Only in her room and the bathroom could Jacky be alone. Khaleem, her new protector was ever at her side but finally they would be gathering new recruits so she could leave soon. she knew he would go with her but if others were there she would at least have people to talk to. She talked to the queen often but the queen was a busy woman and Salthmar, was an older gentlemen. He was a kind man but she really didn't have much to talk to him about, and he too was often doing business for the queen since he was her chamberlain now. She often talked to Alcorn in the library and he was a great repository of knowledge and had help her understand a lot of things about magic but he too was older and all he talked about was magic, and prophecies, and academic topics. They were interesting but she wanted to have a conversation with more fun and vibrancy to it. Khaleem didn't talk much at all so when she tried to talk to him she often felt like she was talking to a wall or herself.

She had journeyed over Gavilla once before and looked forward to seeing more of it again. She knew it would be dangerous but at least with spring coming it would be getting warmer. Last time she had been here it had been edging on to winter. Also unlike last time she has little to do. The recruitment had never really stopped but the Queen had put Khaleem in charge of making sure the group that went with them had enough skills to survive as well as being trustworthy. She couldn't wait to see who would show up and how they would prove themselves to Khaleem. he was so different than Darien. She sighed looking out the window wondering if the next person coming up to the castle would be one of her new traveling companions. She wandered how long too Khaleem would wait outside the door before he grew worried and checked on her again. he was always so cautious, despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to guard her in the first place.

A sigh, a kick to the stone wall, a shuffle, a pinch of the bridge of his nose. This man appeared to really not want to be there. The agitated man wore a turban wrapped around his head with the ends flowing down his shoulder, a large scimitar hung at his back, as a jeweled dagger at his waist. Elegant blue cloth was visible under the rough, thicker sand robe. His eyes and hair, what little could be seen from under the turban, was a sandy brown color, as his skin had a sun kissed glow. It was evident that this man was originally from the deserts.

Another feature that struck the eyes was the frustration he wore. He didn't want to be there and everyone knew. He resumed leaning against the wall beside a door, waiting... Guarding it seemed. Minutes passed before he shifted position again. He never liked to wait, he was a man of action. Not some babysitter. He straightened out and paced in front of the door impatiently. Guards came and went, some snickering at the man's impatient attitude, some ignored him... One in particular called him, "Jumpier than ah 'Roo standin' inah bed of ants," He then called him mate, and walked away. Strange man that one...

Feeling as if he exhausted all of his time for waiting around, the guardian turned to the door and knocked twice, before twisting the door knob and poking his head in the door. Khaleem just stared at Jacky silently, making sure she was okay. He did not utter a word.

She sighed, "Just because you knocked doesn't mean it is ok to just come in. What if I had been changing?" She wasn't sure if he would answer or not. She knew he was more tired of hanging around the castle than she was. At least she was somewhat used to it. She glared at him and stood, her hands on her hips. She was wearing one of her favorite dresses. It was a soft lavender color that coordinated with her violet eyes. The front dipped daringly revealing a charming expanse of bosom. The bodice fitted to her curves flowing into the skirt in one piece all the way to the floor. The long oversleaves were straight and revealed the fitted undersleave beneath. Her black hair was swept up into a chignon revealing her long neck. She loved how the dress crinkled and whispered as she moved. She was a practical person but she couldn't help loving the feeling of being dressed up. It made her posture naturally straighten and made her feel more womanly.

The morning markets of Crix were a fast moving and bustling place. Hawkers were screaming their wares and people of all backgrounds and standing could be seen moving from one stall to another looking for goods. One girl seemed out of place however, sitting on the edge of a large fountain, her head in her hands and sighing loudly. If someone were to walk by and cared much at all, they could hear the girl's stomach growl loudly.

Avani sighed again, sure she could swipe some bread or something, and sure it would make her feel like she had eaten something, but it would really do nothing for the girl. After sighing again Avani stood up and kicked a small rock away from her feet. She was a little tired and more then a little frustrated. It had been a normal night, there should have been hundreds of drunk or stray people wandering the city at night, but she had found no one the night before. Well, that wasn't completely true, she did see one person, but taking blood from a city guardsmen was a bad idea.

*Growowllll, rumble* Avani was being driven mad by her own stomach and she was getting annoyed. Still, she walked along, checking side alleys for anyone, anyone at all that she could possibly get an easy meal off of. The young vampire looked cross but her face brightened softly when one youth, carrying some small trinket ducked into a side alley and began walking away. It was dangerous and stupid, but Avani was so hungry she didn't care. It had been almost a month since she had last had an actual meal and she was feeling the affects. Normally a vampire of her age could go longer but the curse of having such a small body was that she could eat less and needed blood more often. It's not that Avani minded much, but it was troublesome really.

The small vampire stalked the man for a little bit, he knew the ends and outs of the city and knew how to get around quickly. Normaly for anyone this would be a fantastic skill to have, but not for this youth on this day. Avani made a small noise and knocked over a few boxes to get the man's attention. When he turned around she put on a scared and shy front, a ploy that the man took immediately and knelled down towards her. Yes, having a small body was troublesome at times, but it was also VERY useful at times.

