[OOC: Call of the Fire is an experiment of mine, a serious semi-freeform roleplay. There is no OOC topic for it, no character sheet, no setting except that it is medieval. Unlike the freeforms I did this with, this one is meant to be serious and will develop a plot as we go. If you're interested, create a character (without writing it out here but you can do a profile for yourself if you wish) and start posting. The posts need not be very long, but at least make it two reasonable paragraphs. Because it has no OOC topic and jump right into the IC, I'm going to count this as a main when there's enough posts to reach page 2. Alright? Now here goes.]


The night was young and had not yet left the scent of the sunset, but the misty forest was already dark as its foliage concealed the light from out and above. Against a huge tree sat a pair of people, and a small fire burned merrily as it attempted to provide the least warmth required.

The middle-aged man shivered again, and wrapped his cloak tightly against himself and muttered a soft prayer to ward the cold. But beside him, a young boy in ragged clothes who looked too thin to be healthy seemed perfectly undisturbed as he stared at the dancing fire, captivated.

It did not take long for the older of the two to realise that there was more than just pure simple attraction to something new in the boy's gaze. "Fera, what are you thinking of?"

Fera chose not to answer instantly, but instead, stretched a hand out toward the flame, not quite touching it yet. When he spoke, there was a sorrowful sort of maturity that permeated his youthful voice. "I wonder what would have happened if I was raised normally. Would I have found out about it, Geral?"

"No, I do not think so." Geral's hand reached out to grasp the child's own and brought it back onto his knees. "But it does not change that you know about it, and that you must do something about it."

"I know." Fera sighed, the weariness in it was more fitting for a man of his companion's age than a boy of his. "It is the burden of my birth after all."

"Yes, it is." Geral's pat Fera's hand once before he started to push himself up. "Rest your head, Fera, don't think so much. I'll look around for something edible. Just bear with it for one more night, we'll be in town in the morning."

[OOC: I suggest having characters in town. ^^]

Kalani stood at the edge of the town’s bustling marketplace, the young fox pup under one arm, and the basket meant for food in the other. His mother had sent him to market for the usual; fruit, bread, spices, and maybe a bit of sweets, if he had leftover money (which he would, of course). They had animals on their modest farm, and some vegetables that were hardy and easy to cultivate, but fruit was necessary to keep away disease. Besides, his mother adored the rich taste of oranges and peaches.

A soft wind blew across the marketplace, the breeze picking up the canvases that hung over the stalls and blowing Kalani’s overlong pale blonde bangs into his face, and he scrunched up his face to keep his hair from entering his one good eye. The small fox hooked under his arm squirmed, and Kalani bent to let him down. He used his newly freed hand to hastily tie his hair back with a piece of cord from his pocket before moving forward.

“C’mon, Kit!” he called back, and the fox ran ahead of him, scattering a small flock of birds who’d gathered around some bread crumbs someone had tossed to the ground. Kalani laughed, and some of the townspeople gave him a disapproving look. He was used to it, though…

Since he was already sixteen years old, many of the people thought he should be married and tending his own farm, rather than helping his mother with her own farm. Indeed, Kalani’s two older brothers, Oskar and Pascual had been married by the time they were his age, and Oskar had even bought his own plot of land, while Pascual and his family had taken a portion of the family land and settled down. Kalani wasn’t like that. He didn’t want to settle down, he was restless, but he didn’t know what it was that he really wanted to do. Besides, he wasn’t a big fan of fawning women. They tended to annoy him.

But it wasn't merely his lack of a wife or land that kept people talking about him... It was also his father, who had been half-demon... People tended to think bad things about anything associated with the word "demon," and his father was no exception... But he'd rather not dwell on that right now! He had work to do, and that meant bringing his mother some damn fruit!

Kalani stopped at a fruit stall and smiled at the old woman tending it. He was not here just to buy, he also kind of took things with a ...five finger discount... “I’d like four oranges…” he started to say, when there was a loud crashing sound at the other end of the marketplace, causing him to drop one of the oranges he'd been about to slide into his basket. Kit stopped dead and held his head high in the direction of the crash, alert.


(I decided to end it there so someone could either make up the cause of the crash, or I can continue it in my next post, so don't feel obliged to continue that if you don't want to...)

((EDIT: Also, I wanted to ask if I needed to send you my character's bio via PM? And I was wondering why there would be nowhere to post the bios? I spent a lot of time on mine... And I like reading others... Not to be nitpicky! ^^;; ))

[OOC: Nope, you don't have to send me anything. I want this to run in a way where nobody knows much of anything or anyone, and the world and plot is created in the process, not before the IC even starts. ^^;]

"Geral... what are those?" The young child pointed at various items of a vegetable stall and whispered softly to the man beside him. A rough cloak hid his bright red hair from sight but did not hide the curiosity on his face that made him look more like the child that he was.

"Cabbage, lettuces and potatoes." Amusement filled Geral's clear blue eyes as he sees the normality in Fera. Although the boy looked younger than he actually was, he was still far more wise than good for him, and such display of innocent enthusiasm was very rare. "Come on, Fera. We won't need the things here. Let's go."

"Do we need anything at all?" Dark red eyes were almost like blood when the light of the sun shone into them. "Or do we search for your friend now?"

"We wil-"

A loud sound coming from a stall near them, interrupting their conversation and drawing their attention over. Instinctively, Fera shrunk against Geral and pulled his cloak in closer to his face. "What is happening?"

[OOC: Okay, let's have somebody involved in what exactly happened, shall we? ^^]

A powerful blast of wind neatly tumbled the boy off his feet. The small body fell against a wooden cart, knocking it over. The melons exploded upon contact with cobbled street, sending goblets of sweet liquid flying everywhere. The cart's backboard and cover broke with a loud crack. A slender woman draped in a dark cloak gracefully knelt next to the child and looted about his clothing. She rose with a coin purse in hand, turning smartly on the heel of her long boots. The coin purse dangled from her fingers by their slit strings. She raised an eyebrow at two startled men standing near by.

"That little runt! How dare he steal from a Celin!" A youth of fourteen years strode forward, fury obvious in the quick swings of his arms. The young man snatched the coin purse from the woman's fingers and leaned over to peer the collapsed boy. He drew back a foot to kick the still body but the woman intercepted the lad's kick.

"Nera!" He turned on her, glaring.

"Lord Deagas, you shouldn't dirty your shoes with ones such as this. Your father wouldn't approve," she said, she peered down on pretty but petulant young lord. Her golden eyes met his green ones. "Lady Amana wouldn't like it to hear that you had harmed a child, even a rotten one such as this." Predictably the mention of the Lady's name made all anger die in his eyes.

"Lady Amana... Fine! I see the town guard has arrived, late as always," he declared and marched arrogantly away from the scene. "See that he gets proper punishment for thieving from a noble," he called arrogantly over his shoulder. "Nera! Valer! Let's go! We shouldn't let an incident such as this disturb our shopping." The two body guards shared a look of exasperated patience. Nera closed her eyes in a hidden sigh and tucked her focus blue crystal back under her shirt. The pair joggled after their ward.


OOC:
Brief Description of characters for referrences because I didn't include in post

Nera:
Hair color: Silver
Eyes: golden yellow
Skin tone: very fair
Height: 5'5"
Build: slender
Age: 19
Other: She is delicately build, rather pretty with small regular features.
Clothes: leather pants-brown, Light cotton tanktop-red, one-handed sword at hip, heavy cloak on top.

Valer:
Hair color: black
Eyes: brown
Skin tone: medium
Build: muscular, bulky
Height: 6'1"
Age: 27
Other: His features tend to be sharp, his gaze unreadable and unfriendly. Rather intimidating really
Clothes: vambraces, gauntlets, greaves, and breast plate all over dark leather gear, cloak similar to Nera's on top of that


Deagas:
Hair: Red
eyes: green
Skin tone: light
Build: slender, boyish
Height: 5'4"
Age: 14
Other: Attractive young boy, but tends to ruin that by looking like a brat
Clothes: Bright silks and brocade.
Son/heir of Lord Lihen Celin, a wellknown lord that owns a good deal of land in the surrounding area

Kalani stared at the obvious thievery going on, and bent to pick up the now squishy orange he’d nearly stolen. He put it back with the other oranges in the crates at the front of the stall and decided not to do something so risky today. He absently scratched at the seven-inch long scar that bridged his nose, and turned back to the leathery old orange-seller. Still, his good eye kept flickering back to the strangers in cloaks. There were so many of them today, and it was giving him a weird feeling that made the flesh crawl along his arms.

