Tallyho Abel's Story

Kyle paced himself for drinking hatsful of nasty sweat-flavored water, and would have appreciated just a single piece of the bread a couple of the girls were nibbling on, just to get the taste out of his mouth. Even though they skipped breakfast that morning and he didn't get much dinner the day before, Kyle surprisingly wasn't very hungry. He shouldn't be surprised really, because when he was hot, anything cold and/or liquid was a higher priority. He might change his mind about that later. For now he was fine. His aching thirst was satisfied and the horse still busied itself by the pond, so he let it be.

Since his necessary survival was done, Kyle allowed himself to be social and actually talked to the newcomer. "I'm Kyle. It's nice to meet you." Unfortunately, he didn't get a lot of time to be social, since Haru came by and said they should get going. The shorter boy sighed, but added in good humor, "No rest for the weary, eh? Still it is a good point." He adjusted his cap and glanced at the horses to gauge the situation. Three drinking at the pond, Haru was holding one, and nine more stood against the fence. Okay, so Xabier would have one.

Returning his attention to the young man in question, he gave a smile and said, "If you need help with anything, feel free to ask me, unless it has to do with horses. I recommend asking Jason..." Kyle pointed out the southern boy, in case he hadn't been properly introduced yet. "...or Tallyho for that." He knew the Airian girl had already been introduced.

Everyone was being pretty friendly to him. It was disarming at first but made him feel comfortable.
A quiet guy who looked like he had European roots caught his attention briefly.
Xabier wondered where exactly he was from. Since he hadn't heard him say a word he guessed that he was either Nordic or German. He secretly hoped he was from Norway as he could say a few phrases in Norwegian. Three to be exact.
"Hello" "Thank You" "Let go of me or I'll call the police."
He learnt the last one for a laugh, but it came in use whenever creepy old Norwegian tourists tried to "flirt" with him on the street.
He laughed at the memory of seeing the look on their faces when they realised he could understand them. He could only speak a few phrases,but they didn't know that. They had scurried away like mice confronted with a cat once he mentioned the police.
Xabier smiled to himself,but then remembering the person who taught him the Norwegian,his smile faded and he looked down at the grass. Not now, Xabier, don't think about that now.
Back in the present,he gave the quiet guy a nod and a friendly smile. He could think about sad things once he was alone.

Gato man said that they were leaving now and everyone started to get ready to go.
Xabier looked over to see their method of transport. Horses.
Oh dear lord, how was he meant to ride a horse. The last time he was riding anything similar was when he was twelve years old with an old donkey. One of the horses snorted and brayed his head to the side slightly. Well this was going to be interesting...
A dark haired girl nodded as she passed him to get to the horses. He tilted his head to watch her pass briefly before turning his attention to the guy approaching him.

The guy came over and introduced himself as Kyle. He was shorter than Xabier by a little and had an noticeable aura of someone who has had plenty of fun in life. Xabier found himself immediately liking him. If he was in Spain he'd be called pequeño.
He introduced himself back carefully. Americans usually butchered his name so he usually said it slowly or when he was in the hospital he was just called Dr. Sánchez.
"If you need help with anything, feel free to ask me, unless it has to do with horses. I recommend asking Jason.. or Tallyho for that." He had pointed out Jason as the tall guy sitting beside the dark haired girl. Tallyho,he recognised,was the discreetly strong blonde girl he had first talked to.

"Gracias." He replied,"if you need any help... medically-" he looked around at everyone and then back at Kyle. "Feel free to ask. I'm not bad at sorting out wounds." It was a slight understatement,but he didn't want them to think he was full of himself.
Another girl smiled over and said her name was Skylar. She was petite in features and sort of reminded him of his sister, Amaia, in height.
Xabier nodded at her with a fleeting smile. Being reminded of his family just made him long for Bilbao even more.

He wondered briefly how Haru had the foresight to bring a horse for him and then shrugged it off.
As he made his first attempt at mounting the magnificent creature, he was vaguely aware that he was about to make a giant fool out of himself in front of these new acquaintances.
"Aye Papi" he muttered as he foot slipped slightly and he nearly fell off.
Before he could make even more of a fool out of himself he pulled himself upright on the horse's back. Yes! He had did it! He fought the urge to put his fist in the air in triumph.
Xabier grinned to himself like a child.
In his happiness his leg must have brushed the horse's side because it suddenly started to move.
Caught off guard he clung to the reins like a lifesaver. This will be a very long ride.

*pequeño= small one (term of endearment used between friends)

Xabier was all smiles for the most part. His charm, lack of complaint, and general composure in light of the situation was a plus for Tallyho because it was nice not have another wave of arguments hit their tiny, tiny pond.

She sat up on her horse—small figure assuming a stable posture and noticed how the new guy almost fell. She raised an eyebrow. It must have been the food—or maybe it was the sudden wave of respect she was getting from her peers—but she once again decided to offer advice.

She riled her horse into a slight trot, her wild, sunlit curls bouncing on the horizon as she went. She approached the side of him.
“Your grip is too harsh,” she said, “focus on keeping your weight on the horse to stay up instead of gripping his reins like that.” She offered a quick glance to the others she caught struggling during the first half of the journey.

Perhaps they could all use the tip.

Somehow, the other half of the trip went by a lot faster. The heat was but a whisk of hot breath, and the sun, a candle flame. Delusion—a numbing effect of exhaustion.

Malboro was an impressive city, but for Tallyho, its wonder was tainted by past trips. She hadn’t been there since she was of the caravan. The drunken jeers and cheers of rowdy villagers during festivals was never a pleasant sound. The way that they wiggled their fingers to get a grip at her ankles, and pulled the tail of her skirts—oh she hated it. When country girls came to Malboro they smelled baking bread, and the molten metal of the blacksmith. They saw smudges of brightly colored scarves, and silver rings—tasted vegetable skewers and banya seed. But when Tallyho came to Malboro she smelled liquor, saw prostitutes, and tasted… more liquor. It wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.