The man was saying something to her, but Avani was not paying any attention, she didn't need to hear what the man was saying, she needed some of his blood. As the man turned away for something Avani struck, delivering a blow to the side of his neck with her leg. It would not kill the man, no it would do nothing but knock him unconscious. The man was knocked sideways some but dropped like a stone to the ground, out cold. Avani wanted to this quickly, it was not safe in the daytime. She quickly approached the unconscious body and knelled down next him. Lifting his head up some she quickly brought her fangs to bear and bit into the man's neck. She drank his blood fairly quickly, the sweet tasting liquid making a great impact on her hunger and filling her up very quickly.

After a little while, Avani took her mouth away and wiped a little bit of blood off the side of her lip. She gave a very content and happy sigh and felt much better. Her stomach wasn't bothering her, and wouldn't for awhile, she certainly felt a bit more lively and her sour mood was gone. Avani reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bandage. She leaned over and licked the little bit of blood that had swelled up from her bite mark and then placed the bandage over the bite. The man would wake up with a bit of a headache but nothing bad would happen to him. After scrambling to her feet and wiping the small amount of dust off the front of her shirt and pants, she jogged happily back out into the market, and none to soon as a cry of a woman filled the alley behind her.

"But you are not, are you?" Khaleem said, still a bit agitated at doing nothing for a while. "Nice dress," He said sarcastically. He didn't know why women seemed intent on wearing the things. They made ones movement's slow, they looked gaudy, and they sure couldn't defend themselves in one. Like a woman could defend themselves anyway. Khaleem merely shook his head, keeping all the inner dialogue to himself. He sighed, "Do we not need to find these... warriors, for this quest?" Khaleem used the term warrior lightly, he didn't believe there were many hired swords in the city, much less anyone who knew how to wield one without hurting himself. Too bad they needed the able hands.

"Just... I do not know." Khaleem said, throwing a hand in the air.

Jacky sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sorry I can't just go strolling about can I? I do look exactly like the crown princess, now don't I? Even if I disguised myself I might be recognized anyway. Do you think I like being stuck in here?" She looked out the window sadly at the bustling marketplace and people going about their business and felt so alone. Maybe she couldn't go into town but she could go to the exercise room. She grinned. "I have an idea. I am going to change and then we are going to go to the exercise room. If anyone shows up as a recruit the guards can bring them to you but I need some activity or I will go crazy and if I don't practice I will forget what Darien taught me. So turn back around and leave so I can change." She sternly ordered, waiting for him to go. she didn't know why she didn't think of it before. The exercise area was inside the castle and so she could go there without worrying. That was where she and Darien used to practice every day after all. It had been a fun time. She grew wistful gazing off for a moment remembering, but turned back when she realized that Khaleem was still there. "Well, are you going to leave so I can change or not?"

The tavern was mostly quiet that mourning. It was the early hours before daylight and most of the patrons that would come too drink at that hour were those that got off the night shift. This meant that the usual customers were local residents, so it was not odd for the other patrons to be giving curious looks at the stranger that sat at the counter. The white haired man was face down on the bar with his head buried in folded arms with a large Falchion hanging at his side. A red and blue parrot sat next to several empty mugs and was busy pecking the man in the head.

the man lazily raised on arm into the air. "Barkeep... another." He drawled in an intoxicated tone. The bartender sighed and put down a glass he was polishing to give the man a disapproving look. "Sir, I think you've had enough." The man promptly pounded his fist onto the counter. "I said another!" he shouted with out looking up. "I ain't been, 'hic', properly sloshed yet!" The bartender sighed again but went to fetch another glass. Past experiences had taught the tavern owner that it was better to let an armed man pass out instead of depriving them until they were in a drunken rage. A glass of scotch was placed next to the parrot who squawked in an aggravated fashion before pecking the drunk man in the head again. "Boss, boss, you's gotta problem." The man waved his hand at the parrot lazily. "shut it parry,... I's can quit's any time's I want's." The man drowsily raised his head and picked up the glass. He stared at it with his good eye, the right one being covered by an ever present bandanna, with a long bored and depressed look before raising it to his lips.

Five months. Five months ago Isilis Co Sorac had been the most notorious pirate on the south West coast. Five months ago every merchant and official in the Seran nation had spoke his name with fear and hate. Five months ago the common people would spin tale tails about the mysterious pirate ship that had been the bane of over confident and money grubbing nobles. Five months ago he had been both hero and villain in his long standing battle with the Seran navy. Five months ago he still had a ship.

Isilis grumbled lightly to himself as he reviewed how the last few months had played out for him. It had been a routine plan. Track the cargo ship to this on beach on the coastline, box it in and board it before making off with that months pay. What they hadn't expected was a Seran patrol fleet to be making an irregular sweep through the area. When the three frigates pulled in around the cove it had been Isilis's ship that was trapped. Blindsided, and with little room to maneuver, the enemy fleet closed in and launched a storm of flaming arrows onto his vessel. With the ship aflame he crew had jumped ship and fled to the shore. Isilis gave final order for his crew to scatter, if any of them were to survive they would meet back up in the river side town of Seriga. Unfortunately only a handful of them did.