Watching them stroll out of the marketplace, Kalani reached down and scratched behind Kit’s ears, intense gaze laid on the strangers. Kit still seemed agitated, but there wasn’t much Kalani could do about it. He patted him on the side and murmured a few comforting words to the young fox, but he still seemed on edge. Kalani paid the woman for the oranges and took the four best oranges he could find, placing them carefully in the basket. He then went on with rest of his shopping, but he was distracted by the people around him, who couldn’t stop talking. Any time something out of the ordinary happened around town, the people were all over it like scavengers on carrion He was just glad they weren’t talking about him for once…

When he was finished with the shopping, he decided to stop at one of the town’s more popular restaurants. Kalani set down the now full basket and let Kit leap into his lap. He watched the people around him, absentmindedly petting Kit as he waited for his order to arrive. His one violet eye flicked upon one person after the other, and his knee twitched, restive. He didn’t know why… But it was driving him mad! All the outsiders, and all the townspeople going nuts over it!

Kalani raked a hand across his face, closing his eye and taking in a deep breath. He could hear the server bring his dish, and she said something customary. He lifted his head and smiled at her. “Thank you…” he told her, and was surprised to see Helena, a girl he’d known for years. He’d also just turned her down about a week ago, when she had shyly asked him if he would like to court her. He blinked, unable to think of anything to say.

“It’s okay, you know,” she told him, bashful as ever. “I shouldn’t have asked…”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Kalani told her, actually wanting her company to keep the restlessness at bay. “Are you busy right now?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” she told him apologetically. “You’re acting a little peculiar… Are you all right?”

“I’m fine!” Kalani told her, though he did realize he must look odd. He was usually a grinner, not a moper.

“It’s those strangers, isn’t it?” Helena asked, hitting the nail right on the head. Kalani winced.

“That obvious, am I?”

“Well, not really… It’s just that I always had this feeling that…” Helena paused, looking as though she wasn’t sure how to word her next statement. “Well, that you weren’t meant for this place. Not that I don’t like you!” Realizing how her words sounded, she waved her hands, flustered. “Just that I…”

“No, I know what you mean,” Kalani told her, and he felt like something inside him was clicking. “Thanks for the help, Helena!” He grinned fully at her as he stood up quickly, dumping poor Kit out of his lap unceremoniously. Kit growled in annoyance and nipped his leg. Kalani laughed, glad to have his mood lightened. “Sorry, Kit! But, really, thanks, Helena!” He snatched his basket and swept Kit under his arm, hastily leaving the restaurant.

“Wait! You forgot your food!” Helena called after him. But he had already left.

"Celin..." Fera rolled the word in his mouth after the trio had left, his thin red brows gently folded themselves against each other as he searched his memory for the reason why the word felt familiar. Then he found it, and color drained away from his face. "Lihen Celin..."

"You know him?" Detecting the fear in the boy's voice, Geral turned and half-knelt to face the boy, his words had the tone of concerned confirmation rather than question. "Is he a friend of..."

"Yes." Feral uttered the answer before Geral could finish, and his crimson eyes were guarded when he gazed straight into azure ones. "Can we find your friend now?"

Knowing that he would not be able to get anything out of the boy anymore, Geral straightened up and led them towards the nearest inn. "He sent word to me that he is waiting at his usual hangouts, which means we will search the places selling food."

Fera nodded, and followed Geral wordlessly with his eyes downcast until they reached the third place of choice. Either he was caught in his thoughts or he just could not see the road, Fera bumped into a person, and stumbled back as his thin frame could not absorb the impact, nearly falling in the process.

"I'm sorry..." Fera looked up hastily at the person he bumped into and stopped, when he stared right at a young fox.

[OOC: Tag, Ember! ^^]

“I should be the one saying sorry!” Kalani apologized, since he had been in such a rush, he hadn’t even been watching where he was going. Luckily, it hadn’t been a hard impact, or else he would have lost his mother’s basket---and everything in it… And of course, Kit immediately squirmed and wriggled to get free, so Kalani finally gave up on keeping a hold on him and released him.

The little fox was picky about which people he would sniff or allow to pet him, but to Kalani’s surprise, he loped over to the kid Kalani had bumped into, circling him and checking him out. Kalani laughed at the surprise on the kid’s face.

“He likes you!” Kalani told him, bending down to pet Kit. “He’s not usually so friendly…” he mused, looking up to the kid’s companion. They both wore cloaks, and were obviously not from around here… He frowned slightly, then realized he was doing so and instantly stopped.

“So, where are you travelers from?” he asked, his good eye moving from the young face to the old face.

He was surprised he was being so friendly with total strangers. He usually disliked seeing strangers, for they would either point and whisper, or stare in fear---because it was so obvious he was a quarter demon; with slightly pointed ears, long nails, elongated incisors, and small, useless wings folded across his back. Even the one eye he had which wasn’t covered in a gruesome scar was evidence, as he had a slit pupil rather than the normal human’s round one---and it was violet; not a normal human colour.

He guessed he should be glad he didn’t have horns and slightly discoloured skin, like his father, or he would be even more obvious… As it stood now, he could hide his wings, if he chose to, but he wore instead a formfitting simple black sleeveless shirt and a dark green scarf to cover his neck scars. He wore his hair over his bad eye, so people didn’t have to see it. And if he wanted to, he could hide his ears under a hat, or his teeth by not grinning so much.

But why bother hiding it? They already knew… And he wasn’t ashamed of his father. He just hated all the whispers behind his back…


[OOC: Tag back, Sel! By the way, this kind of RP is really fun! I've never done it before! ^^ And sorry for the long introspect, I wanted to make my post a little longer, so I just kept typing, and I gave the physical description, so your characters know what he looks like! ]

After accompanying the young lord back to the manor, Nera reported the town incident to the head woman.

"I see... A payment to the cart owner will be necessary." The head woman said, eyeing the younger woman keenly. "How much damage was there?"

"About 15 melons were lost, the cart will need some repair, nothing massively structural but some minor pieces will need to be replaced," Nera recited, looking upward as she accessed the memory. The head woman mentally calculated the cost and handed over the coin to pay off the melon farmer.

"Deliver this with our apologies. You can take your time returning if you wish. The young master will not be going out again today, he's been skipping on his lessons again." She grinned and made a shooing gesture. "Too bad he isn't dedicated student like you were at his age."

"Well, the consequences for slacking were different for me." Nera idly rubbing her upper arm where a gold band dug slightly into her flesh. The other woman made an almost comical grimace.

"Don't worry Nera, someday you'll earn your freedom. His lordship doesn't forget his promises. You have served him well from the day you were bought. Have patience, he will free you... Eventually." The woman patted Nera's shoulder sympathetically. "Wear something brighter when you go town. Wearing dark clothes doesn't suit you dear."

Nera smiled weakly and headed up to her room. It was a cramped little space, but she spent so little time in it, it scarcely mattered. She selected a heavy light green skirt with dark green embroidery in the shape of falling oak leaves and set it on her bed. After a brief search in her closet she found the matching sleeveless tunic and dark green head kerchief. She dressed quickly. Her hair she pulled into a neat bun to make it easier to conceal the color of her unusually colored hair. Normally her cloak did the job just fine, but she would do as told. The kerchief also shaded her eyes, hiding that aspect. Judging herself suitably attired, she returned to entry hall. Valer was leaning against the wall watching her descend. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"You coming with?" A brief nod answered her question. As she walked by him, he grasped her shoulder, turning her towards him. She blinked in surprised. He gave her kerchief a pull forward, so it would hide her eyes better. He nodded again, this time in approval. She grinned.

"Thanks. These days I'm accustomed to hiding my features, I almost feel insecure without something on my head." She continued on her way, Valer falling in behind her. As typical for them, she spoke the entire the way to the town, while he nodded, shrugged, or grunted his opinion. She had gotten quite apt at reading body language and the nuances in sound.

She spotted the vender's cart. The man was attempting to recover his losses, selling the remaining unharmed melons. Nera walked over, rapping a melon with her knuckles.

"Oh miss, you like to buy..." His words trailed off as he noticed Valer behind her, recognizing him from before.

"No, thank you. I'm here to apologize for wrecking your profit for today.. And your cart," she said, smiling lightly. The vendor nodded nervously, watching Valer. No doubt the man felt that he had no choice but to accept her apology with Valer's cold gaze on him. Nera looked over her shoulder and jerked her head in the direction of the bakery. Valer took the hint and wander off to browse the shops. She turned back to the vendor, who looked relieved. "I'm sincerely sorry for my actions."

"You are the woman with the wind magic," he asked, trying to see her face better, she looked away as if shy. He stopped, embarrassed.

"Anyways, here is something for your troubles," she said, slipping him the small cloth pouch with the coin in it. He peered into the bag, then secreted amongst his clothing. He was polite enough not to count it in front of her.

"My thanks."

"I am very sorry." She bowed, then took her leave. She found Velar near the fountain, a bag on his lap and eating a butter roll. She sat down next to him and stretched. He pulled out a sweet bun from the bag, handing it to her. She blinked.

