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| [Graded]Ignorance Can Be Dangerous | |
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| Topic Started: Jul 27 2016, 01:58 AM (685 Views) | |
| Sinjin | Jul 27 2016, 01:58 AM Post #1 |
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If all your life you have been surrounded by creatures, by trees, by spirits, and deplored by humans, it is quite hard to admit that you are of the latter species. Even if Nanashi was trying his best to accept that fact, after the initial encounter with Gale, it was just difficult to accept it. And as he followed the said assassin out from his Deep Forest, he had come to learn that not only was the world big, but there was simply far too much to accept all at the same time. He, was, in ways he would not admit it, confounded by and afraid, but he never showed it. He simply tried to keep his sights on where it should be– the back of the assassin and presence of anything that reminded him of the monk. Though they seem to have been heading towards Wuji Valley, under certain circumstances, they ended up at Magnolia. Something along the lines of duty-bound responsibilities for the assassin, perhaps a mission from his guild or so, though Nanashi wouldn’t really know. He was merely following, almost like a child would without bothering to ask. In fact, in most of the journey he stayed silent. He only observed and kept a good long stare at the latter. Was this the concept of a baby duck following around its mommy? Apparently and amusingly so. That changed, however, the moment he step foot inside his first ever city. Compared to the small backwater village of his Deep Forest, Magnolia was bustling with people of different sorts. They all looked funny, in a way, but rather unexpected. And because of that, he was on guard at all times. He couldn’t help thinking they often glanced at him by passing. Perhaps it was a rouse? And before long, from all the noise and the crowded streets, he realised that he lost sight of ‘Mommy Duck’. Quite the pathetic hunter he was when the large volume of crowd had confused his senses, but more so because he could feel that the majority of the crowd were seemingly filled with this strange power that was akin to Gale. All the more he was worried. Had he been led by a lie only to be ambushed? But then kids were running around and seemingly carefree that he thought otherwise. And when he looked at where they were heading, he caught sight of a strange, awkwardly placed event. It didn’t look like it was part of the city, but it was there– a carnival of some sort, with a tall textile fence with many scribbles and art depicting spectacle. And people were all coming to and from the entrance. Needless to say, he was rather intrigued, especially when he heard a lion’s roar from within and immediately, his instincts took over and he needed to find it. |
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| 栄 Gale | Jul 30 2016, 10:35 PM Post #2 |
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Assassination Extraordinaire
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There were a few things that Gale learnt rather quickly about his newfound companion. First and foremost was that his name was Nanashi. Second was that his knowledge of the world was elementary at best - that is, it was comparable to an elementary school student. A somewhat slow one. And thirdly, perhaps the most relevant factor, was that he was quite determined not to leave Gale's side. It seemed that whatever Haruto had been thinking of when he had given into his frustrated outburst had resulted in them gaining something akin to a humanoid puppy; Fearful and uncertain of the world, and so looking for reassurance in the vicinity of but one person. Haruto had not meant for that to happen, Gale knew that much and Haru had clarified as such, but in the end they were stuck with something marginally more intelligent than a Vulcan, though thankfully more inconspicuous. Gale had originally planned to send Nanashi to the monks of Wuji, thinking that whatever monk Nanashi had met earlier in his life would've started from the Cradle of Martial Arts, but it had not been so, and moreover Gale had been asked to turn away from Wuji when one of their messengers, a fresh-faced disciple used to such errands had intercepted them on the road there. A matter had arisen concerning Wuji's next selection of Sword Saints, with the two Boscan Wars and a period of unusual strife coupled with inter-rivalry having phased out the majority of the previous generation, and the Spirits of the Valley had made their presence clear in the ethereal, fleeting ways they communicated. Wuji Valley would not and could not accept new visitors for the ensuing month in order to appease the Spirits of Wuji, and Gale could do little to accept that inconvenience. So to Magnolia they changed their course, a destination much further than the Assassin had originally planned on undertaking, but a necessity nonetheless if he stood any chance of freeing himself from his newfound burden. Magnolia was a major city of Fiore - or so Gale had explained to Nanashi when the topic was brought up in one of their sparse conversations - and the home to Fairy Tail, a guild the exact mixture of hot-bloodedness, irrationality, and impulse that they would accept Nanashi with ease and assist him in tracking down the Monk's hometown if he so wished. Otherwise, it would be easy for Nanashi to barter and win entrance into the Guild itself, seeing as he fit the criteria with ease. Where else but Fairy Tail, after all, would a mage who functioned almost completely off of emotions survive and find more of his kind? He got lost though. Just now. Goddamnit not again! Sighing softly as Aki's concern and Haru's frustration carried over into his own psyche, the assassin-turned-caretaker sniffed the air around him before changing his course. Magnolia was a bustling city, which meant that any scents were easily masked with others. Sounds were muddled and hard to source, and sight was reliable, if not severely limited in tracking down one person in a crowd. Thankfully, after so many days Nanashi still managed to smell like moss, dirt and soot despite the harsh scrubbing Gale had ordered him to do to himself when they passed the first bath house, and so it was easier than normal to find his charge. He didn't know what he was doing going towards the circus though. But he supposed that he would find out soon enough. |