He later moved with what was left of his crew to a nearby port town to try and get a new ship. When he attempted to get a lone for one he had discovered that being a notorious pirate meant that honest banks were less then inclined to fork over any money. He next tried his luck at being a mercenary. That had worked out well until one of his employers back stabbed him and sent him off into a Seran army base for the bounty on his head. He just barely got out of that one alive. By that point his remaining crew was his first mate Droll, the cook, and his old parrot Parry. The rest had ether died or left off to find different employment. Two weeks later the cook left too.

His first mate had stuck around though, and the two tried their luck at treasure hunting. It had been met with more or less successful results but that too turn sour when a group of bandits tried to sneak up on them for their finds. They survived but Droll lost a thumb in the melee and was forced to retire. Leaving only him and Parry.

Fast forward about a month and this was where he was now. A drunken wreak with little more then enough money to feed himself. He came to Crix on a rumor about a valuable relic hidden in the wilderness. His search brought him to a cave filled with several goblins and a very irritated troll. About an hour of hacking, slashing, stabbing, cruising, shouting, screaming, kicking and punching later and Isilis had found the chest that held the relic. Only as it turned out the 'relic' had been a rusted copper neckless that was worth barley more then a bit of pocket money.

So here he was now. Depressed and planning on spending the last few coins he had left to get himself drunk so he could then go pass out in a ditch somewhere. It was while he was drowning his sorrow into his latest glass when he over heard some talk from a group in a corner. "So did you hear? the Queen is planning on hiring a group of warriors for something." "Why would she do that? If there was anything going on that needed soldiers couldn't she just send the army?" "Apparently it's something that's outside or the military's juristrisction. It something that can't be handled officially." "I don't like this, sounds a little much like under the counter politics if you ask me." "Do you think it has anything to do with the stories coming in from the countryside." Isilis Listened to the gossip for a bit before ignoring it for his drink. The former pirate took little intrest in politics unless it was something that involved him or his interest specifically. He might have taking an interest in the idea of applying for the job. If it was something being funded by royalty then it probably paid well. However the memories of the last time he tried the mercenary gig came to mind and he shrugged it off.

With a final tired sigh, Isilis corked back and chugged the last of the alcohol. He set the glass down and slapped some change on the counter. He then got up and turned to leave, Parry fluttering to his sholder as he went. "Alright," muttered to himself as he zigzagged for the door. "now wheres that ditch."

Khaleem dropped his turbaned head in defeat. This was already shaping up to be a long and drawn out ordeal, and he didn't like one bit of it. "Of course Milady," He said sarcastically before pulling his head back from the crack of the door and shutting it. He returned to his post beside the door, leaned up against the wall, impatiently tapping his foot against the wall. Khaleem was not a patient man, and was all hot-blooded... How did he manage to get himself in this position? He closed his eyes and began to think on it, tiliting his head a slight bit in thought.

"I do not see why I have got to do this, Father, make Zakeem or Tamar." Khaleem pleaded with the King of The Eastern Sands. Tamar and Zakeem were his two older brothers. The king himself was an older man at sixty, yet he still had a regal and strong appearance. It was said, that any who could survive the Sands could survive anything. What about the man who rules the Sands? The king wore regal robes and a crowned bejeweled turban, fit for the king. Tufts of white hair was visible under the turban and his beard was a battle of salt and pepper, with the salt winning.

"Son, they have already picked their tasks and claimed seniority over you. They are traveling the world as we speak and building good relations with the other Kingdoms of this world. They do this for our kingdom, as you must. Do you not wish to see our kingdom prosper?" The Kings spoke in honeyed words. That, however, had no effect on Khaleem, as he had no use for such eloquence. "Yes Father, but they do not have to guard a woman! They get to meet and watch powerful Kings and warlords, while I get stuck with a girl who would not know the sharp end of a sword!" Khaleem protested. The King sighed a weary sigh, "Then it is best that you you do, and are quite good in the martial arts. She needs protection, and we need the favor of the Queen of Crix, so please son, for our kingdom?" King said, this time it was he who was pleading.

Khaleem threw his arms in frustration, "Fine, as you wish." The king's lips curled into a smile, knowing that Khaleem would crack at that plea. "Very good son, we have your horse ready and packed. You leave in the morn." Khaleem stared in disbelief for a moment. The king already knew he was going, despite Khaleems reluctance... Suppose that was why he was the king.

Khaleem left that morning, the hot sun at his back heading for Crix.

The man twitched at the memory, and tapped at the door beside him and called, "Are you ready?"