There were plenty of inns to choose from in this city. But Haru chose the one most similar to the one in Tabbard. He found that having the warriors sleep in one big room was better because it would be easier to keep up with them. The difference between their last room and the one in Malboro was the fact that there were curtains, a couple of rugs, and end tables to every bed. Instead of candles, the room was lit by oil lamps.

Tallyho chose a bed close to a window once again. She looked down into the bustling crowd outside of the inn, and pressed her lips into a line. Anxiety seemed to well up in her eyes, and in a series of quick movements he untied the silk scarf around her waist, tucked and braided her hair up to her shoulders, and covered it with the scarf. She turned to the others as she tied a ginger knot below her jaw.

Just as she did so, Haru began passing out coin sacks full of gold. She frowned when she remembered how her money was taken from her the night before and felt bitter sweet as the redhead tossed a sack her way.

“Alright guys. I will be sending you into the markets to get supplies. When I say supplies, I mean a couple of changes of clothes, dry rations, rucksacks, the whole nine yards. I warn you that there are pickpockets in big cities like these, so it would be in your best interest to stay close and keep your money hidden. Because I understand that some of you need different things, we will be splitting into two groups. Guys, you’re coming with me. Girls, you stick to Tallyho. Let’s meet back here in a few hours and then grab something to eat. Deal?”

“Deal,” Tallyho mumbled under breath as she offered a downcast look—the tickle of her lashes to her cheeks could not cheer her up. She figured that she could have gone faster alone, but she supposed that she saw his point. Despite the bread she ate, she was still starving. Dinner sounded great.

Haru called for the group to disperse, and Tallyho led her followers to the street.

Xabier, huh? The accent alone was enough to make Autumn’s heart flutter. Of course, she was very fond of Spanish accents. Oh and that Spanish language. The Yo’s alone were enough to make her smile. She didn’t quite remember what it meant, she had taken French to fulfill her requirements, but it sure did sound pretty. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Autumn.” She said.

Some extra help was certainly desired. Autumn would have asked for assistance if not for Haru’s arrival. With a sigh, she put on her shoes and managed to get back on her horse. If there was one thing she took from this, it was that it was really uncomfortable to put wet feet into shoes. It was something she told herself she would never do again. Luckily, the heat managed to dry them out soon enough. It was probably the only good part about it.

At least this leg of the journey wasn’t as long. Though it still left her incredibly sore, it seemed to be a little less troublesome. The city they arrived in seemed to be worth the wait. Finally, some civilization! It was a shame Haru chose a similar inn to the one they had been to previously. She had really hoped they would be put in something a little better. At least it looked nicer. Speaking of looks, just why was Tallyho covering her hair like that? If Autumn had hair half that nice, she would be showing it off nonstop. The girl also seemed to be anxious, but it really wasn’t Autumn’s place to find out why.

As the money was tossed her way, Autumn pondered what she was going to buy. Food, definitely. Her stomach made it the first thing on her mind. A skirt at the very least, or perhaps a dress would be great. After riding in skinny jeans, pants of any sort seemed like they would be uncomfortable. As she was lead to the street, she turned to Tallyho. “So, where are we going first?”

Haru uttered a hearty chuckle.

Without much of a warning, he flung open his jacket to revel dozens of bumps and bulges hiding under its silk lining. To be quite honest, it looked a lot like he was trying to sell the group contraband.

“This jacket… I’ve had many, many pockets sewn into it. But uh, I won’t have money for long. I could only take as much as my coat could carry. But I have other ways for getting us the proper support. Once we get your weapons and train a little I’m taking you all to Ve Marie so that we can get the support of the grand Harbinger. After that… Well, we are pretty much set—I mean aside from the killing the cyclopean king part. Anyways, let’s get out of here.”

Haru lead the boys towards the market place where a larger concentration of citizens lingered.

“Stay close,” he hummed, “it’s really hard to get around here in pairings, let alone groups.”

He decided to have them buy rucksacks first as they would make the shopping trip a lot easier. Once they were purchased, he turned to them.

“So fellas. What would you like to get first?”

After Autumn’s inquisition, Tallyho also decided to tackle rucksacks first. The blonde fumbled with the bag as she looked around. Now, what next? She never had enough money to go to more than one booth in the same shopping trip.

“Uh… Hygiene… Tooth leaves. Yes.” Her words were soft, a sign that she wasn’t completely sure what she was doing. Or maybe she was trying to keep a low profile? She was constantly tightening her scarf, making sure that her hair was well hidden under its ornate designs. She tried her best not to make eye contact—greeting booth owners with hooded eyes and long lashes instead of her iris’ greens.

She made her way over to a herbal booth, asking the owners for tooth leaves on behalf of all of the girls in the group. When asked how much, she decided to request two bushels for each, then the vendor reached over the wooden perch to receive his money.
Tallyho gave her offerings then turned to the others.

“Four coins from each of you,” she hummed. Though she did stop herself, “you… you know what tooth leaves are, right? They keep your teeth clean.”

They did that right? She was too afraid to ask, but she wasn’t completely sure about their habits. Tallyho may have been homeless but she always did her best to get the basics.

Somehow the rest of the trip seemed to go by faster than the first leg of their journey, their short break having kept Skylar from going completely crazy. She hated long trips; they made her feel like she was suffocating in her own mind- one could only take so much silence and introspection before going off the deep end. Once they arrived in Malboro she nearly leapt right off the horse, her sore ass and legs screaming with joy.

Skylar huffed at Haru’s instructions as she dumped her things onto one of the cots in the attic. She was perfectly capable of walking around a market by herself (after all, she’d survived New York City for almost three months), she didn’t need Tallyho to babysit her. Still, she knew better than to challenge Haru (or even Tallyho for that matter).

Tucking her bag of coins into her messenger bag, she made a mental list of the things she’d need as she followed Tallyho and the others back outside. She had her bag but she’d definitely need new clothes- the thought of wearing jeans for any longer made her think about pulling a Harper and just taking everything off. The muffled grumbling of her stomach reminded her that she’d need food too.

