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Post by lana on Mar 29, 2009 14:05:36 GMT -5
((Open guys, but just ask if you're gonna jump in :3))
The air remained warm, however the sky and the world around started growing increasingly dark as the great country of Nerezza came into sight...for those who could see it, anyway. As one would get further into the boundaries of the dark land, visibility was greatly reduced and would usually make one turn back promptly.
This wouldn't be a problem for Lana and Kouichi, however. Besides her eyes having long since adjusted to the darkness, Lana knew the place nearly inside-out and could navigate through it blind-folded if she had to. And Kouichi himself appeared to have had experiences of his own which more than allowed him to see Nerezza as clear as day.
She still didn't know why she agreed to this. They were enemies, she should have killed him when she had the chance to.
She could still do it now, if she wanted.
Something barred her from doing so, however, and she had no clue what. Whatever it was, though, she decided she hated it. Stupid conscience, stupid Kouichi for actually giving a random crap about her, everything was stupid!
But alas, here she was agreeing to help him find...whatever he was looking for. Lana had made it a point to stop before and collect at least a long black robe for him to wear overtop so at least he wouldn't stand out - if he needed anything else, they could do it now that they were actually in Nerezza.
"So," she finally spoke, looking over at him, "this is 'home'. You got a feel for what you need yet?"
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Mar 29, 2009 14:14:55 GMT -5
He closed his eyes, sensing with a sense he had thought he'd abanoned five years ago... and felt it. A kernel of power on the edge of his mind, calling him, beckoning. He opened his mind and the scenery of Nerezza clicked into place, a darkness that didn't bother his eyes at all, and he sivered slightly in the folds of the black robe Lana had given him. The idea of being able to see in a place that lacke any light at all wasn't very reassuring to him, but he looked up to Lana - her features standing out as if in broad daylight - and nodded.
"Yeah, I feel it... It's off that direction somewhere." He poined in the direction of the object.
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Post by lana on Mar 29, 2009 14:44:01 GMT -5
"Huh, I really hope you don't want to go mountain-climbing," Lana responded, looking over the mountainous area that Kouichi pointed at, "but I suppose if it's way over there there's the chance it could be in the mountain in a cave or...something..."
Lana grumbled slightly, she really didn't want to have to climb mountains today.
"You can...sense this thing, can you? If you can semi-lead the way to it I can keep us out of trouble, or keep trouble at bay when it shows up. What kind of a sense is this of yours, anyway? Could it help you find food if you need it?"
She continued walking, not knowing why she was asking so many questions. She kept a cautious eye out for anyone unwanted following or eavesdropping on them. It would be bad for them to be found out.
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Mar 29, 2009 14:47:08 GMT -5
He nodded. "Yeah, I can pretty much lead." He started walking. "Basically, it lets me sense... power, is the best way to describe it. Power that is aligned either diretly with or directly against me, I guess you could say. This power... it feels like something I used to have, in that place five years ago... but that's impossible." He shook his head. "It can't help me find anything really useful."
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Post by lana on Mar 29, 2009 15:08:33 GMT -5
"So no food, huh?"
Lana's eyes widened slightly as she saw ahead there was a small village. It was small enough that they could probably pass through it without many problems, though. She instinctively straightened herself up, pasting a haughty look on her face, and added a bit more of a 'march' into her step as they approached.
Some people saw, and most of them disappeared into houses and under workbenches as they walked passed. One middle-aged man out with his son leaned more to the very edge of the road to make way for Lana and the young man by her side. Lana looked the man over, he smiled at her bravely.
"...Captain Princel," he greeted with a small bow, nudging his son to do the same. Lana simply raised both eyebrows and nodded at him in return.
"Gotta keep up an image," Lana mumbled to Kouichi, "no one gets suspicous, then. They'll be talking anyway, but they'll probably feel sorry for you. Anyway...what about this power, you were saying? Something you had five years ago, it feelsl like...but wasn't that what made you bad to begin with?"
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Mar 29, 2009 15:14:33 GMT -5
He shook his head, wary as they passed through the vilage.
"The power given to me was tainted by the person who gave it to me... somehow, when I overcame that taint, it was purified. The spirit of an ancient being, to be passed down to one worthy of wielding it..."
The feelings he had had when he was hanging on the edges of memory of humanity came back to me, and he shuddered. The feeling of not knowing wo or what he was, the feeling of being trapped and overwhelmed by another conciousness, and at the same time, being the conciousness that was overwhelming...
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Post by lana on Mar 30, 2009 2:57:51 GMT -5
"That so? Hmm..."
Lana had seen Kouichi shudder and she began wondering if this whole thing was getting to be uncomfortable for him. She was going to ask if he was doing okay, seeing as how he hadn't had some fantastic memories, and something made her wonder if Nerezza triggered any of them...
Not that she cared or anything. Nuh-uh, she just didn't want to deal with a whiner, was all. Whiners got their faces kicked in, and kicked in good! Yeah. She'd totally kick his face in if she got the chance to.