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| Sinjin | Jul 31 2016, 11:30 AM Post #3 |
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He wasn’t sure what he would come to find the moment he stepped through the archway entrance that greeted each and every customer of the carnival. The cloth that fenced the entire area was seemingly painted from within as well. There, he could see images of the forest, of cliffs, of seas, of the starry night, of castles, of different other place. It was quite the colourful feat. And above him there were banners all standing in erect, colourful and depicting the many Fiorean letters he had yet to fully read, while some had paintings, and one of which he saw a creature. He was quickly jolted out from his awe as he remembered why he went in the first place. Quickly, he went around in search of the source of that sound. He bumped a few people a couple of times, got odd stares and and snide remarks, but nothing that seemed to provoke him to fight. In fact, he was often reminded to be more careful, to be wary. How strange it was to be given warning and not a physical response. He was certain that if this was back then, the humans would surely have acted without even voicing any concern. And thus, Gale’s words– that the world pretty much care little about his presence, too busy with its own affairs– was seemingly proven. But that did not mean that he would walk about mindlessly. He did his best to not to enrage anyone else. Finally, after a couple of turns down the long stretch of walk filled with small kiosks of goods and games for children, he came about a large pit. It was fenced by crystal like poles that was emitting some form of power he could feel, racing along the bluish current that connected each pole to another, fencing the pit that had a trench where a small water source was found. And inside the pit, Nanashi saw great beasts of yellowish brown body, all-fours, large mouths with fangs, some had manes and others not. One roared once more before it seemingly yawned as it sat on the ground. The others about it were lying down, asleep or grooming themselves. How fascinating. And he stood there, behind the lacrymal fence, along with some spectators of adults and children. He was confused at first, thinking of jumping in there to free them from their captivity or sort, but then they looked rather relaxed. There wasn’t any form of anxiety coming from them. Just then, a cheer from the crowd as a person went into the pit, a woman, it would seem. She was wearing a leathery outfit and her hair was neatly drawn to a ponytail behind her. She came into the pit and was greeted by the lion. Despite some gasps from the spectator, what happened next was strange. The lions seemingly hugger her and when she began to wave her hand around, they were forming lines, jumping from one obstacle to another, rolling on the ground and even roaring in command. For a moment, Nanashi thought that some kind of strange magic was compelling the creatures, but then they were all seemingly happy, as far as he could tell from their aura. How strange, indeed. Do humans and beasts in the world live in harmony? Quite the farfetched story from his experience in his Deep Forest. Just then, he frowned, thinking that perhaps he was really the cause of all the creature’s misfortune back in the forest. Maybe his presence was truly what drove the villagers to act as such. But as far as he was concerned, he was born in that forest. It was his home. They had no right to think that of him. Shaking his head, he retreated from the noisy cheers of the crowd, now walking along the bustling paths of the carnival perimeter. He had lost track of time and when he realised it, he did not know where he came from and where Gale was. “I need to find him, but this place is making it difficult. So many scents, so many voices,” he thought as he winced when he tried to sniff and listen but only seemed to get more confused. And at that very moment, he heard some people talk about a special tent where a seer could let you relive a memory and even bring to light the buried past… of your family. He turned in alarm, almost as if the message was intended for him to hear. And yet, there was no specific human who spoke of it. He was simply in a crowd. Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of him, and he began to look for any tent that looked special enough, following pictures on banners to find the place, and seeing the starry-sky painting of the cloth fence. And there, he found a smaller tent with a large placard of a woman in mysterious robes, face obscured by the shadow of the hood, but her hands were stretched over a crystal ball that had many images of people and places. Could this be it? |
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| 栄 Gale | Aug 1 2016, 08:55 PM Post #4 |
