Parallel earth

((Sorry its shorter than usual.))

"Thank you Kaylin, that helps," the winter mage said, a double meaning in his words. "However, I know that peoples opinions won't change so easily." It was more comfortable being able to sit. Lying down made him feel more insecure; more helpless. At least in this position he could turn his head and get a better view of the room. "I'm fine physically," he told the healer. "Spiritually is another matter entirely. It would seem that monster's poison drained a lot of my mana. I don't think I'll be fending off any demon's for a while. It will take some time for my pool to replenish. I just don't know how long that will take." The snow walker turned his head and gazed out the window of the medical room. All he could see was the clear blue sky and a flock of birds flying overhead.

"What's it like?" Kira asked suddenly. "Having a family I mean? I wouldn't know. I've never had anyone but myself." He looked up at the winter warrior curiously with a tinge of sadness in his eyes. "I apologize if the question is too personal. It's just...something I've always wondered about," he continued. Then something hit him, something was missing, out of place. He looked around the room almost frantically. "Where did they put it?" Kira asked no one in particular. Then he looked up at Kaine, "I had a necklace, well more like a choker, with an onyx stone on it. Where is it?" he asked. I couldn't have lost it, it must be around here somewhere.

Genesis was watching the crowd halfheartedly, and eating slowly when a woman approached and sat down stating something about hoping he didn't have an issue, and he didn't. He smiled at the woman warmly, "I am Genesis," He looked her up and down. "And what a fine tone you carry, straight to the point," He smiled again a little more devilishly. "I like that." He watched her eat and seem satisfied with the meal she had, mostly meat, he ate slowly at what was left of his breakfast, thinking that if he finished he would end the conversation.

"I don't feel right around royalty, their too, high strung, everything has to be perfect otherwise you'd see maids and such running a muck and it makes people nervous." He went over the explanation in his head and it sounded right completely. He looked at the girl again, this time it felt like he had met her before, maybe not her but someone, she looked vaguely familiar. He didn't let the look go past his eyes though, he just smiled again at the woman in front of him. "That and a regular place to eat isn't bad at all to have everyone once in a while, it's better than snacking on the rations they give out to the travelers that leave and town jump every other day."

He finished his meal faster because he had been sitting there while longer, he still eyed the girl, not being able to place her in his memory. He raised a hand into the air for a moment flagging down a nearby waitress, when she got to his table he motioned her to lean in closer, when she did hesitantly he leaned in an whispered something into her ear, it brought a smile from her and she scurried off into the dense of the populace in the hall. He turned back to the woman sitting with him. Snickering at the waitress that just scurried off. "Hope you don't mind it but I've something for us when she gets back, hopefully you won't mind it though. He took in the details of the woman there, trying to place who she reminded him of, but was interrupted when the waitress brought back what he had asked for, Elderberry Wine, finest among all wines he thought, though this would break him of all money he had it was better to drink and hear stories than to just hear stories, that and he would take the bottle for later use, for someone in the new group of people he had met surely might drink with him later on. He smiled as he took the wine and mugs, pouring one and sliding it across the table to the woman and then pouring another, after handing the waitress the last of his coin purse to pay off the bottle.

He raised his mug just a little in front of his face in a cheers motion. "So, What's your story?"

Lilly scooted away from the door as he exited his room. His intricately patterned top made her smile, seeing as how she was a fan of unique clothing. It complimented his Spring tone perfectly, making her wonder if he matched all his clothes to his green skin. Shaking off the idea, she focused on what he was saying as they walked down the corridor. As she listened to him further describing the necklace, she was beginning to feel more anxious about having it as a gift. Her right hand reached up to her chest, fumbling with the tiny cat stone between her fingers. They way he stressed how important it was to him and his family made her nervous, and let her believe she wasn’t worthy of such thing. After all, Lilly has had a bad track record of losing her own belongings. Her favorite necklace that her own clan had given her as a symbol of pride was lost years ago in a rush to get somewhere. Oddly enough though, Lilly believed she spotted Genesis wearing it at the ball. She would have to find him at breakfast or later in the day to ask where he had acquired it. If it indeed was hers, it would be as if fate, that the stone itself had found her. The thought gave her chills, hoping that was the case. Meanwhile, she was now responsible for Orin’s necklace, and the idea of hurting it in any way worried her dearly.

She twisted the stone around in her fingers, continuing to follow Orin along. “By the sound of it, it doesn’t sound like you are too keen on parting with your necklace,” she noted, consideration filling her tone. Most of the time she worried about other’s feelings more so than her own, and if keeping his necklace was hurting him or his family, she wouldn’t be able to wear the necklace joyfully. As Lilly met Orin’s gaze though, it reassured her for he looked pleased that she was wearing it. Lilly hoped she would be able to keep it without feeling guilty, for it was such a cute stone and she was already getting attached to it. If Orin said it was okay for her to have, then she would have to believe him, so she stomached through the thought. She would wear it with pride and make his clan proud, as best she could.

As the continued to walk through the palace, it seemed they were going a different route than everyone else. It was more narrow, but got them to the courtyard within minutes. Lilly took note of this pathway, trying to make a blueprint in her mind of the palace and locations she has been. It would help her later if she was ever to get lost. As soon as she stepped into the outdoors, the warm sunlight met her tanned skin, soaking it in like water. The heat was so comforting to her, as it was for most of the Summer race.

Orin complimented her attire from the night and this day, causing to divert her eyes to ground in effort to hide her own rosy blush that took her cheeks. “Oh shush,” she muttered, poking him in the side playfully to try and recover from the incident. He seemed to be blushing as well, but it was hard to tell. His offer of food was a great way shake off the awkward but cute moment.

Lilly watched as he grabbed a couple plates, one for himself, the other for his sister. She followed behind him in the line, taking her own plate from the table and walking over to where the cooks were. Her eyes scanned the buffet, amazed at the variety of foods they were offering. She had never seen such a large amount of food in one place before, and it in a way startled her a bit. She filled her plate with a pile of fresh fruit and a slice of bread, seeing as how they were the only foods that looked familiar to her. Being sheltered in a small wooded area in the forest kept her from learning of many other foods besides what they grew in their own gardens. Bacon, sausages, and eggs were foreign and personally looked strange to Lilly, unsure of where they came from. After getting her food, she walked to an empty area on the lawn outside, several yards away from everyone. Orin was still in line since he had double the plates to fill, and she figured he would come over to her if he wanted to.

As she took a bite from a green apple, what was left of her sleep left her. Each bite she took seemed to wake her up more and more. It was delicious, the sour juices pleasuring her taste buds. As Lilly ate, her mind travelled to what the day might hold. She wondered what the King’s speech would be like, and if he would say any more on the enemy that they had a glance at yesterday. Whatever he spoke, Lilly would follow full heartedly. After all, he was her King, and her race. Lilly’s father instilled in her at an early age how important it was to back up the King on every decision, even if it didn’t make sense at the moment. Her faith in her King was the only thing that helped her come to terms with the actions from last night. There was a reason he had brought the beast to the ball, and for that Lilly could not question his choices.

“I wonder where all my friends are,” she spoke aloud to herself, not caring if others thought that was a bit strange. Lilly was already beginning to refer to everyone she had met so far as a friend, seeing as how she has had close contact with all of them healing wise. Aaria seemed okay from last night, but Lilly would definitely need to check on her. As well, she hoped Genesis made it through the night-- which led her to wonder where he ended up staying after the ball. Had he received a room in the palace? Being of Autumn, he would more than likely be given a space over any other. Autumn and Spring borns were top priority when it came to their protection and happiness.

As she finished her plate, she set it down to her right. Lilly wrapped her arms around her stomach, hugging herself from the fullness she felt. Her energy had almost completely returned, making her feel confident that she would be able to complete her tasks properly today. All there was left to do now was wait and see what was in store in the next hour or so. She watched peacefully as the courtyard continued to fill with more people getting breakfast.

Lilly decided to play her special flute. It made her feel more at home since she was hundreds of miles away from anything familiar she knew. The music started off quietly, but as she picked up the pace it grew louder. The melody was sweet and soft, dancing through the breeze. As she played, her shoulders relaxed to the sound. her legs sprawled out in front of her, basking in the sun. For now, it was a beautiful day.

“Um, oh..” She tilted her head giving the question some thought. She had never really distinguished between clan and family, though she knew was her blood kin. She thought of her family unit, they had never really lived together, from an early age she had been kept along side her brother in the medical wards. He parents though immensely kind were also kind, she had found her mother the best to talk with. Her mother had been one of the finest warrior women her line had ever produced, bar herself and she had been utterly devoted to war. She smiled remembering watching her train with everyone else even as a child, watching how the woman fought even with their younger sister strapped to her. Her thoughts moved to her sister with much hesitation, her small smile fading from her face. They had never gotten along, despite strong family ties, she was unsure as to who was jealous of who, now she was older she suspected they were equally in awe of one another.

“Hey hey, it is ok.” She smiled at his frantic looks, still not able to move much. “It is here.” She had barely noticed that he had spoken in her trance, but she picked up the small stone suspended from the band. Moving closer she lifted it up so he could see it was unharmed before moving to tie it around his throat. She looked at the small thing, knowing it must be important to make such panic enter his voice. Her hands delicately over her clothing, knowing that she should go, the speech would start soon. She tilted her head wondering if she lent her manna to the man so he could come, would he use it unjustly? She had no fear of the man before her, but she did not want anything going wrong today. She watched the doctor, waiting for him to go before she continued, eyes full to the brim with thoughts. She missed her home and clan already and it would only get worse once her brother was removed from her side, they had never been apart for more than a few days when he had been to unwell to follow her into battle. Weeks, months and years would pass before she was out of the Summer King’s grasp and by then the bond would have been broken.