"Yes yes." She said cheerily and burst out of her room. She was now wearing comfortable trousers with long calf length black boots and a loose white blouse. She also wore a leather chest guard and writs guards and had her hair up in a bun. "All right then. I am all ready to go." She pulled the door shut behind her and sauntered off, knowing he would follow. She couldn't help being slightly amused at having such a woman hating warrior have to follow her around. It was annoying but he was also one of the few people near her age and could talk to her. She walked with confidence to the exercise room stopping for a moment before opening the door. With a deep breath she pushed it open. Ah, the memories. Every place she looked in the large room reminded her of her time with Darien and Mari. The room had a mirror along one wall and it reminded her of a ballet studio. There were large colorful mats stacked on another wall. On the back wall was most of the exercise equipment. Weights, and machines that looked almost exactly like the machines at home. A stair climber, a stationary bike, and a couple others that worked different parts of the body. On the wall by the door was the weapons rack. She grabbed her favorite practice sword and strode out to the clear floor in front of the mirror. It was a little disconcerting to have Khaleem watching her she was used to having people work out with her. Then she remembered that she had forgotten to stretch. She turned and put the sword back, a little embarrassed. "I am a little self conscious having you just stand there. I am going to stretch and then do some sword exercises. It would make me feel better if you worked out with me and helped me correct my forms when needed and help me stretch." She wasn't sure if he would say yes or no but she figured it would probably be the latter.

"same old story, i suppose...," Althanos muttered to himself as he walked on through the crowded marketplace. "people here are still as crazy as ever." on his back he had the carcass of a gnoll in a large bag, and even now he could tell that the stench was driving those around him crazy. But that was alright, it was only a little farther to that merchant's stall anyways.

Recently this poor man had found his caravans to not be returning all of the time. upon further investigation, he found out that they were coming under attack by a gnoll. this gnoll was larger and stronger than the usual ones, so it proving to be a lot of trouble. He had put a large bounty on the gnoll's head, and would be happy with anyone who killed it.

Althanos, However, wasn't interested in the money. he needed a good fight in order to stay in practice for what was to come. in recent times, he had received a call from the royal army again. It wasn't the usual call to check on whether or not he'd desire to return to the army. he had received that call many times, and was too eager to refuse every time. not that he didn't like life in the army, but being a bounty hunter proved to be so much more profitable. This time, they were looking for individuals to guard the princess. It sounded like it would be little more then babysitting, but in recent times the amount of jobs he could undergo as a bounty hunter were dropping. this was probably due to the fact that people were just too afraid, and they believed in that absurd darkstar prophecy. seeing as how it was the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac, they believed that these creatures would soon be banished by the "dark star". What a ridiculous thought. These creatures acted by instinct, and their minds could not be changed by the words of some lunatic.

But in the meantime, he needed to bring the carcass to the stall before he drove somebody to openly mock him out of disgust. upon arriving at the stall, he simply dropped the body on the table, and before the man could give him his reward, he walked away, not saying a word. if he needed money, he could always just sell the gnoll's equipment, which he had kept for himself. one may never know when they'll need an extra blade or two.

a few hours later, he was making his way up the castle. he had checked for more jobs to do, but there was nothing. for once in his life, he had nothing to kill. so he had decided to take up the army's offer. "Who knows," he said, almost out loud,"this could be fun.". walking up the the front gates, he waited for someone to notice him out there and call out to him. after all, someone was bound to be expecting recruits soon...

Isilis was more than a little annoyed by this point. He had spent the last hour or so trying to find a decent place to sleep off the stupor he was in. However the loud noises of the stall hawkers in the early mourning had been a constant obstacle for that. "who in their right mind would buy something at this hour." He grunted to him self. Parry squawked and flapped his wings, battering the the the pirate in the head. "who drinks? who drinks this hour?" Isilis drowsily swatted at the parrot, who expertly jumped to Isilis's other arm. "Shut it parry, I ain't in a good mood."

Isilis stumbled into a small alleyway, trying to put as much distance between the loud merchants and himself. He hobbled along, a little more sober then he was an hour ago but not enough to walk straight, until his shin hit something and he toppled over. "GAH SCREWMESIDEWAYSWITHACROWBAR!" He shouted as he tripped. Isilis effectively landed face first into the dirt. Parry had jumped, or rather fallen off, and was squawking indigently as he flapped desperately so he wouldn't join his owner on the ground.

With out looking up Isilis grunted to himself. "Oh, hello mister floor, how very nice to meet you." He stayed laying there for a moment before slowly pushing himself over to see what had tripped him. As it turned out that something had been a someone. A small child, a girl not past the age of ten, maybe younger, was knocked over from where he had tripped. "Sorry 'bout that little miss, guess I's didn't see ya's there." Isilis said as he messaged the bruise that had formed on the right side of his face. As he was rubbing the injury the bandana came up a bit and his right eye briefly was able to view the world. It was then that he noticed something about the girl. "Well all be, a vampire. Haven't seen one of your lot in a while." He quickly pulled his bandana back down again before she could see his right eye. But before either of them could get another word in Isilis quickly clasped a hand on his mouth as he felt something pushing it's way up his throat.