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Assassination Extraordinaire
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"Sorry brother, but a man's gotta eat, you know? Can't go lower than 3-for-5 on these skewers, sorry, else I'll be eating red margins for the next month and more." The hawker answered, winking with an air that did not in any way at all speak of financial difficulties. Rather, the man seemed positively rotund, for he was quite overweight, but his drooping jowls did not hamper his haggling efforts. And it was fine that way, Gale supposed, seeing as he was neither short on money or particularly hellbent on procuring these skewers of meat. He had marked them as pure beef, sure, and was marketing them as such, but in reality half of the meat smelled like horse, and all of it was seasoned in a savory mixture that would fool most people. Charred and surprisingly tender, the horse meat was no less filling than the beef once Gale left, his wallet now a few hundred-jewel notes lighter from the recent transaction. The assassin wasn't completely sure why so many informants and hustlers preferred to use disguises out in the light of day like a hawker's stand, but he supposed that it was easier to find them that way. For the one man he had just talked with - a bargain to secure an audience with someone from Fairy Tail, which would've been easily achievable by himself had Gale not had more than a few violent encounters with the guild - it was easy to find him in Magnolia. Simply follow the scent of horse and sauce. Finishing off one skewer and handing the rest off to a hungry-looking local begging on the corner of a dark alleyway, the assassin cut through the crowds, skillfully navigating his way through the buildings without even pausing to check how far he had gone. The circus was easy to find from how it smelt like animal shit, and many kinds of animal shit at that, and Gale preferred to stay away from crowds if he could help it. Crowds meant cover, yes - but crowds also meant cover for others. Which meant that he could be stabbed. And he did not like being stabbed very much. Stepping out of the alleyways and bursting into the crowds, the assassin narrowly avoided colliding with a passerby, mumbling an apology as he slipped his hand into the man's pocket and drew out a pamphlet for the current carnival events, flipping through it and stopping at the pages that introduced the circus. Well-known, experienced, toured through Fiore several times, favorite of Magnolia, etc. They say that for every single one though. It didn't matter, Gale was sure of where he had to go now, and he soon found himself inside the circus tent, having once again lightened his wallet slightly by a few notes to get himself a seat easier. Lions jumping through flaming hoops was a sight he rarely saw, but it was not a new discovery, and nor was it particularly meaningful. Plus, his charge was still yet to be found. We're staying, though, right? I kind of want to see this.\ Yep, we staying. Sighing softly, Gale settled into his seat and watched as another lion balanced on an oversized beach ball. Nanashi could wait for a bit, he supposed. |
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| Sinjin | Aug 2 2016, 06:44 AM Post #5 |
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He was very doubtful about this entire seer-thingy-that-looks-into-your-past, but from the recent encounter he had with numerous individuals, he had come to realize that there was simply so much about the whole wide world that he has yet to know about. In fact, what if there was indeed a person capable of showing the past and it could even show you things that only your body was subjected to even if your mind could not remember? Then, wouldn’t that be a great help for his cause? Wouldn’t that relieve him of the burden of the unknown past and finally know his own origin? Truth be told, he was a bit scared as he stood right in front of the said Seer’s Tent. He kept a long good look at it and watched as someone came out. He was in tears, spouting something about not knowing the truth and regretting not being able to say things to his father and how it could have been a lot different now. But the dead can never be returned and so this person wailed as he left the scene, remorseful but thankful at what he discovered. Despite the dramatics, it was quite the sight to behold. More than ever, Nanashi (who was quite new to all this theatrics and over the top spectacle that would have been normal to the everyday person living in the world) felt an urge to step in right there. And so he did. The interior of the tent was dark. There was incense in the air, a strange aroma that made him cringe his nose at first before he saw the robed woman at the center of the tent. She was sitting behind a circular table where a crystal ball was placed. She looked at him and spoke, “Come in, lost boy. Sit before me and I shall enlighten your lifelong burden.” It was definitely strange that she would talk to him that way, “How do you know that?” he ended up saying. “Oh, I can see your aura well, my boy. You have the wildness of the nature that your lived in. Powerful, unrestrained, free, but also lost, burdened, confused. Have you not sought for my help to see what it was that you lost? That you, perhaps, had forgotten?” It was easy to see that the woman was playing with her words, probably enticing a customer through her act. But Nanashi was still inexperienced to those type of people, and as far as he was concerned there was a bit of truth to her words. She may as well have been one of those special people. And so, he gambled it. He sat before