Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat ā€” the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

0
followers
follow

Itan Soldin

"Given all that's happened, I'd say my life evens out fairly well. Doesn't mean I have to like it though."

0 · 629 views · located in Edasler Bria

a character in “A Wish and a Regret”, as played by Beach-Born-Boy

Description

Itan Soldin
Image

Theme: Etro's Champion


Role: Male four, the Saboteur
Gender: Male
Race: Salamander
Nickname(s)/Alias(es): Bahamut, Garnet
Age: 19

Appearance: Itan's unusually tall by human standards and still on the tall side for Salamanders. He has short, vibrant red hair, dark skin and bright yellow eyes. His arms are covered in tribal tattoos and he has a steel spike gauge through his left ear. He constantly wears loose fitting nomadic clothes (layers of thin cloth that are easy to take off if needed and easy to replace) and a flexible plate armor under it.
Height: Six feet, ten inches
Weight: 235 lb.
Hair Color: Bright Red, almost scarlet
Preferred Clothing: Light weight, easily removable rags that hide a thin, durable, flexible chest piece of armor inscribed with arcane sigils.

Personality: Itan is an outcast from all walks of life save for his current profession. This lonely lifestyle has hardened him against personal loss (whether emotionally or physically), many of his past fears and basically feeling in general. He does however have a vast measure of humility, mainly due to the fact that he lost his right leg (shortly after replaced with a mechanical limb for helping a more than adept blacksmith) and nearly his life. While this taught him humility, it also showed him that life, however short, is worth living to the fullest and he follows that thought without question. He's quiet, bold and intelligent but never arrogant or belittling. He knows that everyone has something to offer, it just takes time to find out how it coincides with his own patterns.

Likes: Precious gems and metals, small animals.

Fears:
Acrophobia - Fear of Heights
Cryophobia - Fear of Extreme Cold

Weapons:
Silver plated dagger, compact crossbow and tempered steel sickle.

Fighting Style:
He has no one fighting style that he has mastered and instead chooses to employ all different styles that he has trained in.

Personal History: Itan was originally named Bahamut. He was a young boy when he was cast out from his village. This wasn't an act of hatred or loathing, simply a test of survival that his family would undertake in order to harden themselves so they may take the title of the village's leader when they came of age. However, Bahamut's path varied greatly from his father's and while he was grateful that he learned so many things on his travels, he had been gone for so long that he was assumed dead. On his return, his family was overjoyed to see him including his new brother, Soldin, who had been born while he was away.

While a few weeks passed with the family and village in a joyous uproar at his return, Bahamut knew that he no longer belonged here as his new teachings severed the ties from his kinsmen. So in the deep of night, he attempted to sneak out of the village only to be caught by his three year old brother before he could leave. This encounter made a difficult parting even more unbearable as Bahamut had to explain that he "...Didn't belong here because he couldn't coincide with the traditional ways." Soldin, being half asleep in the dead darkness of night barely understood what his brother was saying but he knew he was leaving. Through repressed tears and stifled sobs, Soldin looked up at his brother and could only ask "But you'll come back right?" Without answering, Bahamut hugged his younger brother, hung a gold and jeweled amulet around his neck and left.

Several weeks passed before Bahamut met anyone on his road of travel. A trading caravan, filled with treasure and good-hearted people stopped on the road beside him. They asked him who he was and where he was going and he could simply reply "Away." The caravan immediately recognized him as an outsider much like themselves and offered to let him join them as a gesture of good will. Silently, Bahamut climbed aboard the nearest cart and sat on the back and watched as the dust kicked up under the wooden wheels.

Two weeks passed without a word from Bahamut but along the way he had more than earned their trust and they had earned his appreciation (Often shown in the form of silent smiles and simple gifts that he made as the went along.). Finally on the night of his sixteenth birthday, Bahamut stood at the ring of the campfire and announced that he was Itan Soldin, an outcast traveler from a Salamander village. The caravan cheered when they heard him speak, officially welcoming him as Itan the "emboldened caravan sentinel" (mostly as a joke but with respect).

Later on that night, a human girl of the same age approached him. Her name was Mette, she said, and that she had seen him when he joined the caravan a few weeks earlier. She handed him a small wooden box with a silver and Garnet ring inside. As Itan admired it, he turned back to her to say thank you but was met with her immediately in front of him, on her toes and quickly pressing her lips against his as the fire slowly died behind them. Life had given Itan his wounds but finally he felt happy like he had before he left his home.

Two years Itan spent with the caravan and Mette. They were inseparable, save for the times where Mette had to part to deliver some of the goods into the city and Itan would stay behind to guard the rest. They ate together, laughed together, rode together and slept together. Everything was going his way finally. When things couldn't be better, Mette told Itan that he was going to be a father (which wasn't abnormal for his village). Itan was overjoyed and he and Mette spent the days on the caravan carts enjoying each other and much of everything that they encountered on their travels. It could not last though as nothing can.

About a month away from their son's birth, Itan's caravan was attacked in the night. He should have seen it coming, an ambush in the dead of night being predictable. He and the few other half-awake guards were no match for the horde of bandits who overtook the caravan. The fight was quick and bloody, only allowing Itan to live but not after severing his right leg at the hip. He was found in the morning by a traveling blacksmith who was called to the next town over. Wrapping Itan's wound, he carried him back to the town and had him healed.

Once Itan woke up again, the blacksmith had just finished a work of genius, combining the arcane and the physical into a responsive limb for Itan. Morose to the point of no return, Itan very nearly took his own life, but the blacksmith encouraged him not to. To thank him for saving his life twice over, Itan took to helping the blacksmith with everything he needed, learning to control the forges without a second thought. A year passed and Itan gradually became better, though still visiting the graves of his friends and wife just outside of town everyday.

His nineteenth birthday passed with very little in the way of festivities aside from him and the smith visiting the bar as they always did on special occasions. Tonight though, something seemed different. Long after the smith had returned to his home and just after the tavern's closing, some unknown desire struck Itan. He walked into the street, saw the beauty of the night stars and smiled, his thoughts broken only by the sound of a few members of the town. One obviously in heavy armor walking the paths of the town, and another sound. The voice of a girl (younger than he no doubt but not by much) signing in the night. A feeling of ease washed over him as he thumbed the worn worn garnet ring with a smile on his lips and a tear in his eye.

Other:
-Itan finds a sort of solace and brotherly bond towards Crane though he never openly admits it. Crane seems to have been through something similar to what Itan had but Itan refuses to prod him about it. He knows better than anyone that sometimes, the past is best left where it lies.

-Itan's right leg is mechanical but responds to his thoughts, a feature the blacksmith implemented with help from a friend of his who studied the arcane.


So begins...

Itan Soldin's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

It was quite the disasterā€¦ Not only was Echo stranded on this horrible drought of a place called ā€œland,ā€ but now she was without her closest friend too. Echo had watched as her dear friend tumbled down a cliff, possibly to her doomā€¦ However, Echo refused to believe that her only friend had gone for good. She held hope in her heart the hope that Knell was still alive somewhere. Unharmed. Safe. Maybe even waiting for Echo to come and find her.

If only they didnā€™t go to landā€¦ None of this would have ever happened. However, much worse things could have happenedā€¦ Nevertheless, Echo eagerly awaited the time when she and Knell could return to the sea once again. There was nothing on the parched land for them and sooner or laterā€¦ The sea would be safe again.

To reach the forest Echo saw Knell fall into, she had to follow the path down into a town that lead to the forest. So, Echo went to town. On her way, she noticed the statue like night that had fallen around her. It was silent and stillā€¦ If she concentrated, Echo could hear bats calling in the distance and crickets chirping. However, as she walked the nearby creatures of the night fell silent. They were fearful of some unknown predator ready to snatch their lives away. Of course, Echo would not harm them. However, there was no way for them to know that.

Echo stumbled the whole way down to town. Gravity was horrible for Undine on landā€¦ And it was Echoā€™s worst enemy as well as fear. This was what had hurt Knell.

