Snippet #2393301

Khrae

Khrae looked up from where he was leaning against the wall as Armen entered. Raising an eyebrow at the young man, the older swordsman watched with stoically as he attempted to make his way to the girl, though it seemed he wasn’t entirely in full possession of his motor skills. Whether that was still caused by the magic which had plagued him so, or simply because his body was still adjusting from shock in combat, Khrea didn’t know. Nevertheless, he admired the elf’s tenacity and loyalty.

Closing his eyes and leaning his head back now, Khrae heaved a quiet sigh, allowing himself to relax if only for a moment. The man still had plenty to worry about, and later he’d make sure to allow time for meditation. As it was, it seemed his charge had been claimed by the Dragoness, Capella. It took nearly all of the man’s will power to not cut short their little endeavor then and there when he heard the news, and to not simply hand Dante over to one of the clan elders. As it was, the man still wasn’t sure if he’d chosen the right course by allowing the charade to continue, but to take Dante away from Capella now could be fairly disastrous in more ways than one.

Khrae of course respected the Dragoness enough to acknowledge her simple words, and while he himself didn’t take to heart their meaning as she did, he still wouldn’t invoke any anger from her. Dante, who obviously knew nothing of what was happening on account of calling Capella his girlfriend, shouldn’t be caught between whatever trouble would surely arise. The boy had a knack for getting himself into these situations, but never ones that measured up to this caliber. As it was, Khrae could at least have some peace of mind in knowing that, without him around, Dante would still be kept in good condition; however kept out of trouble was something else entirely. Khrae didn’t have an answer, but he made note to meditate on the subject later.

"Thank you. You did not have to do anything."

Without moving, Khrae opened his eyes and looked down to Armen. Offering a tired smile, the man nodded to the young elf. “Think nothing of it,” he answered simply, closing his eyes and resting his head on the wall again. “I merely did what was necessary, just as you would have.” That said, Khrae decided to stand now, feeling as though he needed to move in order to find something soft to collapse on, as well as to give Armen a little more privacy with the girl. Sebastian was watching over a fellow guild member while Khrae was an outsider. No matter how close they may or may not have become, the man still felt it right to make himself scarce for now, at least until needed. It suited him more anyway.


Donning his heavy, fire-patterned cloak, Khrae moved silently to the door, but stopped just before exiting. “You did a good job, whatever you did,” Khrae stated without turning around, “Fukayna is lucky to have such a great friend as yourself. Natural talent can only go so far compared to a good dose of determination.”

With that Khrae made his leave, though called back one last time. “I shall be in the courtyard if you require assistance with anything, Sebastian!”

A quiet serenity was what Khrae required right now. He’d deal with Dante and that entire debacle later, after he meditated.


Valentino

Valentino detested horses. In fact, Valentino detested most things that weren’t human, and even then he wasn’t particularly fond of them. As it was, he’d barely heard Fay’s announcement of their progress, having been too busy trying to forget that he was on such a foul beast, and that each of its clippity-cloppity steps caused the worse case of motion sickness he’d ever experienced. With his arms wrapped tight around Fay’s waist, and with himself constantly swaying back and forth in such a dizzying rhythmic matter, the mage could barely maintain the veil he’d cast earlier, one that suggested that his grip was merely a loving hold.

It was about now that he’d wished he’d taken up other means of study in the fields of magic. Besides his illusions, he had only a small arsenal of other combat based styles, having adopted them after one mage had decided that their magic was stronger than his, thwarting his little games. Teleportation it seemed would be even more necessary, but that was a level all its own. While Valentino was powerful, all that power went to the task of enchanting, containing and then taking even more sources of power.

“I don’t think I thanked you properly for saving me. And helping me get my weapons back,” Fay continued. “Thank you, Valentino.”

Did Valentino really have to talk? Ugh. The mage put on a smile, even though she couldn’t see him behind her. He hoped he could continue this illusion enough that his voice didn’t mirror how awful he felt. “It was my pleasure, Fay. Ag—a mis-mistress in need is what all men live foo—rr.. Bleh… Ugh…”

Valentino wasn’t enjoying himself at all. He absolutely couldn’t stand the beast, and he definitely wouldn’t make a habit of using them as means of transportation on a daily basis. It was right about now that he was thankful he rarely had to travel, and when he did, he would never complain about walking anymore.

“Dear lord,” Valentino said, “Oh, stop this infernal thing for the love of the order of Vyldi!”