"HMP, 'scuse me a sec." Isilis then crawled over to the nearest stack of crates, flung his upper body over them, and proceed to puke. Parry fluttered onto his back and started to flap his wings on to Isilis's back like he was patting it. "Told you so, told you so." The parrot squawked. Isilis raised one finger into the air. "Shut it Parry." And then let out another wretch.

Lieutenant Creed, a tall dark haired man with a cleft chin and scars covering much of his body that was visible and more that was not, and his fellow guard Sergeant Talger, a shorter Spaniard with swarthy skin and thick mustache and thin build, had been told to be ready for more recruits but at seeing Althanos Creed smiled. "Well well. I never thought I would see you back here. I didn't think you would ever join up again. You bored or do you just need the money, Thanos" Creed had served with Althanos before and they had never really gotten along but he didn't really mind the fellow. Talger was just observing them uninterestedly, since he had joined after Althanos left, he had no knowledge or interest in the man. "Don't look so disinterested Tally my man, this guy here is practically a legend. Though the two in charge of this round up would put even him to shame, he still was something to see in the field."
Talger just spat out some chew to the side and didn't say anything.
"So what have you been up to and why you joining up for this one of all missions, it sounds pretty boring to me." Creed finished as he watched Althanos carefully, waiting for a response.

"As you wish milady," He said with hints of sarcasm. He arrogantly strode the the weapon's rack himself and pulled a simple longsword, forgoing the whole stretching ordeal. He didn't believe in stretching, as there were those who were always ready for battle, and those that weren't. Those that weren't often ended up face down in a bloody ditch. Though he weren't going to tell that to Jacky. Khaleem might have been arrogant and insufferable, but he wasn't foolish. He wasn't going to get on the lady's bad side by criticizing her, much less near so many weapons and blunt instruments. So Khaleem let her stretch, and helped whenever she needed, though his facial expressions shown he was not amused.

Afterward, Khaleem stood in front of Jacky, in front of the mirror with his sword hanging towards to floor. His other hand was looped through his sash informally. "Alright, let's see what you have learned show far. Let me see your stances and forms," Khaleem said, tilting his head in order to grant his better scope of her combat prowess. Personally, Khaleem didn't believe that she had much, considering she was a woman and so... Spacey? Yet still, Khaleem entertained her and let her show him what she had. The longsword Khaleem had found now had it's blunt tip at the floor, the man wielding it using it as a cane and leaning on it.

"Missy, Missy, Look here, A fine necklace this is. I bet..." Avani sighed loudly and ignored the seller. Any fool could see that the necklace was simply a silver painted piece of iron. It probably only cost a fourth of what he was selling it at. She both loved and hated this city, it was a beuatiful city, but there were too many people in it that were trying to scam people. Plus the man just would not give up on trying to sell the thing to her.

Finally she rounded on him, "If your going to insist on badgering me, then I must insist that you sell legitimate goods, or at least decent fakes. Even I can tell that necklace is a fake, and if you don't want the watch called on you then leave me alone." The man's face turned an angry shade of red and for a second he looked like he was going to yell at her, but she flashed him a mischievous smile and he shut up. With a humph of slight arrogance and annoyance, Avani turned to cut out of the market district through an alley.

However, Avani was not paying very much attention to where she was going, her mind was still holding annoyance at the shopkeeper. This was unfortunate because the next thing she knew she walked straight into a pole or something and landed hard on her butt. Avani hit the ground hard and felt a sudden pain come through her pelvis. "Ahchchchchch" she said as she rubbed her bottom. Avani finally noticed that a very drunk man was teetering in front of her and about to fall himself. Suddenly he leaned too far the right and with a shout, "GAH SCREWMESIDEWAYSWITHACROWBAR!", he toppled to the ground face first.

Avani held in a laugh as best she could, however when the man seemed to open his eyes again he said "Oh, hello mister floor, how very nice to meet you."

The young vampire could not hold in her laughter any more and she burst out in a cute and childish laugh. She knew she shouldn't be laughing but it was terribly funny. This man must have had the devil's own luck as well, if she had found him a mere ten minutes ago, he would have made a perfect, if slightly intoxicating, meal.

"Well all be, a vampire. Haven't seen one of your lot in a while."

The child's laugh ended instantly and she very quickly picked herself back up from the ground. She was ready to flee if need be but she was also horribly confused, perhaps even scared. There was no way he could have picked her out that easily, the man was not a vampire, he was clearly human. However, it was impossible, He couldn't have seen her fangs and even her eyes were a different color. The man standing in front of her, as drunk as he is, was clearly someone special. But she was very quickly put at ease a bit though when he kept up his politeness and threw up in the ditch.

The man reeked of sweat, vomit, and alcohol, but he seemed to have no inclination to harm her. She smiled again when she noticed the parrot on his shoulder. Avani made a mental decision not to trust the man but she let her guard down a little bit. The young girl took a seat on an upright barrel nearby and stared at the man, her legs swinging back and forth against the barrel. She stared at his face, He was not a terribly large man, but his white hair and bandanna set him part. He was heavily tanned, well muscled, a falchion sword was belted to his waist and drunk as he was, the man looked like he could use it. He was clearly not a common person. To put it bluntly, Avani was intrigued by this rough drunk standing in front of her, she continued to stare at him, her blue eyes carrying a calculating look. A look that clearly did not belong on a young girls face.