When she arrived to the town, she heard gorgeous singingā€¦ Singing from one she knew greatly. Even the song sounded familiar.

ā€œCel irrui haes dha weyar serrailr du irrui? Tha rairhd'r sallrasdaiulr, llus dha lairhd dhairr nird raeya. Tha ril feaildr dha raer ssainrul eln failc, er aid ruar du fan. Aln dha nuulr uyashaen raiya ir dhaais frarrailrr~ā€ Knell sang the Undine lullabyā€¦ The heart of the song shined through with her voice. It was such an alluring song. A song that made Echo miss the ocean even more. However, she was content as long as she could be with her dearest friend.

Joy rushed in as things finally settles in. Knell was fine! It was the most wonderful and blessed thing to know that Knell was okay. Nothing was in vain. Everything would be alright now. The joy of Knell prevented Echo from noticing those nearby.

ā€œTha rdesr rairhd if dha faidsh fresc rcaiar uyashaen, luw, rad irruisrarll nsaen e raldra nsaen. Whaira dha llairh rwain dhsuirh dha wedasr, dhairr shuail irrui ul irruis shuislairr du rraaf, eln fsailr irrui shuirr. Whasa irrui esa layas erula.ā€ Knell Stopped.

Still failijng to notice the others around, Echo continued the song, responding to Knell. It was so easy for Undine to get so lost in song that they were unaware of their surroundings. Song was the very heart of the species. Echo was not one who could resist a melody she could hear.

ā€œWhal irruis rurd rairdal du dha weyar, Haes dhan faesul irrui fesc huna wasa irruis haesd raiar, Ferruw dha rraiddasailr wedasr er dhairr rhuw irrui dha nef du whasa irrui farulrā€ The song flowed from Echo as her heart felt the song deeply. It was a bittersweet remembrance of the place she called her homeā€¦ This song was meant to help children relaxā€¦To calm the child who is even most fearfulā€¦ It spoke of the home Echo and Knell came from.

ā€œWedsh er dha nuul sairar hairh efuya, rairdal er dha saiffrar railr irrui du rraaf, Lad dhan sallrasd dha dsidh du irrui, Yui wairr layas fa erula whal dha llairh warsuna irrui fesc eln sunllusd irrui waidh dhaais wesndh Wedsh er dha rruw llairh rairhd if dha wedasr raica rdesr. Thairr wairr rad irruis llaesr llruw eweirr eln fsailr irrui faesa, hasa irrui wairr erweirrr farulrā€ Echoā€™s voice was smooth and softā€¦ It swayed from verse to verse like the pushing and pulling of the ocean. Her eyes were closed as she pictured the place where she belongedā€¦ Hopefully she could be there soon.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Zeph'ere continued to follow the song as gentle as the waves of the ocean, matching harmony with it, mimicking the words dispite not knowing what they meant or even what language it was. He flew past the moon, silhouetted in its light, as he reached the shore and glided over the river that connected to it. The song was growing stronger the further up the river he soared, but it was different now. A second voice, similar to the first singer but it held a powerful joy behind it, like a reunion of family lost. Its sweet lulling sound called to him like the song of the sirens, pulling his harmony forward, feeling the empathetic connection of the voice. As he sung along, the gentle night air he flew through followed him, becoming a soft warm river of wind, pulling the sea air through trees.

Not far ahead, Zeph'ere could see the dim lights of a small town. This was where the song was coming from. This is where the voices had lead him, all the way from the vastness of the sea. Zeph'ere flew over a bridge with a young couple that seemed to be meeting. As he soared over them, his shadow cast down on the bridge, briefly covering it in darkness as the soft sea breeze he pulled behind him washed over them. His voice continued strongly as flew into the town, nearing the second singer.

And there she was, her long hair like the ocean mist, her pale skin like a flawless pearl, she was tall and frail but her voice was so strong and moving it seemed to even make her walk forward aimlessly. Zeph'ere slowly circled around and dove down, opening his wings widely as he reached the ground and he gracefully landed on one foot as softly as a feather.

"Who are you...?" Zeph'ere spoke to the mysterious woman gently as the warm sea air swirled around them.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

She quietly ceased her singing with that one verse of the sweet lullaby she recalled from the days of her dear childhood, from when it was she still had her mother at her side, nurturing her, giving her the love only she ever could. The days before sheā€™d been forced away, far, far away. Knell remembered her motherā€™s face, the sadness she bore for Canaanā€™s death, and her voice. Her mother had been as a siren . . . beautiful in many respects; Maris was truly an amazing woman. And . . . how dearly she was missed by her daughter, that lullaby was one that Maris had sung to Knell many times to sooth her to sleep when fear had consumed her young soul, and staved off the needed rest. It always reminded her that she was not alone, she at least had a mother who loved her.

Knellā€™s own voice mixing with such a placid song, it made for quite the listening. Yet, one verse was enough for her, for now it was. It was enough to remind her of the sea, of the warm and thick water. Yes, she did miss it, she missed the elegance she held onto within the ocean, being able to swim about so freely with no fear of injury by falling, being able to glide through the clear liquid with such freedom and speed . . . but she couldnā€™t deny that she was beginning to also love how very light air was as well. Even if she was restricted by gravity, air was so very easy to move about in, in a way, it was sort of liberating. ā€™I wonder if this is what mother felt when she first came upon land.ā€™

Donā€™t know, but you seem like youā€™re a lot like her yourself Knell, so itā€™s likely you and her share the same sentiments.ā€™ Canaan answered her. This caused Knell to smiled just a bit as she remained with her head laying upon the cool stone of the bridgeā€™s handrail, her face shielded from the pleasant night air. The Undine girl took in a deep breath as she thought about her mother, and about her homeā€”the sea. She may not have been loved by those who were suppose to be her family, but the ocean was her home, even if she was growing to love the land more and more with each precious, passing second. No matter what unpleasantness had occurred with her, Knell was still loving the land very much. She just wished for Echo to be with her then . . . that they hadnā€™t of been separated earlier that day.

Oh, she hoped that she would be able to meet up with her dearest friend again soon. . . . Thinking about the look that had been on Echoā€™s face as she had tumbled down into the forest that day, it made Knellā€™s heart feel so heavy inside of her chestā€”as if it were sinking into the depths of her stomach. That look had been one of terror, of fear. . . . How she wished she had not stricken such emotions into her friend, because of a single mis-step she managed to scare her dearest one. Thinking on this made Knell released a forlorn sigh from deep within herself, her clumsiness would make her worry another. Yet, at the same time, there was an undeniable fact about her being separated from Echo that left Knell a bit at easeā€”the separation had allowed the young Undine woman to meet Crane. Even if their meeting had not been under the best circumstances, Knell wasnā€™t upset or angry about that, no, she was actually glad to have met someone else who would be with her and Echo on her travels, she liked meeting new and nice people like him.

Listening to the riverā€™s babbling below her, Knell shut her eyes to the world and simply allowed herself to be lost to it. The sound of water such as that was truly a soothing noise to a landbound Undine. . . . However, shortly into this little time of relaxation, she was broken from her water-induced trance when the sound of footsteps upon the stone bridge caught her earsā€”footfalls which were approaching her. Coming out of state, the girl brought her eyes to open again, looking out at the river below her before the noise halted, right near her. ā€™Knell . . . be mindful of this.ā€™ Canaan warned, being ever cautious as usual. Blinking uncertainly, the pigtailed teenager pulled herself up to her full height and looked at the one who had come to stand very much near her, standing the same way sheā€™d been against the handrail.

She simply looked at him, a bit surprised by how much taller he was then she, although Craneā€™s height had startled her a bit, this was just a bit more of a shock. ā€œNice night isnā€™t it?ā€ he spoke to her all of a sudden, startling her into letting out a bit of a squeak. But, he turned to her and gave a grin along with his simple question. His smile was . . . nice, it was a gentle and kindly one. Seeing it by the light of his makeshift torch was enough to let Knell feel at ease, though Canaan himself did not let up.