the table and watched at the crystal. Eyes That Burned Into Memory Episode - (explains what he sees in the crystal ball) Just then, Nanashi felt like something pushed him and he fell backwards. Tumbling down from the chair that he was sitting on, he realised that he was back in the Seer’s tent. The only difference was that was the Seer was gone. He looked around the dimly lit interior and saw no sign of anyone at all, just the misty incense and some shiny bead-works here and there but nothing else. He instantly felt a bit alarmed, a bit unnerved, in fact, because of what he just experienced and was about to leave when the crystal ball began to glow once more. Looking at it, he saw a familiar figure’s face within the glassy surface. Without a moment’s notice, he leaned towards the table, but in his attempt to look into the crystal ball, he fell forward into a bright light. Tumbling, rolling forward, he found himself sprawled in the forest floor. He felt so tired and blinded by the bright light that kept through the canopy of leaves that it took a while before he could find his footing. In fact, as he was attempting to, a voice had called his attention. “What are you doing, Nanashi? What are you looking for?” the voice said. It was a voice all too familiar that it made his heart stop for a moment before he turned and saw that his monk friend was sitting on a rock just a few meters away. He was drinking from his matcha bowl and enjoying the forest breeze and eating some berries he had picked up earlier. He smiled at Nanashi and raised an empty cup, inviting him to join him. “Come, I found some berries on my way here and I brought what I promised, a tea cup for you to use. We have a lot to talk about today.” “W-what?” Nanashi was in disbelief as he looked around and saw no one else the monk was talking to but himself, but as he looked down to his hands, to his clothes, he knew he was his current self. Not a boy. Not the young self the monk had met before, and yet this felt like an episode, like a memory he may have forgotten. “Didn’t you say you wanted to know more about Minstrel? About where I lived? Well, I brought some things from the lodge I rented in the village. Come take a look,” the monk said, putting down his cup as he pulled out a rattan backpack and then opened it. He showed a kimono, and some prayer beads. Almost as if he was drawn into this instance, because he was really happy to see his friend alive once more, Nanashi went to the man’s side, sitting ever so obediently before him in seiza position and waiting. He never once took his eyes away from the monk, even as the monk began to talk about the items. “Here, I figured you would look better in this kimono. It’s a bit long for you at the moment, but in a year or two, it’ll fit perfectly well. Like a young minstrelian warrior. And this beads, they were blessed by my friends in the temple back home. I know they gave them to me, but I believe you will need the blessing more.” And so the monk reached out to grab Nanashi’s hand and placed the prayer bead on his palm. “You’re growing quickly, I see.” “No, I’m already old. I grew up. It’s been years since you died,” said Nanashi, not once letting his eyes stray away. “I see,” the monk replied, a bit of a frown on his face. The beads, the kimono, the rattan backpack, the tea set, the berries, and the forest disappeared. It was just him and the monk now, in a bright place. “But I’m still glad you’ve finally decided to grow. I thought you would stay there, hating the world forever.” the monk reached out a hand and placed it on Nanashi’s head, a smile forming on his face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take you with me to Minstrel. It would have been a fun adventure, ne?” “Why did you have to die?” Nanashi asked quite genuinely. “We all die, Nanashi. It’s just a matter of when and how.” “Earlier, I… I saw a memory like this… of when I first stepped into the forest… of who brought me there… I think I saw my father,” said Nanashi, gulping in a anxiety. “Then, I was right, wasn’t I? You’re no different than me. You are human as well.” “No, that’s the thing… He… he didn’t look like one… he was covered in darkness… and his eyes gazed at me with such intensity, as if realising I… I, right now, was gazing into the past. It was like… he was warning me… contempt? I don’t understand. If he was really human, why would he leave me there?” “Calm down, Nanashi,” the monk said, patting him on the head. “I cannot give you the answers to that. Only he can. But you must never be burdened by it. You must not chain yourself into another conflict of the past. Remember, what I always told you? Life is more than just what we see.” Nanashi nodded at the words, “But I don’t like him. He sounds like trouble. He feels like an enemy. But he also feels like me.” He swore he heard the monk reply but the world had changed once more. Uttering those words, he suddenly found himself sitting back on the chair, looking at the crystal ball. Then, he raised his eyes and saw the Seer on the other side. She looked straight at him with an interested gaze. “You’re different than the others, boy,” the Seer said. “Take my parting words as a warning. What you saw was both the past and the future. What you heard were things you could not but also wanted. And the person you search for is both here and not. I cannot say for certain if it means a perilous path is before you, but it most certainly meant that you have been found.” “What are you saying?” asked a confused Nanashi. But the Seer stood up all of a sudden and left through the back of the tent. Nanashi quickly followed. Edited by Sinjin, Aug 2 2016, 06:48 AM.