“My family is both good and bad, as you have seen I care greatly for my twin, more than anything on this earth and I was for a short time as close with my departed mother.” She smiled lightly, clasping her hands in her lap. “It is different with my dad, he is the head of our clan, so I guess neither of us see him much, he is going to train my brother once he goes back.” A bittersweet smile lit her face, but she hoped he would not be able to tell the difference between them. “My sister hates me, but then she and I have never seen eye to eye. I love my family though and my clan, all of them.” She smiled sitting back, she didn’t care if what she had said didn’t make a lot of sense, it was how she felt about things. She ran her had over her spear, itching to be gone. She liked the company of the man, but she had always hated staying still in hospitals, it was just to ridged. The soft white fox tail tied to her spear tickled her hand pleasantly as she dwelled on the idea of family, every trying to answer the question in her head.

“Look, I guess you want to come to the King’s speech?” She asked fingers going through her short tresses once again, “If I lend you the manna to do so, I want it back… I have very little, so I will be spreading it between the four of us and I will need it back.” Her eyes darkened with her serious words as she lent over the man again. As she did so she hummed to herself, out of tune as ever but it helped her concentrate. Her chest touched his lightly as she was unable to reach over and touch her heart to his without doing so. As she hummed eyes closed a small ball of white Winter energy passed out of her chest where her heart resided, she shuddered at the loss of energy, but knew it was for the best. The man before her was good, she could see it just as she could in the faces of the Winter children she cared for and would help him for a short while if she could. Her eyes locked on the energy as she willed it into his chest, her brow furrowing in absorption. Slowly it sunk down towards his chest, and she could only wait and see if his body would except it.

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“Moirrey Light.” Her voice was smooth but held an undertone of something like cold mercury; ever moving but always a little cold to the touch. She paused looking at the man before herself, red eyes cutting. She nodded at his words, it was a bit high and mighty for her tastes, but she aiming high as ever would have killed the King given the chance. Placing the empty fork on her tongue she tested it for faults, tongue sliding easily over the sharp prongs. She was confused at the mans ease around her, many found her uncomfortable to be around let alone talk to. Also surely he would be heading over to hear the King’s speech and vows? Yet here was the wine, she smiled to herself, their was plenty of time before they were needed and if she felt like it she could always take him along for a cut. She giggled to herself picking up the mug and taking a sip, it was pure and delicious on her tongue making he smile in delight.

“My story?” She asked, raising a questioning brow. “I am the youngest in my family from Winter, my family is the head clan and I have come to take back my elder brother who is of Spring. I supposes that is not much of a story though, and since you have found the time to get such good wine, I will think of something interesting to tell you.” She paused, showing her small pointed teeth, fingering the light chain around her neck. “As I said I am the youngest of my family, we are strong and proud, known for having the best warriors. I have traveled many miles, slaying many enemies to get here. We only caught wind of the happening a few days ago and my farther came to me at once, you see I have a talent that most do not want or posses. I can cut through space, moving from one land to another without touching what lies between. So in truth I have come from over 100 miles away only this morning, that’s why I am in my best, I doubt the King will want to part with my brother.” She smiled happily, more than relishing the idea of dragging her brother back through space by his hair. He was not worthy of the praise her father rained down upon him. He would make a weak ruler to Winter and a poor clan leader. She shook herself from such thoughts, knowing time was off the essence.

“I’m sorry I was never very gifted with story telling, I have little time to do so. If you tell me yours little Autumn man I will take us to the speech.” She told him, a wicked gleam in her eye. She could tell that he did not know of the speech, otherwise he would have left before, it was no more than a quarter of an hour before the speech started, so she hoped he was quick. She twirled the silver fork in her fingers mindlessly before eating another hunk of meat. With the cutting she was expected to do today it would not be hard to get tired and she sorely wished for a fight before she left. She and her sister needed to fight, she needed to show that she was better than her now she had managed to control most of her cutting. She smoothed her beautiful gown, not feeling out of place even though her dress would have been bought for more than what most of these people ate in a month. She clicked her tongue impatiently, waiting to see what he said and why he thought himself bright enough to talk to someone close to royalty by her own standards. He had spent to much time around Summer she thought, thinking that royalty was better because of decree disgusted her, but she supposed it was common here.

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Orin paused, watching his sister for a moment before she disappeared in thin air. He let out a breath of relief when she was gone, glad that he had not been seen. He looked around for Lilly, sad to have lost her in his rush not to be seen. A few people around him were looking at his hair and skin, pointing in wonder at his rarity. He smiled taking a deep bow to them and went off in search of the source of the music, sure it was similar to the melody Lilly had played at his bed side. He walked through the heavy throng of people, seemingly entranced by the music that was played so skillfully, capturing images off tall trees growing thick with vegetation. He put down the food he had gathered on the last table, no longer hungry only wishing to find Lilly and see that she was safe. His eyes fell on her form with much pleasure, he was glad to see that his sister had not found her, though why the though had entered his mind he did not know. He walked to her on silent feet, not wanting to disturb her or make her stop in mid flow.

“That was beautiful, you are very talented.” He spoke softly in a voice of awe as she stopped, confused that he was sitting, he must have been so completely taken by the rich music that he had sat without realizing. He reached out touching her face, wishing he could see what was in her mind as she played. After a little pause he looked around to see who he knew of the people around him.., None he could recognize, but that was not a problem, it seemed that more than a few of them recognized Lilly from the night before. He smiled at he rising o his feet with grace and offering her a hand up too. He did not want to leave or to go to the talk, much rather he would spend the day listening to the beautiful music that she created with such effortlessness. No more than ever though it was urgent that he took the vow to the King, a vow even his father could not ignore, he would not be taken from his sister or Lily’s side today, not if he had anything to say about it.

“Come of beautiful muse, or we will be late, the speech will start shortly and I don’t think we have time to look for my sister. We will have to meet everyone there, I am sure it will not be a problem. Do you mind?” He asked tilting his head to one side, brushing his hand over the many layers of his shirt. He looked about to see any of the other warriors heading that way also. Pulling the slender girl along he moved them towards the open balcony where the King would speak above his subjects. All around were people of every color, but much to his dismay they looked nervous. He supposed if the King pulled such a stunt on them last night they were warranted in their fear, but surely what the King had done was right. As he looked around he saw the pale forms of winter next to the tan of Summer all talking merrily amongst themselves. His eyes soon fell on his new companions and he hoped that they together could gain an audience with the King and his Maid after the speech. Many of them had concerns about the war against such a frightful beast and it would be good to be set at ease.

A hush fell over the crowd as the Spring Maid came out from behind the curtain on the arm of the King. She looked shaky and frail, her torso wrapped heavily in ugly bandages, and behind her came a servant carrying a chair, Rather than stand at the King’s side as was usual to all thoughts who had seen the pair together before would recognize she sat, pale and unspeaking. The King looked down at her. The concern he felt obvious even to the people before him. Some would wonder if they had become lovers over time or if she just had that much sway over the King, in truth no one knew but the King and Maid. The great majestic man shook himself, trying to regain focus he came forward to speak to everyone.

(Sorry if it makes no sense.. its one in the morning and iv been up since 7.. il edit in the morning if you don’t mind ☺ )

((didnt wanna god mod anything so mercy if you could have Moirrey direct Genesis in your next post so you can do as u said in the previous post, just wanted to get back into the story with others :P))

Genesis listened to the story with a smirk, and a smile leaked out of his face when she giggled. She looked like a battle hardened warrior, it was nice to see that there was still a feminine side, he hated it when women lost their touch from too much fighting. Her eyes are what got him, Crimson red, only darker, it reminded him of bloodshed, which wasn't the most comforting feeling but none the less, beautiful. "Cutting through space you say?" He smiled at the childish repeat of what she stated earlier. "That is by far the greatest power I have heard of." He noted the body language she showed lightly, after she had asked about his story, she seemed to be in a hurry, though, who would turn down a drink? He slid his plate to the side of the table turning to face her more. "I must apologize for my rudeness, the youngest maiden of the head clan," He bowed his head low in appreciation. "And the finest warrior from the head clan." He raised his head afterward keeping his eyes low, taking in how the dress looked on this winter warrior, not lingering on looking for too long.

He sat back in his chair and took in another drink of the wine, smiling as the smooth taste once again entered his mouth. He watched as she smoothed her dress from over the mug, trying not to show his interest. He noticed in between her eating and listening to him she seemed to click her tongue against her teeth. "The speech must be soon." He stated in a smooth tone. "So I shall make this short." He leaned in closer to her as if not wanting to share his story with everyone that may be eavesdropping. "As a boy, I was part of a traveling troupe, as you may know, being one of your standard, Autumn born childhoods are usually ended short due to illness. I fell ill with my troupe and they left me in the wilderness, to die, but I didn't. The reason behind me not passing is an act of the gods, for I have no idea how I survived through that last sickness." He poured a little more for Moirrey and then himself. "I've only spent a little under a year in this kingdom, and personally between you and me." He leaned in to whisper. "I hate it here, too much time in one space, the people are to nice, and they talk to their royalty, as if they were common folk." He leaned back again a small indication of disgust. "Other than that its fine as long as you don't get into others ways."

He stood, and tucked his chair under the table. "We should get moving, I have a basic understanding of the surrounding area, but its not refined as you'd think." He started for the door hoping that she'd follow, he knew the area enough to get back, he was hoping to run into one of the others that he had met yesterday such as Lilly or Aaria, though he knew that was unlikely, in the mass of people walking the streets. He continued to speak of the events that happened yesterday leaving names out of the explanation. He watched the people walk by and gave them that smile that meant everything and nothing at all, seem friendly, he needed that out in the populace, great way to gain trust for information later, or sooner. He kept looking over his shoulder to see if Moirrey was there, when he wandered into an area where he heard faint music being played, he recognized it, from where he couldn't tell but he followed the faint sound coming into a field where he saw Lilly accompanied by, what was his name, had he been introduced? He didn't think so.

"Lilly." He stated in a smooth voice loud enough so that she may hear.