Releasing a breath of relief, she returned his smile with one of her own before speaking, ā€œIndeed so, it would seem that the darkness has come to bless everyone with a reprieve from the harsh heat that the day has been giving unto us.ā€ Her voice was earnest, honest and as gentle sounding as her song before had been. Knell was happy to talk to someone who seemed so friendlyā€”meeting nice people was something she enjoyed after all. Though she was more than ready to continue speaking with the man before her, something caught hold of Knellā€™s attention, she became nearly entranced by what it was she heard. . . . A voice came forth from the quiet and still night air, permeating much as her own had done before.

It was a voice Knell knew so well, a song being sung in a tongue that only few knew, only those of Undine descent. . . . ā€œWhal irruis rurd rairdal du dha weyar, Haes dhan faesul irrui fesc huna wasa irruis haesd raiar, Ferruw dha rraiddasailr wedasr er dhairr rhuw irrui dha nef du whasa irrui farulr.ā€ The voice was so captivating, so moving . . . ebbing and flowing as if it were the tides of the oceans itself, the voice was one of a truly divine sounding woman. And, such a moving voice could have only belonged to one woman, one dear woman. ā€œWedsh er dha nuul sairar hairh efuya, rairdal er dha saiffrar railr irrui du rraaf, Lad dhan sallrasd dha dsidh du irrui, Yui wairr layas fa erula whal dha llairh warsuna irrui fesc eln sunllusd irrui waidh dhaais wesndh Wedsh er dha rruw llairh rairhd if dha wedasr raica rdesr. Thairr wairr rad irruis llaesr llruw eweirr eln fsailr irrui faesa, hasa irrui wairr erweirrr farulr.ā€

And it was so nearby, the song came from so near, hearing it so close caused Knellā€™s dear little heart to skip a beat within her chest, and her aquamarine eyes to widen as her whole form when still and silent. Her eyes turned glassy as only one though went through her head, ā€™Echo. . . .ā€™ It was her, that voice and that song, it could only have been Knellā€™s dear friend singing. The Undine Lullabyā€”the song Knell had taught to Echo when theyā€™d become friends as a sign of the adoration she held for the strong Undine. She began to shake as she realized how very close Echo was to her now, and, it was in the light of a dimly lit streetlamp that Knell was able to perceive a figure. A tall and almost imposing feminine form silhouetted within the darkness, yet lit just enough for her to be known. ā€œEcho. . . .ā€ Knell whispered quietly.

She was beginning to feel a bit dizzyā€”like a very heavy weight had come off her shoulders, had she truly missed Echo as this? So much she had not even known. . . .

And although another voice came into being nearby, the voice of a male whom seemed to be imitating the sounds of the Undine Lullaby, Knell seemed to pay it no heed. An unknown figure landed before Echo suddenly, but Knell cared not. It was happiness which plagued her soul now, pure elation. Without giving it a second thought, the Undine Princess suddenly pushed herself away from the stone handrail of the bridge; away from the stranger sheā€™d begun conversing with, and took off into a sprint, running passed him. Tears began to fall from Knellā€™s aquamarine eyes, resulting in shimmering white gemstones falling to the stone pavement below with barely notable ā€˜plinks.ā€™ Not minding the new person whoā€™d come before her dear friend, Knell ran right to her, still crying from the joy in seeing her.

With no warning, the pigtailed girl came to a disastrous halt, while sheā€™d meant to stop before Echo, and embrace her, Knell managed to instead trip over her own foot right before her, resulting in her literally falling onto her friend. Yet even still, the teal-haired girl managed to wrap her arms around her friendā€™s form, still managing to give her the hug she wanted to. ā€œEcho, I am so sorry!ā€ she cried, apologizing for when theyā€™d been separated.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by Wake
Watching Knell race of to embrace the other. It took him little time to guess that the other girl was the companion his charge had been searching for. It was enviable to watch the amount of joy the girl had now that she had reunited with her friend. But the knight he no time to think on congratulations on their reunion, for he noticed something that made he walk forward with a start.

He really had to teach that girl to hide her heritage if she wanted to keep her it a secret.

Reaching the edge of the bridge where ground met structure. He called out too the two new comers, the slyph and what appeared to be a salamander. "I hope you'll excuse the maiden, she has been looking for her companion there for most of the day." He waved for the two men too join him on his side of the river bank. "Please, can you give them a moment? They've both had a tiring day." Looking over the two more closly he latched onto a topic to keep their focus. "Besides," he said looking to the salamander, "you look drunk," and then too the sylph, "and you look lost."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Zeph'ere remained silent as the two women made a dramatic reunion and an armored man and a salamander approached. This was truly unexpected, to follow a song of the sea in search of one's beautiful voice only to find it lead to four beings. Zeph'ere had never seen a salamander in person, he had only read about them in his princely studies, they seemed far more human than he had pictured them. While he seemed nonviolent, Zeph'ere was unsure he had any want to stop him as he left. These two women both seemed like fish out of water, they had rare hair colors and voices. Everything about them made him feel that they were not human the more he looked upon them. And this man in dark armor, Zeph'ere could not quite get a read on at all. He was like a black statue that radiated the feeling pain and coldness. Looking at him, made his feathers ruffle nervously.

Zeph'ere was unsure of what compelled him to do so, but he reached up and removed his helmet, revealing his long luxurious sunset red hair and his attractively chiseled face. His eyes caught the light of the moon and seemed as if they glowed. His featherless head was pale and human-like.

"Excuse me, but who are all of you...?" he spoke in slow graceful calmness.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

As the song ended Echo stood still, sheepishly watching her dear friend as she sprinted toward her. As her friend grew closer and closer to her, she braced herself for the impact. She had a feeling Knell would end up crashing into her.


Someone said ā€œWho are you..?ā€ To her in the distance, which made her twist to see who it was. When she heard him say that, she realized that someone had been attempting to sing with her. Thinking back, his voice was not bad. He had harmonized with herā€¦ But the joy of seeing Knell masked the sound to her at that moment.


Who was this person? He obviously didnā€™t know Knell or Echo(or rather, it seemed that way). In Echoā€™s mind, he posed no threat for the time being. He did not seem to want to hurt anyone. Moreā€¦ Whimsical and curious than anything.


As Echo turned to see and became lost in her thoughts, her friend crashed into her with a trip. The fall not only caused Knell to collide with Echo, but it also caused Echo to fall to the ground. Gravity certainly wasnā€™t her friendā€¦ Almost anything could cause her to fall over on landā€¦ In the water she may be as graceful as a butterfly, but on land she is as clumsy as a duck. She was constantly at war with her worst enemy, gravity.


As Echo sat there with Knellā€™s arms wrapped around her, she smiled to her dear friend. ā€œI am so happy to see that youā€™re unharmed.ā€ She beamed, hugging her back.


At the same time, her friend cried, ā€œEcho, Iā€™m so sorry!ā€


Sympathizing and knowing Knell expected to get a lecture, she patted the princessā€™s head. ā€œItā€™s alright. It could have happened to me just as easily. Just be more careful.ā€ Even though Knell was the same age as Echo and not closely related at all, Echo saw her as her younger sisterā€¦ Always getting into some kind of trouble.


Happiness oozed from inside Echoā€¦ It grew and grewā€¦ Her heart felt warm as her lost family was reunited with her. However, it stung as her friend cried. The bittersweet feeling made Echoā€™s eyes sting. Nevertheless, she would not cry. She would not permit herself to do so.


In the distance, Echo heard a man. "I hope you'll excuse the maiden, she has been looking for her companion there for most of the day." He spoke, waving toward someone. He was motioning the person to come to him. Looking at who he was waving to, she notice it was actually two people, one of which was the man who sang with her earlier. But Echo was confused as to how this man knew so much. "Please, can you give them a moment? They've both had a tiring day." He looked toward Echo and Knell. "Besides," he said as he faced one of the two he motioned, "you look drunk," Then to the other, "and you look lost." Was he trying to cause a fight? This man did seem to pose more of a threatā€¦


"Great first impression." Echo heard another man speak. As Echo faced him, he looked at Echo and Knell. "But believe me I get it. Losing a friend or family member for even a day can get rough." He patted the man on the back. "Trust me, if I was drunk it'd be a lot worse." Then tapped his armor. "Come see me if you ever need that suit of yours tuned up." He said walking off the bridge and back home. Was he a blacksmith?