Did the horse understand him? That would be terribly bad if it did, because it was at just that moment when it whinnied, shook its mane, and then snorted. Valentino in response screamed and flipped backwards, falling several feet to the hard ground. Perhaps it wasn’t entirely that he disliked animals, but rather was afraid of them.

Landing with a rather solid thud on his back, and flopping awkwardly onto his side, the man finally lost his whatever contents were in his stomach, though to be honest, he didn’t remember eating this morning. Rolling over onto his back, he heaved a deep sigh with a mixture of relief, aggravation and perpetuating dizziness. The only good thing the man could manage to think about right now was that he was off the horse, and that the ground didn’t move. “Son of a… Damn that creature and all like it! Ugh…” Bringing both hands to his face and covering his eyes, he sighed again. “Fay, I suggest we rest here! There’s a lovely field over…” Without looking up or getting off the ground, the man threw one arm to his side in order to point at the pasture which lined both sides of the road. “There.”

Luscious, green, full of flowers and, most importantly, not moving. Valentino was finally content lying in the dirt along the road, and he would’ve stayed there forever in order to avoid not having to mount that beast again, if it hadn’t been for the toad lying directly next to his face when he finally turned his head.

His scream was less than manly, to say the least. Jumping to his feet, the man dismissed everything else as he dusted batted at himself and the air, now screaming random profanities, mixed into other incoherent sounds of annoyance and bewilderment. “God damn… Away, foul … Thing!” Taking a foot, the man kicked delicately at the toad, though it didn’t move. “Go on,” he said, waving his hands at it after having moved to a safe distance of two meters. “shoo! Sickly wart infested bastard!”

Again it didn’t move.

Valentino stepped a wide arc around the creature, then pointed at it, sending a miniature blast of electricity streaking towards it. Only the sight of the creature, roasted and with its guts spilled out, freaked the man even more, invoking another fit of yelling and arm flailing.


Dante

Dante poked Capella curiously, like a child testing to see if what they were looking at was worth playing with. “Hey,” he said devilishly, “want to play a game?” With a grin like a Cheshire cat, he nodded out the window towards Khrae sitting cross legged in the courtyard, eyes closed, entirely oblivious to the world. Taking a finger and putting it to his mouth to signal silence, Dante leapt less than gracefully out the little window. It was the ground floor, so he merely had to clear a foot or two in order to be outside. Unfortunately it seemed that not even that was within his capabilities.

With his foot catching the bottom of the window, Dante found himself falling face first into the thick shrugs which lined the exterior walls of the mansion, and that decorated the perimeter of the courtyard. Rolling spastically and jumping to his feet, he took up a simple melee stance, looking as if that was exactly what he planned to do. Shifting his head back and forth overdramatically like someone searching for another opponent, he smiled as he looked to Khrae, who remained unmoving. Chuckling silently to himself, he nodded to Capella now as he crept forward, his footsteps not at all silent along the stone, towards his master.

Picking up a stick from the shrub he’d massacred upon his entrance, Dante inched ever closer, extending his arm as far as he could with the object until he was within range. It was obnoxious, like a toddler deliberately trying to coax on another into a game of tag, the way Dante moved. Looking back at Capella now and giving a thumbs up with his free hand, he turned back to the older swordsman and took the last step forward that would allow him to reach his mentor’s overly long hair.

Opening his eyes abruptly and standing, Khrae pivoted on the spot, spinning into a standing position while grabbing the stick and flicking it expertly towards Dante. Dante screamed and ran childishly, leaping back through the window, with enough clearance this time, before disappearing down the hall. Khrae simply shook his head as he sat down once again.

After having run a safe distance across the mansion, Dante stopped, snickering to himself. He’d nearly gotten a heart attack from Khrae’s sudden movements, yet at the same time knew it was coming. It was always fun to see just how far he could push the man, and even cooler the way Khrae could do things with such precision. Dante would one day reach that level and beyond, but only after he was sure that it wouldn’t turn him into a sour-puss too. Taking a moment to calm himself, Dante looked around, frowning. He needed something else to do…

Locating Capella again, he grabbed her, dragging her towards a corner.

“Shh,” he said quickly, before she could respond to any of his actions. “Mercenary Capella, you’re being hired to conduct operations with myself on a hostage rescue mission. Do you accept?!” Looking around, Dante acted as if his games were entirely serious, and that they were in danger of being overheard, requiring urgency. “Should you choose to accept, you shall come with me back to Ro’ell in order to reclaim subject F, captured by mages… What say you?”