Seeing Aaria saying what she said Romolus understood, Romolus gave a small smile when he heard Aaria said she was glad he was alright. Seeing Aaria stand up and giving Romolus a brief hug, Romolus gave a hug back to Aaria and watched her leave, hearing her footsteps stride down the hallway of the narrow passage before the heavy oak door closed completely. Romouls put his left hand on his head to rub the side of his head, letting his right arm rest on his thigh hanging his hand in the middle away from both of his legs. Romolus noted in his head what Aaria said about meeting the king after the speech seeing it was a more convenient time for the king to speak to him without pressure or preparation for something else.

After a few seconds Romolus stood up from his chair and proceeded to the heavy oak door, while staring at the two winter fighter seeing they were both passed out. Romolus averted his eyes from the winter fighters and grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it, opening the heavy oak door and exited the infirmary. Romolus closed the oak door quietly so he didn’t scare or alert the other patents inside the infirmary. He proceeded down the dim lit hallway hearing his own footsteps echo down the corridor. The cold hard hallway floor his footpaws stepped on seemed to give a eerie feeling to the place seeming to have a abandon atmosphere, showing no other sounds except his own footsteps and no signs of anyone else in the corridor, which was odd to Romolus knowing the corridor should be filled with other people.

As Romolus walked down the narrow corridor taking a few turns and twists, he began to hear sounds of footsteps and talking as he proceeded down the hall. A few seconds more of walking he could see it was many warriors of all the races from every kingdom. Everyone seemed to be heading to the king’s throne room, prepared for what he was going to say, seeing most of the warriors arriving thirty minutes before the speech.

Romolus then walks with the crowd of warriors seeing that he might as well be early like everyone in the hallway. As he walked with the crowd of warriors he can see a lot of the winter folk shooting a glance of anger and hatred at him seeing the cloak of the winter’s defeat as well as death. As Romolus continued to walk with the crowd of people, one of the winter folk at Romolus’s side carrying a Bladed Spear kept his eyes on Romolus waiting for when Romolus had turned away from his direction. As soon as Romolus turned his head to the opposite side of the winter winter warrior holding the bladed spear, the warrior slammed the butt of the spear into the back ok Romolus’s knee.

Romolus felt a large force following up with pain hit the back of his knee making him stumble to the ground, he could see the other folk pass him seeming to not mind the fallen wolfman. Romolus looked at his side where the attack came from, but couldn’t find see who did the deed, seeing that a lot of the warriors were holding spears and other weapons while proceeding to the throne room still. As he began to get up he could still feel the pain in the back of his knee making him sit back down on the ground in pain. Romolus looked to see he was the only one in the hallway again seeing all the warriors were still proceeding to the king’s throne room. Romolus used the cold stone wall to help him back onto his feet still feeling the pain in the back of his knee.

Romolus began to limp toward the direction of the throne room knowing it wasn’t far from where he stood. With each movement he took he winced at the pain in the back of his knee. Romolus knew that whoever did hit him wanted to make sure he suffered for a while and disable his ability to walk, was it truly the cloak that made the winter folk grow angered to the point where they had to injure him, or was it just because of his appearance and race.

After a few minutes of limping down the hallway Romolus sat down on the ground and set his back against the wall. Romolus began to inspect the back of his knee trying to see if his knee was sprained or broken due to the fact that it still hurt even when he sat down. Romolus looked down the hallway to see the opening to the king’s throne room seeing it was enormous, and very spacious, it was perfect for announcements. Now knowing that the King’s throne room was right there Romolus would just sit down until the back of his knee felt better. Romolus knew the injury would be healed fast due to the fact he is a different race and he had trained many times injuring his knee and other parts of his body..

(sorry its taken me so long to post. The past few days have been a bit busy for me. I also apologize for it being so short, but I had a bit of writer's block on what else to add while still avoiding god-modding Kaylin.)

As Kaylin bent over to transfer her mana, Kira felt another emotion welling up inside him that he'd never experienced before. His heart began to race and when she touched him his face flushed a slight pink that stood out against his pale skin, just inches from her face. The winter mage wasn't sure what was happening and at first he thought there might be something wrong, but then he felt his energy being replenished and he remembered what was happening. It wasn't much, but it was enough that he could move a bit; if a bit wobbly. "I-I thank you," he said as the energy settled within him. He clenched his hand and found he still had some difficulty, but he would be able to manage with a little support.

Zulu looked up at the recently slain creature with curious eyes. It seemed to be made of stone and dripped a black substance as it hung in the air from the ice spear. Zulu unsheathed his sword replica and started poking at the creature with increasing interest. The palace guards and servants in the room started looking in his direction. He was there to deliver a message which he ended up reading. He was always curious about what his employers were talking about, and learned how to reforge seals long ago. It had the details of the fight which occurred in the room. "So this is the creature slain by the one known as the Snow Walker last night?" He said to himself imagining what the battle must of been like. He was amazed the ice was still intact. He bashed the creature with some force this time.

"Hey kid! Stop interfering and leave. You've delivered your message already." One of the palace guards was yelling at Zulu. Zulu faced him with a huge grin.

"Ah, what's wrong? I'm pretty sure this thing is done for." He tapped the creature with his stick causing a crack in the ice. "Uh oh." The thing started to come down on top of him. "Ah! Run!" Zulu waved his hands wildly, as he ran out of the way the heavy corpse. It crashed into the ballroom floor filling the area with a black icy mist. "All right, time to get lost." The guard looked in Barrett's direction only to feel a gust of wind and nothing else in sight. Zulu was gone appearing in a hallway outside the room.

He brushed some of this mist off of him. He looked around noticing a lack of people. "Where is everybody?" He looked around the palace quickly with increasing interest only to find part of the palace filled with what looked like warriors. "Oh? What's happening here?" He started appearing in and out of the crowd of fighters gathering as much information as he could. It was mostly about the events of the night before. Mostly just a repeat of what Zulu had already heard and read. Some things about a cage breaking, ice magic, and people getting bit. One person seemed to suggest a speech by the King. The crowd became quiet quickly all of the sudden. Barrett looked up to where all their eyes seemed to gaze. It was the Spring Maid who seemed to have been wounded. The King was also there, eyes filled with concern and worry. Barrett couldn't help but grin, as sadistic as it must of seemed. His curiosity had been peaked and he wanted to hear what was about to be said. He transported himself almost directly across from the balcony in order to see everything. Also to get better view of the injuries that the Spring Maid seemed to possess. "So... he really did show that thing with everyone around. Even her." Barrett didn't like the thought of it, as he looked at the injuries. "Hope he had a good reason."

((im confused on if this speech is being given outside or inside? From Mercy saying he is speaking off a balcony, I have it imagined that this is taking place outside not to far from the courtyard, so I am going to post as if that is so. Also barrett, the speech is happening the next day. the fight was the night before, so I dont know if you want to edit your post or not to fix that? thanks))



Her home.. the lush vegetation, the swooping green vines, the multicolor hues of oranges and reds that splashed the leaves, everything she knew of her beloved place in the forest, was being focused into her music. The beauty of nature inspired all the songs she created, and she tried to encapsulate the emotions of the peaceful sublime through the sound of her flute. Years upon years of practice and Lilly had finally been able to master that ability. To bring calm to the sick through a simple quiet melody. Every time she played she got lost into her instrument, sometimes forgetting her surroundings. It took Orin’s slight touch on her cheek to bring her back to the now. She had to pause, bringing the flute down to her lap as she looked up to see the little crowd that had been listening quietly. If her music could relax people, her mission was complete. She was glad Orin enjoyed it as well, and respected his compliment on her talent.

Yet time was of the essence, and she knew she had to stop playing for the time being. The king’s meeting was any minute now. Lilly anticipated his speech, wondering what he would say to the crowd in response to the past night’s events, as well what he would say of their looming future ahead. As Orin stood up off the warm grass, she took his hand in support to pull herself up. Strapping her instrument back to her side, she was ready to go. Lilly followed him, her pace a light skip to keep up with his own rushed pace. It didn’t take more than a minute to reach the view of the balcony from outside. Already there was a massive crowd forming, warriors taking their place around the area to get a good spot for the speech. She squeezed through the crowd with Orin, getting fairly close to the view.

Surprisingly though there was a decent crowd, the sounds were hushed. Because of this, it was easy to hear her name echoing from behind her. She turned her head, eyes searching for the source of the voice. Lilly’s eyes settled on Genesis, the Autumn born she had met and helped heal the night before. She waved him over to her and Orin, a friendly smile stretching across her face. She was happy to see that he was alright and had recovered from his injuries.

When Genesis got to their sides, she kept her voice hushed as to not disturb the quiet of the crowd. “It is so nice to see you in top shape, my friend. This is Orin,” she noted, eyes jumping back and forth between the two men. Not very often does one see those of different seasons other than summer or winter, so to have two men of different seasons next to her was almost unbelievable. Not to mention, she was secretly overwhelmed by both of their presence. The two were indeed charming and handsome, and she could feel the burning glares of women around that wished they could take Lilly’s spot between the two. Each were so unique and gorgeous. Orin’s light green skin shimmered in the sun, so soothing to study and admire. Genesis’ grace was captivating in itself, and his smooth voice pitted nervous butterflies in her stomach. Lilly had to enjoy every second of this moment, for she knew that when she went back home she would never see these two amazingly attraction Seasoned men again. She had to take a mental picture of both so that she could hold the memory of them close. Luckily the King and Spring Maid had entered and the crowd went silent, for if either were to say anything to her at the moment, she would be at a loss of words.

Lilly took one last look at Genesis and the necklace around his neck, eyes narrowing directly at it in contemplation. Could it really be it? Possibly. She shook her head, snapping out of her intruding stare at his chest and back up at the balcony. The Spring Maid looked so weak and injured, it was almost too painful to even look at her. Lilly then gazed towards the King, biting her bottom lip impatiently to see what he was about to say.