“Tooth leaves?” Skylar questioned, dropping her coins into the owner’s hand as she took the bushel of leaves. “We have tooth paste… It’s basically the same concept, I guess.”

The market was fairly crowded, rows of booths set up selling everything from bizarre looking foods to jewelry. She considered wandering off on her own before eventually deciding against it, deciding that it was probably better to get to know the other girls than assert her independence.

“Hey, Tallyho. What kind of food would you suggest we stock up on?” She asked, also deciding that it was probably best to ask for a native's perspective on the food so she wouldn't wind up eating pickled frogs' feet or something.

Falke shifted his grip on the rucksack slung over his shoulder, to relieve the slight irritated tension the cord had been slightly cutting into his muscle and bone uncomfortably. His eyes floated blearily about, taking note of the confining crowd swirling about him and not keen on the situation one bit. He wasn't quite able to shake off the feeling that he really didn't belong here, stuck out like a sore thumb, and someone could quite possibly notice something. He just wanted to get this shopping over with, some dinner and resting in the inn afterward away from unwanted eyes and some quiet time (he could hope) sounded absolutely wonderful...

“So fellas. What would you like to get first?”

Falke was disgusted. Primarily from listening to the kid in a candy store after Haru's question – bouncing and waving his arms about like a fool, like he was some fruit-crazed explorer – and another boy of the group saying let’s go this way and explore the shops that a’way. But his rapidly fading normally stoic nature that left his emotions begin to be seen plain as day in a twitch of his lips or at the crease of his eyes because of lack of sleep and hunger, and the headache and minor sunburn across his fair cheeks from a minor case of heat stroke he suspected from the ride here; could both have been affecting his current mood in turn. All the same, however, he was just plain really, really done. “Unless someone has a better idea..." As a matter of fact, he did – he had priorities. First and foremost was getting home, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon because destiny and a ket-man was busy kidnapping him you know; so secondly, he was worried about surviving in this alien world until he could get home – whether it be killing that cyclo-whatever monster king or being able to return to the inn without something blowing up in his face like the recent and not so fond memory of the tavern the night before, surviving was a definite priority.

“Clozes,” The growling brass of his heavily accented voice surprised Falke with its roughness and rather lack of attempt to sound out more proper English sounds to the word he spoke, causing him to momentarily pause – licking his bottom lick idly, in an attempt to hide the faintly annoyed tick at the corner of his mouth. Yes, it was a given that he would certainly mess up because it wasn't his first or natural language: he was already going out of his comfort zone – despite his normally reserved, quiet self that value observing and listening much more than talking – speaking up and talking to them; but in turn he was tired, hungry, etc – and he just really didn’t care to be proper right now, just bloody give him a break. “Trrried foot, somezing forr vater, awnd hygiene… Ten beck to ze inn?” He finished his list short, sweet, and to the point. He really didn’t care to be lollygagging more than what was necessary, clearly. He had directed the question at the end to Haru, more so as a means of gauging that his list was complete enough for their current needs (minus some of them, not himself thank you, wanting to have an “adventure” by exploring) by his approval or disapproval; and honestly the faster that they got moving to grab things by Haru’s leading them through this maddeningly busy marketplace, the faster they got back to the inn surviving out of harm’s way relatively.

*Clothes,
*Dried food, something for water, and hygiene... Then back to the inn?

Listening to Jason fumble about his words, Lux let out a soft laugh. Taking back to her horse once more at Haru's prompt, the brunette fell silent once more. As the group moved on to the next town, Lux kept on humming. Dismounting, following the others, and finally following Tallyho around the market place, Lux still kept on humming. It was as if she was trying to distract herself, from something on her mind.

Straightening her back, her nutmeg optics darted around. Scrutinizing each and every detail of the stalls up in the marketplace, each face in the sea of people, the young Adair found herself more at ease some. Her gaze flickered back to Tallyho, noticing the peculiar stance she was taking. Titling her head and pursing her lips, Lux mused over the possible answers as to why the blonde was doing such a thing. The way she was hiding herself, using the scarf as some feeble dissimulation in the crowd. Despite the curiosity growing inside her, Lux threw out the thought of asking Tallyho why.

"Yeah... we have something similar. It's called 'toothpaste'." She answered, blinking for a few moments. "So, where should we go next?" The inquiry was spoken as she counted out four of the coin handed to her by Haru. Shuffling forward, Lux placed the required amount of currency in Tallyho's hand. A mere smile flickered on her face for a moment, just a moment. Then it was gone.

Tooth leaves? Autumn shook her head. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of them. But we clean our teeth with tooth brushes and toothpaste.” Still, she gave the coins to Tallyho. It was odd, though. The girl seemed really uncomfortable. The scarf, refusing to look people in the eye, it was worrying. Maybe she didn’t want to be seen? It certainly raised questions. What was she so worried about? These weren’t really things to ask in a public space, so Autumn took the leaves and didn’t question it.

Her stomach, which had been growling for a while now, made an even more painful protest as food was mentioned. “Yeah, food seems like the best place to go next.”

Tallyho hummed at Skylar’s question. Something that can still be eaten past its expiration would have been nice. Items with milk and fruit probably wouldn’t have been good ideas.

“Bread. Bread and nuts. Maybe small dried fruits?” She readjusted the sack’s strap on her shoulder. Unfortunately all of that food sounded incredibly boring. Tallyho might have been small, but she preferred real food, like meat.

Lux asked where they should go next, and Tallyho told her that they would get food. After all, most of them seemed to want it.

“It is primarily found on the other side of the market, though,” she said, “along with the clothes.”

And so that’s where she led them—a straight cut through the center of the market where a small clearing area was set up for public entertainment. Tallyho froze when she heard the familiar pluck of an instrument that to earthlings might have likened to a sitar. She groaned slightly, and soon the harmonious tones of women and the tinks of bells joined into to create a lively song laden with foreign, melodic lyrics. The February warrior made sure that her hair was tucked back farther into her scarf, and then she turned to the others.
“Alright. So a bunch of women might come prancing towards you, beckoning for you to watch the performance and offer tips. Don’t do it. In fact, don’t make eye contact. Just stay close to me, and stay on the outskirts of the performance area.”