A long wall showed up along the side of the road that lead them out of the village and Lana took a leap up on it. She walked alongside Kouichi, on the wall and with perfect balance - she wasn't a clumsy one, that was for sure.
"So....uh...." she tried to think of something else to talk about, "....you said something about your parents not being...uh...around?"
She knew he mentioned them before, and forgot what he said. In her defense, she had been moody at the time he first mentioned them.
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Mar 30, 2009 15:20:16 GMT -5
"My mom and dad separated shortly after I was born," he said, glad to be on a subject that at least didn't bring up any really painful memories. Something about theat statement was sad, but he mentally shrugged it off. It was better than talking about.... it. "I found I wasn't an only child shortly before I... left home. My twin brother, Kouji, was living with our father and his stepmother not too far from where I was living. I would follow him around, just wishing I had the courage to say something..."
He sighed. "I know, I'm a bit of a wimp, but what do you say in a case like that? 'Hi, you don't even know I exist, but I'm your older twin brother'?"
He didn't know why he was talking to her about it all... it just helped him pass the time.
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Post by lana on Mar 31, 2009 12:07:17 GMT -5
"How about 'Hey, buddy, what's with your get-up, why do you look like me?'. I don't know, I don't have siblings to worry about and if I do, they can go to hell," Lana leaped off of the wall as it came to an end, "so what, you say you left home? What for, you ran away or something?"
Funny as it was, Lana had a goldmine of 'wimp' jokes to throw at him but kept them to herself. Something about the way he talked and the general air about him revealed to her that he was a quiet-ish guy already, and somehow jokes like that just didn't seem to roll well with those kinds of people. She liked when people threw things back at her, and something told her that he probably wouldn't retort with a wise-crack if she made fun of him.
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Apr 17, 2009 15:36:43 GMT -5
He looked at her and smiled, laughing slightly. Then his face became serious.
"Well... not exactly. Truth is, it was a lot like what happened here... except that time, i wasn't summoned. I was the only one who wasn't."
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Post by lana on Apr 18, 2009 1:27:29 GMT -5
Lana snorted.
"Well la-dee-da, you went from someone who no one wanted to being accepted. That's fantastic, don't you wish it could happen like that for everyone?"
She tried to sound like she didn't care, yet she couldn't mask the bitterness behind her comment. Her thoughts wandered back to the little red-headed girl crying by that becursed fountain, going from being wanted, being loved, to having nothing at all.
"Whatever," she shook her head and sighed deeply, "what's it like doing the hero thing, anyway? You meet people who are always willing to help you? People here are always willing to help me, but that's because if they don't I'll kick their ass."
Yeah, she really was trying to sound like she didn't care - but the underlying truth was that he somehow caught her attention, and when things caught Lana's attention? Things got interesting!
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Apr 18, 2009 11:50:34 GMT -5
He looked over at her. "Are you kidding? We met more people who wanted to fight us than help us. Many of them thought we were the enemy, because they distrusted those who were different or had power. They were so afraid of the enemy, many doors were closed to us because they didn't wan anyone to suspect them of disliking those in power."
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Post by lana on Apr 18, 2009 12:10:13 GMT -5
Lana raised an eyebrow. "So they dislike you when you're trying to help them but they also dislike you for hurting them?"
She was quiet for a long moment as she thought this through. Lana finally narrowed her eyes at Kouichi, almost like she was disgusted with something.
"Man, people are stupid. Maybe that's why they die so easily, too," she said as the mountain area got closer yet. To the side of the road ahead there was a small cart. Lana couldn't hide the childish grin that appeared on her face as she briskly marched ahead and peered inside to see if there was anything there.
Alas, it was empty. She frowned and then looked around to see if the owner was nearby. After finding no one but Kouichi coming up behind her, her grin reappeared as she twirled around and kicked one of the wheels off. It fell with a crash and Lana bounced a little, almost like she was doing a little dance on her feet as she chuckled at it.
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Post by Kouichi - Yami No Kuro Raion on Apr 18, 2009 12:28:17 GMT -5
He smiled. "You seem pretty happy when you're destroying things. on my world, you would probably be a professional fighter - a boxer or something, or a kendoist like my brother."
He walked over to inspect the cart. her kick had snapped the whel right off. "You know what you're doing, too... but then, I guess you'd have to."
He didn't know why he was making such friendly conversation with her, he thought. She was violent, she was angry...
She was also a lot like him.
That was it, he realized. He saw something of himself in her - the anger, the hatred. The fact that she wasn't really a bad person, jsut loyal to the wrong side.
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Post by lana on Apr 18, 2009 13:38:07 GMT -5
"Heh, yeah, I guess I am," Lana chuckled, "you ever turn around and just let loose once in awhile? Just hit something as hard as you can just because it feels good? I love doing stuff like that, it's amazing. Hurts like a b*** at times, and you see your own blood only too often but something about the pain feels so good..."
She grinned when she heard the "professional fighter" comment he made - well, at least there was somebody who seemed to think she did well, besides Ludro and possibly their queen, of course.
Lana stared ahead, then, squinting a little as she did so. "So...you know how to swim?" she suddenly asked.
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