"Oh thank you, Velar. Very thoughtful of you, spending some of your own hard earned cash on me." He made a cutting motion with his free hand. She smiled, taking a bite from the bun and enjoying the light flavor. "Excellent. Anyways, done with the chore. Say... Don't you have a break soon?" She leaned forward to watch him. He gave one of his rare smiles.

"Two weeks." She smiled back at him.

"That's great. You must be happy to go back and visit your wife and son. She surely misses you and how old is your son now?"

"Two and a half."

"A difficult but wonderful age," she grinned and the slightly vexed expression that flashed across his features. "Too bad, you and Keiya can't send each letters." Like most of the lower class, Velar and his wife were illiterate. Typically a slave like Nera would have been as well, but Nera's special abilities required access to books that would teach her spells and control methods. Since she had been a good student, she had been allowed to expand her learning as suggested by the tutor that had taught both Deagas and herself. "I would love to meet your wife some time, anyone that get 'you' to open up must be someone amazing."

"She would be pleased to meet you too," he said frowning. She shook her head, regretfully.

"Lord Lihen wouldn't let me go even for a short break. I'm technically, a slave, remember? Even if I have more freedoms and lessor workload than other slaves," she smiled wistfully, her hand unconsciously going to the armband. The metal had been worked with magic, so that she was unable to remove it and her movement tracked on small glass orb, that currently sat in Lord Lihen's sitting room. She sighed, tugging at her kerchief to pull it down to shade her eyes more effectively. Nera had been tainted by the destructive magic that had destroyed her parent's hometown when she was still gestating within her mother. Most of the children that had been tainted died. She had been lucky or perhaps unlucky, to have survived. As a result Nera had unusual coloration's, her eyes, her hair, even her pale, pale skin. The flesh on her back was mottled not unlike splotching on a fawn's back. Her magic was also unstable, which was why she required a focus stone to work it, otherwise it tended to go out of control.

Nera finished her bun silently. Velar placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in an attempt to communicate his sympathy. She smiled up at her friend.

"Ah well, I guess we should head back." They rose and started to weave their way through the crowds.

[OOC: Ember, it's okay that it's detailed. In fact, it's great. ^^]

Fera looked nervously at the furry creature that had leapt out from under the person's arm and was staring straight at him. He had never seen a real fox before, much less a younger one that was apparently quite friendly to him, so he had no idea what to do.

"So, where are you travelers from?"

"Your eye... it's..." The words escaped Fera's lips when he directed his attention from the young fox to its owner in response to the question, before he realised how impolite it sounded, and mumbled apologetically. "Sorry, I was just surprised. It doesn't matter."

"What Fera means is that it doesn't matter that you're a quarter-demon, lad, we don't mind a bit." Geral placed a hand approvingly on Fera's shoulder, and smiled at the purple-eyed young man. "I'm Geral Le'Ferondia and the boy here is Fera Lokihl. We are looking for a friend, Inmreari Ruikanus. Do you know him, lad?"

"I'm Geral Le'Ferondia and the boy here is Fera Lokihl. We are looking for a friend, Inmreari Ruikanus. Do you know him, lad?"

Kalani was surprised by the lack of contempt in the strangers’ voices. Well, no, not entirely strangers now, since they had introduced themselves. The old one was called Geral and the young one was called Fera. Kalani was also taken aback by the fact that they could so easily introduce themselves to him, even knowing that he was a quarter-demon. Somehow, this only emphasized what Helena had said to him… I always had this feeling that… you weren’t meant for this place…

Maybe…there was somewhere out there where quarter-demons; even half-demons were treated just like everyone else… Or it could just be that these people were indifferent to the flow of the typical social philosophy. Who was he to know?

“I’m Kalani Orin. And, no, I’m sorry. I’ve never even heard of him.” Kalani replied, a little disappointed that he had no answer. He may recognize most of the people in town by sight, but he didn’t know many of them by name at all. “What does he look like?”

Kit sat beside the child, waiting for a snack, or a pat on the head, his big black eyes shining.

[OOC: This one's kind of short, since there is dialogue taking place between our characters. ^^;]

[OOC: Nope, it's okay. The shortest we can get is two paragraphs and I think I may resort to that at times. =P]

"Hmm... how does Inmreari look like?" Geral held his chin in his hand between his thumb and forefinger, and his blue eyes were thoughtful. "I haven't seen him for some time. But Inmri should look around my age and somewhat medium-sized. He has black hair and eyes green like forests, should also be wearing a cloak with a embroidery of a red dragon and be carrying a black wizard staff with a ruby on it."

"And he's always near food." Fera added in a very distracted voice, from where he had lowered himself to scrutinise the fox that was sniffing at his extended hand. "You told me that earlier."

"Yes yes, I almost forgot. He would have to be in a tavern, inn or an eating place. He is always eating something." Geral shook his head at the habit of his friend. "Have you seen him, uh... Kalani? If you haven't, I'm afraid we'll have to search at another tavern."

[OOC: Hmm... how do we include Sydra's character?]

“Hmmm…” Kalani had not seen someone fitting that description at all today, though he had noticed the group of three earlier; the ones who had kind of apprehended a thief. The kid had acted all lordly, so he had thought maybe he was of one of the noble houses. It was rare to see them just walking around among townspeople, as many nobles just sent servants out to buy food, and preferred to stay in the company of others like themselves.

Kalani’s mother said it was because the suffering of the common folk bothered them, and they didn’t want that sort of thing keeping them up at night. Kalani agreed, since they seemed to think more of themselves than others, and it was just like a selfish person to not want to see another person’s sufferings merely because it upset them. Looking through the crowds, though, he thought he spotted the people from earlier. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was indeed the people from before; minus one—the noble child.

“Maybe they would know,” Kalani suggested, pointing them out. He didn’t know if they really would or not, but if it gave him an excuse to speak to more strangers, he was game. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was telling himself he was being stupid for not just ignoring all the strangers like he usually did. But he shoved that voice down and called out to the pair, who was being swallowed up by the crowds.

“Hey!” he cried. “You over there! Scary lookin’ fella and lady with silver hair!”

[OOC: I hope that's a good way to do it.]

OOC: XD that's just fine.
IC:
Nera cringed internally as the holler reached her eyes. What was the point in even hiding herself if she still couldn't be inconspicuous. Velar spun on his heel, his hand resting on the top of his sword. His eyes flicked about warily, until he located the source of the shout. Nera pulled on her kerchief unconsciously ensuring it would shade her eyes. She laid a hand on Velar's tense shoulder, smiling up at him. He relaxed slightly and the pair of them strode over to meet the small group. Their passage and the prior shout seemed unnoticed by the majority of people.

"I would sincerely appreciate it if you kept your voice down," Nera said with a semi-smile. She looked over the group; a middle-aged man, two boys of varying age and a... fox? One of the boys, well a man by peasant standards, was of mixed blood. An aspect that didn't bother her as she was not your typical human either. Velar was his typical silent, threatening self, eyeing the group over impartially.

"So, you wanted some of us? I'm certain I haven't met any of you before," she said, puzzled by the situation.

Kalani grinned, trying to appear non-threatening (which mostly he was), and replied, “No, and I haven’t met you people either!” He thought for a moment. “Well,” he amended. “I did see you take down that thief earlier today. But that doesn’t really count as having met you, does it?”

He realized he was babbling and scowled, shaking his head and crossing his arms. It had been so long since he had really talked to strangers, that he was becoming somewhat overwhelmed. How many was this, now? Four? That was more people he had talked to in the last three months, and that was counting people he was close to.

“Okay, let me start over,” Kalani said. “I’m Kalani, and this is Geral and Fera. They’re looking for a man called Inmreari. He’s as old as this guy,” he indicated Geral. “Black hair, green eyes… I was wondering… if you two had ever heard of him? Met him?”

He was feeling a little intimidated by the man, who just stared impassively as he spoke. It made him feel like every word he said was thought over, judged. It made him nervous. Plus… he was a lot stronger than Kalani. He could tell just by looking.

He glanced at Kit, who had taken up a guarded stance. “It’s okay, Kit.” He reassured the young fox. I think…

[OOC: My bad on the hair. ^^; Maybe he glimpsed it earlier that day? Would you like me to edit that out?]

The firey-headed boy paled and stopped whatever he was doing when he saw the two who were accompanying the young noble earlier in the marketplace, and prayed that they leave soon. To his dismay, Kalani called out to them and Fera had no choice but to tug his hood down lower and stand reluctantly, trying to hide as much of himself behind his older companion.

Sensing the young boy's discomfit, Geral subtly shifted to accomodate Fera. He tipped his head politely at the pair summoned by Kalani's call, noting the unusual color of the lady's hair and wariness of the man, and summoned a smile onto his face. "Greetings. Have either of you seen my friend anywhere?

"He's a magician for the Scarlet Dragon Guild, so he should be carrying a black magician staff and wearing a cloak with a red dragon pattern at the back."