"Excuse me, but who are all of you...?" The one who asked who Echo was earlier spoke. He had removed his helmet, exposing flamboyant sunset hair and his smooth face. Light from the moon reflected on his eyes, making them appear to glow. He wasā€¦ Beautiful.


Unsure of how to respond, Echo tilted her head to the side in thoughtā€¦ Was it her place to say anything? ā€œWeā€™reā€¦ā€ She motioned toward herself and her companion, ā€œTravelers.ā€ She blushed. She didnā€™t know whether or not saying her name would be proper. She only knew Knell of the people thereā€¦ And so many people surrounded themā€¦ Her face reddened with embarrassed, her face reddened even further.

Nervous about what else to say, Echo brushed her hair to the other side with her fingersā€¦ It was a nervous habit sheā€™d acquired over the yearsā€¦

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Tears continued to come to the little Princessā€™ eyes, though they were indeed ones of happiness. Echo was back, her dearest one was back with her now . . . and she was not angry. Careful, yes, she needed to be more careful, didnā€™t she? She never wanted to worry her friend again, she didnā€™t want to make Echo sad or anxious againā€”no, causing someone worry was a bad thing to do. Knell remained there, with her arms still wrapped around her friendā€™s middle, it not occurring to her that Echo mightā€™ve wanted to get back up to her feet, even if the two of them looked ridiculous sitting there on the ground, one of them clinging onto the other as if for dear life. . . . ā€™Um, Knell donā€™t you think that you might want to move? You and Echo arenā€™t exactly the only two people around you know.ā€™ Canaan interjected into his sisterā€™s thoughts.

ā€™I am sorry Canaan, I understand what you mean with your words, but I do not think that I could move, even if I willed myself to do so, I am simply too elated.ā€™ she apologized sheepishly.

A, unstable, but happy breath escaped from Knellā€™s lips as she smiled and forced herself to pull away from her friend as she responded to the questioning of the person whoā€™d landed before Echo moments before Knell had reunited with her. ā€Weā€™reā€¦ Travellers.ā€

The Undine princess smiled abashedly as her friendā€™s face flushed with color and she proceeded to stroke at her hair in an anxious fashionā€”though Echo was a strong girl at heart, she still a bit meek when it came to new people, and so many of them at once. Had all of them but Crane been lured to this place by their sweet singing? Undine were renowned for their voices, for having a profound impact upon their listeners, the gift of song given to them by their dearest Father Osael upon their birth eons ago. Knell knew not if their voices had lured the newcomers to their location, but if that was indeed the case, it was almost embarrassing to consider. The notion of it even caused the little Princess there to have her cheeks go a bit red as she gave the lot of them an abashed smile.

Sitting there next to Echo, the pigtailed girl laughed the slightest bit before she turned her head and quickly grabbed onto her dearest friendā€™s hand with her own, the one sheā€™d been using to nervously play with her hair. ā€œI apologize for the sudden and rather impolite manner in which I greeted Echo, yet I could not help myself from doing so,ā€ she laughed a bit, sniffling while the tears from her joyous outburst began to finally dry. ā€œShe and I are indeed travelers, wandering the lands to better grasp the beauty of the world, yet we are still rather inexperienced in our dealings with much, and thanks to this, we unfortunately managed to get separated earlier this day after I suffered . . . an accident.ā€

She wiped at her eyes before bringing the aquamarine orbs to open again, actually getting a proper look at the people around her this time. She was . . . surprised to say the least upon seeing the person before her, he was different lookingā€”feathers, yet humanoid. Perhaps he was one of the Sylph sheā€™d read about some time before, the people of the air. By the standards of ordinary women . . . he would be considered an attractive one, she supposed. However, Knell was not quite sure if that were true. . . . Remembering well the case of her position and Echo, hiding their identities as Undine to everyone, sans Crane whoā€™d quickly figured out the truth, the teal-haired girl smile again before speaking once more. ā€œI am called Knell Blackburn, and my dearest companion here,ā€ she paused and gestured to the abashed Echo, ā€œIs Echo Thrussell.ā€

ā€™What of the knight, Knell?ā€™ Canaan reminded his sister of Crane whoā€™d slipped her mind in her moment of joy.

The realization of this caused the girl to momentarily panic before she forced herself to regain some normalcy, ā€œAh! I had nearly forgotten to do so! However, the knight donned in black armor is also a traveling companion of mineā€”he aided me when my life was being threatened following the separation Echo and underwent, he is now acting as a protector and guide to myself and my dear friend.ā€

Knell turned her gaze up to Crane and smiled, ā€œSir Crane? Perhaps you would want to properly introduce yourself instead of having me do so?ā€

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Abilene had been listening happily to the beautiful melodies sung by the female and male from her perch in the old maple tree. Her senses were tangled up in the feeling and emotion that poured forth from the voices, and it seemed almost like a shock-wave to her emotions when they ceased their wonderful music. She listened harder for their melody, but picked up the sound of another's voice joining in - a female, who had a distinctive ring to her song.

The music continued on between the voices, until it seemed to end entirely. Abilene wasn't sure of the cause, and wished desperately for the song to continue; it had such a calming effect on her, and she felt ripped away from that calming sensation when the song ended. It left her wanting for more.

Swinging her feet up onto the branch next to her, she pushed herself up in to a walking position. Her movements throughout the branches were feline-like in nature, as she seemed to possess this almost unearthly balance. Moving around the large trunk of the tree, she climbed higher in its branches, and began her outward movement towards the sounds original location in hopes of catching it once more.

She listened harder, and found herself catching bits of a conversation between a group. Her curiosity was getting the best of her, and she searched the area ahead of her for signs of the group. Her eyes found a bridge, not too far from her location in the tree, just over the water. The group was gathered around, speaking with one another. A male from the group broke off and went his own way, and some more joined into the gathering. Abilene tried harder to hear what the conversation was about - these people seemed odd to her; different. She had never seen someone with wings before, or hair of such a bright fiery color. And the two females who seemed alike in some way were also a curiosity to her; they seemed almost as if they didn't belong. There was one female who seemed normal compared to the rest, as well as two males who she couldn't really see all two well; she assumed they were rather normal. And then there was also that large metal... person? She wasn't all too sure on what was standing with the group. She had heard what sounded like a males voice come from inside it, but the concept of armor confused her.

Leaning out more on the branch, she strained harder to hear that groups conversation. She felt the old maple give a groan, and she looked towards the tree in apology. "I just want to hear the song again..." she said to the tree, as if explaining her reasoning. Turning back to look at the group, she made another motion to try to hear better...

...and found herself no longer high up in the tree branch. Instead, she was plummeting towards the water below the branch she had been on, having seemingly taken a tumble from the branch for being overzealous on hearing the beautiful song once more.

She hit the waters surface with a medium impact, the force of it stunning her for a few moments; she immediately found water filling her nose and mouth, which was enough to break her out of that stunned stillness. Abilene felt as if the weight of the world was upon her, and she struggled underwater for a few moments, trying to push herself upward. The cold water stung against her skin, and she stuck her hands out in an attempt to find something to grab onto. A lonesome root from the maple tree was the first thing she grabbed, so she pulled herself towards the tree itself using the root as a guide. Touching mud, she scrambled up and out of the water, onto the bank where the tree was growing near. She coughed water out of her mouth as well as the bit she felt in her lungs, and gasped for clean air, feeling the sharp contrast to the temperature of the water as the chilly night air filled her lungs and numbed her skin.

Clothing clinging to her form, she tried to stand to remove herself from such a close proximity after such an event, but found herself unable to move from her spot; her legs were too shaky from the experience. Instead she tried to back herself into the form of the tree, hoping beyond all hopes to simply disappear into the bark.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ā€œAh~ If I may be allowed to ask it of everyone here . . . why is it that everyone converged into one location so suddenly?ā€ Knell asked.