"How did you know?" she said quietly, her high pitched voice carrying throughout the alleyway. "Your not a common drunk, your someone different, even I can tell that. How did you know what I am?" Avani asked, her gaze not shifting from the man but an inquisitive look drifting into her face.

"How did you know? Your not a common drunk, your someone different, even I can tell that. How did you know what I am?" Isilis looked back over his shoulder at the girl who was now sitting and watching him on top of a barrel. He flopped the rest of his body around to lay against the crates and speak to her properly, parry moving to his shoulder as he moved. "Well, you might say I have a very good eye for such things." He said as he tapped the bandana that covered his right eye. He reached over and grabbed a small rag and started to wipe his mouth of the last of the vomit. It had always been his principle to look your best when greeting people. He threw it to the side when he was done and shakily took to a standing position, one arm resting on a crate for support. The other arm he held out to the young vampire in greeting. "The names captain Isilis Co Sorac miss. If you've heard of me I wouldn't be to surprised, if not you'd be forgiving for your ignorance. This little worry wort feather bag is Parry." He nodded his head at the parrot while putting his best smile on. The parrot ruffled its feathers and chirped. "Hello, hello!"

Jacky felt a little self conscious stretching in front of him and asking him to hold her leg for this or her back for that. It was a relief to get back to sword drills that she was so familiar with. The first stance Darien had taught her was a simple one, one knee forward with your whole body sideways to the opponent so you have as small a target as possible. Then Angle the sword across the midsection. It was the best position for a solid defense. She then moved through several other stances and then moved on to the forms. The forms were like the stances but moving through them like a dance. She loved the feel of it like poetry in motion. The sweat glistening on your skin only to cool slightly when the sword cut the air. Almost seeing the enemy before you and swinging the sword swiftly into sensitive areas like the neck, groin, heart, underarm, thigh. A hit to any of these areas is either debilitating or deadly. She was starting to breath more deeply, she was a little out of practice but she hadn't noticed any glaring mistakes but she tended to almost lose herself to the fluidness of the movements.

"well, if you must know," Althanos said in a dull tone " I've managed to keep myself... amused. but the world out there is ever changing. I'm simply adapting. as boring as this mission may sound to you, i enjoy battle wherever i find it. a princess is sure to attract a lot of unwanted attention, the kind of weaklings that are amusing to dispatch." giving a small chuckle as he recalled old times, he motioned to the pack on his back. "Would you care to show me where i can drop off my things? i've been carrying them since sunrise."

The warrior stood, hand rubbing the rough stubble on his chin, watching as Jacky did her stances and then moved to her forms. He saw a flaw here and there, yet overall it was pretty solid. Khaleem was surprised, but he dared not show it. The forms were graceful, but grace alone never won any battles. One also needed quickness, fleetness, and strength to match. If one had speed and grace, but no power behind the swing, then the battle would be one of a Thousand Stings. A lesson his own training had taught him. If one's blows were weak, yet quick, then it is like trying sting ones opponent to death. An inefficient battle to be sure. Yet... This girl shown promise. She may have what it takes to be a great warrior.

Midway through one of Jacky's forms, while the blade was slicing downwards, Khaleem gently put out his practice sword and intercepted her blade. He held it there for a moment, then raised her blade with his, guiding it. He raised it until her arms were straight. "Your general idea of forms is good, yet there is some problems that can be addressed," he said, not rudely, yet not gently either. "I will show you a simple, but effective one I have learned." He removed his sword from hers, setting it down to the side, and stepped forward closer to her. In any other environment and in any other setting, Khaleem would be apprehensive. But he was helping this girl to learn to finer points of battle. And the one thing he knew, was battle

Using his hands, he guided her. Khaleem placed a hand on top of hers holding the sword and used his other hand to grab the blunt sword and move it to a forty-five degree angle. "In order to face any hostile action...," he began, while flowing behind her fluidly. He then used a hand in order to guide her elbows to just slight bend, "You must be relaxed and coiled, like a viper," He continued. This time, his other hand went around the other side of her and pulled on her upper arm back, beckoning it to come closer to her body. By this time, Khaleem had straightened Jacky with his arms and she was facing completely forwards with her sword in front in a forty-five degree angle .

"And if you are coiled," He said, gently using the flat of his boot to guide Jacky's knees to bend. He crouched slightly with her to help guide her into the stance he wished. Following that, Khaleem tapped on her right heel gently in order to get her to take a little step forward with that foot, "You can strike out in force or defend from anything that may threaten you." He said with a pleased tone, slipping out from behind her and facing her. He had picked up his sword in the transition and had settled into a mirrored stance, sword in front at an angle, limbs slightly bent, relaxed, and comfortable.