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| 栄 Gale | Aug 3 2016, 03:07 AM Post #6 |
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Assassination Extraordinaire
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The lions roared quite readily within the ring, which was little more than steel wiring bent into a circle, with a double-gate made of the same flimsy material on the far end of the audience seats - a rather poorly thought out series of safety measures, but it would most likely suffice in the unlikely event that a lion actually started looking at it's audience as prey. Lions were clever, however, and they were quite powerful as well, and as such the wire fence would probably hold for a few minutes at most before they clambered it. Dangerous as all public attractions were, the assassin reflected, shifting in his seat somewhat cautiously so that he could launch himself away from the threat if it were to happen. For the sake of the tamer inside the ring, and his desire to remain relatively inconspicuous, he hoped it would not happen. While the show continued, a chaotic affair of animal clamors and excited shrieks from the numerous children in the audience, Gale allowed his mind to fold into itself, gently ushering Haru and Aki to take a more dominant role in addressing what information his body received. It was their wish to see this show, not his own, and as far as busy lives went, theirs was one with few chances at any dates. Thankfully, they needed little persuasion to do so. Smiling slightly at the thought of their giddiness and excitement over watching the circus, for by now it had spread to himself through their own minds, the assassin allowed his mind to drift away, a rare indulgence he had only recently discovered to ease his mind and soothe his psyche. The recent issues he had been facing were virtually wholly sourced from his emotional instabilities, that much he knew, but he knew not how to address it properly, and nor did he truly know how to utilize such fickle sources of motivation and change. He knew it was dangerous, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to rid himself of them fully - for they, his father and his family, had not tried to do so in the first place, knowing it was an impossible task. Instead, they had chosen to condition him to apathy, to ignorance, and to dismiss these emotional queues as blank, useless white noise. And it had worked, for years on end. Now, it was going to kill him. Of all the factors he could identify and all of the ones he could not manage himself, his emotions were by far the most volatile of them all. The most destructive, the most fickle, and the most easily influenced factor in his life. It was an uncertain thing, it moved him to act, to talk, to fight, and to run, seemingly at random, and sometimes in quick succession. With a factor so intimate and so uncontrollable now a daily occurrence, Gale had little choice but to gradually tone down on his jobs until the day came that he could bury his emotions once more. It had worked once, after all, and it would work again. Stirring from his catharsis as Aki and Haru beckoned for him to move, for the lions had long since retreated back into their enclosure, which stunk as badly as the sewers did, and the dogs had come out. They had seen enough for now, it seemed, and Nanashi was a pressing matter to concern themselves with. Namely, the fool was extremely liable to somehow endanger himself in the middle of a city where no one knew of him. But then again, Nanashi was somewhere Gale knew not of, and his scent, as pungent and feral as it was, had been drowned out by the scent of lion shit several minutes ago. Left with little resources on hand and even less of a drive to truly search for the man, though Haru's constant nagging moved him to do so all the same, the assassin went towards the place Nanashi could do the most harm in in the closest hundred meters. Backstage. "Hey, seen a guy in a kimono walk past here recently? Red cloth, black hair, smells like mud and dog shit." The man, a druid from his wear and Stellan from his accent, shook his head briefly as he passed Gale. "Naw, man, you tried backstage yet?" His voice was even and calm, if not somewhat curious. He didn't recognize Gale, though the assassin acted like he belonged backstage with an air of confidence that was hard to think falsely of. But by the time he had turned around to ask Gale more questions, the assassin had already moved deeper into the tents. Shrugging, the Stellan Druid continued on his way, making for the Lion cages. They needed to be placated again after that show, and he was paid to do so, after all. |
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| Sinjin | Aug 3 2016, 09:58 AM Post #7 |