Without offering any more of an explanation, Tallyho bounded off. Cautious of where she was stepping.

The song grew louder and the girls could begin to make out the stage area where dozens of women danced and sang in long flowing skirts, bandeaus, and dresses that were jagged from weathering. Bells were firmly tied to their ankles, and floral crowns adorned their heads. Though they looked poor, they were still swelling with joy as they sang, and they even held and air of grace. Their curls bounced as they sung, and made yellow shimmers in the sunlight.

Men accompanied them, though they did not dance. They wore white cotton blouses and harem pants stained with reds and purples. They plucked away at their instruments, some playing lutes or “sitars”, and others pounding away at animal skin drums. Leis laced of the same flowers the women wore adorned their necks, but they were hard to see for they all wore their hair long and their heads were bowed low in musical passion, golden curls making curtains around their necks and faces.

If all went according to plan, the group of girls managed to make it past the concert without being disturbed. Tallyho sighed as the flung herself to the nearest clothing stand, her face flushed with relief.

“By something comfortable,” she said, “and let’s move on.”


Still pleased with the group’s reaction to his coat, Haru blinked at Jason’s not so helpful answer. To be honest, he pointed too quickly for Haru to pay enough attention to what he was pointing at. The only thing he could put his finger on were the tooth leaves.
“Oh right, we will get those. I mean, unless you’re okay with rotting teeth.”

Then Kyle suggested that they just wandered around.

“While a leisurely day in the market seems nice, I would really like to know about a few things that you can’t live without so that we can get them as soon as possible.”

Then Falke spoke. Haru raised his eyebrows, trying to decipher what he had said. Honestly, most, if not all of the guardians understood a wide array of languages across Earth and Aires. After all, they had all of the free time to learn them. But Haru hadn’t used German since 1988, and quite frankly he was more than a little rusty, even when hearing the accents in English. Although Falke was trying hard. After taking a moment to get his message straight, Haru wholeheartedly agreed. He had the right idea.

“Okay, dried food, water, clothes, hygiene. Okay, nothing special there. We can do that.”

Then there was the voice. Not a voice, but the voice.

Haru turned to see its owner.

“Ryou,” he hummed. Dorian was then pulled into the picture, beat up just as bad as the cat guardian had expected.

“Well medical supplies should definitely go on the list. Where’d you find your…sheep?” he asked as planted a firm hand on Dorian’s shoulder. Apparently Ryou didn’t feel like answering, because Haru was soon taken into a bro hug, which, he didn’t really want to be in at the moment, and desperately tried to pry himself out of.

Then Harper began to ask his questions.

“Yes, he’s a guardian. Ryou Zerinn guardian of March, aka Dorian. His animal is the monkey and he is the esteemed founder of a training academy located in the mountain range east.”

Haru wasn’t really in the mood to deal with Harper for extended amounts of time so his explanation was rather quick and snappy. The only useful thing Harper contributed to the journey was the suggestion to purchase temporary knives until they made it to the mound. Haru silently took note of it.

“Oh, sounds delicious,” Skylar said, a sarcastic edge to her voice. Tallyho’s description of the bland food they’d be eating only made her crave food from back home even more. Thoughts of the pizza they served back in one of the dining halls on campus filled her head, with the perfect sauce to cheese ratio and dough that was cooked to perfection…
She had to stop herself from thinking of food any longer, her stomach gurgling in protest as she followed Tallyho through the crowds.

She wondered why the blonde seemed so on edge, the girl making a point to keep herself hidden and get them through the market as quickly as possible. Despite what she’d been told, Skylar couldn’t help but pause as they passed the dancers, her gaze lingering on the dancers for a moment before she was pulled away. They might not have had much but the women looked so full of joy, seeming to glow as they twirled around in their tattered clothing. Skylar wondered if she could ever be that happy one day.

She was snapped back to reality at the sound of Tallyho’s voice instructing them to pick out clothing. The blonde seemed slightly less uncomfortable now that they’d passed the dancers, however there was still an uneasiness in the way she carried herself- did she know them? She didn’t have time to think about it much though as she was thrust towards a stand that sold clothing, the urgency in Tallyho’s voice telling them not to take too long.

Something comfortable, huh? Skylar vaguely remembered Haru mentioning something about women not wearing pants in Aires, which ruled out the article of clothing that made up 95% of her wardrobe back at home. Trapping her lower lip between her teeth, she spent a few minutes looking through the dresses before deciding on one. The dress was knee length (although considering how short Skylar was it would probably fall a little longer) and made of a soft, forest green material with a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves. She might not have been “fashionable,” but it was a nice dress, even if it was more on the simple side. Picking out a cloak for when (if) it ever got cold, Skylar exchanged a handful of coins for her purchases before turning to face the others again.

“Sounds good to me.” Though she would have preferred meat, Autumn would have taken anything at this point. She put her purse in her new rucksack, telling herself that she would organize later.

The dancers were beautiful, their dancing almost hypnotizing. It was nothing like the drunken twerking attempts she and her friends had made back on earth. This dancing was actually good. As much as Autumn wanted to watch, she followed Tallyho. Best to stick with the girl who knew what she was doing. Still, Tallyho seemed less than comfortable.

“Hey, are you alright?” She asked. She wanted to place a hand on the girl’s shoulder, but she wasn’t sure what the reaction would be. For the time being, she would just express concern. Her sore legs reminded her of the task at hand.

She browsed through the clothes, trying to find something comfortable yet stylish. There wasn’t really anything there that suited her tastes. She finally decided on a more detailed dress. It had a white top with long sleeves, the skirt and vest both being red trimmed with yellow. With it came a grey apron and a black cloak, things Autumn was sure would come in handy later. That and they looked nice.