Before Zeph'ere could respond, the sound of something or someone fell into the nearby river, loud enough to make a splash, both figuratively and literally. Knell went to the edge of the bridge, leaning over it uneasily as if she did not know her own weight or balance. "Be car..." but before Zeph'ere could shout out his warning, Knell went right over the siding. Luckily, the knight accompanying her managed to catch, but gravity was not on his side. Whipping out his twin fans, Zeph'ere quickly blew an updraft under the dangling girl, gently keeping her from descending much further. However, as the knight began to follow Knell over the side. Zeph'ere focused himself to keep the air pushing them up just as the salamander returned in the nick of time to pull them the rest of the way up. Zeph'ere sighed in relief as he released his control of the wind and sheathed his fans. With a swoop of his wings he lifted himself into the air, flying over to the bridge, landing gracefully on the railing just after the salamander leapt over the side to the river below.

"Are you alright?" Zeph'ere asked in concern as he fluttered his wings lightly and tucked them back.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

An abashed smile surfaced on Knellā€™s face after sheā€™d been saved from plunging into the water, her carelessness had certainly stirred up quite a bit of commotion, hadnā€™t it? Crane had tried to come to her rescue, only to be assisted by the Sylph prince and the man whoā€™d spoken to her before sheā€™d reunited with Echo. She had herself seated upon the stone pavement of the bridge, figuring that it might make everyone around her happier if they knew she wasnā€™t standing up, and risking falling over again. Her face flushed with a bit of color, honestly, she hadnā€™t meant for anything like to happen, sheā€™d just been curious about what sheā€™d heard, the sound of someone flailing about in the water. . . . If someone had been drowning or anything of the like, she wouldnā€™t have minded spoiling her secret in being an Undine to save that person.

Yes, it defeated the purpose of it being a secret, but keeping that much of herself hidden from the world wasnā€™t worth the prospect of someone elseā€™s life. She owed a very appreciative ā€˜thank youā€™ to those whoā€™d aided in saving her from falling into the water though. No one had to actually help her out, but three people had come to her rescue.

Inside of her mind though, Knell could feel Canaanā€™s annoyance and that he was a very irked boy. Her brother was not pleased with her at the moment, or the fact that sheā€™d again been touched by anyone. He still didnā€™t particularly care for Crane whoā€™d exposed her to the horrors of death earlier that day, and gotten her spattered with blood. And the fact that two near-total strangers had even come in just displeased him even more. . . . The Undine Princess was very aware of her brotherā€™s unhappiness, but she had to do her best to not show that something was wrong, no one needed to yet know about her brother. The only person in the world who even knew about him was Echo, after all.

Nervously adjusting one of her pigtails, Knell turned her aquamarine eyes back to Zephā€™ere who was perched on the handrailing above her, and nodded in response to his question. ā€œYes . . . I am faring well now.ā€

But, she turned her head back toward everyone else before speaking anymore. ā€œI must apologize for that scare everyone, I did not mean for that to occur. . . .ā€ Knell spoke, her voice obviously self-conscious. ā€œAs Sir Crane asked me, gravity and I are not the best of friends I fear,ā€ she laughed, ā€œI seem to always be having incidents such as this happening to me.ā€ The girl laughed a bit, despite knowing well enough that just so happened to be the truth . . . considering what had happened to her that morning.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Knell continued to nervously adjust one of her pigtails as Crane had spoken to her, he wasnā€™t wrong . . . but just jumping the gun like that and heading back to the inn seemed sort of rude . . . didnā€™t it? Not to mention that the knight himself seemed to be acting off, the Undine Princess could see that his composure seemed to be shaken. She certainly wasnā€™t expecting that out of the man. It seemed sort of odd to her. Yet, after what just about happened, most anyone would be a little off their game, wouldnā€™t they? That sort of thing was probably normal enough, after all, falling was a scary thing, wasnā€™t it? Just dropping from one place to another. Really, that was one thing Knell did not like about land, she didnā€™t like the fact that one could get so easily hurt just because they maybe lost their footing or something like that. . . .

Despite Knellā€™s conclusions about why Crane seemed to be a bit shaken, Canaan had his own theories to that. . . . Although he wouldnā€™t voice them to Knell, the girl could indeed feel that her brother was musing over something, while still possessing that irked attitude of his about what had happened, and the fact that she herself had been aided by three people he didnā€™t particularly care for.

Letting a sigh slip from her lungs, Knell ascended to her feet, setting her hand on the guardrail for support as she did so. Best not to have another slip up so very soon. . . . She knew that Crane was probably correct in that retiring for the night was best, and that Echo herself may not have eaten yet. . . . But she didnā€™t exactly want to just up and leave the people whoā€™d gathered around. ā€œAh, yes, Sir Crane . . . it would probably indeed be for the best that we head in for the night, it is getting to be late, after all.ā€ The Undine spoke, a disappointed tone in her voice. ā€œBut, it would be rude to suddenly part ways with those who have gone out of their way to assist another person they barely know.ā€ She added on at the last moment, an uncertain edge to her voice. ā€œSo, perhaps Sir Zephā€™ere and the other man who helped us would like to come along?ā€

Canaan again stirred inside her mind, ā€™Knell, what are you doing?! You donā€™t need anymore strangers around you, thatā€™s only asking for trouble!ā€™ he seethed, unhappy.

ā€˜I am curious to know more about them Canaan, what is the point in living if you isolate your heart and mind from the rest of the world an its people . . . ? These folk cannot be bad, they helped me when they did not have to after all. . . .ā€™

ā€˜Knell, you are . . . too naĆÆve.ā€™

Choosing not to respond to her brotherā€™s words, a smile etched its way over the Undineā€™s face as she turned and looked at the Sylph who still sat perched on the handrail nearby her, and gave the prince a polite bow, remembering her manners as a daughter of Undine nobility. ā€œWould you like to join us, I believe I owe you and the other man who helped me out more than just a verbal show of gratitude; perhaps I can pay for dinner?ā€

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Sylvia stayed silent, she didn't know what to do. "I can either talk and possibly die...or stay quiet and possibly not die." She thought as she watched the others chat and move about. she looked down at her hands a fiddled with them as she listened. She thought it over and realized she needed to get home, the night was getting colder and she shivered. She looked weak next to them, like she didn't belong. "I-I think I should go, I am so sorry to be of bother." She whispered, hoping that they would hear her. If she had to speak any louder her voice might crack. The whole time talking she looked down at her hands a feet.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Echo turned her attention away from the group of people and her friend, as she heard a faint voice from behind herā€¦ The voice seemed somewhat close, yet not close enough for the girl to understand what was being said. Was someone spying on the group?

Just as she thought that the group might be in trouble, gravity took hold of yet another victim. The descent was much too fast for Echo to see who it might be. However, the person had been the one talking away from the groupā€¦ For a brief moment, Echo wondered whether to see if the girl was okay and interrogate her or to see if someone else had been with her. If she was talking, that could mean more company... That could mean trouble.

Knowing that Knell was there and many people beside her, Echo figured they would at least check to see if the woman was okay. So, Echo checked the branches around the one where the woman fell. The young undine was baffled to see no one thereā€¦ No one seemed to beā€¦ Still expecting someone to be around, Echo looked in the bushes around the tree. Still nothing. Echo hadnā€™t even found a listening device. The woman seemed to have been talking to herself.

Turning, Echo saw the drenched woman in the lake. Echo walked over to her, but the woman simply backed away into her tree again. She seemed very embarrassed.

Suspicion continued to creep over Echo. After all, even if Echo and Knell had left the ocean far behind them, assassins could still be hunting for her on land. If they had hired people of the land or air to do their bidding, Echo and Knell were at a huge disadvantage. It wasnā€™t only that they didnā€™t know their surroundings, but they werenā€™t used to the huge effects that gravity had on land.