Genesis scanned the crowd of people gathering as he joined Lilly at her side, not knowing where Moirrey had gone, and smiled lightly at her comment, he leaned into whisper as not to speak to loudly." I'm not sure I'm in tip top shape, the wilds aren't to comforting when it comes to the injured, though with your help, I'll do for the time being." He caught a scent of the wilderness off of Lilly and had a small recollection of laying near the tree ill, a look of worry across his face for a moment but passed soon after, not wanting to recall the memory completely. He bowed his head at Orin, acknowledging his presence. He watched Lilly as a thought or two passed between her, seemingly distracted by Orin and himself, which he admitted Orin had an unnatural beauty to him, but let the thought pass when he noticed the women looking at the two of them and Lilly smack dab in the middle, the looks of jealousy made him smile, not often did he have the undivided attention of multiple women, usually he didn't notice them now they were just there. He saw Lilly stare at his chest for a moment then look away, had she done that on purpose? He looked down forgetting the necklace he wore, which didn't happen very often.

He slung an arm around Lilly, after she bit her lip in anticipation, thinking to himself about how innocent the look was, and noticing the complete jealousy that radiated off the other women, not something he was used to but it was nice to play the bad guy sometimes, he acted as if it were a usual thing and laid his head on her shoulder. "Do you like it? Is that why it brings your attention so?" He smiled at the sentence it was so vague and could be taken in so many ways. It was just fun to play games, it may not be the time, but when was he going to get another chance? After the war? If he was still standing. He noticed a small necklace on Lilly's neck also, he looked down at it, staring at her chest, it was almost identical, just, different the stone was cut differently. "Where did you get this? Its almost the same as mine," He pulled it out slightly to compare, lifting Lilly's up to get the stones closer. "Though there is a difference in the cut." He hadn't realized what he had done til it was too late, hopefully she wouldn't be too mad, though he did have the decency to smirk and his face flushed a light pinkish color, along with his body's heat rose just slightly. He diverted his eyes, still holding the necklace to the Spring maid and the king, he was supposed to speak soon hopefully, soon they might know what they were doing.

Gently a breeze flickered through the tree to Aaria's left. It swayed, leaves rustling, whispering and chattering to one another. Smiling, despite her mood, she looked up, watching as it moved. It was magically, entrancing to say the least. She didn't want to take her eyes from it, the dancing Elm tree. Closing her eyes, she listened to the tree. It spoke in a soft tone, reaching out to be listened to, but no-one paid the slightest attention to it. It simply stood there alone. Reaching out a hand, she touched its rough bark, whispering back to it, opening her eyes. A strange thing to say the least, but her connection to the earth meant she had a connection to the trees and plants.

In the corner of her eye, she could see a crowd starting to form. With a quick glance at the sun she realised that the time of the speech had come. Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off and started towards the group of people, waiting in utter silence for the King to deliever his speech. Chewing her bottom lip, before remembering the cut, she made her way through the throng of people, looking around for Lily or Kiane. She spotted Lily some distance to her left, however she still pushed her way through, earning her many a disgusted look as she did.

"It is nice to see you still standing," She whispered when she drew up level with Lily. She kept her eyes on the balcony, with everyone else. "You did well last night and I don't doubt that Kira is in your debt." Her eyes scanned the crowd once more, frowning as she did so. There were so many people gathered, simply waiting in silence. "Kiane had been gravely beaten up." Her eyes found him in the mass of people, he too was looking up at the balcony, tense and waiting. "I had hoped that the same fate had escaped you and it seems it has. I feared that it was because the Spring Maid was not attended to by a Healer." Shrugging, she looked at Lily, Orin an Genesis by her side.

"It is also nice to see you two and to see that you are unharmed." Smiling slightly, she winced as the cut on her lip cracked painfully. Running her tongue over it, she tried to ease the pain. "Both of you fought well last night of course." Bowing her head to them, she took to scanning the crowd once more. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she tugged down the rest of her ponytail. It was annoying her to say the least.

While on the hard cold stone floor for about five minutes, Romolus started to feel the back of his knee, feeling it was sore but enough for him to stand up. Romouls placed his hand on the stone wall behind him and pushed himself up. Romolus got up to his feet, and looked down the hall to see the entrance to the throne room was close. He began to lightly walk his way down the stone corridor of the castle and arrived in the king's throne room after about twenty seconds. The king's throne room was lined with many warriors standing and talking to each other gossiping. Romolus posted himself by the wall near the entrance he came in, and leaned on it letting it support his weight while he observed many of the warriors around him.

Romolus looked seeing a few winter warriors giving him a stare then looked back in another direction. He began to feel the back of his knee feeling it was fine now, just a little sore. Romolus began to walk around the throne room getting different views of the place, trying to decide where he should be. He looked to his right and seen a stair case that leads to a empty balcony. Romolus proceeded up the stair case calmly without haste knowing the meeting won't start until another five minutes.

When Romolus arrived at the top of the balcony he had seen there were about five chairs facing the king's throne. Romolus took a seat in the middle of the four other chairs and observed everyone in the throne room. Romolus could be seen if you looked up into the balcony as a gray and black figure. The entire space of the balcony smelled of a few alcohol drinks and smoke, obviously meaning a few wealthy people must of spent some time up here but Romolus ignored the stench and continued to look around the throne room.

Romolus couldn't wait for what the king's speech was going to sound like,seeing it will be the best due to the unifying of the of all the kingdoms. Romolus leaned back in his seat and waited for the speech to commence at any given moment, letting himself get comfortable. He decided to ask the king about who would be the strategists of this war after the speech, knowing the key to winning a war is strategy. Romolus known of a famous strategist know as "Shinsai Rashumei" who was supposed to appear here today. The Rumors of Shinsai were told by many generals of summer kingdom, saying he had lead the last two famous wars of summer winning them with honor and a great strategy. Romolus hoped to see him and meet face to face.

((First of all, I don’t mind mild god-moding of my characters (and only mine) if it keeps things going and means we get longer posts. K?))

“That’s ok, we all need help sometimes.” Kaylin smiled at Kira, her yellow eyes warmed at the thanks she got, like many of Winter it was seen as a given to help others of their kind. She checked over him slowly, making sure there was nothing the doctors had missed because he was of Winter, while he got used to the feeling of someone else’s energy flowing through his body. She knew how odd it could be, living as she did with Orin and Sherridan. The energy that flowed between them was kept to themselves, but if one became weak or ill, manna flowed from the other two to compensate. She smiled fondly thinking of her brother, knowing that she had best get off and find him since she was late.

“I’l let the doctors check you over again and see you down for the King’s speech.” She looked down at him calmly, reaching out to tuck a few strands of fallen hair behind his ear. She moved out of the small veiled room, letting one of the doctors push past. She scooped up her spear with ease and grace moving to walk alongside Sherri who seemed to be waiting for her. Her heart felt heavy as she walked, knowing that today they would take their vows to the Summer Kingdom and once taken there was no way she could go against them. She wondered if the King was truly as kind as they were told, maybe if she helped with the war he would set her free. She shook her head knowing it was unlikely to happen, at least not while she was so able to fight. If she was lucky she would be put in to train the Summer knights, helping them to have a better understanding of the way to fight with any given weapon. It would be good to fight once more, especially as she would have her brother at her side this time.

Walking down the cold and utterly empty halls she smiled to herself, soon it would be time for the King’s speech and everyone in the kingdom who could be there would. It would be like a fair; the King rarely gave such open speech’s, which was why she was told they would congregate outside. She raised her hand slowly, grabbing a tuft of Sherri’s hair and hoisting herself up onto the Spring cat. She sat with ease, guiding the beautiful creature down the tall halls with the grace her kind often possessed. Soon she and her brother would once more unite before a foe and see if they were worth the names they held. Her mind wondered to the previous night wanting to know more than anything what had happened after her short failure. She would sit Orin down later she decided, after all the fuss was over and everyone was doing whatever they needed elsewhere.

********************************************************************************************

“A pleasure.” He bowed in return to the other man, keeping his eyes low, feeling as though he had lost something. He gritted his teeth when the other man reached out touching the stone he had just given Lilly, wishing that he could do something but he didn’t dare. So he sat down waiting for the speech to start, his head tilted to one side. Orin was a mild kind of person, it was unusual for him to fight whatever was happening or how he was supposed to take it, he would not change it this time. He supposed it was the way that things always seemed to go, it was more so in Winter, no one wanted a weak partner; let alone a weak clan leader. He supposed that without his sister at his side it would be even more so. He shook his head, deciding it was best not to dwell on such ideas.

He felt a sharp change in the air, a cool breeze that raised goosebumps on his skin. He looked up and gasped in horror, his sister Moirrey appeared beside the Autumn man. He shot backwards wanting to be nowhere near her, she was here to get him and they both knew it. Her red eyes sent a shiver down his spine; almost as much as her sharp toothed smile. She looked so similar to his twin, but the minute differences added up to make her unique. He wondered how they had come to be so different, no more than two years younger and she was so full of hate and resentment towards them. He tried to keep himself calm as she turned from him, obviously wanting to make him wait to see what she was there for. He sighed, reaching up a hand to tug on Lilly’s dress, hoping she would come away from the Winter woman. He feared she might say something about her looking like his twin and that could only lead to disaster.

“Welcome to all the warriors and to the people of my land. You have come to my aid against the Daemons kin that will soon plague our land. Our foe is great in numbers, though not as great as our own. As you have all now seen they are strong, fast and deadly. If these intruders on our land are not kept in check we will soon no longer be able to call it ‘Our Land’ For those who are willing to go you will be expected to act as one, Summer and Winter can no longer afford to fight… Any form of fighting between fractions will now be punishable, do not antagonize one another like petty children, I expect better and will not tolerate anything but the best.” His eyes were stern as they looked over the crowd, seeming to pierce each person where they stood. People on both sides of the season divide looked uncomfortable, despite the night before people had been fighting over petty disputes and they all knew it.