Keeping close to the group of girls, Lux kept her head down and away from the performers. What she wouldn't have given to be apart of that group, though, just having care free fun and performing! A rough sigh left her lips, her visage taking a melancholic mask. Perhaps she still clung to her old life, it was to be expected. Who could tell what would happen now?

Humming a little, she tried to distract herself from the sudden loathing pit in her stomach. The sudden pang of jealousy, of envy. The other girls in the group where apparently taking well to the land, or as well as one could at this point. Glancing through the clothing, at first Lux was at a loss to look for. A dissatisfied sound left the aspiring actress, a hand running through her dark brown locks.

"I'm in need of help..." She murmured, hoping no one really heard.

(Read my OOC post~)

Tallyho nodded to Autumn.

“I’m fine,” she hummed.

She furrowed her brows and began to sift through the many fabrics once more. Her gaze was one of critical appraisal. But had she really cared what color her dress was? Not particularly. She felt like she was perpetrating, actually. No matter how convincingly the wrinkles between her brows were knotted in focus, she could not.

She dragged herself through the trip, however. After the purchase of clothes, she took the girls to an array of booths—securing the need for food, combs, gauze, and any other essentials. She made sure to steer clear of the performance area too, and from her decision she seemed less tense.

It had taken the girls longer to arrive back at the inn. As they approached, Tallyho could make out Haru and his group hanging around the entrance. But there were two men too many. She could see that Dorian—the missing warrior from before—had made it back into the fray. He was pretty banged up, and the bruises and cuts only made him look angrier—well no—he didn’t look like an angry person, just unsatisfied. With the world.

Haru nodded to the girls as they approached.

“So everyone is set?”

Tallyho nodded.

“Alright, well let’s toss our stuff upstairs. The inn we are staying in today actually serves food in the mead hall attached, so we will just wait on their call.”

Tallyho nodded and glided to the door, maneuvering through her peers silently. She fell onto her cot and perched her elbows onto the nearby window seal. The shadows were angled at six o clock. The familiar sound of bells rang from below and the blonde could make out the more familiar band of musicians marching back to their caravan for the night.

The public was a funny entity for them. When they pranced on the stage they were beloved tokens of atmosphere and frivolity. But when they were sprinkled amongst the common grind, the public reviled them. They pressed their bodies away from them. Turned their noses up at them.

-x-

Those mead halls were no different from the taverns. Same grimy men, same grimy food, less alcohol. Maybe they were worse. But there was a hell of a lot of meat in circulation, so Tallyho couldn’t complain. She hadn’t had meat on a regular basis for such a long time—she was actually a little afraid that she had tricked herself into being a vegetarian. Naturally, she was forced to find a seat next to the other warriors. She was not particularly keen on being wedged between two people, so she planted herself at the end of a bench where she’d be guaranteed a little more wiggle room. She hadn’t really paid much attention to her surroundings that night. Haru jabbered on with the new guy, introducing him to the girls as Ryou, and guardian of March. It seemed that the other guardians were beginning to file in. but to imagine their group numbers doubled was quite unpleasant.

She focused on her food. Filling her head with musings about corn-beef stew until it was time to travel back to the inn for bed.

-x-

Haru was very serious about getting down to the mound. Tallyho had always believed that the usual time it took to get down there from the capital was two weeks. But Haru boasted that they could do it in five days. She hadn’t really believed him until she experienced the travel pattern Haru had them on. After making the additional horse purchases, they left Malboro at five in the morning and on that first run they rode until ten at night—only stopping to rest when the horses whinnied from exhaustion, hunger or thirst. Never mind the whining from the warriors—it seemed the cat guardian would only offer compassion to innocent beasts. And she was really beginning to see what he meant when he told them that after the first couple of days, life would be harder. After having them ride on the dry grassy plains from dawn to death he would expect the warriors to be ready to help Ryou and him set up camp by gathering fire wood, berries, anything that they needed for the night.

On the first night, Tallyho was put on wood duty, and with a few others, she wandered into nearby forest groves to hack a meager amount of wood with their bazaar bought machetes. On nights like those, there wasn’t much room for socialization—at least for Tallyho. By the time they were allowed their “free time” most would have been ready to die, or it was to be spent refilling water gourds in small marshes. Tallyho usually slept when given the extra time.

The first two nights were tough, but by the third night, Tallyho had lost all willingness to complain—and it wasn’t like she ever complained out loud either. If you would have asked her back then, she would have told you that she had gotten used to that regimen. But she began to fret—was that always going to be the life of a month warrior? For a group so valued by a global religion, there was a severe lack of glory in their job. Tallyho sort of imagined that instead of sleeping on the ground, people would be opening their homes for the group. That instead of running around with lame machetes, blacksmiths would be custom crafting armor and weapons for them.

But the journey wouldn’t last much longer. Haru was certainly right about his boasts. They had seen the fires of the savage conservation by the fourth sunset, with a fifth day to spare. Haru rallied up the group before they entered.

“Alright guys. You have been month warriors for a week now. Congratulations. I have to say, I’m a little proud of you guys for sticking to it this far. This lifestyle isn’t going to be easy, but we just have to make it work,” the redhead looked out at the camp—a hodgepodge of buildings and tents dotting the horizon, “Before we enter. Let me give you a little bit of a history lesson: The savage conservation is located at the southernmost tip of Solace. Solace is a lot like North America in the sense that it is a country of colonists. Unfortunately, this is the area where the native Solacian population has been pushed to live in isolation from the rest of the continent. And even then, they are not living by their own rules. Monks from the Monastery of the Sun and officers from the nearby military academy impress the religious and societal codes that colonists happily follow onto the natives. The camp is by no means high profile to outsiders. Anyone can walk in. But natives—they can’t really walk out. By consequence, some of you are going to get a few propositions. Natives might try to offer you things—whether they are fake artifacts, indentured servitude, or sexual favors in exchange for leaving the premises with you. You are by no circumstance allowed to entertain any of these tradeoffs. I know that some of you think that you know what you are doing, and that you can do whatever you want—but I’m telling you—we cannot afford to stick our necks in any political scuffles. We are only here to sleep, do you understand? As month warriors, you are supposed to do things for the good of Aires—and you will—but as of now, we cannot let the world know who you are. Until we have been ordained by the Grand Harbinger, we are nothing but imposters, and claiming to be a month warrior without being nationally recognized is a capital crime that is punishable by death. On that note, we will be going for a title appraisal sometime in the future. But we need to get your spirit weapons and begin your training with Ryou in order to make your powers strong enough to be exhibited for a formal judgment.”