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Nanashi went past the back flap of the tent, tailing that Seer. As he did so, he found himself in the closed off section of the carnival. Here, there were many more tents for the members, their crates of belongings, empty animal cages, an open fire pit for the cooking where a large pot was brewing over, and a few women doing laundry of some colourful clothes. He quickly hid behind one of the large crates as quickly as he could, not wanting to be seen. Almost immediately, his predator’s instinct took hold of him as he observed the surrounding carefully before letting his eyes fall upon he Seer figure. She made a hasty retreat into one of the smaller tents. ’Why?’ he wondered as he crossed the opening between crates and dodged the eyes of the laundrywomen. He held his breath, made his presence unknown, and waited until the women turned their attention back to their duties and senseless gossiping. He then crossed a gap once more, coming under one of the wheeled animal cages. Certainly it didn’t smell like the forest, but it did smell of exotic beasts. Not that he would care at the moment as his full attention was with the Seer. So he crawled past under the cage and then made his way into the tent. Once inside, he had just a moment to dodge as a dagger came falling from the air. Stepping aside, he grabbed the slender wrist that held the weapon and threw the assailant over to the ground. However, the assailant proved agile as she quickly twisted her body, landing on her legs and then throwing a kick at him, dropping the dagger and catching with his free hand in an attempt to slash at him once more. But Nanashi was quick to react and evaded the strike, catching the other hand, before lifting her entirely off the ground and then throwing her over to the ground, pinning her against the surface. Only then did he realised that it was Seer from earlier, and from a closer look, with her hood fallen over, it was revealed that she was far from the human he thought. Indeed, her scent was not like the others, as so did her animal-like ears reveal. Still, her gaze was just the same as earlier when he entered the Seer’s Tent, and she smirked at his long gaze. “What’s the matter, first you’ve seen such as me?” she said. “No. I prefer you over humans, if you care,” replied Nanashi, making the other blush for a split-second before he forced her to drop her dagger. “Why are you trying to kill me?” “I think the question is, why are you here? Surely, it’s normal for a woman to defend herself from a stalker,” she answered. “Sta- sta…. a what?” Nanashi was dumbfounded at the word. “Oh, never mind. I forget that you’re a forest boy. You know nothing of the world and such language… yet.” Nanashi snarled at the mockery, but she only giggled at it. Quite impressive though, was that all of a sudden, one of her hands was freed from his grip and reached out to touch his cheek. “It’s alright. I suppose you don’t mean me any harm, boy. Will you get off now?” Confused as to how it came to be, since he was most certain that the woman was very much pinned under him and he had a strong firm grip, Nanashi could only think that it was some sort of magic. He retreated from her, standing up, but watched her carefully as she collected herself and got to a stand. She quickly took off the robe, clamouring about the heat and Nanashi saw that she not only had animal ears, but a tail as well. She was quite slender, wearing normal human clothes, but clearly feline in some areas. “Who are you really?” Nanashi asked “I’ve never seen another like you before.” “Of course, you haven’t. You barely left your little forest home after all. But unlike the others that live in Fiore, I suppose you can say that I’m still quite the foreigner. And I suppose, judging from that glimpse into your past, it’s hard to lie to someone like you who can sense these things. All the way from Desierto, Ririka the Seer.” She gave a bow before she quickly straightened and crossed the distance between herself and Nanashi, reaching a hand over his neck and drawing quite close, too fast for him to react, and she pecked him on the forehead and whispering, “Or so my job description say.” She then pushed against him, throwing him off balance for a moment as she ran towards the edge of the tent. “Well, I was about to leave anyway since my employer has arrived. And so I’m a Seer no more.” “Wait!” Nanashi quickly recovered and crossed the tent, grabbing her arm. “What are you saying? You mean you were lying earlier? I wanted to ask what you meant by it.” “Oh, no, no, no, dear boy. I may be a mercenary for hire, but as a shaman of my tribe back home, I am a true Seer. And I must say, you are both fortunate and unfortunate with what I saw,” she said, and again her hand was freed. Nanashi quickly looked down and saw the disappearing image of the hand he was holding. Indeed, it was magic and she was not shy to show her skill. “Take this as a warning, boy. Leave here, now. My real job has just begun.” And with that, she left the tent without another word. Nanashi tried to follow, but the moment he passed through the tent flap, he saw no sign of the Seer or Mercenary for Hire, or Ririka the Desiertan. Almost as if she disappeared just like that strange magic of hers. And just when he thought things had gotten strange, an explosion occurred right a the front of the carnival. Smoke fumed into the air, and fire was alit on the main tent’s canopy. Edited by Sinjin, Aug 3 2016, 10:05 AM.