“It is time to go big brother.” Moirrey said as Kaylin stood on Sherri’s back. As the woman that was her sister reached to put her hands on Orin she leapt from her cats to stop the touch. Kay hadn’t seen her sister for almost a year and she was shocked to see her hear, she had never left Winter before, even for war. She would not let the cruel touch of her sister touch her brother, she landed on the balls of her feet just before Orin and felt his arms wrap around her mid section. Around her she could see her friends and wondered what it must look like to them, how the knife balanced in her sisters hand. She moved quickly, but her eyes glanced up toward the King, knowing there was no way she could fight now, not after what had just been said. She stood still, red locking with yellow as she watched for any movements that would signal fight.

“I have to take him home, this is not for yours to dispute.” Moirrey spat on the floor at her sisters feet.

“Eu son leal ao rei,
eu son leal ó trono,
eu vou seguir os comandos do rei e do exército do rei sen dúbida.
Son do exército e se ve con el ata a morte ou a vitoria.
Para o rei,
para o país e
para o amor.”

The Spring Maid spoke the words, ringing clean as a bell across the people. Everyone spoke the words alongside her, the pledge was a part of society and once taken was not broken till the King had released them. Orin and Kaylin spoke the words eyes kept trained on Moirrey. Kaylin’s fierce grip on her spear made her knuckles ache, but she would not dare rest till the vow was over. Her eyes went wide, as she felt a shock of pain that coursed through her whole body. She put her hands to her stomach, hands coming away red with blood. Her body collapsed without her getting a word in, folding down at her brothers feet. ‘She cut, that’s cheating I can’t move to block her anymore when she does that.’ Her eyes closed as her head hit the soft earth, all she could hope was that Orin’s friends could keep him safe to the end of the vow, that was all that mattered.

“Eu non vou permitir que outro para ir no meu lugar,
esta guerra meu eu,
esa guerra é nosa,
ata a vitoria ou a morte,
para a terra da miña casa.
Para rei e do país,
ata a caída da nosa gran terra.”

(sorry if its not to good.. im very hung-over)

Hello

Kira retrieved his staff from the side of his hospital bed and rose to a sitting position. "What are you doing?" the doctor that had just come in asked in a stern voice. "You need to rest. You'll hurt yourself again if you go running off." Kira shook his head and rose to his feet, balancing himself with his staff.

"I need to hear the kings speech," the winter mage told him. "I'll not let this keep me from what I must be present for." He dropped the robes the infirmary had given him while he was in bed and exchanged them for his own white ones. Once dressed he proceeded around the bed and towards the door, using his staff like a crutch in one hand.

"Wait!" the doctor called. "If you'll not listen to reason than at least take this." The man handed Kira two small pills. They left a tingling sensation in the palm of Kira's hand and he could feel a small bit of energy radiating from them. "They are called Mana Tablets," The doctor explained. "If you start to feel weak, take them both." Kira nodded.

"Thank you," Kira said as he once more turned out of the infirmary and and passed through the hall out into the courtyard. It seemed that Kira was late as when he opened the hall doors to the courtyard the king was already speaking. The area was filled with more people than he'd ever seen before and he felt his heart sink a bit in nervousness. As he approached the crowd a few looked at him almost as if in awe. One by one the sea of people began to part, as if making a small path for him to follow. Even in his weakened condition people were still wary of him. The kings words grew louder as Kira grew closer to the balcony and the crowd continued to part until he came to the forefront of that vast sea. As the king spoke he listened; standing between the two sides of the seasons with staff in hand and eyes skyward towards the monarch.

Zulu watched from his position on the second floor at the mass of drones with uncaring eyes. They where all repeating the Spring Maid's words. He sighed. He knew the entire pledge word for word. He was supposed to recite it once he turned 10, but he had left the palace that day. He had failed all his recitals before that even though he had it memorized since he first heard it 14 years ago. He couldn't stand the thought of living like a tool that listened to one man only. He kept feigning stupidity in order to fail the recitals and put off becoming a puppet. It was something his fellow Springs found greatly insulting, as they swore their allegiance and he didn't.

"This is our army?" Barrett whispered to himself. He looked closer at the crowd. Some girl appeared to be on the ground bleeding. He saw another girl who looked like her too, likely defending her kin. The others appeared to be of other races, most likely ganging up on her. His eyes drifted over to the entrance. The crowd started to part revealing an injured man in white robes. They seemed terrified and in amazement and stood apart from each other like the separate kingdoms they were giving the man a wide berth. Zulu chuckled to himself. "Ha! What unified force is this?" He scoffed disinterested in the turn of events. He knew such things were beyond any being in this court. It was a side of him no one knew about. While Barrett acted childish he felt pity and sorrow for anyone who fought for things like land, money, or king. No one seemed to know how to just get along unless they all had something to kill. Except now it didn't even seem like that was working.

"They were better off just slaughtering each other." Barrett said as he started to turn around to leave in disapproval. Something ended up catching his eye though right before he departed. It was taller then most of it's kind, and seemed to shine in the morning sun. Zulu's childish demeanor instantly returned, as he put up his slightly clenched hands to his face. His eyes grew wide with joy and playfulness. "A... a k... a ki..." Barrett instantly appeared in the courtyard with a large gust of wind creating a small cloud of dirt around them and drawing the attention of a few in the crowd. "A KITTY!" He put his hands on the side of the animal and rubbed his face in the fur. "And a giant fluffy one at that." He looked up realizing he was near the group that seemed to be fighting and was drawing the stares of several people. Technically he was an adult, and had made a scene in a fairly solemn moment. He could hear murmurs among them. "Don't judge me." He stuck his tongue out at them. "Nyah!"

Lilly’s pink shoe flats smudged the grass below her feet, looking away from the King’s balcony to the ground. The stares from the women around still felt heavy upon her back, but now that the King had appeared it was a little more comfortable to bare as some looked away. Normally she didn’t care or notice when people gave her attention, or watched her play her music for example, but she was more aware now since she found herself sandwiched between two extremely alluring men, of two very special seasons. A sudden weight around her back startled Lilly, eyes widening in surprise when she saw that Genesis had draped his arm around her shoulder. She shifted her head to face him, curious as to the forwardness of his gesture. If the women around didn’t have an excuse to give her glares, they sure did now. Lilly decided it was best to let them be, maybe even ask Orin and Genesis to wave at a few to get them to turn away.

"Do you like it? Is that why it brings your attention so?"

The vagueness of his questions was indeed embarrassing for her. Lilly had been looking at the necklace around his neck, but did he know that? If she said yes, would he be thinking it was directed towards his physique? It definitely put her at a loss of words, unsure of how to respond. Obviously he did have a handsome build, but she wasn’t about to say that. Before she could think of anything to say though, he cleared up the confusion by grabbing the necklace around her own neck. It was a relief knowing they were on the same page with the whole.. necklace ordeal.

“Orin gave it to me,” she whispered, a smile growing on her lips as she placed a hand on Orin’s arm. They still had to keep quiet, as the King was adjusting himself on the balcony ready to speak. “It’s a symbol of his winter clan, it will help on the battlefield when those of Winter are in need and know I’m a friend to them,” she added, describing the reason why she had it now. As Genesis lifted the stone from her chest and held it up next to his, it gave her the perfect opportunity to inspect both stones. Of course the one Orin had given her was carved like a tiny cat’s face, so delicate and charming. Upon further look at the one Genesis wore, a knot began to grow in her stomach. It was hers. There was no second guessing now, for the tiny carved markings were a distinct imprint of her own clan, a symbol of their pride and skill. The carvings weren’t in any particular design, more of abstract cuts. Unless he had ran across any other Gensings nymph in the woods, which was highly unlikely due to the fact there weren’t many of them, then it would have to make sense that he was the ill Autumn born she had found and healed near her cove. She never knew where she had lost her necklace, and well, here it was, inches from her hands. Seeing it brought back memories of her home, her mother and father, and the rest in her tiny community. The thought of them and how she missed home caused the smile to fade slightly from her face. Shaking it off, she knew she had to stay focused and strong while she was here. She had made the decision to go to war, and she would not fall back on her word, no matter how terrified she was after seeing the enemy. Especially after the vow that they would all take, she was there to stay.

Lilly reached out, touching his hand that was holding the black stone and pushed it gently back down to his chest. It wasn’t the right place and time to tell him it was hers. She doubted he would believe her anyway, it had been years since she last saw it. Instead she put it simply, keeping it quiet and short, “I do like your necklace though. It... reminds me of one I used to have.” She smirked, catching the blush on his face.

Before Genesis could say anything more though, Aaria had cleared her way to the group. Lilly’s experssion lit up with joy, glad to see she was okay. Out of everyone she had met here, Aaria was of Summer, so they had a unique bond and commonality that made her feel closer to her. She gave her an unexpected hug, then pulled back as she listened to what she had to say. Kiane had been beaten for not running to the Spring Maid’s side... Lilly shuttered at the thought, wondering why she didn’t get punished as well. Maybe since Kiane was an official hired hand of the palace, he had a greater responsibility to keep her healthy. Thinking of the events from last night gave her chills and regret, wishing she hadn’t forgotten about the beautiful Spring Maid... she just had been so caught up trying to help her friends that it slipped her mind. Now she wished she could have taken at least some of the punishment Kiane had to go through. It wasn’t solely his duty to heal everyone after all.

“Thank you, Aaria. I am unscathed, though I feel terrible for Kiane...” the guilt was etching in Lilly’s eyes. For a Healer them self to have clear, visible wounds, his beating must have been bad, or else he could have easily fixed himself.

The group was silent for a moment once more, the speech kicking off any second now. As she had finished speaking to Aaria, Lilly could feel a tiny tug on her skirt, looking down to notice Orin who had sat. The direction of his perplexed gaze made Lilly’s vision travel, eyes resting on the winter girl that seemed to have appeared out of no where. Her long, stark white hair seemed unnatural, and her presence caused an uncomfortable breeze to swoop around. There was a very familiar resemblance to Orin’s sister Kaylin who she had met earlier. They had to all be family, but the way Orin was reacting to her made Lilly question their bond. The aura this girl was giving off was very uninviting, and Lilly felt she could understand why Orin was shying away from her.