ā€œWell, I can say without a single doubt within my mind that I was not at all expecting to encounter so many new people all at once here. I only sought after Echo, but, I am very happy to make the acquaintance of everyone here~ā€ Knell said with whimsy. ā€œAh~ If I may be allowed to ask it of everyone here . . . why is it that everyone converged into one location so suddenly?ā€ As Echo looked at her speaking friend, she noticed a slight wobble beforeā€¦ She began to tumble!

Echo reached toward her, but she also needed to take a few step. Swiftly, she did so, but she was not going to make it! She was too slow on landā€¦ In the sea, she could be one of the swiftest, but on land she was probably the slowest. She wasnā€™t going to be able to save her friendā€¦ Their secret would be out and soon the assassins would be here.

In a flash, a big suit of armor reached for Knell and the girl was safe. Someone in such a huge hunk of armor could move so much faster than Echo on landā€¦ Even in her light cloth. At least Knell was safe. Echo was extremely grateful that Sir Crane was there to save her from disaster.

"Gravity does not seem to sit well with you, does it miss Blackburn?" The knight said. His voice seemed a littleā€¦ Tense. Gravity does not sit well with many of us. Echo thought as she turned to the soaked girl and then to herself.

"Help." He pleaded.


Echo rushed over and began to pull on them. Still not understanding how gravity worked, Echo was unsure as to how to keep them from falling into the depths of the water.

"Fantastic." Spoke a man. He smiled as he waltzed up to the bridge and laughed. He seemed a little condescendingā€¦ "Just hold onto her big guy," He pulled on the knight by his shoulder. Echo, now unsure of what to do, helped to secure Knell on the other side.

"Come on, I can't do all of it alone." Echo was there, but she sure wasnā€™t much help.

"There you go, now if you'll excuse me." He went over to the drenched girl to check on her.


Echo hadnā€™t noticed, but Zephā€™ere had been checking on Knell too. Echoā€™s heart bled as she felt completely useless. She was ready to fade into the backgroundā€¦ She couldnā€™t save knell now. She would never be capable of such a thing. What made her think she would even hope to help her out? Why, Echo was only weighing her down. If it werenā€™t for Knell waiting on Echo, she might be a few towns over by now. Echo couldnā€™t save her from falling off a cliff and she couldnā€™t save her from falling off a bridge. There was no reason for her to be thereā€¦ Echo was such a useless person.

Knell blushed as the two men had saved her from falling into the stream of water below. Echoā€™s heart thrashed within her. If those two hadnā€™t been thereā€¦ Echo would have been useless to save her dear friend. Thank goodness for themā€¦ Thank goodness for Knell. She was safe.


ā€œYes . . . I am faring well now.ā€ Knell responded to Zephā€™ere and Echo noticed his presence. ā€œI must apologize for that scare everyone, I did not mean for that to occur. . . .ā€ Nervousness filler her voice. ā€œAs Sir Crane asked me, gravity and I are not the best of friends I fear, I seem to always be having incidents such as this happening to me.ā€ Nervous laughs escaped her dear friend.

"Perhaps we should retire for night then, Miss Blackburn. Before you have anymore accidents. I believe your friend hasn't had dinner either." He spoke ever so calm and consideratelyā€¦ But Echo wouldnā€™t be joining them for dinner. She certainly wasnā€™t hungry. She bet that Knell was angry with herā€¦ After all, her dear friend did absolutely nothing to help her. She couldnā€™t. She was too weak. Echo always leaned on Knell, but she felt as though Knell could never depend on her for anything. Why was Echo even there?

ā€œAh, yes, Sir Crane . . . it would probably indeed be for the best that we head in for the night, it is getting to be late, after all.ā€ Disappointment echoed from Knell as she responded ā€œBut, it would be rude to suddenly part ways with those who have gone out of their way to assist another person they barely know. So, perhaps Sir Zephā€™ere and the other man who helped us would like to come along?ā€ Uncertainty shook her voice toward the end.

ā€œWould you like to join us, I believe I owe you and the other man who helped me out more than just a verbal show of gratitude; perhaps I can pay for dinner?ā€ Echo didnā€™t lift a finger to stop her dear friend. She was the suspicious type, but she was too busy wallowing in guilt to think of how bad it might be to have strangers at the tableā€¦ Especially after they had saved her best friend.

Echo did her best to slip away from the crowd. Knell would surely be better off without Echo weighing her down. If it came to Knellā€™s life or continuing a friendship with her, Echo would have to choose Knells lifeā€¦ And twice in one day Echo had been in capable of helping her dearest and only friend. Echo was better off friendless if she couldnā€™t help them out. Knell was better off without a friend who could only sit in the sidelines. It tore Echo apartā€¦ She deeply wanted to thank the two for saving her friend, but she couldnā€™t. Doing so would draw unwanted attention to the undine girl. After all, she was trying to run away. She could come back some other time, after she had trained moreā€¦ Then maybe she could help her friend. Maybe she wouldnā€™t be such a dead weight or a third wheel.


Desperately, Echo wanted to jump into the waterā€¦ She wanted to hide in it. However, the water wasnā€™t near deep enoughā€¦ Echo wanted to drown in it, but surely an undine couldnā€™t drown. Such was unheard ofā€¦ How silly it was to think that. If only she could backtrack to the sea. Then she could be at home againā€¦ A lonely place, certainly not the same home Echo and Knell originated fromā€¦ But under the water at leastā€¦

The emotionally distraught undine child backed her way off of the bridge. She was ready to free Knell from her weight, even if that meant she had to travel in the night. Echo wouldnā€™t say goodbye, for she knew Knell would try to stop her. Hopefully, she wouldnā€™t notice the one she called her friend for so long running away. Sheā€™d stop her for sure.

Echo knew running away would make her dear friend hate her and she would never trust Echo again if they were to meetā€¦ It would break her friendā€™s heartā€¦ Echo wished she didnā€™t have to, but at least Knell would be more capable of survival. One less person for Knell to worry aboutā€¦

It was a flawed planā€¦ But there could never be a perfect plan.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Having heard it asked enough times, Zeph'ere wanted to explain himself. "I was just following that one's voice." He raise his hand along with his wing and point at Echo. He tucked his white wing back in and continued. "I heard her voice near the mouth of the river. I am traveling the world on my Rums'nido, my kind's rite of passage. I heard her voice coming from the bridge but then carried closer to town. It was a beautiful tune, I've never heard anything like it." The heir-prince knew the dangers of this world, but he had yet to cross anything he wasn't able to stop on his own. But if it comforted the young woman with a voice as pure as the sea, it would better to go inside. "I've just arrived here, I can afford lodging so I will be happy to reimburse you for my stay." Zeph'ere smiled with the sincere charm becoming of a future king.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Echo-Una Acacia Amalric de Oceania
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Knell could not help the abashed expression that formed over her face at hearing that so many strangers had possibly gathered to the bridge because of the singing sheā€™d begun and Echo had taken to as well beforehand. Song was a gift from the great Father Osael, a present to his Undine children. Even when it was not being used to invoke the many blessings of water, it still carried to it an edge that appealed to people, and caught their souls . . . even if such a thing was not intended. All she had been wanting to do was to sing, to remember the lullaby sung to her by her missing mother. ā€˜It seems that Echo and I drew everyone in.ā€™ she laughed just a bit at the thought, face flushing just a bit. ā€˜Undine are suppose to be renowned for their voices, are they not?ā€™

ā€˜Of course, Undine are known for that throughout the world, among other things, Knell. . . .ā€™ Canaan responded as his sister drew a hand up to the side of her face. ā€˜Are you really getting embarrassed now?ā€™

ā€˜I-I cannot help it. I did not mean for my singing to spawn this.ā€™ she sighed, ā€˜My song drew people together and interrupted their actions because it grasped hold of them, and inhibited their thoughts.ā€™

ā€œI must apologize to everyone,ā€ the Undine started, drawing her hand back down to her other, intertwining her fingers together at her front. ā€œEven if you are not upset by the fact that you were drawn here by the song Echo and I sang, I still believe I owe you all an apology. . . .ā€ Even if there was no need for her to say sorry to anyone, Knell could not help but feeling some level of guilt for what her song had done. Shaking her head, Knell looked back at everyone around her, ā€œRegardless of whether or not everyone is capable of paying their own ways, I would still prefer to at least pay for a late meal for everyone that the song drew together.ā€

Setting a hand to her mouth, Knell shouted, ā€œEcho!! Come now, we are headed to the Inn to eat, you need to be properly introduced to Sir Crane as well since you and I are to be traveling with him consistently soon!ā€ She had no idea that her friend was turning to flee away from her. All she knew for sure was that the distance between herself and the other Undine had widened, thinking it was only because of the shyness felt by the pastel-haired girl. The guilt within Echoā€™s heart was an unknown stigma to Knell . . . she assumed only the obvious of her dear one. Although Knell was otherwise oblivious to what remorse lay within Echo, there existed someone else who was not quite so assuming.