Tallyho thought a lot about Haru’s speech. The idea of going to the Rose Kingdom to prove herself to the king and the council and the harbinger was nerve racking, and quite frankly, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

-x-

Haru led the band to the entrance of the camp. Two guards stood—both adorned in native garb, standing like stone men ready to spring to life. White and brown feathers were shrouded in their long dark hair. Their shoulder muscles were tanned and toughened but not nearly as much as their faces which were set in archaic frowns. Behind them was a group of non-native soldiers—two of which held muskets.

Tallyho heard about guns before but she hadn’t actually seen one. A part of her sort of wished that an angry bear would come lumbering out of the woodwork just so she could see it in action. She wondered how hard they were to maintain, or even obtain. They certainly weren’t items that freely fell into market circulation. She heard that most of them hardly ever made it out of the laboratories in Hales. But she supposed that it would make sense if the military had access to them. The other two soldiers stood closer to the entrance, glancing at the group and motioning them closer. They were unarmed.

“Passports?” a guard rumbled. He did not seem particularly happy to see them.

Tallyho looked to Haru with her brows raised. She didn’t even have legal papers. And if she didn’t have papers, there was no way in Aires that any of the earthlings had passports.

“Yes sir,” Haru hummed with a charm. His mouth bent into a sly smile, and the guard caught a glimpse of his sharp K9’s. Haru had pulled many a things out of his coat pockets over the course of this week, but he wasn’t done yet. From his pockets, he pulled a set of fine leather booklets, and handed them to the guard.

“Sorry they are all out of order. Call our names and we will come up if that makes life any easier.”

Having lived for such a long time, it would make sense if guardians knew how to forge legal paperwork. And considering the fact that Arian passports didn’t have photos, the work could be done.

The guard grunted the names of each party member and as they came through, he punched a wax seal onto each of their booklets and handed them their passports. Tallyho gingerly grasped her tiny brown booklet and took a peek inside.

Last Name: Abell First Name: Tallyho
Age: 18
Birthday: 20 February 1673 A.B (After Battle)

Height: 5'4 Eyes: Green Hair: Blonde
Nation: Solace
Seals:

Tallyho pressed her finger against the freshly dried wax seal—the image of two birds at war impressed into its red wax.

All of her information was correct—Haru had certainly done his research. But she wondered how he translated the earthling’s information in order to adapt their backstories to Aires? She imagined that since Harper was older, his birthdate would have been a few years before 1673, and that because of Gwen’s appearance, her nation of origin would have been noted as Eastern Isle. Haru must have done everything right because the guards asked no questions, and soon the entire group was well behind the camp’s timber walls.

“They have some supplies available for purchase so that we can make a little camp. I guess our next move would be to build a couple of tents and head on over to the mound,” Haru said. He perched his weathered palms on his hips and scanned the group.

(For Cirrus: Because of how this post is set up, Haru didn’t get to answer Harper. Assume that he answered no, that there are no gears. :p)

Some of the other warriors didn’t seem very adamant about helping to set up camp. Tallyho—wanting to get the dirty work done, stuck to following Haru and Ryou around. Completing any duties they needed done: holding up tent spines, hammering down stakes. The end products were a little crude, but they looked like they could hold up for a few days.

Haru took a seat behind one of the tents and dug through his coat pockets for a lighter and a carton of cigarettes—both instruments clearly being from earth. The redhead hunched over as he lit this treat. The sudden burst of warmth bringing a brief pleasure. Haru hadn’t really thought much about what other Arian’s thought of his earthly addiction. As long as they didn’t see his lighter he was fine—and besides—it wasn’t uncommon for locals to find a bunch of herbs, wrap them in rice paper, and light them up with wooden matches. So as far as his cigarettes were concerned, the other Airans could just mistake them for very expensive smokes.

Because they were pretty much settled in for the night, Tallyho decided that she would have a walk. The stress of travelling in a large group really took a toll on her. If she were able to handle it, she would have continued leading the life she led years before.
Without much of a warning, she began a slow meander to the forest boxed in at the outskirts of the camp. She figured that she would end her walk once she reached the conservation barriers then turn around. After all, from an aerial view, the natives were only allowed a limited amount of green space, so she hadn’t expected her walk to last for too long.

Haru was very right about the propositions she received from the natives. But she was prepared—bowing her head at every witch doctor’s promise, turning her back on any woman with suckling baby sashed across her chest and a plea for freedom. And though she fully empathized with their anxieties of being restrained in a gross captivity, she couldn’t allow herself to fall into any ultimately misfortunate adventures. When she finally reached the forest area, it was a breath of fresh air—quite literally. The scent of burning sage left her nostrils, and her senses were accosted by the essence of green.

What was green?

Visions of wild ivy laced with elderberry. The scent of freshly watered forest and warm black dirt. An overwhelming humidity that dampened the blonde’s skin until she felt dewy from the outside in.

She slipped off her newly purchased sandals and braced her toes in the soil. The pricks of fallen twigs did not evoke pain, but an open admiration for natural texture. This was what Tallyho liked. She continued on, creating a path that dwindled between oak and stump alike, enjoying the growing quiet. The birds were saying their final goodbyes before disappearing for rest. The February warrior was left with nothing but the wheezes of her rising chest. She found a resting place by way of a large, mossy boulder and strewed herself onto it like a dress out to dry—back falling into a comfortable arc. With her belly towards the rising moon she began to breathe, allowing the air to run its course through her lungs. From hot breath came the stress of the past week.