The king began his speech though, distracting Lilly from Orin’s family situation. His words were so regal and stern, almost eerie as the words echoed over the courtyard. Through his demanding tone she could hear the siblings bickering something along the lines of Moirrey needing to take Orin home. No... Lilly thought sadly, wondering why Orin was supposed to leave. She had just met him, and witnessed his talent and kind heartedness. If he went back to Winter, she wouldn’t meet him again, for she never would dare step foot in the land of snow and ice willingly.

The vow began, the sacred words that held everyone together as a solid unit. Her father had taught her the vow, recited it to her several times at ceremonies in their clan. She was prepared to make the oath in person, in front of her dear King. The words escaped her lips smoothly, the crowd forming one collective sound. Yet before Lilly could finish, the sight of crimson blood caught the sunlight and her attention. She gasped, choking any sound back. Her neck snapped in the direction of the younger winter girl which was gripping a blood soaking blade. Would she really have done such a thing to kin? No matter the family history, Lilly watched as Kaylin collapsed in Orin lap, head landing on the ground roughly. Lilly followed simultaneously, almost on the ground the same second Kaylin had hit.

Whether it was her friends’ luck that Lilly was around, or that Lilly just happened to always be in the right place at the right time, she was there to help her the best she could, to figure out the extent of the damage. She gracefully moved Kaylin’s hands out of the way that were gripping the open wound. As soon as she moved her hand, the faster the blood began to spout up and pour. Panic struck Lilly as she realized she hadn’t brought any of her medicines or bandages with her, for the baby doll dress she wore had no pockets. “Damnit,” Lilly cursed under her breath, her innocence escaping her soft voice. Ripping off a significant portion of her dress’ skirt, she packed it tight up against Kaylin’s stomach to put pressure on the wound and weaken the flow. Already blood was staining her hands, but it was necessary to put full force on the stab so she wouldn’t bleed out. Kaylin’s pale, cold touch once again worried the Summer nymph, unsure of if this was a natural temperature or something much worse. Closing her eyes, centering herself on her core, she would have to work her power, her own aura into her hands. The yellow light grew quickly, warmth rushing from her palm to her finger tips. Her healing touch would begin to close the open wound, though it would be slower, more painful, since she hadn’t brought any of her vials or numbing solution. The cause of the attack made no sense to Lilly, for Kaylin hadn’t done anything wrong.

Others around the group continued to mutter the vow, but watched with shocked eyes. Lilly couldn’t finish the vow, but that though didn’t once cross her mind. When she saw a person in need, everything else around her disappeared. So there she sat, close to her injured Winter born, her dress ripped up the side, exposing even more leg than what was already being shown. It wasn’t the time to worry about the appropriateness of her attire, but she did cradle her posture a little better, an obvious sign she felt exposed in front of such a large crowd.

“Someone please help hold the pressure,” she asked, not keeping her voice low anymore, but rather she spoke with force, waiting for much needed assistance.

Genesis was focused in on Lilly listening to her responses and smiled slightly, thinking he got away with the closeness. His eyes diverted as the chant of the oath rose upon the crowd, the king's voice above all but the others seemed to melt into harmony soon after they all started reciting the oath. Even being in the summer's kingdom he didn't really know the vow that was to be spoken so he remained silent as the gather people around him all spoke for him, no sense in destroying a sacred vow, the the speech was beautiful in its own altogether. He remained silent watching, the crowd, listening to the small conversation Lilly and Aaria were having, he had meant to greet her but they went right into talking lowly. He looked up at the king and felt something wet hit him, his hand instantly going to it and pulling away red. The look didn't hide on his face, where had it come from.

He looked about and noticed Orin by Lilly, who was now on the ground holding a wound on Kaylin, who had done it, then he saw Moirrey, smiling there, proud at what she had done it seemed. He stepped in front of the three on the ground and faced Moirrey, feeling his heat rise, instinctively. He was angry, this woman he had just shared drinks and stories with had now attacked his new comrades in arms. He watched her and noticed the crowd part it seemed as people realized what was going on. Kaylin had said something about Orin completing the oath, before she had passed out in a since, at least he hoped that is what had happened he could only imagine the pain from a wound like that. He felt his body get warmer and warmer to a point where steam began to roll off his body, it was uncomfortable even to him, he had only been this way one other time in the past, he had blacked out from that encounter.

"Orin, finish it like your sister said," He stepped forward to Moirrey, putting more space between him and the three on the ground getting closer to Moirrey, hoping that she'd back up from the heat flowing off his body into the crowd, "Why have you done this?" His voice not hushed and no longer held the friendliness it usually did. His hand never went for his sword though he did have a plan in a sense. The phantasmal fire beginning to lick around his body, it wouldn't burn if he didn't want it to, but it did add a sense of danger, when the heat and the fire felt and looked real. "Don't think that I will let this go unanswered, Moirrey." He kept advancing, she said she was a great warrior but he had a secret that he didn't want the others to know, there was another him inside, and it loved disorder and battle, she said she was a great warrior, but the other Genesis, he would fight till the death, by all means. As he approached he felt his skin begin to darken, he fought it he didn't want to release him in the midst of the crowd, but his emotions got to him. He shared a drink and stories with this woman, and this whole time, she was using him, to do what get to Orin?

The fire had begun to spring outward in a small radius of his body and he had enough distance between him and Orin, Lilly, and Aaria. There was only one more thing to do, hope that Orin could speak the rest of the vow, and hope that Moirrey didn't push his skills to the limit, he could control it now, but exhausted the other Genesis would win.......and people would die.

"Once again I will ask you, Why have you done this, you've already told me you're the best warrior, why would you have the audacity to do something like this?" His voice wasn't hushed, his anger had control, but he wasn't rash about his actions. Would she be?

Aaria gave a little start at the unexpected hug, but returned it with a small smile. She felt closer to Lily than she did to anyone else. She knew it was because they were both of Summer descent, so they had a tight bond that could never be broken. She also trusted Lily, which was a big thing for Aaria. But she knew that Lily didn't have a bad bone in her body and would never hurt someone on purpose. Lily always seemed to be considering others, where Aaria herself did not. Their personalities matched in some sense, but in others they were the complete opposite. Where Aaria found it hard to trust, Lily seemed to find it easy. And so on.

Aaria fell silent as the King rose to his feet to deliver the speech. Curiously, she glanced around the crowd once more, as the King's speech began. Everyone was intent on listening, their eyes focused, their mouths smiling at their King. One or two even bowed when he appeared, which Aaria smiled at to herself. When the words escaped his lips, her eyes snapped back to him, listening with certain intent. His words were stern and direct. He told them to quit their bickering to to hold true to one another, they were almost a family now. She felt her eyes leaving him as the speech ended, they focused on the peopele she was stood with. They all tolerated her in the very least and she felt that she could rely on any one of them if a crisis should befall her.

Clearing her throat, she began to recite the vow, as the Spring Maid said it for the crowd. She had been taught this from a very young age, her mother insisting upon it. She had recited once before, when she had joined the King's army at just 16. The words flowed from her lips, soft and gentle, like a lullaby of sorts. She thought that the words were truly beautiful, more so than anything else of its kind that she had come across in her travels and there were many of them about.

Before the vow could be finished, Aaria glimpsed a flash of crimson red in the corner of her eye. Pulling her eyes from the Spring Maid, she looked to the source. To her surprise she saw Kaylin laying on the floor, clutching at her stomach. Standing beside her was a girl she had never seen before, but clearly an enemy of their little group. Instantly, she fell to her knees beside Kaylin, at the same time that Lily did. She let Lily do her work, watching carefully. She was about to challenge the girl, when Genesis did it for her. Instead she followed Lily's plea of applying pressure to the wound. Stripping off her tunic, for she had a light vest underneath, she pressed the whole thing to the wound, removing Lily's hands. "Do you have the stuff you need with you?" She asked, a note of desperation in her voice, for it didn't look like she had what she would need to heal Kaylin. "I can keep her wound from bleeding if you need to rush off and get what you need. Or, I can summon a majority of plants, if that is any help to you at all."

The vow was long forgotten where they were, but still the people around repeated it, their eyes shocked and worried. Aaria just wanted to focus on helping Kaylin and doing whatever they had to in order to save her. She hoped that they were able to before it was too late. Glaring, she looked up to the girl and Genesis, hoping that either him or Orin had the sense to finish her off. It was then that she realised something. Her eyes flickered between the brother and injured sister and back to the girl. "You're their sister?!"

He watched his king as he rose to his feet to deliver the speech.When the speech began Romolus started to recite the same vows as all the others did, focusing on the king seeming to have a flashback of the first time he went to war. He had memorized this vow for he was truly loyal to his kingdom, even if death would come for him he would say this vow if it came to that, to know he died a true warriors death.

During the vow Romolus would catch a smell of blood which told him someone was recently injured due to the freshness of the scent. Romolus looked away from the king, scanning around the area until catching a glimpse of crimson red on someone’s attire, as well as a body on the floor. At that moment Romolus got up quickly and hoped onto of the balcony’s guard rail that prevented people from falling off and, in seconds jumped off of it high into the air toward the person on the floor.

Romolus had caught many varieties of expressions in mid air seeing people stare at him with shocked and surprised looks but stile reciting the vow. Moments later Romouls landed on his feet in a clear area seeing people move out of the way knowing he was going to land there. Romolus knew he wasn’t far from his destination, and began to speed walk through the crowds of people, pushing a few aside until finally arriving at the position of the person on the floor.