Within his half of her mind, the Undine Princess could feel her brother stirring regarding the action taken by Echo then. He knew what she was doing, what it was she was up to now . . . that her gaining distance was not because she was timid toward all of the new people around. As Echo continued to slip further away into the dark night, a look of confusion passed over Knellā€™s young face, sorrow melded into it. She didnā€™t understand why. Why Echo was still . . . going. ā€˜Ca-Canaan? Why has Echo not stopped yet? Even if she were nervous around strangers, she would have ceased moving by now.ā€™

Tears began to form within Knellā€™s eyes, but she blinked them away. ā€œEc-Echo . . . ?ā€ she murmured out, taking just a step forward, a hand drawn up to her chest in uncertainty.

Within her mind, Canaanā€™s presence began to strengthen. And Knell herself felt as if she were growing weak; falling asleep abruptly. The suddenness of the feeling hit her, and made her stumble where she stood, looking faint in the face. She knew this feeling, like a hand gently clasping around her soul, drawing it away from the world and into a soothing hold, an embrace like that of a motherā€™s. The connection she felt to reality felt as if it were fading away, slowly, slowly. Her senses began to grow weaker, until they were no more, and only tiredness overtook her. ā€˜Canaan . . . please be kind to those who aided me. . . .ā€™ That was the last thing she thought before slipping into the darkness of slumber. The Undineā€™s body stilled as this transition took place, her face vacant, without an expression; her eyes utterly listless.

As it ended, there was a notable distinction that overtook Knellā€™s body, as her head turned upward, the appearance that had taken hold of it was quite different than before, the innocence, the kindness and pleasant glint within her aquamarine eyes had vanished and were replaced by something that seemed to be steeled . . . that was suspicious. Hands clenched into fists as her sides, her expression cold, and knowing.

ā€œEcho Thrussell!!ā€ The voice that came from Knellā€™s throat carried with it a tone opposite of before, there was no hint of politeness in it as before, no kindness, no gentle edge. ā€œDonā€™t you dare think I donā€™t know what you are doing!ā€ There was a confidence within this voice that was not within it normally, and on top of that; her voice seemed to belong to another person entirely, from the tone it carried to even how it sounded, and carried through the air. As Knellā€™s voice was reminiscent of the placid sea, this one that came from her could be thought of as similar to a raging storm. ā€œI know that you are perfectly aware of what Iā€™m talking about, Echo! Do you really think that running away from her is going to absolve anything at all?! Will it really do anything other than make her scared, and sad from the confusion of why you left without a damn word?!ā€ The Undine Princess shouted; voice loud, angry.

ā€œYou know perfectly well what it is I am capable of! Iā€™m not scared to do what I have to do in order to keep her happy, Echo! And, Iā€™ll do whatever the Hell I have to in order to make sure that you donā€™t make her cry! Get back here now!!ā€ Canaan screamed at Echo, forcing Knellā€™s voice out of her mouth with as much power as he could manage. He wasnā€™t lying when heā€™d said he would do whatever he had to in order to keep Knell from crying, even in front of these strangers he did not trust or care for. He would do anything to keep his sister smiling, and happy. Even if it meant exposing her as an Undine to more people than just the knight; he would invoke the water below and force Echo into her Undine form before letting her run away from Knell by land; heā€™d leave her ā€˜beachedā€™ where she was before she could get away.

No matter how painful the change was for an Undine, Canaan was not afraid to induce it upon the person Knell held as one of her dearest as long as it meant keeping her around, to keep Knell smiling. Echo knew about Canaan, how different he was from Knell, what he would do, could do. . . . And, if she didnā€™t come back of her own volition, she would come back by force.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

"I was just following that one's voice." The winged one pointed toward Echo, but she would never have known. She didnā€™t think much of her voice. It may have been gorgeous, but in her mindā€¦ She was nothing special. Echo assumed Zephā€™ere had been speaking of Knell. He raise "I heard her voice near the mouth of the river. I am traveling the world on my Rums'nido, my kind's rite of passage. I heard her voice coming from the bridge but then carried closer to town. It was a beautiful tune, I've never heard anything like it. I've just arrived here, I can afford lodging so I will be happy to reimburse you for my stay." He sounded pleasant from behind the tall undine.


ā€œI must apologize to everyone,ā€ Echo could hear her friend speak from behind her. She sounded ratherā€¦ Nervous. ā€œEven if you are not upset by the fact that you were drawn here by the song Echo and I sang, I still believe I owe you all an apology. . . Regardless of whether or not everyone is capable of paying their own ways, I would still prefer to at least pay for a late meal for everyone that the song drew together.ā€ Echo felt her heart sink with every word the princess spoke. She fought back the tears welding in her eyes. She would not cry.

ā€œEcho!! Come now, we are headed to the Inn to eat, you need to be properly introduced to Sir Crane as well since you and I are to be traveling with him consistently soon!ā€ Echo heard her dear friend call to her. She gripped the cloth over her heart and braced herself. She felt the confusion wash over her friendā€¦




ā€œEc-Echo . . . ?ā€ Knell cried outā€¦


Echo stoped.

MOVE![/] She urged herselfā€¦ [i]Run! She begged herself. She did not move. Her heart bled within her chest. Water continued to build up in the young oneā€™s eyesā€¦ I will not cry! It was an order. She begged herself not to cryā€¦ Her eyes reddened with the urge to let her tears fall.



ā€œEcho Thrussell!ā€ It was Canaanā€¦ His voice was hard and coldā€¦ There wasnā€™t a hint of a waver in it. His voice was a rock. Echo collapsed to her knees. She sniffled, but she refused to cry. ā€œDonā€™t you dare think I donā€™t know what you are doing!ā€ His voice stayed strong and accusingā€¦ Sometimes Echo wondered if Canaan knew her better than Knell didā€¦ He believed less of the goodness in everyone than Knell seemed to. ā€œI know that you are perfectly aware of what Iā€™m talking about, Echo! Do you really think that running away from her is going to absolve anything at all?! Will it really do anything other than make her scared, and sad from the confusion of why you left without a damn word?!ā€ His voice raged like a hurricane, forcing winds knocking Echo futher down than she had ever feltā€¦Canaan was rightā€¦ All Echo would do by leaving is cause more problemsā€¦ If Echo stayed, sheā€™d weigh her friend downā€¦ If she left, she would weigh her down. The options were plain and simple. Weigh Knell down or weigh Knell downā€¦ Echo was a dead weight no matter what she didā€¦

Echoā€™s hands gripped the clot harderā€¦ Her pale skin seemed almost transparent, showing the bones of her knuckles under it.


ā€œYou know perfectly well what it is I am capable of! Iā€™m not scared to do what I have to do in order to keep her happy, Echo! And, Iā€™ll do whatever the Hell I have to in order to make sure that you donā€™t make her cry! Get back here now!!ā€ Echo was submissive. She forced herself to stand and she drug herself to his sideā€¦ Her back was curved. She slouched unconsciously as she wished to disappear.

Please donā€™t speak of Knell as herā€¦ Someone will find outā€¦ Echo begged insideā€¦ Echo was ready to give up. She was ready to vanish foreverā€¦ To cease her existence. There wasnā€™t a reason for her to be around. She knew she was nothingā€¦ That she was the original betrayer of Knellā€¦ There was no reason Knell would want such a horrid and evil person to stay by her side. She could never make up for that mistake. She could never mean anything to anyoneā€¦ But somehow she meant something to the princess.