OOC: That's okay, perhaps he saw it during that thief thingie, she was using wind magic. Or at least that is what I was assuming. How old does Fera look?

IC:
Nera's eye narrowed at the mention of a magician. She wasn't particularly fond of other magic users. She noted the boy was hiding himself behind the older man and the fox's stance. She punched Velar in the arm.

"Quit glowering, you are making the child nervous." She turned back to the boy, lowering herself, so she was at eye level with him. "Sorry about that, Velar makes those faces at everyone, he didn't mean to scare you." She smiled warmly at the child then rose. Nera had a clear soft spot for children. "I should have introduced myself. My name is Sainera, but I'm more often called Nera for short. This man is Velar. As for your friend..." She nodded politely at Geral. "I don't believe we have met someone of that description before." She looked up at Velar, who shook his head.

"Well, if he is a magician and in this town, I could locate him for you." Without warning, she shot out an arm to one side, the other arm grasped the crystal hidden under her top. The air seemed to ripple around her, then rapidly expanded away from her, rushing in all directions. To the people it went by it felt like nothing more than a gentle breeze. Nera closed her eyes, concentrating.

"Ah," she said, opening them again. "The man you are looking for should be at "The Withering Rose" tavern. Since he had magic, it makes it much easier to find him." She nodded to herself. "Well, if that is all, then I think we will be taking our leave." She inclined her head respectfully, then turned prepared to stride off.

“Wait!” Kalani said, reluctant to see everyone parting ways already. But he had no ready excuse to make them stay, so he merely bit his lip anxiously. “Uh… Never mind… And, I’m sorry. I mean, for calling you out like that.”

If his curiosity of the strangers was strong earlier, it was strengthened the evidence that the woman seemed to be a skilled magic user, and that the old man and the child were looking for a magician. Kalani’s father had been a skilled mage, though he had been disinclined to show his son how to cast any spells or perform any feats of magic. Sure, he taught him the way of throwing a dagger accurately into all the right places, and he had even told Kalani that he was better with a Bo than he was, but he had never wanted to teach Kalani a drop of magic. He warned against it constantly. And with his father’s parting, there had been no way for Kalani to know if his father’s abilities had passed on to him.

But Kalani wasn’t sure how one communicated something like that. And even if he was sure, he would end up looking a fool. Of that, he was sure.

Kit was still looking quite cautious, though his puffed out tail had settled down somewhat. He looked up at Kalani with a strange expression, and Kalani looked back down at him. Kit yipped and ran around the boy in a circle, then came to a sudden halt, back where he was started, sitting on his haunches. He yipped once more.

“I don’t understand, Kit.” He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry he’s so frisky today. I don’t know what’s gotten into him…” Or into me, with all these damn apologies…

[OOC: Wee! Second page! This is officially a main roleplay! Fera looks around nine, I haven't really figured how old I really want him to be yet so his real age is a secret for now. =P]

Fera heaved a hidden sigh of relief when the pair finally left. He felt more exhausted in those mere moments than he had for the past few days, as he had to fight the urge to bolt when the lady, Sainera, came closer to him. Perhaps he was just over-reacting, for even though she may be related to Lihen Celin, she may not know of his existence, but he did not want to take the chance.

Hearing Kalani's voice and the cries of the small fox, Fera shook his dark thoughts away and managed to hear what Kalani was saying.

"Maybe he's just not used to have magic being used around him?" Geral offered helpfully, "Some acquaintance of mine once told me that some animals are sensitive to magic flow, and they make good familiars."

[OOC: Uh... I suddenly had a block and didn't know how to continue from there.. o.o;; ]

[OOC: It's okay, what he said goes with some stuff I wrote in Kalani's bio. ^^]

Kalani started at Geral’s declaration. That was eerily close to what his father had told him six years ago, before he had disappeared. He had planted a hand on his son’s head, and smiled down at him, explaining to Kalani about the special relationship between him and the little vixen that accompanied him everywhere, never leaving his side…

“Son,” he smiled warmly down at Kalani. “I would like to let you on a little secret. You know how you asked me when you were just five years old why Mariel didn’t act old, even though she was very old for a fox?”

Kalani nodded mutely.

“Well, fact is, she’s a familiar…” He paused, gauging the response in his son’s eyes. “Do you know what that is?”

“No, what is it?” he’d asked, eager to learn, despite the anxiety he was feeling, knowing his father was leaving.

“Well, you see… There are some special animals out there, who have a sensitivity to the magic that flows through this world. They become animal companions to mages, helping them with magic…” he seemed like he was going to say more, but there was a loud clamoring outside on the path to the house. His father looked up anxiously. “I must go!”

And with a kiss to his wife’s forehead, and another pat to his son’s head, he was gone…

He had left his old vixen, Mariel, with him, saying that she would watch over Kalani until the time came. Kalani hadn’t known what he had meant at the time, not until Mariel gave birth to Kit years later, and then she had disappeared, just like his father. She had nuzzled him before she left, giving him a look that said she trusted Kalani with her offspring. At least, that was how Kalani had interpreted her look. He had tried tracking her when she left, but it was like she had teleported. There was absolutely no evidence that she had ever been anywhere near his home, or the tiny wood behind the house. He had hoped to follow her to his father, but… It had been a futile hope.

And now, with this revelation, he wondered if his father had intended the reverse... He looked at Kit. He was so small. It was hard to imagine a tiny and playful little fox baby protecting anyone, though he had to give Kit credit for trying.

“So… What are you saying, then?” Kalani questioned the old man, desperate for some concrete answers. “That Kit is a familiar?”

After performing her daily tasks when she got home, she was called up to the Master's room. She stood in front of the door with dread settling deep in her stomach. Her eyes closed, head bend, she gathered her resolve and knocked on the door.

"Come in," the rich baritone called from inside. She inhaled deeply, then opened the door.

"Lord Celin, how may I serve you," she said with a deep bow. She looked up when there was no immediate reply. The tall man was standing near his huge stuff chair. His green eyes were assessing her with an unreadable expression. He walked towards her. Lihen Celin flicked two of his tapered fingers under her chin, forcing her to stand straight.

"Milord?" He raised his hand. She saw the blow coming and it took every bit of her nerve to stand still and let it hit. He backhanded her. She let her body go with the blow, trying to decrease the damage and pain done. Her body hit the floor, sliding a bit. One of his rings caught her cheek, blood slowly oozed, dripping on to her clothes. She climbed to her knees. "What have I done, my lord," she questioned in a small voice. The tactile contact had made her aware that man wasn't really upset at all. He was just disciplining her.

"Nera. I bought you. I paid for the books, teachers to train you, and everything you needed. Your magic belongs to me" She looked down.

"Your point is that I'm not allowed to use magic to serve my own purposes unless they coincide with yours?" She raised her eyes to meet his, he nodded. She dropped her vision. "Please forgive me," she said much more meekly than she felt. A hand descended into her view, she grasped it and was pulled up to her feet. She hid a frown sensing he was very pleased with something, though he didn't show the emotion on his face. She felt a cloth on her face, dabbing at the blood. She caught his eye, he smiled gently as he held his handkerchief to her cheek. The false tender expression made her sick.

"Thank you, Lord Celin." He slide his hands down to her shoulder, gripping her tightly. She hid a grimace of pain.

"Nera, I need you to go over to Lord Makense tomorrow. You will be helping a mage there with his work. Do understand me?" He added a shake for emphasize.

"Yes, Milord. I'll aid this mage in whatever spells he is working. No questions, but keeping my eyes open."

"Good girl!" He released her and Nera headed towards the door. She gave one last bow as she exited, a baleful look at the orb that he had used to spy on her. His back was to her already, so it didn't mattered what expression was on her face. She exited the room, pausing outside. Why was he so smug? She shook her head, sighing. Either way she had no choice to do his will anyways. Thankfully that damned orb could only see her not hear her. She went to her quarters to tend to her injury, she'd better get some ice on it before it started swelling.


Next day:
The cut had scabbed over though her cheek was still bruised and a bit swollen. She carefully dressed, making sure not to jar her cheek. In her bodyguard outfit, she prepared to leave. She wanted to make sure she was presentable to Lord Makense, the cheek she couldn't help.

Nera strode out the door.

Geral bent down a little to take a better look at the fox, who turned to stare straight up at him, "Hmm... I don't know, but your Kit there seem pretty special. Maybe if you come along, I can get Inmre- Fera?"

Without any warning, Fera half-kneeled and scooped the strangely obedient fox into his arms, and closed his eyes in concentration. For a long moment, they stayed that way and although nothing seemed to have happened, Fera let go of Kit and it turned to lick his hand.

"He is very special." Fera stood up and gazed into Kalani's eyes, firey orange flickering lightly in his own. "Do you have magic?"

