person crashed into him, trying to get out of the current. The man apologized before disappearing, slipping out of the stream while Adrian looked for another fish.

He swam up to the top of the current's stream, and this time when he got in front of the fish he caught it, finally. He held it by the fins for a second before he remembered that to pass the trial he had to kiss it, sucking the air from it. He closed his eyes as he did, the strange feeling of air entering his lungs and bubbles being released from his gills making him forget how to breathe water for a moment.

When the moment passed and he'd released the fish, he still couldn't remember. He began to panic, his hands going to his neck and fingers running over his gills as they lay flat, closed to the water around him. There was no air here, he had to breathe. He was going to pass out if he couldn't figure out how to switch back to using his gills. It was strange how he suddenly couldn't do something that had been so easy, automatic for his entire life. He never had to think about breathing before.

He passed out. Afterwards, his sister would tell him what happened. Tydra had needed to come get him out of the current after he caught the Airfish, so he wouldn't keep drifting and be swept into the tunnel. He'd done well on completing the trial before getting too close to the tunnel, but he still should have left the current before kissing the Airfish. Tydra made sure to tell him that about a hundred times. He couldn't have known he'd react like that, but still he felt bad for making Tydra have to come save him.