"In this stance, you can guard from high blows," He demonstrated by slowly raising his sword and tilted it to the side to block and imaginary sword. "Low blows," He said, lowering the sword and pivoting his body slighty to his right while blocking another imaginary sword. "And you can strike from the front," He said slowly piercing an invisible foe, "The sides," Slowly slashing from both the right and left, "High," Coming down in a hew, "And low." Sweeping the sword first to the side and then coming upwards.

Khaleem nodded, "Simple. This gives plenty of versatility, which you need in combat. Know this, forms and stances are good for basic framework, but a fine warrior alters and changes these styles on the fly. Now let us see what you have," He said, resetting his sword to the original position.

The answer that the drunkard had given her was not very convincing, but there was no use pushing the man on it. He was drunk but he clearly had enough wits about him to use his brain. He couldn't hold his liquor, but Avani had to give him credit, he could hold his brain. She gave a soft giggle when he flopped himself to the ground. He looked very much like a cliche drunk, minus the bottle in hand of course.

Her giggle died down though when she heard his name. Captain, or well ex-captain now, Isilis Co Sorac was a bit of a legend. The bastard child of a now dead king and subsequent heir to a know conquered kingdom. He had waged a singular minded war against one of the greatest powers on the west coast. He was supposed dead after his ship was sunk though, so Avani was surprised to find him in the heart of Crix. "Far from the water aren't ya pirate king." she said, keeping up her childish smile, though her eyes carried a hint of sadness in them. "There's not many on this side of the world that don't know your name. You'll find supporters here if that's what your looking for. Crix may have been just a trading partner, but the queen did not support the invasion in any way. Some people say that Crix should have gotten involved as were neighbors to Seran." she left it at that, there was no need to bring pain to the man.

Avani hopped off the barrel and strode two or three steps over to the man before crouching down and pitching her hand out for the Isilis to take. "My name's Avani Karrees Hemal. It's only fair I give you my full name as well, likewise I don't blame you if you don't know my family's name, though if you do please keep it a secret." The small vampire gave Isilis a light hearted smile, but flashed a fang as if to say what would happen if he told. Isilis's story was not much of a secret, the invasion and his little war had made international news for weeks. However, the Hemal family was one of the most powerful family's in Egypt, and probably in the whole world. The only reason Avani did not return to them is that she did not want too. She enjoyed her freedom and didn't need her family to get in the way.

After shaking Isilis's hand she sat down next to him and petted Parry for a few seconds. She took the time to take in the legend next to him, the prince in the rut. He had a thin line of stubble along his face, scars dotting what skin he had exposed. He reeked of sweat and vomit and what parts of his once fine clothes that was not covered in dirt, was missing. "You are a wreck you know that. You really should clean yourself up and stop drinking. It doesn't suit you at all."

Avani turned her gaze from the almost purring parrot back to the prince of the bottle beside her. "If you want, you can come back to my place. It's not much, but you can at least take a bath and clean yourself up. I also know a good cure to the hangover your going to have in an hour or two."

"Pirate king? well that's a new one." He chuckled to himself. Though in retrospect having sunk over a hundred ships during his time at sea, and being an illegitimate heir, Isilis could see where the title came from. It made more sense then some of the others he gained. He picked up the collar of his shirt and gave it a whiff. "Whew, I really do shell like dog shads don't I?" The drunken man slowly made to stand on his own to feet. A little wobbly but he still held his footing. "Well I guess I will have to indulge in your generous hospitality my fair lady." He attempted to make a bow for added flattery but nearly fell over again before he caught hold of the crate and righted himself. "If you would be so kind as to show us the way Madam Hermal." And the two made for the exit of the alley. Parry fluttered to the young vampire's shoulder. The little bag of feathers was always a sucker for pats on the head.

If Isilis had been a little more sober he would have noticed the flabbergasted merchant that had listened in on their conversation. The nervous man spun around and left to find the nearest guard. It appeared the girl he had argued with earlier was more than she seemed.

He was efficient and impersonal but her heart was racing from more than just the exertion. He was usually so distant and had never touched her and rarely talked to her so it was strange to suddenly be so close to him and have him touching her, however professional or impersonal he was. She hoped she was feeling nervous and excited by just the oddity and newness of it and not something more. She was in love with Darien and although Khaleem had a certain rugged charm, he didn't have Darien's charisma, manners, and charm. Still it was strangely pleasant interacting with him like this and she almost hated going back to their normal routine. She kept at the exercises long after she had thought she could and almost collapsed of exhaustion when they did finally stop. She made it to the weapons rack to put up the sword and walked back and forth once or twice to try and cool down before plopping down on a stool almost gasping for air, sweat pouting off her. Her heartbeat was a staccato pounding almost like humming bird wings in her chest. "Can you hand me a water out of the fridge please?" She hoarsely asked. There was a mini fridge in the room next to the towel rack and even now having little conveniences like that still surprised her in this medieval like society.