Kalani wasn’t sure what had happened, but he knew that Kit seemed to have a fondness for the kid. He didn’t have a problem with that, himself. Kit had never had a chance to be friendly with anyone other than Kalani and his mother since he’d been born, since he wasn’t overly fond of Kalani’s brothers and their children. Actually, Kit didn’t really seem to like the children most of all, which had led Kalani to believe he wasn’t kid-friendly… But he'd actually let himself be held in a kid’s arms, and he couldn’t have been happier.

“I really don’t know,” Kalani told Geral honestly, in response to his question. He felt shy under his gaze, and his good eye darted to the ground. “I mean… My dad… Well, he knew magic. But he refused to teach me anything. He told me there’s a time for everything. He said I was too brash and impatient…” He looked over at Kit, who still seemed quite happy to remain beside the kid for now. “And the things you said about familiars… Well, Kit’s mother was supposedly a familiar, if that makes any difference.”

"That makes sense." Fera said cryptically before shutting up totally, content to interact with the young fox, and leaving Geral with raised eyebrows and questions in his eyes.

But it seemed that whatever the boy had discovered, he was not intending to share, so Geral had to do the rest of the response, as he had always done. "Well, as I was saying, before I got interrupted, Inmri can probably help you tell if the fox is a familiar or not. He probably can help you see if you have magic or not, if you want to know. So, do you want to come along?"

“Sure!” Kalani responded much more enthusiastically than he had intended to. He had always wanted to be more like his father, and his father had never forbade him to EVER do magic, just to wait until the “time was right.” How could it be any more right than now? It was like, his destiny.

“I’ll go with you,” he said, calming his voice down. He had to see if he was anything like his father.

Kit yipped in approval, loping around the group as if to tell them to hurry.

[OOC: Sorry so short... ]

[OOC: ^^ It's okay. As long as there's enough content, I'll even take the 'two paragraph' thing with a pinch of salt. =P]

"Let's go then." Geral smiled at Kalani's barely hidden enthusiasm. For a moment there, he remembered when he was younger, and the person that later became his most beloved mentor had offered him a glimpse of a change for adventure, and he had swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker and whatever was attached, and left home.

The trio made their way towards the tavern that Geral's friend was supposed to be in, taking shortcuts that Kalani had pointed out, and soon, they were standing before place called 'Withering Rose'. Geral had to hide a grimace when he realised that Inmri's choice this time seemed to be where the most unpopular people would visit.

"Stay close to me, Fera. You too, Kalani. And be careful, don't touch anything or let anyone touch you. Take note of your valuables." He whispered to the two before he stepped in through the entrance and scanned the dark and dingy interior for the figure of his friend.

As expected, Inmreari Sireaus was located at a table by the corner with a generous amount of food and a small pile of plates on it. The magician himself was chewing on a leg of a well-cooked lamb, an expression of bliss on his face. Then, when he opened his eyes and saw Geral at the doorway, he entire face lit up and he beckoned for the trio to come closer with an empty hand.

Fera, who had been rather silent during the walk to their destination, was obviously curious about his companion's friend, and his red eyes were drawn to the man and lingered longer than a glance would.

Inmreari's ebony hair was tied into a small ponytail that suggested that if unconstrained, it would only cover his neck, and the green eyes that Geral had described had a exotic slant to it that suggested a mix in his bloodline as well. However, Geral had been wrong about one thing. Inmreari did not look like as old as him, for the magician looked not older than twenty while Geral looked nearly forty.

Geral seemed to have noticed that fact as well, and his first words to his friend sounded more than a little incredulous, "Inmri, what did you do to your appearance? You looked like... you looked like your age got decreased by ten years!"

"Hmm?" Inmreari appeared genuinely confused, before he realised what Geral was talking about. He ran a hand down his cleanly shaven face and grinned. "Oh this. Syia had me trying out her potions, then one day everyone said I looked younger. Do I? I really don't see any difference."

"That's because you're an idiot." Geral muttered under his breath. When he discovered the curious looks in eyes of all three of the people around him, he sighed. "Alright guys, introduce yourself."

[OOC: Tag, Ember! Again, I wonder how to tie Sydra's character into the plot. And we need more people. ^^;]

“Right,” Kalani nodded, feeling a little nervous, but not really the bad kind. They could change the appearance of their age? That was scary. But sort of amusing, as well. “Hello, I’m Kalani Orin, and this is Kit.” He indicated the small fox, who had his head up in the air, sniffing and checking out the place.

Several of the unsavory people in the tavern were giving them daunting looks, and Kalani found that he recognized two of them from the terrible assault he’d suffered after his father had left those years ago. They sneered at him when he looked in their direction, and he swallowed any fear and anger he was feeling and grinned at them, though his eyebrows had drawn down, and he couldn’t quite conceal the rage he felt just looking at them and remembering what they had done to him.

He looked away from the monsters and brought his attention back to the group. He had a terrible urge to stroke the scar where his left eye had once been. He pushed it down.

“I was told you might know if I could use magic, and maybe tell me if there’s anything special about Kit…”

[OOC: I am not sure how to put her back in the story... Do you have any ideas as to what sort of plot this RP will have, since you said it was only slightly freeform?]

OOC: skipping posting until you two catch up a little bit more timewise, my fault that part XD. I'm having Nera involved in casting a questionable spell. A rather nasty one that will be set into an object. It is a spell similar to the one that polluted her hometown and caused her to be the way she is and hence she has a natural ability to cast it well herself although she will need help. The spell will be able to be triggered a normal person once it is cast into the object. The land surrounding the object for a certain radius will wither and die then eventually produce no life. An excellent way to begger an opponent. Perhaps this magician friend can know about Celin's and his friends intentions or something?

[OOC: I'll have it that Inmri does know. XD But he was there because Geral contacted him about Fera. Celin had other plans in mind, one of which involved Fera. Why is Fera so special? Stay tuned to Channel RP to find out more! XD]

When Inmreari took a good look at the young man who spoke, he immediately was able to tell that Kalani was different. But instead of the normal reaction, or even something similar to Geral and Fera's not as normal ones, his emerald eyes widened with excitement. "Ohh, Kalani, is it? Somebody in your family is a demon aye? That must have been tough on our family. Well anyway, based just on that, you should have higher amount of inherent magic ability than a normal human. But you're unsure about it hm? Let me see then."

Inmreari stood up quickly, and after indicating that he meant no harm, he placed two fingers on Kalani's forehead, and closed his eyes. Power in the form of energy flow moved through the finger into the young man, feeling like somebody had placed a warm object there and the warmth moved freely into the body. After a moment, he smiled and opened his eyes.

"My guess was right after all. I wonder how power that demon in your family is. Your magical potential is very high. Above average of normal mages. If you are good at learning things, you'll probably become a high sorceror one day. Or even higher. But then again, they may not teach you so much because of the blood in you. What a shame. Maybe I could get Kuroryu to-"

"You're rambling, Inmri." Geral interrupted him with a roll of his eyes. "Sorry Kalani. One of Inmri's little problems, when he is excited about something he'll start talking on and on, and everything on his mind. Not that he usually doesn't. So if he said anything offensive, he doesn't mean it."

Geral did not have time to even see Kalani's response when he felt Fera moving against him, so he turned to find the boy picking up the fox and carrying it over to stand in front of Inmreari, beside Kalani. The firey-headed boy looked at the magician and asked softly, "Kit is a familiar, right?"

The surprise that Inmreari did not show upon identifying Kalani's bloodline showed up now, and a frown settled on his face as he tried to get a better look at the small hooded face. "You are Fera, aren't you? The boy Geral told me about. I still can't believe that it is possible, but then again, Syia make a lot of concoction with results that I thought were impossible. It seem that yo-"

Once again, the magician was interrupted. But this time, Fera was the one who spoke, repeating his question a little louder than before, and with narrowed eyes. "Kit is a familiar, right?"

"Kit?" The question threw Inmreari off-track for a few moments before it registered, "Oh, the fox here? Such an adorable creature. One of Kuroryu's guest had a beautiful vixen with him, and boy was she intelligent. You want to know if Kit is a familiar hm? Alright, we'll see. Just don't bite me, Kit."

The fox seemed able to understand and obediently allowed Inmreari to place a large palm on his head. Unlike with Kalani, the power that flowed from Inmreari was distinctly lesser, but the fox still responded to it by fidgetting and making small noises.

Inmreari withdrew his hand and beamed at the boy and Kalani, "Now, that was pretty obvious, wasn't it? A normal fox wouldn't have felt what I was doing, but he did."

[OOC: More on Inmri and Fera later, but now, let's do Kalani's reaction, shall we? And, will he want to stick around later? The thing that Inmri, Geral and Fera will discuss is rather private, and so they will want to move to somewhere else. And depending on Kalani, they may or may not want to let him hear it too.]