Romolus could see Aaria, Lilly and a few other people standing around the body. Romolus walked a little bit closer to catch a glimpse of the Kaylin, he knew her from when they met shortly in the inn near the mountain. Romolus looked at the one known as Genesis seeing he looked enraged somewhat due to the fact that he had fire flowing around him and seemed to yell out "Once again I will ask you, Why have you done this, you've already told me you're the best warrior, why would you have the audacity to do something like this?" Romolus looked in the direction of the person Genesis was talking to seeing it was a female, knowing that she obviously did this deed. Romouls then turned back to where kaylin was and walked over to her.

Romolus appeared next to Aaria and Lilly seeming to try and heal her prepping the things they needed as well as planning. “is there any way I can help you two help this one?” he asked both Lilly and Aaria crouching down next to them seeming to have a little worry for Kaylin. Romolus looked back at the woman that Genesis was talking to seeming to feel her feelings just by the expression on her face, seeing she felt good about what she done. He hoped that kaylin was alright seeing she was considered a friend like Aaria and Lilly. Romolus waited for a reply from Aaria or Lilly.

Kira stared up at the king as the rest of the crowd began reciting their vow. The snow walker would not. It was not a vow for him to take. As he looked around he could see a few people glaring at him. As if challenging him. Asking how he could have the nerve to refuse. His focus was broken by a strange tingling sensation in the back of his mind. It began to grow until it became uncomfortable. He began looking around the crowd for some reason, as if the source of the irritation came from outside of him. Then all at once the sensation became a sharp pain.

Then he saw it, the disturbance in the crowd and a man jumping off a second story balcony to challenge someone. From here Kira did not know who they were challenging, but he could tell something was wrong. Kira felt it within and began to wonder why. Could it be a reaction from Kaylin's mana? he asked himself. Hmm, they say that siblings sometimes share a link through their mana if they are twins. Perhaps her sharing her mana established a temporary link between us. If that is true then.... Kira's train of thought was cut off at the implication.

The winter mage began pushing his way through the crowd towards the disturbance. The sea of people moved around him allow passage like before and before long Kira arrived in the small clearing of people. He noticed the healer from last night as well as Aaria, the summer warrior. What caught his eye the most was the woman on the ground. His eyes grew wide and his heart began to race. She couldn't be could she... he didn't finish the though as he moved to the healer as fast as his fatigue would allow him. "What happened here? Is she going to be ok?" he asked the healer.

Sherridan snuffed curiously at the little Spring man that catapulted himself at her, licking her thick tongue over his small knuckle. She moved away with from his with steady steps, allowing people to get out of the way before she got to the group. Her nose could smell the sweet taste of blood but she knew who it was, already energy was being sucked from her core to replace Kaylin’s rapidly depleting stock. Her mistress already had little spiritual energy, so while she was a strong warrior she had little magic to aid her. Above them clouds appeared along with a sharp shift in the breeze, she knew it was Kaylin’s sorrow, though it was rare for her to be able to do much with it when she tried, her emotions had a great sway over the sky. She let out a mild roar, clearing her path quickly so she would not be kept from her mistress’s side a moment longer. The wind ruffled her thick pelt as she moved through the parting crowd, dashing along before it closed up once more.

Orin looked only at Moirrey not daring to let his eyes slip from her as he started the oath over. He began to feel faint at the thick pull of energy coming like a bolt from his chest to his sisters, she would not survive if someone did not see to her soon. The roar of Sherridan was a mere echo in his fading world, narrowing to the one woman who could forcibly take him from his twin’s side. He staggered, pushing through the crowd, he had to flee, Kaylin would never forgive him if he did not complete the vow to the King, making him a part of the great arm that had assembled here. People did not move aside for him, far to concentrated on the vow that was being recited over him. He spoke the words through the elbows and shoulders that shoved him in his attempt to escape. He would know if Kaylin died, all three of them would go out like a light, it was the way of their bond.

Moirrey looked upon the Autumn man with a smile on her face, she was pleased that he had the guts to fight her, despite the fact that she had taken down the most well known of the winter warrior from her clan. The flames that echoed of his body held only a light fear, though she had no aura of cold like most of her kin, she feared very few things in this life. It would have been a pleasure to die in the fight against such a stunning man, but he could not beat her for speed and was for to easily swayed by his emotions. She supposed he would be able to do her a little damage, but never enough to stop her from getting away. With a graceful bow she span her knife in one hand, reaching behind her to pull out her retractable spear from her back. It slid out with a mild clicking, powered by the magic of her tribe. Her glance flickered to her sister, proud that finally she had been able to deal the damage that had been waiting so long. She had taken so much from her and despite the fact that Moirrey tried harder every time their farther had always chosen the twins over her.

“I told you Autumn born, I told you before, I have come to collect.” She smiled, pleased with herself. “If you knew them then you should have told them. I fear the warning will come to late now though. Don’t you feel bad for letting them get hurt?” She asked assuming they knew one another from before. She smiled twirling knife in the palm of her hand, like an entertainer might before throwing the knife at the woman on the board. She knew antagonizing would only create more fire and destruction, but that was after all what she wanted, to incinerate the very idea of her older sister, never to set eyes on he form again. She would not be allowed to do such at thing, but if it was something beyond her control her father would not punish her. Instead she would be named as heir to the Clan, she would rule over the people that had become to soft and caring for her enemies. It would not work, the man would likely keep it in check, but then she could so easily deal more damage to the people that had so quickly gathered around her sister. Typical they had forgotten her quarry completely, but she would find him.

“Shame, you were interesting.” She flashed her sharpened teeth at him once more. Placing one foot back she braced herself for a fight, she lunged forward, knowing that the gown that flowed around her would hinder her movement only slightly. She lowered the spear point to his chest a second before impact and cut through the air, never touching the man. He was far to interesting to kill quite yet, maybe she would come back here one day, it would be fun to fight someone who breathed such chaos into the air. She landed softly over Aaria’s hand, pushing it into the wound with a wet sound. She did not pause, stepping up in the slender woman’s shoulders and using them to push off, propelling herself into the air over the people below. She heard the roar that echoed after her, she would have to be quick to not let Sherri catch her, the cat would take her out with an easy swipe of its paw.

The painful blow to her wound woke her, pulling a deep scream from her mouth. Her upper body was wrenched from the floor, causing the blood to pump faster out of the wound. She fell back to the floor with a thick clunk, eyes open wide and terrified to the people around her. ‘Where’s Orin?’ She wondered to herself through the haze of pain. Looking around she felt a warmth that people had come to help her but also a fear that none of them had gone to aid her brother in his escape from their mad sister. Her eyes flickered erratically as she couched up blood, not having the energy to wipe it away it dribbled done her chin. She could feel her energy coming towards her and she tried to get up, to yell a warning to Orin, he could not come back, but she could not move other than the involuntary shakes she now had. She watched the man come through the gap, flickering as yet another man landed besides them. She looked up at them with slight recognition, they were her friends, they would protect…. Orin. The Wolf Man looked like a dark patch in her vision and the Snow Walker was the exact opposite. Her eyes stayed with Kira, this was the energy she felt, that was good, it was not her brother. Her head rolled back laughing to herself, was it laughing or coughing? She could no longer tell.

“esa guerra é nosa,
ata a vitoria ou a morte,
para a terra da miña casa.
Para rei e do país,”
His voice was soft now, barely able to move through the dense crowd, his body was quite literally beaten from going through them. He listened as the sound of soldier’s feet, no doubt going to deal with the disturbance of his sister’s fallen form. He hoped that no one had been hurt or challenged his younger sister, as it would not end well. The energy that was being drained from his body made him feel numb and soon he knew without help they would black out. Thin strands of the cats energy touched his own, but the bond between them was much lighter than between Kaylin and Sherridan and would not help him for much longer. Still he pushed on, eh would not let them win, though he didn’t really know who they were anymore. All he wanted was to be safe with his sister, he hated to fight, hated wars and hated what they were asked to do in the name of causes that made no sense. When he was the head of the Clan he would stop the wars that went on between Summer and Winter, they had never gained from it, only lost the lives of the people precious to them.

“Tim to come home brother!” She spoke with a soft yet angry tone. She had not wanted to chase the coward, not wanted to have to fight to go across the crowd. Now she could see him, all she had to was reach him before anyone decided to do anything about her head long pursuit. She cut the air once more, appearing in front of her brothers shocked face. She clamped her arms over his, stopping him from trying to attack her despite the fact she was the stronger of the two. Her sharp teeth glittered maliciously in the fading light as a few smatters of rain began to fall. She moved with the grace of a dance, never letting any of his attacks touch her beautiful form. She wrapped her legs between him, effectively immobilizing all his movements as well as her own, but she did not need to be moving to cut and now she could do so. To her astonishment he opened his mouth and uttered the last line. “ata a caída da nosa gran terra.” She blinked, deciding if it really mattered to her.
(this is super un edited, so I apologize, but im late, il edit in an hour or so!)

Luckily Genesis had the girl that was the cause of all this mess distracted for the time being. It would be too dangerous to heal the Winter born if there was no one watching the enemy, so for that she was thankful for him. Though she was concentrating on Kaylin, from the corner of her eye she could see Genesis begin to change. Fire began to exude off his skin, as well his tone growing darker. It was frightening to say the least, never knowing there was such a chaotic, dark side to the seemingly suave other persona. It was like he was a completely other person. If the darkness in him grew any further, Lilly was worried he would be a danger to the group as well. Yet, there was no time to distress over this man, for his intension were good and Kaylin was dying.

With Aaria by her side, she felt a slight bit at ease. Her ability of summoning plants and her Summer origin was exactly what Lilly would need since she didn’t have any of her supplies. If she left to go get her medicines, Kaylin would most likely bleed out. She had already began to cough up dense draws of blood. It was an eerie sight as she watched the brilliant red blood meet pale white skin. Lilly knew she had to stay here and deal with the resources she had.