Knell held Echo dear to her heartā€¦ Echo held Knell dear to hers. But there was a reason their friendship was forbidden. People like Echo should never existā€¦ Echo had no place in the worldā€¦ The gloom air of doom hung in the air around Echo. She felt as though everyone could see her tar heart bleeding from a mile awayā€¦ The darkness in her was prominentā€¦ Even if Echo would not allow herself to shed any tearsā€¦ She knew her pain was apparentā€¦ Why am I here? She questioned herself. She was ready to bolt away, to leave the world far behindā€¦

All Echo could do was prove how much of a fool she wasā€¦ No matter what she did now, she would forever lose the trust of her friendā€¦ Of course, Knell had every right to hate Echo and to never trust herā€¦ This makes two betrayals from Echo and none from Knellā€¦


Echo felt like gum on someoneā€™s shoeā€¦ Icky, gooey stuff that never lets go, but aggravates everyone. Although that is horrid, Echo didnā€™t know how to changeā€¦ Although she trained to be strong, she was still as weak as a little guppy. Her heart wanted to help Knell, but her mind didnā€™t know howā€¦ No matter what, both of them would be hurt if Echo didnā€™t get stronger soonā€¦ Faster too. Under the sea, she may be fast and strong, but even with the pressure of the sea weighing against her, she was weak and slow on land. The pressure of the water felt like nothingā€¦ She could float through the sea and never know anything elseā€¦ With that, she would be content. On land, Echo didnā€™t understand how to coordinate her body and she became flimsy and slowā€¦ Gravity pushed her to the ground and there was nothing Echo could do to stop it. It did the same to Knell. The last thing Knell needed was for another clumsy undine to prance around and ruin things for herā€¦ But she also didnā€™t need to lose her friend. Some friend Echo wasā€¦

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crane Ichabod Character Portrait: Knell-Lia Maris Osael de Oceania Character Portrait: Zeph'ere la Skiya ver Nimvus Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Remmy Jakova Character Portrait: Sylvia Wiles
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Embarrassment was the first emotion to write itself onto Abilene's face; that was followed almost as quickly by a feeling of needing to be withdrawn from the situation. Torn between staying by the tree and running off, as best as she might have been able to in a soaking wet dress, the pale-haired girl couldn't come to a decision fast enough on whether to leave or stay.

Her commotion seemed to cause an array of trouble all its own, and the Dryad wished once more she could simply melt away. 'Maybe they didn't notice...' she thought, feeling even more embarrassment color her cheeks at the realization that maybe she shouldn't have been quite so nosy.

Her mind told her to leave, since most likely no one had noticed her - of course, she was lying to herself. But before she could make her getaway, a male who had helped right the commotion on the bridge began to make his way towards her.

She backed up instinctively towards the tree trunk, wanting more than anything to climb right back up into the branches and disappear from sight. The old maple gave a sort of groan, almost as if had read her very thoughts and was trying to encourage her not to go through with them. Finding her legs unable to listen to her brain, she once again focused her attention on the male who approached. Who was he? What was he planning on doing? She had never seen someone quite like him before. He was so very, very... tall. Abilene had to crane her neck to see him as he approached her.




What was it her mother and father had told her when she was younger, she thought. Something about the Dryad people ranging in height, and she had just happened to get the short end of the stick. She had given her father a rather bland expression at his joke - he had thought it was rather humorous and laughed about it for quite a few minutes. Once he finished laughing, he continued on to explain himself. "The dryads can be tall or short, depending on the trees they inhabit and protect. You come from a mother who protected the apple trees, and a father who just happens to be human." He had ruffled her hair slightly at that point, before pulling her into his lap as her mother continued his story for him.

"Your aunties protect trees that range in height, and many of them are taller, depending on the tree. But there are other creatures of this world who vary in height as well. Some may be smaller than you, and some may be much taller. But this doesn't make them any less or more than you, do you understand?" She had nodded towards her mother, burying her head in her fathers neck. He smiled, and her mother came to sit in front of her husband and daughter. "You must promise me you will not judge them, until they have given you fair evidence for you to do so." Abilene had looked upon her mothers loving face, and nodded once more.

Her father smiled; "Thats my girl..."





Abilene's memory drifted away from her, as she brought herself back to the situation at hand. The male was just right in front of her, and she found herself drawing in a deep breath, and pulling herself away from the tree to stand up straight. Fully expecting whatever it was that he would say to her... she didn't find herself expecting him to wrap a warm cloak around her shoulders. Grasping at it as he closed it around her front, she gazed up at him in mild surprise.

"You alright miss?" he had began, and she nodded slightly. "Not exactly the best idea to take a dip in a freezing river in the middle of the night." He seemed to almost have a slight smile about the way he said his last sentence, and she found herself looking around her surroundings, almost forgetting where she was.

Looking back up at him, she went to explain herself, before closing her mouth tightly, biting back the words before they came. 'I only just fell in... well, because I was snooping...' she thought, once again feeling embarrassment heat her cheeks. She couldn't bring herself to say it, so she paused before she gave him an answer.

"Thank you for your kindness. I... seemed to have lost my balance." The smile she offered him was timid, as if she were testing the waters. He seemed genuinely worried about her well-being, and it was then that she realized exactly what he had given her.

Feeling as if it were too much for him to have given her his cloak, she lightly protested. "I very much appreciate your kindness, but I cannot possibly take this from you and soak it through because of my mistake..." Her voice trailed off, and she felt at a loss on what to do. She had to admit; the cloak was warm and had a sort of comforting appeal to it. And he was right... it was cold out.

Her ears picked up someone mentioning food, and a place to stay, and she immediately pictured the Inn near her home. 'Maybe I could go there to dry off. If father saw me soaked through...' She let her thoughts trail off, and simply pulled the cloak around her shoulders slightly more, trying to ebb off the bite of the cold which was beginning to seep through her.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Abilene Sylva Caen Character Portrait: Itan Soldin
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

"Take it, it's no big deal. Just an old cloak."

Abilene felt her smile widen ever slightly. To her, it was a big deal. The fact that he was kind enough to hand his cloak off to someone he didn't even know left her feeling as if he might be someone she could consider a friend.

Her expression changed slightly at his next comment, from confusion to slightly embarrassed understanding. "Fits you perfectly." She blushed slightly at the realization that it, in fact, did not. The back of the cloak trailed off behind her, as she was definitely a lot shorter than he was. He seemed to be laughing though, so she felt herself offer up a slight smile in turn.

"My name's Itan by the way. Come on, I've still got some extra coins left over. I'll buy you a drink and a bite to eat while you dry off next to the fire pit at the Inn. I'm not taking no for an answer, just a fair warning."

Abilene blinked, absorbing exactly what he was saying. She pulled the cloak slightly tighter around her shoulders, before shifting her weight. "That is very kind of you to offer, Itan." She let his name sit in her mind for a bit, feeling the foreignness of it on her tongue; to say the least, it was very different from the names of her Dryad relatives. Simpler, even. She paused as he rested his hand on her shoulder; a friendly gesture. "You've offered me so much. I'm not quite sure how I can pay your kindness back." Abilene furrowed her eyebrows, before glancing toward the trees, searching for something quite specific.

When she found what she was looking for, she moved slightly away from Itan, the back of the cloak trailing behind her. Crouching by the bark of the old maple tree, she plucked a few leaves from a plant growing all around the roots. "We thank our Mother and the Spirits for their sacrifice," she whispered for only the trees to hear, as she stood back up and turned back towards Itan.

Approaching him, she held out her hand in an offering, and in it the small leaves of the plant. "These are for you in return for your kindness." In her hand sat a dozen or so leaves of Jewelweed. "Crush them up, and put them on cuts, stings, or burns. But whatever you do, do not eat them." She smiled towards him, before finishing off her thought. "My name is Abilene, by the way..."