Kalani was full of excitement and apprehension. He could use magic! He wondered how his father would feel about that. He wondered if he could be taught, though… Based on what this master had to say, it wasn’t likely he would be taught anything very useful. Probably just basic spells. And why? Because he had a demon bloodline? That was hardly fair. But nothing about the world really was.

He had been surprised to hear he had great potential, but not so much upon hearing that Kit was a familiar. After all, Mariel had been a familiar herself… Perhaps Kalani had known the answer to that all along.

But the questions about Fera, the child, puzzled him. Apparently, there was something special about him. Even Kit knew something was different about him. Kalani looked down at the little kid. He wasn’t normal looking either, with his too-vivid red eyes, and bright shock of hair. Kalani hadn’t even given it a second thought until now. But he wasn’t one to judge appearances, seeing as he was usually on the receiving end of that sort of thing. And Kit seemed to be attached to the child. He couldn’t possibly be evil or anything.

Magic… Would he mind if he could only learn the basics? Maybe someday he’d find his father again, and he could teach him more… Even knowing basics couldn’t hurt…

“Does that mean I can be taught?” Kalani asked, unable to hide his eagerness. “Even if it was just basics…” He looked up and saw the two men from earlier, looking at him in a derogatory manner. His violet eye narrowed, and he turned away, clenching his fists. “But, if it’s possible, I would definitely like to learn more than basics.”

He couldn’t let something like what had happened in the past happen to him—or anyone else—again. Even if he couldn’t do anything about that particular day now, he could prevent things like that happening again. Not every situation, but he wouldn’t be powerless again.

But he was also aware that the two had come here to see this man for a reason. Kalani couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. “You must want to talk privately… If it’s not for my ears, I’ll go… But I would like to know more about magic, and how I can learn it…”

"Don't worry, lad, if you have any questions about magic, Inmri will sit you through it, even if it takes him an entire year." Geral chuckled, earning a glare from his friend. "But I think we do need to find a more private place first. This is no place to discuss what we have in mind."

"But... my food..."

Geral rolled his eyes again, a habit that he automatically slipped into whenever around Inmreari. "Alright alright, finish it first. How about this? I'm going to get me and Fera a room and our midday meal at an inn, and you can find us later with your wonderful powerful magic. Fine?"

Inmreari nodded quickly, willing to agree to anything as long as he got to finish his meal. Shaking his head, Geral led the younger two out of the tavern, not wanting to stay in that place any longer. He had already spotted more than one set of looks with ill intentions, and he was not going to take any chances.

"So, Kalani, know any good inns?"

[OOC: Just a little pause in the plot first, since Inmri is eating, and they are likely to spend a long time talking. Will Kalani need to return home?]

[OOC: Not sure if you mind me joining this halfway through... anyways here's my starting post. o.o]


An impatient hand flicked a strand of brunette hair from a freckled cheek and a pair of dark leather boots caked with soil at the edges trudged against the tiled ground almost audibly as Inariea, apprentice of Syia Sireaus, more than a little grumpily stomped towards 'The Withering Rose' tavern. However these were not what that had attracted the interest of the commonfolk around her.

Nope, not her hair nor her scuffling boots, but the pair of pointed furry extensions on her head, and a slender furred tail that peeked from the bottom of her patched dress behind her.

Ignoring both the interested and unfriendly stares targetted at her, she tugged free a broken-looking compass from her large sling bag and proceeded to stare at its needle for a good ten seconds, turning it this and that way and ensuring that it pointed in the same direction.

Not that she was intentionally doubting the credibility of Syia's wonkiest, in her own terms, creation, the Inmreari Detector, so far. But the blasted thing had actually gone haywire and fooled her for a whole week a few nights previously, leading her miles offcourse until she had finally realised her mistake and promptly made a gigantic U turn and retracked her route till she was well, here.

Well, at least she had the sense to bring along a ragged, but nonetheless useful, map along with herself when she had left Syia's 'cottage'.

Just as girl-turned-half-kitten decided to sink further in-depth into her monologous rambling, she caught sight of a familiar form alongside two other smaller, foreign ones at the doorsteps of the tavern.

"Well, isn't that my favourite friend, Geral?" she almost giggled, her mood taking an instant 180 degrees turn and she practically flaunced towards the trio, a wide smile on her cheeks.

[OOC: =P You spelled Inmreari wrong.]

Geral was deep in discussion with his two younger companions, when a familiar voice sounded behind in an almost too happy way, and he turned to greet the girl with wide eyes. "Inariea! What on Mother Earth happe... no, let me guess, Syia's potions?"

"You guessed it!"

"What are you doing here? No, let me guess again... you're here for Inmri, aren't you? Syia finally threw out another ultimatum to drag him home for yet another experiment?"

Kalani had been about to ask Geral if he should go home and pack (was he going with them, or not?) when a weird looking cat-girl walked up and cheerfully greeted Geral. She barely gave Fera and him a glance, but he didn’t care. Women merely annoyed him, for the most part. Unless they were Helena or his mother, he had little interest in speaking with them.

“I would ask, but I don’t really think I wanna know…” Kalani muttered, mostly to Fera and Kit, who looked like he had never seen something so odd. His head was cocked to the side, and after a long moment of staring, he yipped at her, as though telling her to explain herself. Kit laughed at the indignation in the young fox’s face.

“So, Geral…” he said in a bored tone, ignoring the girl altogether. “Am I going with you guys? If so, I need to talk to my mother. I can’t just leave her with no explanation… And by the way, the most acceptable and affordable place to stay around here is the Fox and Hound, just up the main street, past the marketplace. Just so you know.”

[OOC: It might sound like he's interrupting, but that's how he is with most females... Is he going to take part in their secret conversation, or is he still too outsider for that? Out of curiousity. I won't be sad if they don't yet trust him. ^^;]

[OOC: I wouldn't mind including him in it ^^ But how... hmm... ]

"You know Syia, she's been working up this new conco-- Now aren't you an interesting one?" Inariea paused, turning away from the older man to stare, with lime green feline eyes, straight into Kalani's.

Startled was probably an understatement to describe the expression on the blonde's face as his own violet eyes widened almost comically the very moment she turned towards him. It took perhaps several seconds for her words to manage through the registry in his ears, and an indignant expression, that could probably rival that which was on Kit's face, replaced the surprise in his youthful features.

Before he could sputter a rebuttal, however, she continued on, "Violet slitted eyes, pointed ears, long pointy canines... a quarter demon. Quite a rare one aren't you? And with that aura of yours to top that."

“What do you know about my aura?” Kalani snapped, annoyed. He hated being judged. He hated people looking at him and weighing his worth… Or calling him rare like he was some… creature or item.

Kit still looked confused; more bewildered than angry. Cats were something he regularly chased down, and now there was one standing before him, tall and human-like. He didn’t like seeing the world he had known all stirred up. He growled deep in his throat, standing before Kalani as though he were protecting him.

Kalani sniffed haughtily as he crossed his arms. “I thought you were going to talk to that old guy who doesn’t look old… Inmreari, or somethin’ like that.” And then he simply turned from her and back to the old man and child, waiting for their answer to his previous question.

[OOC: You got Kalani perfectly, by the way. ^^]

Geral and Fera, on the other hand, missed the interaction between Kalani and Inariea as they converse softly with each other right after Kalani asked his question. If Kalani was listening after he turned to them, he would not have understood a thing for they were speaking in a foreign tongue.

Finally, the older one nodded and faced Kalani with a serious expression, "Kalani, I'm afraid I will not be able to give you a confirmed answer now. You wish to learn more about magic, and I'm sure Inmri will be delighted to have you as his pupil, but depending on his decision, he may journey with us and will have to refer to you to his elder brother for a more proper training."

"Wait a moment there, Geral." Inariea interrupted with a frown on her face. "You're saying that Inmri will be going on another trip and I won't be able to bring him home, that's what you're saying? No way! I'm not going to return empty-handed and become her guinea pig!"

"Sorry, Inariea, but you'll have to talk with Inmri about this." Geral helpfully pointed towards the tavern they just exited, "He's inside, and some three-quarter through his meal."

Fera, who had been letting Geral do all the talking while he half-knelt to reassure the bewildered Kit, suddenly stood up and grasped one of Kalani's hand without a warning.

Just as abruptly, he let go with a pained cry and after glancing at the back of his hand, he raised it towards Geral, who gasped. "The Mark! Why...?"

Fera shook his head with a frown and gazed at Kalani, sorrow in his eyes. "Later. I will tell later. But Kalani comes with us, no matter what. Even if Inmreari doesn't."