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Creed shook his head with a grin. "You are as sociable as ever Althanos. Just put your stuff in the barracks for now. I'm pretty sure you will want to check in with the new master of the gaurd and he will be able to tell you more. He is a big guy, talks like an Aussie, named Yuri. Anyone inside will know him and point you in the right direction."

Walking through the halls was a familiar sensation for Althanos, having only retired 7 years ago. he found that it still had the same smell, the stench of men after a hard day's work. He discovered that the barracks was empty. the soldiers were probably running laps in the parade field. dropping his things off near the door, but keeping his sword strapped to his back, Althanos went off in search of the new master of the guard.

after a little questioning, he had found the way to the quarters of Yuri from one of the privates, a boy fresh into the military. as he passed the exercise room he thought, "I'm not a soldier anymore, i have free time now. may as well see how rusty i am." opening the doors, he looked in the corner to see a girl, probably in her teens, finishing up her exercises. She moved with a kind of grace, a kind he had not seen in a while. as she beckoned to her darker friend, he turned and began walking to the rack. the presence of the others wouldn't disturb his practice too much, and who knows, he may even get a spar out of it. choosing one of the larger six foot long blades, he took a second to check the balance.

A few hours past into the day light hours and Isilis was feeling a bit more fresh. A quick power nap, a shower and a shave and the soggy mood that he was in that mourning had passed. The vampire girl didn't have a shaving razor, obviously being the wrong age and gender for it, so the sailor had used a boot knife he had handy as a makeshift shaving tool to clean the peach fuzz off his face. The alcohol had passed from his system and Isilis was now able to stand without fear of being 'reintroduced to mister floor' again. A headache from the slowly developing hangover was grating against his skull but he had been through drinking binges before so he was able to stand it for the most part. Besides if the young miss Avani's cure was half as good as she said it was he wouldn't have to be bothered by it for long. Satisfied with the trim, Isilis splashed a little more water on his face and grabbed the now clean and stitched shirt off the chair before exiting the small bathroom.

The girls place of residence was a small one. A small apartment on the second story of an inn. It seemed odd that such a small child would live alone in such a place. But then Isilis reminded himself, vampire, the tended to age slower then humans. A former crew member of his had been one. The captain assumed the man was about eighteen at the time, as it turned out the man reveled that he was well into his thirties. If that was anything to go by then he could assume that the child might have been into her late teens. It still seemed to be a little young to be on ones own but he didn't question her about it. She probably had her reasons and he was not one for pointlessly delving into others past.

"My thanks for the shower lass, I haven't felt this good in weeks now." He said as he put his shirt back on. "If you like I could make you a quick breakfast as thanks. I learned a trick or two from my shipmates that will send you're taste buds spinning."

"... Fridge?" Khaleem questioned as he glanced at the strange box. They didn't have those back in the Eastern Kingdom, course they did have a well built into the castle which led to a deep underground reservoir of cool water. The fridge threw Khaleem off, as such he ventured over to the device more out of curiosity than the will of Jacky. He opened the little box and hesitated a cool blast of air assaulted him. He reached in and retrieved the bottled water, another aspect that bewildered Khaleem. It was a lot more fancy than his old waterskin he wore under his robes.

He strode back to Jacky and handed her the water, "This kingdom must be wealthy to afford these things..." Khaleem said. He was born and raised in the Eastern Kingdom, never seeing the outlying lands or kingdoms. This was his first trip out of the kingdom. His thoughts were interrupted as a new arrival entered the exercise room. He did not look like one of the Castle's attendants, nor like one of it's guards. "Do you know of him?" Khaleem asked Jacky with a nod of his head towards the man. Before Jacky could answer another entered. This time Khaleem recognized the man. He was the one who called Khaleem "jumpier than a 'roo". And he was headed towards them.

This man looked to be older, perhaps his early thirties and he had telling scar splitting his right eyebrow. He had piercing brown eyes and hair. His face was sharp and angular, one that spoke of many battles. His attire was like that of the guards the patrolled the halls, yet different with personal touches. He wore chainmail under a red hauberk with the Castle's insignia on it, over which a fine red cloth cape was draped. Also, a red scarf wrapped around his neck and this piece of cloth was beginning to show it's age. At either side rested a Katana, and a saber with the hand guard etched with flowers. The man wore no helmet of any kind and seemed to be comfortably loose unlike most guards.

"Oi, Jack," He said, calling to Jacky, "I've been huntin' you. Couple o' tha fellas said dey saw you and yer buddy come down this way. Khaleem wasnit?" The man asked in a thick Aussie accent. "Khally," The man said, appointing Khaleem a nickname, "Anyways, tha Queen thought it best that I help wit' pickin' fer yer group, considerin' I was there when Darry picked fer the last'in an' he's off on his own adventure at tha moment." The man said, hands resting on both swords. He then began to survey the exercise room like he was looking for something.

" 'Ey, either of you seen Anji? Lil' half dragon lass, 'bout this height," The man said holding a hand up to about his midsection indicating her size. He did this for Khaleem's benefit, for Jacky should already know Anjali. Khaleem merely shook his head no.