After moments spent relaxing, the blonde decided to make her trip back to the camp. There was a buzzing in her body. A buzzing that made her feel like her knee caps were exploding with static—that her legs were going to give out like those of a doe shot dead. She bent over and ran firm palms down her shins—a furious massage until the pain subsided. She continued walking soon however, vaguely aware of the leaf crunching going on a distance away. She hadn’t wanted any wild animal encounters and she feared that it was a wolf. When she made it out of the brush the same stinging sensation ran through her legs once more. She wondered if she had been bitten by a snake but she saw no marks. Ignoring it for the moment, the girl made her way back to the camp where she found Haru fumbling over a campfire, a slight limp trespassing on the usual swagger of his walk.

“What happened to you?” Tallyho asked as she approached from the side.

“Lumber on my foot,” the redhead grunted. He hadn’t expanded on it, not really being one to complain about physical ailments so early in the game. He had to set an example—if he could keep quiet with a busted foot, then the warriors could stand to walk a mile without complaining.

“What are we—“

“Chicken.”

Tallyho raised her brow and looked away. Obviously the cat guardian wasn’t in a talking mood so she wondered where the other warriors spent their time. She noticed that they seemed to be breaking off into little social circles over the course of the week, and while she could have argued that she felt left out, she wasn’t very positive that they would care all that much. The friendships seemed superficial to her anyway, friendship was superficial, she didn’t need it, “I don’t need it,” she hummed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“First chicken’s ready,” Haru yelled—a summon for the group to come eat.