[OOC: Ember, I hope you don't mind the twist, it'll lead to something I have in mind. ^^; ]

Kalani stared at Fera and Geral, completely confused. “Uh, what’s going on?” He looked at the sorrow in Fera’s eyes, and frowned. “I didn’t do anything,” he told the pair, wide-eyed, taking a step back. They probably wouldn’t believe him, but it was true, he hadn’t done anything… Or at least, he hadn’t meant to do anything…

“You aren’t going to stick me in a jail or make me a… guinea pig, are you?” Finally, the mistrust of strangers was rising within him, and perhaps too late. His eye wandered to the cat girl, not wanting to be mixed up in strange experiments, which apparently she had been. And little Kit was licking the kid’s hand, trying to make him feel better. And Kalani still had no idea what was going on. He wondered if Kit did. It was a weird thought, if Kit knew. It could just be a familiar’s instinct, but it still made him uncomfortable, that everyone, including Kit, was in on some secret about himself. It made him feel like Kit had betrayed him or something, even though Kit couldn’t have told him if he wanted to… Or could he?

Kalani shook his head violently. These thoughts were ridiculous. “You can tell me whatever it is, right? Don’t leave me in the dark.” The last part came out more plea than demand, and he just hoped they didn’t hear the strain in his voice.

[OOC: I don't mind; I was wondering if my character was going to end up a sideline character in this tale of magic and secrets. Heheh... So it's all good. ^^]

"You didn't do anything. I will tell later." Fera insisted, a stubborn look overcoming the sorrow on his face, then his expression softened with a hint of apology. "Don't be angry with Kit. He did not say anything bad."

Geral looked at Fera with amusement and surprise, but he directed his attention to the matter at hand first. "Sorry Kalani, but it seems you're going to be involved in more than you can bargain for. We'll explain it all later, but not now, not here. We should go to an inn... Fox and Hound, you said?"

Kalani nodded. “But…” His gaze moved to the long trail from the marketplace that eventually winded down to the farmland, where he and his mother lived. “What about my mother?”

His mother was a strong woman, but he didn’t want to just… up and leave her. She would be alone on the farm; Oskar and Pascual would probably come by and help her every now and again, and she could manage the rest on her own, he knew… She was always telling him that so he wouldn’t feel guilty about someday leaving her. But he still felt the guilt. How could he not?

“I can show you where the Fox and Hound is, make a quick stop over at my mom’s, and come back…” He knew he had to come back. “Or… I suppose I can ask Helena to deliver her a message, if this is urgent.”

He could trust Helena to do so. She often went to bring his mother fresh bread and such that was leftover from her work. She could deliver a message as well.

[OOC: He's not fond of the inn because of the name, I swear! Haha, just kidding!]

Geral smiled kindly. "You should go home to tell your mother yourself, lad. It's not like we are leaving right after we eat. We'll wait for you."

He remembered the time he left home, when he was not much older than the young man before him then. He had followed his father's footsteps and his mother, knowing fully well that it was useless to stop her only son when he had an idea set in his mind, had told him to visit home often.

"But first, let's see this Fox and Hound shall we? I'm famished!"

[OOC: I'm off to bed, and I'm going on a shopping trip later, so I won't be posting for... maybe eight to twelve hours. Depending.]

Kalani smiled with relief. “All right!” Kalani led them to the Fox and Hound, after Geral had bid the odd cat-girl good-bye. The Fox and Hound was a cute little inn with a tavern, owned and operated by a cheerful man named Harold, and his wife, Bridget. Harold had been one of the only men in town who spoke to Kalani’s father civilly, and that alone earned him Kalani’s respect. Kalani left them there with a promise to return, knowing that they would be comfortable in Harold and Bridget’s hands.

Down the winding road, Kalani and Kit made their way home at a quick pace, for Kalani was both anxious and excited to tell his mother all that had happened. He found her out in her herb garden, where she usually was at this time, picking various herbs for her medicines. She smiled up at her son, shading her eyes from the sun. She immediately sensed something was going on, though, just looking into her son’s eye.

“What is it, Kalani?” she asked, her gentle voice reassuring, as he had always known it. Kalani knelt down and sat on his haunches, watching as Kit trotted off towards the barn, to go chase the kittens.

“Mother… I don’t how to tell you this, but…” Kalani averted his gaze from his mother’s watchful and concerned gaze. “I’m going away.”

His mother reached one hand up, tenderly stroking her son’s cheek. “I knew this day would come, of course,” she said, though there was something hesitant in her voice.

“Not to be married!” Kalani said quickly. His mother chuckled, removing her hand from her son’s face, and then sighed.

“Of course, I know that.” Her gaze was so far away, and Kalani wondered if her thoughts were with his father, her second husband. Kalani often thought she had never loved her first husband at all. She never said as much, but she seemed melancholy at times, without Kalani’s father, and she spoke of him with such light in her eyes. He had never seen her face light up when speaking of Oskar the first.

“Your destiny will unfold, as your father warned me…” she said softly, and her eyes were so sad. Kalani furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean, mother? How could father--?”

“Your father is a very skilled man, Kalani.” His mother’s eyes bore into his, dark brown and swirling with emotions Kalani could only guess at. He had never seen his mother more deadly serious than at that moment. “More skilled than you can understand at this moment. He had many burdens, and… Demons, and those of demon blood are feared for a reason, Kalani. But it doesn’t mean that all of that bloodline are evil or cursed. Make sure you keep your integrity, and never stray from your scruples, don’t forget what is right and what is wrong. And please… never use any knowledge you gain for revenge.”

“Mother, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“You do, Kalani. People do horrible things, for many reasons. For personal gain, out of fear of the unknown, even hatred… Hatred does exist in this world… A horrible, black thing it is, too. Do not allow yourself to be swallowed up in things such as these. Tell me you won’t, Kalani.”

Kalani thought of the people who had brutally attacked him right after his father had left. Angry because his father had slipped through their grasp, they had taken out on the son. Kalani had never once blamed his father, but he had held the grudge against those men for all these years since it had happened. He had had to learn everything over again, with the loss of his eye.

His mother, knowing what he was thinking of by the scowl on his face, smoothed his hair back and stroked a thumb across the scar that marred the left side of her son’s face. Not an ounce of disgust in her face. Only love.

“My son, you have to let that go. It has only made your resolve and passion stronger. Think of it as… a blessing in disguise.”

Kalani closed his eye, trying not to start weeping at the thought of leaving his mother behind for whatever length of time. He knew, by her words, and by Geral’s. This wasn’t going to be easy. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared for whatever lay ahead… but he had to see. He knew those feelings of restlessness would stay with him if he didn’t. He had to meet his destiny head-on. It was his way. And his father’s before him.

He took his mother and embraced her roughly. “I’ll come to see you whenever I can!”

“I know you will.” He could hear the smile in her voice. As they pulled apart, his mother’s gentle smile and eyes shining with unshed tears told him she was proud of her son, even before the words were out. “I am so proud of you. And… I love you, Kalani. Remember that at all times, even when you can’t hear my voice, nor see my face.”

“I will.” Kalani paused, feeling embarrassed with all these emotions they usually took for granted. “I love you, too, Mother.”

Her smile grew wider. “Shall I help you pack?”

[OOC: I hope that wasn't too cheesy for you! ^^; Dunno if I mentioned it before, but Kalani's mother is the medicine woman of the town... ]

The short trip into and out of The Wither Rose tavern had been a tad bit more than pleasant, which was as always between Inmreari and Inariea. They empathised with each other, but that would always be all. Not too much to meld together, but not too little to simply be friends either.

Simply put, Inariea rattled long and wide about Syia, her threats and demands, Inmreari empathised, but did not forget to bargain his terms, and they finally settled on a deal that bordered on acceptable to both parties.

"So Riea's going to stay with us to ensure that Someday I will return for that potion Syia's cooked up for my face." Inmreari explained dutifully to the duo as they reached their inn room at the Fox and Hound, his emphasis on the 'someday' not escaping the trio's notice. "Now back to that thing you wanted to discuss..."

"Before that, Inmri, Kalani will have to come with the two of us. Even if you decides not to." Geral announced solemnly, before a smile broke out and spoiled the seriousness. "Though I doubt you would, considering Syia is waiting for you."

"Don't remind me, and yes, the two of us will be going along" Inmreari grumbled with some annoyance, before he turned his attention to Fera, who sat on the only bed, chewing on a loaf of bread. "Hello again, Fera Lokihl."

"Hello, magician." Fera returned easily, his tone neutral and could also be considered as a little flat. He ignored the curious eyes of the the hybrid girl, "Do you want to confirm yourself, the truth of my existence?"

"If you'll let me, Fera."

Fera shrugged, and set the bread aside before looking up at Inmreari, directly into the two pools of green. Then Inmreari raised his hands and touched Fera's forehead, much like the way he did with Kalani earlier.

[OOC: I'm gonna stop here with a cliff-hanger because I have to go to sleep now and also because I don't really know how to describe what goes on between them. ^^;; Sorry, and I'm going to be busy tomorrow so I'll post later. >.< Sorry for making you guys wait.]