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| 栄 Gale | Aug 4 2016, 05:04 AM Post #8 |
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Assassination Extraordinaire
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Getting past the druid was easy enough, but getting much further than him proved to be a challenge. Not because the circus workers would be attentive enough to realize that he was not one of them, but because almost immediately after walking deeper into the tents a new person appeared within Gale's sensory limits. Someone who walked quietly and cautiously, but not entirely silently, and smelt of steel and charcoal and leathers. Moreover it was someone who felt completely and utterly out of place in a city like Magnolia, and in a carnival of this scale. Out of place, much like how Gale himself was. He knew his kind when he noticed them; It was an occupational requirement, and any failure to do so would very well result in his own demise and undoing. Walking in silence, the assassin took a turn deeper into the tent, following no set directions and leading himself even further into the recesses of the tent. Soon, the man following quickened his pace, and taking that as a signal the assassin stopped in his footsteps, hand drifting to his empty side where his blade usually hung. The man stopped, and the dry rasping of leather sounded quietly amidst the din of animal roars. A dagger, short, steel, straight, and simple. The man came ready. "What." His voice was curt and cold. Short and brief and to-the-point. Annoyed, even, that here of all places he would be tracked down and by someone he knew little about. It was dangerous, quite simply, to know less in his profession, and it was a fact he didn't think highly about. He didn't answer, and Gale was moving to draw a knife before the man sheathed his own, removed his mask, and spoke. A low drawl reverberated softly through the tents, his voice sounding out with a slightly burnt, scarred quality to it. A quick glance backwards revealed the remnants of a burn mark stretching over his throat, though the man quickly hid it afterwards. "Not much, Gale. Or, well, Sendo." Silence once again as the man, a spy and Sinian from the make of his dagger let the quiet sink into the atmosphere. He smirked, taking the silence as a sign of Gale's helplessness, and moved closer to continue the conversation. How he learnt of Gale's origins and his family the assassin didn't know, nor did he truly care to know. It was information, it was worth much in the ears of the right person foolish enough to pay for it - but it was not anything for despairing over. It was, however, worth killing over. The Sinian spy hardly had time to scream as the assassin moved, his dagger flashing out from underneath his clothing and sinking into the man's heart as Gale muffled the spy's mouth with his free hand. Carefully making sure the blood did not spray on him and redirecting it to his surroundings with a quick burst of wind, the assassin let the body drop to the floor with a muffled thump. The blood splattered on the inside of the tent would send any predator into a rage, no doubt. Or it would've had a fire not started in that exact moment. Nanashi? Unsure himself, the assassin slipped out of the tent by cutting through the taut fabric and rejoined the crowds, watching as the circus started to burn. |
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| Sinjin | Aug 4 2016, 12:37 PM Post #9 |
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Nanashi rushed into the scene of flames, standing before the main tent as the canopy erupts into an inferno’s mouth. People were running all over the place, animals were shrieking, carnival attendants were trying their hardest to calm the situation, and others were trying to put out the fire with pails of water, but to no avail. The lion show from earlier had scrambled, the main tamers were quick to move the animals back to their cages, there was still a panicked voice somewhere that he could hear. Even with the noise from the crowd, he was able to sense the fear stricken cry of a certain beast within the tent. Thus, Nanashi rushed against the tide of humans, bumping occasionally, though he didn’t bother. A furious yell came after him, but he didn’t look back. A creature’s life was more important– that was something he had lived with for most of his life and even when he was already starting to try and accept humans, he was still far from truly admitting it. Instinct still prevailed, and the Alpha in him was taking charge no matter what, it would seem. “Wait, where do you think you’re going?! Don’t go there!” another yell from one of the circus attendants who were splashing buckets of water to the main tent. “It’s dangerous!” He didn’t heed the man’s words. He simply jumped of the first railing and then rushed into the open slit of the tent’s flap. Inside was hot, too hot and smoky that it stung his eyes and hurt his nose. He lifted a hand to cover his face and squinted his eyes, pushing through thrown down chairs and disarrayed pews. The cry was still there, panicky. And when he reached the middle of the audience bleacher, he against the background of wild flames eating the opposite side of the tent, a horse was caught and trapped as its reins were tied to a post but a broken beam had fallen over it. It was weakening by the second, already flinging its