“I need to put my hands directly on the incision. Aaria, please surround us with plant life. If possible, plants with the most spirit and fastest growth rate. I’m going to need to absorb as much energy from our earth as possible to keep my own energy stable. I’d be of no good if I ran out,” she said with haste yet almost without thinking. Her mind was already thinking minutes in advance, calculating the steps. Right as she went to move Aaria’s hands, Moirrey had kicked off, landing smack on Kaylin’s stomach where Aaria’s hands were. It made a gushing hum, Lilly gasping at the force now inflicted on both of them. Lilly knew Aaria would be okay, for she was a strong warrior most likely use to physical combat like that. On the other hand, Kaylin didn’t need any more injury than she already had. As Moirrey appeared, she then disappeared again off toward the direction of Orin. Her power was frightening, as if she was manipulating the time they occupied.

Romulus entered the clearing seemingly out of no where as well, but the more help the better if those were on her side. Lilly knew what he needed to do.

“Romulus, find Orin, keep him safe,” her voice rang, hitting a higher pitch than usual. It was partially due to her fear for Orin to get hurt, as well her blood pressure rising steadily. “Capture the perpetrator of this crime, she ran that way,” Lilly pointed in the direction Orin had run. It was up to the Spring born to finish the vow, and she only hoped he had the strength to do so. And if the scene could only get more intense, the Snow Walker emerged. She hadn’t seen him since she left him with the doctors in the ballroom last night. She wondered if he remembered any of the details, or that she was a part of the group of people that helped save his life. The question he asked didn’t need and answer, for what had happened was obvious enough. It was now that she had to only see Kaylin.

Time was short when it came to stab wounds depending on how deep the blade sunk in. Lilly had moments to push her aura into Kaylin in order to feel the damage, done so via her hands- hint the glowing light. She replaced her hands back on the wound, needing Aaria to put her own hands on the ground to summon the plants. Lilly pressed her palms tightly up against Kaylin’s stomach. It was a strange feeling each time she connected with another like so, and she assumed it felt strange for the other as well. And now that Kaylin had woke up from Moirrey kicking her wound further, she would be aware of the influx in temperature. Lilly’s energy that she kept inside was her healing ‘fuel’ in a way. She would expend her energy outwards by touching a wounded area. This ability gave her acute accuracy in the details of the body’s workings. On contact, she was in tune with Kaylin’s nervous system and veins. The stronger the bond, the hotter Kaylin would feel. It wasn’t harmful in the least, though Lilly always worried those of Winter would be scared of the sudden sun kissed air that would take hold. The heat was powerful but much needed if Lilly was to help her.

Examining Kaylin’s case, Lilly found it entered right under the rib cage, about 2 and a half inches in. The damage wasn’t as bad as she had thought luckily, but still if it went unserved she could still die. If Lilly could keep her energy level at its intensity where it was right now, then she would be able to seal the wound and increase the healing process to less than 5 or so minutes, which was all they had. All she needed was help from Aaria to grow plants where she could pull life energy from.

Sweat dripped down Lilly’s forhead, the sucking of the heat from her core rising to her skin in order to produce the healing light. She knew she had to more as much effort as she could into this, for she was depending on herself rather than any medicine. It was going to work, but afterward Lilly hoped she would still be strong enough to keep herself from passing out.

Genesis watched the woman intently listening to her every word, how could he have been so stupid. She had stated before that she was here to reclaim someone, though he hadn’t been able to peace together who it was she was looking for. He watched the smirk cross her face and the flash of teeth.

You can’t take her. You can’t even protect those you want to.

His face was stricken with a look of devastation, the voice was right. He couldn’t protect the ones he wanted to, in fact he did the exact opposite, he brought danger to them. He looked up at the girl again in front of him to see her charge, he went for his sword, though she stopped short of the attack, barely touching him then averting her attention elsewhere, then she was gone, vanished, had she cut again? He whirled about quickly scanning the area, seeing her reappear by Aaria, inflicting more damage to Kailyn then disappearing again.

Clever girl, you can’t hit or fight what you can’t see. You think you can protect those around you now, Genesis?

Genesis’ shoulders slumped. “No, I can’t.” escaped his lips, almost a look of defeat washed over his body, then it shut down. The fire blazing around his body, began to darken, turning into a black flame. His face darkened and he threw his head back yelling into the sky. The vow was over by this point the heard the final words being chanted before his scream of anger came. The fire blazed farther out around his body, consuming nothing, but burning black as the night. His skin grew a dull gray, his eyes shifting to a bright silver, a silver that seemed to pierce through everything., and even the small wings that had appeared. The crowd around him backing away at this new man that stood there, everything changed , skin ,eyes, and even his clothing, from his back erupted wings of fire, burning the same black as the flames around him, the new look just screamed RUN!

“Good boy.” It escaped Genesis’ lips as his head tilted back down, the voice in a dual-vocal sound, having both a higher and lower pitch at the same time, looking about the crowd nearby, he knew Lilly, Aaria, the newly found Kira that had found his way to the group. His eyes burning bright silver as he scanned those nearby. Friendly, his head jerking in the direction of Orin, who had run off sometime ago, seeing what seemed to be a blur fast approaching. He took off running into the crowd in the direction of Orin, beating his wings slightly for improved speed, the crowd parting frantically at the being coming at them., the fire following closely behind He was faster this way he knew it, but in comparison to the power or Moirrey, he wasn’t fast enough, he watched her as she got a hold of her brother, his face showing the fear of his sister, but the one thing Genesis noticed was that his lips weren’t moving, had he finished the vow also? He came upon them fast, though a little more noisy than he wanted, from the startled yelps that came from the crowd as he approached, to the sound of his wings giving him the extra speed to get there faster.

“This is where she regrets what she has done.” He stated while smirking as he came up on Orin and Moirrey. Using his unarmed arm he swept it downward, hoping to catch Moirrey’s arm to break the hold, the fire catching up to him finally and staying at bay still flowing around him, his wings now tucked back in a more dormant position. He had the decency to smile into the face of Moirrey, not knowing what she may think of this newfound man before her. His sword ready for whatever she may have for him.

“Have you finished your vow, Orin?” His voice still doubled, he wasn’t used to the sound, but then again there was more danger before him, his comfort didn’t mean squat right now, only repenting for his mistakes, and helping Orin, for its what everyone wanted it seemed. He noticed the guards around reacting to the situation, he gave them a mocking look, but only for a second before his eyes, snapped back on Moirrey remembering what she could do, she might vanish again, except this time it may turn out differently.

I'll take care of her first, then its on to the others. He smiled at the thought of destroying the area, letting his flames burn black as night, and watching those that couldn't get away fast enough burn in the process. What he didn't know was that Genesis wouldn't let that happen, he only allowed for this thing to take over for the current situation.

Barrett let out a childish giggle as the cat licked him and opened his eyes to see it moving away.
"Hey where ya goi-" Barrett stopped his question immediately. His gaze was now fixed upon a situation that became much more dire then when he last saw it. Through the crowd he saw an Autumn man with steam emitting from his body facing down the one of the winter he saw earlier. Barrett wondered why they seemed so set upon hurting the two Winters. He looked at the weapon in the Winter's hand. It was stained with blood and allowed Barrett to make the connection he couldn't see before. She had stabbed the victim. Barrett shook his head finding the thought irrelevant and looked back over to the Autumn. He grasped his own chest remembering wounds from a past job. "I don't need that again."

Zulu had come close to dying a bit over a year ago. Something that wasn't uncommon for him, but this time it was due to his rash actions, and not the usual illness that plagued him. Although the infections afterward certainly gave him another scare. It happened on a courier job that was a little bit more high profile than usual, drawing the attention of high powered people willing to assassinate Barrett for information. He had avoided most, but one veteran Autumn with the gift of chaos still tracked him down. The fight continued through several towns in a game of 'cat and mouse' that Barrett enjoyed to play with his enemies. Unbeknownst to him was the true ferocity of the assassin that was finally unleashed once Barrett was close to his client. The fight finally occurred in a church which in the end left Zulu with his left arm broken in two places, a knife embedded in his left shoulder, three left ribs cracked, and the assassins hand in his left side. Not to mention the many burns left behind. An attack meant to kill him even after Barrett was sure the assassin was already slain. The assassin himself died in Zulu's broken arm due to the two punctured lungs, smashed windpipe, and hole in his stomach from a falling chandelier that was meant to kill him in the first place had it not been for the chaos ability. Barrett only lived from his mortal wounding thanks to the luck of being in a church where the father was experienced in healing. He also was lucky the marrow of his bone didn't enter his bloodstream. It took him a year to recover from a single fight and never was able to complete his job. Instead another courier was sent. The assassins disposed of that one quickly. Barrett was eventually able to leave the church once his body had healed from the wounds and sickness. In a way it made him a believer. A believer in the fact that the Autumn's chaos was not something that even skilled warriors can take head on. Not Zulu anyway and he has still never gotten into a face to face fight since with anyone. A more distant approach would be needed. Lest he take another year off, or if poor luck has him, die.

"Meh. Not my problem still." Barrett said continuing to follow the giant cat deciding to not get involved at all. He stopped as it let out a growl parting the crowd and quickening its pace. A scream came also from within the crowd while a woman flipped through the air gracefully. "I didn't know a carnival was in town!" He turned now distracted by the acrobatics, and decided to follow the woman. He made only a few steps when what seemed like a demon with wings blew past him. He let out a small gasp flinching from the heat. He looked down to see a small trail of fire where the demon had passed. He smiled, as he jumped to the left side landing on his right foot. He jumped back landing on his left foot instead making gust of winds with his magic. It blew out the flames. He laughed as he continued to do this along the whole trail with his arms out and stopped when he felt a large source of heat in front of him. He looked up to see the winged demon. In front of it was the Winter woman who seemed entangled with a Spring boy. "Uhh... I recommend moving this away from the crowd. Your making a scene with... whatever this is that you're doing." Barrett pointed at the Spring. "And shame on you. She obviously looks underage. Kids these days." He shook his head like a disapproving grandmother even when he was the same age.