Kalani and Kit wound their way down the path to the town’s marketplace and square, and to the inn called Fox and Hound. He had a lot on his mind, worrying about the things that everyone was saying. But, there was really nothing he could do about any of it, so he tried not to dwell on it. Seeing Kit chase down butterflies that flew across the path made him smile.

And he knew Fera was right… He shouldn’t be angry with Kit. But he wondered how he’d even known of his anger, as brief as it had been… There was a lot going on with that kid, and Kalani was curious as to what.

He went inside the inn, and asked Bridget which room Geral and the others had taken. She led him there, giving him a questioning look, though too polite to just come out and ask. Kalani ignored the look and thanked her for showing him, his own “polite” way of being rid of her. She also gave Kit a disdainful glance, as foxes weren’t a normal sort of pet, and with that, Kalani nearly snarled at her. Kit didn’t seem to mind; his nose was to the crack in the door, and he whined, wanting in.

Once the old busybody had walked away, he hesitated, hand on knob, then thought better of it, and knocked.

[OOC: It's okay, you don't have to apologize for having a life. ^^;]

(Useless Info: Harold and Kalani’s father were friends, and Harold named the inn after the two’s personalities.)

[OOC: Ohh... that's cool. Hound for Harold then?]

Footsteps led to the door and Geral's face appeared behind the half-opened door to smile at him in relief. "Kalani? Come on in. Thanks for recommending the inn, by the way."

As he shut the door behind them and greeted the young fox, Geral quickly noticed the curious look on Kalani's face, directed towards Inmreari and Fera, who had remained in the position that they had taken, motionless. Kit seemed to have his attention turned towards Inariea, and was making confused sounds at the girl.

"Kalani," Geral called out softly, and effectively capturing the attention of the young man, "Before we tell you everything you need to know, I hope you can tell me one thing. Did your father or grandfather go missing some six or seven years ago... or even earlier?"

[OOC: Ember, your answer determines which one I'm going to drag into the twist. XD Father or father's father?]

[OOC: Yes, Harold is the hound referred to. ^^]

Kalani was again startled at how much insight the old man had. He stared for a moment, then realized that he was doing so, and dropped his gaze. He let his gaze drift towards the two in the corner again; wondering what was going on there. Perhaps he was testing the kid, as well?

His eye traveled toward the young fox, whose hair stood on end as he looked at the cat-girl. Kalani was surprised and a little irritated to see her here, but he tried to hide his astonishment and looked back at Geral, who was still awaiting an answer.

“I never knew my grandfather, and my father disappeared six years ago, yes.” After a long pause, he looked into the old man’s eyes. “Why? Do you know where he’s at?”

"Well if that's the case, it's hard to say. There's a possibility that either of them- Fera?" Geral turned towards the pair, frowning. "Inmri?"

Inmreari and Fera were no longer as motionless as they were, for the older man had began to sweat profusely despite the lack of heat in the room, and the boy was making little noises like growls at the back of his throat. As if aware of what was happening, Kit snarled and hissed at them, backing away to hide behind Kalani.

The strange situation persisted for a little moment longer, before Inmreari was thrown back for a few steps, even as a wave of heat rippled outwards from Fera.

"Foolish, magician. Foolish." Fera caressed the back of his hand, the one he had shown Geral earlier in the day, as a dim light glowed angrily from a complicated pattern. Through narrowed eyes, he glared at Inmri, who was steadying himself against the wall, though his words were deceptively soft. "You went too deep. Foolish."

"I admit to that." Inmri wiped at the lingering moisture on his skin and coughed as if to empty his throat of irritation and dryness. "My apologies, Fera. I shouldn't have done that. I should have known better."

The curiosity and concern that Geral felt bubbled up to the surface of his mind but he did not voice any of it, knowing that the time was not right. But instead, he spoke up in a calm indifferent tone. "Kalani's here, Fera."

Fera's red eyes glanced towards the quarter-demon and the hostility that radiated from him evaporated almost immediately, replaced by a sense of deep sadness. "I will explain everything. Since I can now tell you for sure that your father is involved."

[OOC: ^^; My next post should explain all.]

“What?” Kalani cried, taking a step forward. He didn’t know whether to be angry or happy about the words. By the way Fera looked at him, he wasn’t sure either was appropriate. “What do you know about my father?”

He looked at both Fera and Geral with eye widened, but brow furrowed. He felt apprehensive, fear welling up, as well as the need to know, despite the consequences. “Tell me everything!”

[OOC: I know that was short, but I'm afraid to use your characters badly, so I don't use them at all... ^^;]

"I will, Kalani." Fera promised quietly, before motioning for everyone to settle down comfortably.

If it were a normal situation, seeing several grown people complying to a mere gesture of a young boy was almost baffling, but the aura of authority exuding for Fera's small body was undeniable.

"Your father is alive, Kalani." The child picked up the bread the left by his side and plucked at it, leaving crumbs on his lap. His orange-tinted ruby eyes were fixed on the fox that had jumped onto the bed and curled beside him. "But he is not doing well. Six years ago, he was captured by the magicians of the Tower of Babel, and they took his powers from him. His entire magic source, they fused it together with the soul of a Fury and put all that into a human child. Fera Lokihl. Me."

As Fera spoke, his mannerism started to change slowly and when he lifted his eyes to look directly at Kalani as he uttered the last word, there was no sign of the child that had been curious of vegetables and nervous of a fox pup. Instead, behind those scarlet depths hid a darkness of too many years and a sense of suppressed anger and violence.

"Yes... a Fury. The almost mythical species which breeds phoenixes when a pair of connecting Furies mates. The fierce wild birds of fire, omen of violence and war, named so for every sighting led to a calamity. It was a wonder how those magicians managed to find one, and even more amazingly, capture one."

Inmreari rubbed his arm uncomfortably when he caught Fera's unblinking eyes glancing at him, and he wondered how Geral could stand watching the boy so serenely. Glancing at Inariea, he wondered how she felt, listening to the tale that was too true to be just a story. Both of them had played guinea pigs for Syia, but nothing could be compared to what happened to Fera.

"The powers acted as a medium and made it possible for a Fury's soul to be contained within a fragile human body. Those magicians had tried using magic sources from other magicians of different species and discipline, even other beings, but violent reactions tore all the previous subjects apart. For reasons unknown, it finally worked, when your father's powers and this body is used."

Inariea burst out, asking the question the Inmreari would have, "But why?! Why are they doing such a horrible thing?!"

"It is my fault." Geral said, the bitter smile on his lips breaking his calm mask. "Initially, it was only an experiment to use the captive male Fury to lure his soulmate to him, and when they mate, they will give birth to a new phoenix that they can take control of. But when I found that out by accident, I fatally injured the Fury. If I had killed the Fury right away, all this wouldn't have happened, but they took me down before I could do that."

Red eyes slid towards the older man and an equally bitter smirk stretched Fera's youthful face with a deep sense of wrongness, "Yes, you should have killed me then, but instead, they forced me to continue without a body. Those wicked mortals came up with a grand new plan so that I'll drain my soulmate's lifeforce and grow stronger, becoming a walking weapon they could use. How wonderful."

Even the voice had changed, sounding different in a deeper and more malicious way, and carrying far more pain and hatred. Blood-colored eyes flickered dangerously as Fera raised his hand to show the brightly glowing pattern clearly. "I will not allow the magicians to get what they want. Even if it means tearing the world apart."

[OOC: XD There are some minor details that aren't easy to squeeze in, so I'll leave them for later. I hope that explains the idea I have in mind. ^^]

Kalani gaped, horrified. Not only because they did something so awful to his father, but to some kid’s body and to some Fury’s spirit. Sure, the Furies weren’t known as nice guys, but these Magician people had… had… They’d pretty much screwed with the world! Furies were like a necessary evil, as it were. At least, that was the story he remembered his father telling him, when Pascual had so eloquently cursed them off one day when they had come home after listening to one of Harold’s stories…

They had done that a lot back then… Come to Harold’s just to hear his stories. He had so many of them, Kalani wondered where they had come from. He couldn’t have made them all up himself; some were supposed to be about the creation of the world, and fables like that.

And now Kalani worried that his father was dead, and why his power had been needed to make this child. He had thought his father was special, but that’s how all kids viewed their dads, right? And he worried about this whole magic thing…

“I don’t have to go to that horrible place to learn magic, do I?” Kalani asked guardedly. “I mean, how could they…? How could they do something like that? And they did things like that to her,” he gestured almost rudely at the cat-girl. He felt a little sorry for her, though. He briefly wondered if she had cat-like urges invading her brain sometimes, before continuing. “How many other people and beings have suffered so that they could perform these bizarre experiments? I don’t wanna be a part of any of that!”

Kit yipped sadly, his dark eyes looked worried.

Kalani paused, looking at the young fox. Well, he’d have to go to that place if his father was there… “But, Dad… I still gotta help Dad… And what happened to Mariel? She never came back to tell me…”

[OOC: It's getting more interesting! Heh!]