body wildly, probably from the smoke and the threat of flames coming closer. So Nanashi rushed over, jumping over the chairs and onto the gravel surface of the ring. He made his way to the animal, barely dodging the wild kicks in its panic, but he Nanashi glared at it, used his predatory presence to submit it. It took a while but then the horse would stop the flinging and then simply stayed back. At that, Nanashi drew out one of the kukris he had recently gotten for the journey and slashed at the broken beam. The temperature of the blade had increased, almost in not more hot than the flames about them, allowing it to penetrate into the beam material, slicing through. Then, he reached for the reins and pulled on the horse to get it moving. Cracks of the main tent’s beam was heard as they made their escape, and just as they left through the open slit flap, the back of the large tent had collapsed. A trainer of the carnival was surprised to see the horse and quickly got it from him. Meanwhile, Nanashi didn’t bother to wait for any thanks. He quickly moved away as he felt a prying presence about him. It was… predatory in nature, but far worse. It felt like those golden eyes that burned into his memory. And just as he tried to veer away from the collapsed tent that was drawing in more people to stop the flames, he caught sight of a shade. It was a figure draped in silhouette or so, and its eyes were on him before the figure simply vanished into thin air as the flames erupted once more. He tried to run around the crowd in search of the said figure but there was simply no more sign. |
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| 栄 Gale | Aug 4 2016, 05:15 PM Post #10 |
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Assassination Extraordinaire
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The fire was quite obviously an unnatural one, for circus tents rarely, if ever, spontaneously combusted in the middle of day without any significant source of fire to start from. The tent was lit from the inside from a mixture of lachrymal lights and enclosed oil lamps, neither of which were very likely to start fires easily unless someone made a mistake in handling them. That, coupled with the heavy scent of acrid smoke, suggested that the fire was an intentional one, to flush someone out of the tent or otherwise trap them inside there. It was possible that someone, a business rival maybe, simply wished for the circus troupe to suffer the consequences of a massive loss in property, but few people were unhinged enough to actually attempt such a drastic act of sabotage. Which made Gale their possible target, considering he had just killed a Sinian spy for approaching him with information of his true lineage. Though few people truly believed that Gale was the son of a forest ranger or miller, as he oftentimes claimed to be when the question popped up infrequently, fewer still bothered to look deeper than his claims. His conversational partners were mostly clients, after all, and they rarely cared more than enough was required to be guaranteed of his ability to do their dirty work. But on the same hand it was improbable that Gale was the target of this act of arson, seeing as they would've known how easy it was to escape a burning tent if they had known his true name. No, there was something else with this incident. Some other purpose. Briefly, Nanashi's figure flashed across his mind and Haru frowned slightly in concern, but he was a forest-groomed feral beast of a man, and few people knew of his existence outside of the now decimated faraway rural village. He could be the target of this chaos, but that was equally if not more unlikely than Gale's first theory. So who, and why? Ultimately the assassin chose to distance himself from the commotion instead, and the roaring of panicking lions only served to hasten his footsteps. The tent was being thoroughly evacuated at the moment, with the audience streaming and screaming out of the tent as the flames started to lick towards them. The animals, however, were positively terrified, and their fearful clamor only served to panic the bystanders even further. Lions roared in futility, slamming against their steel cages. Zebra brayed, horses kicked at their enclosures, and the quick, cacophonous barking of dogs quickly saturated the surroundings. And then a cage door burst open, a lion roared in triumph as it broke free, and all hell broke loose as the animals rushed out of the circus, easily capable of injuring anyone who stood in their way, which now numbered in the hundreds even as the local Knights started forming a cordon. They would find their hands full with panicked animals hurting from singed fur, no doubt. And Gale would find his life infinitely easier if he was far away once the commotion died down. There was the issue of Nanashi after all, for he had flashed into his line of sight briefly, his head moving back and forth as he searched for someone. Curiously enough, his clothing was singed at the edges and his skin was layered with a certain degree of soot. "You smell burnt." The assassin commented, having made his way through the crowd with an odd ease. He grabbed Nanashi's wrist and drew the man in briefly, sniffing him quickly before releasing his limb. "And like a horse. What are you doing?" |
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7:20 PM Jul 11