“Well, if you say so.” Autumn frowned, but continued shopping. She proceeded to buy some food, a few medical supplies, and anything else she deemed necessary before she ran out of money.
She made sure to change into her new dress before eating, finding herself much more comfortable now that her legs were free. Wearing skinny jeans while riding a horse was probably the least comfortable thing she had ever done. The girl ate happily, glad that she finally had something in her stomach. She was also grateful that the group was together again, plus the new Guardian. Autumn couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Dorian, however. The poor guy looked terrible, and considering his need to leave the room Autumn could only assume he felt terrible as well.

~~~~~~~~

The days on horseback were much more comfortable without the jeans. Riding in a dress was a little awkward, but it wasn’t as bad as she had thought it would be. It would be a lot easier if she didn’t have to ride for hours every day. She had given up on her new vest for the time being, riding in her shirt and skirt alone. The annoying heat aside, there were also the duties for when they weren’t riding.

As much as she wanted to complain, there were other things to be worried about. Dorian, for example. He awoke in cold sweats each night. Being the kind of person who simply couldn’t let him suffer alone, Autumn chose to sleep near him each night. Whenever he woke, she was ready with a towel and some water. Keeping up with his irrational sleep schedule was exhausting, but she was happy to help.

The blonde went about her duties without complaint, tending to Dorian whenever she felt he needed it. Whether he was bothered by this or not, well, she didn’t really pay attention to that.

After what seemed like years, they finally reached the Savage Conservation. After hearing what Haru had to say, Autumn couldn’t help but feel bad for the people there. She really wanted to help them, but Haru was right. Messing with political affairs just wasn’t a good idea. Not yet, anyways. At least they would be getting real weapons soon. Speaking of weapons, the guns that the guards held made her nervous. Autumn had felt some sort of security in thinking that this world wasn’t as advanced as Earth, but the muskets took that away. It was a frightening reminder that she really was a foreigner here, and that she probably wouldn’t survive on her own.

She passed by the guard easily, thanks to the card. The card said her name, her age, even her birthday. November 15th. The year it mentioned, however, was strange. 1672. Autumn wasn’t sure what it meant, or how time was kept here, but it left her feeling uneasy. If she didn’t feel out of place before, she certainly did now. It was a little eerie that Haru knew so much, but she didn’t question it. It was better just to listen to him. “Alright.” She said, glancing around the area. “Sounds good to me.”

Once the tent was up, she let out a sigh. Homesickness still hit her every so often, but this time it was particularly strong. She could only wonder what her friends and family were doing. They probably called the police by now. Maybe they even started a search party. She could only imagine it, police interrogating her ex boyfriends with grim faces, everyone completely unaware that she had quite literally vanished off the face of the earth. It was a rather somber thought.

She wandered around for a little bit, hoping some exploration would make this place seem less intimidating. She received many offers from natives, each of which she turned down with a sorrowful look. Those poor people. It was too much to take. She tried to make her way back to the group, only to be stopped by an elderly man.

“Now what seems to be the rush?” He asked, smiling kindly.

“Oh, no rush. I mean, I need to get back to my group-“ She stammered, not sure what to say. Frightened, she looked for a way out.

“You look scared.”

“Well, you see, I-“

“There are many scary things out there, especially for a young person such as yourself.” He grinned, pulling out a small leather bag. It easily fit in the palm of his hands. “Take this. It will make you fearless.”

“Oh, no, I can’t.” Autumn protested. “I-I’m sorry, I really-“


“There are many greedy and selfish people out there. People who, if they used this, would be brought nothing but trouble.”

“I-“

“But you, I can tell, you are kind. Your love, your kindness, it is your greatest power. With it you can change the world. This medicine bag will bring you good fortune and bravery as long as you remain that way.”

Autumn gulped. If she wasn’t feeling guilty before, she was now.

“All I ask is that you take me with you.” He placed it in her hands, smiling.

“I really can’t. I’m not allowed. I would if I could, really, but-“

“Give yourself some time to think it over. I understand your hesitation.” Obviously, he expected her to give in with time. “Keep the bag, but do not leave here without it. Do not let your kindness leave you, or you will be consumed.”

“Yes, thank you, but I-“

“Go back to your friends. I await your decision.” Even now, he still expected something.

She made her way back to the group, confused and a little nervous. The little bag didn’t seem like anything, but who knew what would happen. Biting her lip, she wondered if Haru would be upset that she took it. Well, it was given to her, but still. She really should have been more aggressive. She would return it in the morning, she decided. The problem would be solved and she could move on.

The chicken wasn’t that flavorful. On one end, Haru had seared the chicken a bit. Tallyho was tossing blackened meat between her cheeks, its better taste leaving a taste trail of char upon her tongue. But on the other end, the meat could have been a lot better if the redhead had access to the herbs and spices cheap tavern cooks abused and coated their similarly burnt fowl with.

The way they were expected to eat wasn’t very fancy either. Tallyho was just fine with their necessary method of consumption but she wasn’t sure if some of the more…lavish warriors were. She looked around at the others who were sitting in the circle then peered into the fire. She then looked at the two chickens, beheaded, cleaned, and freshly skewed over the fire to stay warm. The cat man occasionally perched over and picked meat from a chicken’s bronzed carcass.

Tallyho frequented the meat more often, delicately pulling with slender fingers and in a cat-like fashion, accosting the white meat with an eager tongue and even whiter teeth. She prepared herself to ignore the stares of her peers. If they chose not to partake, it was their choice to starve.

Haru drew back to lie on the ground, grunting and glaring at his throbbing toe as he went. The stars were becoming brighter and he knew then that he was due for cat naps.

“When you’re done eating,” he began, “go on to your tents. Girls in one, guys in another—oh—and I noticed that some of you didn’t bother to help with the set up. Have some civility and thank those who had.”

Two things surprised him after or during his anxiety attack. One: Harper behaved somewhat civilly and didn't insult him about his anxiety, but he wasn't sure if it was really a nice thing to say. "It isn't all it's cracked up to be," he mumbled. His record before arriving in Aires wasn't something he was proud of. There were few things that actually did make him proud of himself. So he really had a personal investment in this month warrior thing. He needed to prove himself to himself as well as this strange Harbringer person. The boy swallowed as he got his second surprise in his anxiety attack. Ryou touched his shoulder.

It was a very small gesture, but it did something to him. So far the only person that touched Kyle at all was Jason, and that was the only thing that annoyed him about Jason. The goofy southern kid was fun to be around and nice, but Kyle always wanted to push him away when he leaned on his shoulder. Ryou on the other hand, he didn't want to push away. He looked up to the golden eyes and gave a sad smile and slight nod. Ryou would make sure they succeeded, including the boy who was considered a juvenile delinquent at only eight years old. Kyle hadn't spent any prison time, but for half his life a lot of people were waiting for a reason to lock him up. He could feel it and sometimes even see it in their eyes when they looked at him. Ryou turned away to join Haru and Kyle ran full force into a wall where he could have his own meltdown alone, and do his best not to bother anyone else, unlike Harper on day one.

Fortunately, Kyle's rather erratic behavior kept the natives from bothering him too much, even after he regained his composure. He combed his long hair back and reset his simple ponytail, before getting up so he wouldn't look like a madman. When he finally turned back to the camp, he heard Haru call them to eat, and the shorter blond boy slumped next to the fire. Uncharacteristically, he had nothing to say. He didn't really feel that hungry either, but he figured it was in their best interests to take advantage of what they had. Two chickens and fourteen people. It wasn't much, but he picked one up, by the skewer stick holding it of course, and tore a piece or two off; and then passed it on to the person next to him.

All the synonyms for hate ran through her mind; abhor, distaste, distrust, dislike, etc. The rides were getting too long, the brunette was getting saddle-sore even before the trip was barely up. She was sick and tired and just all around done with putting up the 'flirtsy, cutesy, friendly' act. Now was the time to drop the theater mask, and pick up the face she wore when no-one bothered to care. A scowl etched itself on her face, her lips were covered in sores from all the biting on them she had done. Lux Adair was no more trying to be 'friendly' and work her way around to the top. This was not her high school. This was not her turf; most importantly, this was not her place in the sun. The actress had rested on her laurels long enough.

Sweat trickled down her back, sticking what clothes she wore to her skin. It itched, it stung, and she was certain a rash was going to break out on more than one region of her body. Spitting out what saliva had pooled in her mouth, the brunette stiffly got off her mount the moment she was able. Only to wheel around and face the disaster that was the camp. Her scowl deepened, a sneer twisted up that pretty little mouth of hers, and she was in her full element now.

"Are those piles of cloth and sticks supposed to be our tents?!" The comment was supposed to come as a soft whisper. That was not the case. Instead, it came out as a rough, searing comment, as if it had rested on the tip of her tongue during the whole ride to this dump. Rolling her neck, Lux threw a seething glare at anyone that dared to look at her for the time being. She was supposed to help people like this? Yeah. Right. The young Adair knew that, if she was to keep whatever plot she was brewing up, she would have to play on the 'apologetic, tired' young woman act later. Right now? She just wanted to eat, sleep, and get going on with the training before she decided to rip out someone's spine.

Grabbing what food was offered to her, she plunked herself down on the ground farther away from the others. Not bothering for manners, Lux ate as fast as she could. With each bite, her seething grew. With each swallow, she was certain she was going to plain out burst from having to hide any longer. This was going on long enough. She wanted to scream, to shout, to throw the biggest hissy fit she could. The food tasted horrendous. Lux could feel her stomach churning; upsetting with each meager piece of mashed up matter that slithered its way down her dry throat. She was relentless, coughing perhaps once or twice as god-knows-what slid down the 'wrong tube'. Adair hoped to whatever higher power that was ruling this forsaken land that her 'guardian' or whatever, was going to at least take it easy on her for being a woman. Or, perhaps, agreeing with her on the insidious plot she was formulating.

Lux Adair was going to mark her territory now. Nothing, and literally nothing, was going to stand in her way. Sure, her high school empire would crumble. But this, this was a bigger game. A higher crown. Something that she coveted, and it pleased nothing more than her little black heart to think about gaining. Sure, she'd have to make some enemies, and crush a few views on her. Lux didn't care. She was done with all of these sniveling, pathetic, and lesser-than-her people. A huff let the girl as she mused to herself. Any one who was brave enough to approach would get a severe chewing out. She was done with today.