[[ heehee, it's alright ^o^ (i ended up running out to do some Mother's Day shopping >w< happy that we went at the same time~) could i ask what religion you are? ;o (curious) ]]

Seth lead the way out of the village and back into the woods where the majority of his life had already taken place. At first, he made his way straight to a series of trees that he remembered- it was like getting on a road to actually go somewhere. It was then that he began to take turns and shortcuts. Seth only checked back for the spirit a few times, since he could accomplish the task alone if he'd needed to and didn't really feel like keeping an eye on a girl who was barely dressed. "Why don't you wear clothes?" he asked after a long time of silence. He knew he was nearing his destination, and figured a conversation was at least partially natural.

[[ lol~! *giggles* <3 || leaning towards Christian ]]

The spirit followed Seth closely, but not too terribly close. Just close enough so she didn't get lost. She blinked a few times when Seth asked "why don't you wear clothes?" and she shrugged. ~Don't have any.~ The spirit answered plainly. ~You can call me Sophie.~ She giggles quietly, never really introducing herself before.

[[ ;o! How are you 'leaning' towards Christian? ]]

Seth frowned and continued walking upon hearing the spirit's response. "Sophie," he repeated to make sure he had the name down correctly. He almost had the time to speak up about finding Sophie something to wear but he'd come into view of a large structured block of darkness before that happened. "Ah, we're here." he said, unsure of whether to be excited about it or not. He walked right up to the blackened tree that was ever so slowly leeching into its surroundings. Seth placed a hand on it and leaned in close, almost as if to hear through the dark mass. He thought of how much he'd owed to Michael for destroying the home in the first place.

[[ well because, I won't call myself an actual Christian because most the people who call themselves 'Christians' are frauds. I believe in Jesus/God and love him, but I won't call myself an actual Christian... make since? O.o ]]

Sophie hovered around the black mass of a tree house then went inside, semi exploring it. ~Did someone used to live here?~ She asked curiously as she looked around in slight amazement before coming out of the tree house.

[[ ahh, maybe (at least i think i might get it >o<)- so you follow a part of the Christian faith? x3 ]]

Seth had been intently listening for signs of life within the tree. He felt like a weirdo for acting so strange around it, but he could swear that there was a presence that hummed inside the Onyx. "Yeah, used to.." he said softly. Seth turned the shard around in his hand for a moment. It was almost like a pencil, but in the same way it still resembled a melee weapon completely. He touched the tip of it to the tree and found that the Onyx had taken over the tip before Seth even realized what had happened. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on his weapon. Seth had been taught that any sort of arms was an extension of his own and should be treated as such, not as the physical form it was given. Within a few moments, Seth opened his eyes and- to his relief- there were jagged lines that had cracked a little into the tree the same way the Onyx did when it came into slower contact with objects.

[[ Hai~ ^-^ ]]

Sophie blinked a few times and watched Seth work his magic on the abandoned tree house. She really wasn't surprised, but Seth had just become a little bit more intriguing. She sat back and watched the events unfold from a safe distance. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way.

[[ ahs, okee~ *proud of being able to get it* >w< ]]

Seth took a step away from his own work for a moment. The small bit of light that shone through the Onyx sent different messages to his mind. He was slightly disappointed when he saw the lines begin to be pushed back into a slightly more circular form towards the center of where he held the shard, but he was also confused as to why it moved a bit like molasses. ~*"..They decided that neither should try to influence other beings.."*~ Seth bit his lip a little in frustration. He was proud that the Crystal held its promise and went with the flow, but he was slightly annoyed that there would always have to be involvement in his works- 'That's it!!' he thought. Seth remembered the rage his former friend had possessed and how the Onyx managed to leap immense distances within the same fraction of a second. So, Seth clenched his grasp around the shard and focused entirely on his intentions; his desire to be able to give Michael back what he'd ruined, his own rage towards the unfortunate things that had happened to loved ones.

Within seconds, the Crystal lept through the tree as a flash of light. It covered the entire tree house and even re-painted the black streaks that appeared in the ground. The white-color slowly began to fade from the entire place and eventually, the original colors returned to the entire tree house. Seth brushed his palm against the trunk of the tree only to find what was expected- a dull trail of Crystal shone the tiniest bit with his touch. He staggered back a step, realizing that he was ever so slightly drained. "No results," he declared, slipping the shard into one of his own pockets and making a mental note to return it to Michael.

[[ wait, wait, wait. so is the tree still all black or is it back to normal? *confused* ]]

[[ *shotdead* i'm not even going to re-read what i typed to see if it made sense at 11pm. The treehouse is normal x3 it flashed white but then the Crystal "died away" like it did in the broken plate- really its just fragments that are left over that react to people like Michael and Seth xox Crystal works by putting itself inbetween the material when it can (rather than 'infecting' it if it has the option) and then being molded/constructed through telepathy-like notions... whereas Onyx just contaminates and destroys crap like cancer. >:c... --- So, yes it's normal xD; ]]

[[ ohhhh okayz! your post probably made sense but i'm having a little trouble thinking straight x-x i'm not tired or anyth... okay so i am a little tired but i can't go to sleep until after i see the rowdyrough boyz (looong story xD) >x< *sigh* yay for the power of the Crystal~! ^0^ ]]

Sophie continued to watch then hovered back to Seth. ~You might've pushed too hard...~ She voiced softly with a little concern. ~But on the bright side, it worked. So whoever lived here can come back.~ Sophie giggled lightly ad even smiled.

[[ x3 lawls, i'll go to sleep when you do~ ]]

Seth turned and looked at Sophie. He wore an expression that was truly oblivious to what she was talking about. When he finally realized what she was talking about, he glanced back at the tree house. "They can come back.." Seth repeated. He crossed his arms and looked at the spacing of the tree. The act of trying to get Krystal comfortable in such a small space made him smile a bit. Sure, it was complicated, but at least Seth could say he put righteousness to what was wronged once. "Hm."

Sophie giggled again and flew around the restored tree house that needed some minor adjustments. ~Woohoo! Wait. If it worked on the tree house- I wonder if it'll work on people too! or spirits...~ She chimed with excitement and mumbled the last part under her breath so Seth wouldn't hear her little side comment.

[[ okayz~ it'll be soon, i promise lol ]]

Seth couldn't help but smile a little at Sophie's excitement. He knew there would only be one way to see if the Crystal "worked" on people or not, and that was by actually trying it out. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be around people for such an extreme scenario. "We could try it here and now," he suggested softly. Seth didn't have an "or" alternative, so he stayed quiet after that.

Sophie back over to Seth. ~You're not thinking thinking about using it on yourself are you?~ She asked quietly, more-so out of concern for the possibilities of it backfiring and seriously hurting himself.

[[ kyaaa!!!! *has a cute-attack* ]]

Seth shook his head and looked at the spirit. He'd crossed his arms and leaned against the tree casually, thinking of how to phrase his answer. More-so, he was thinking about what would happen if he truly did follow through with his plans. He recalled how the Crystal only replaced what was Onyx and eventually released the true color of the object being restored after a few seconds. 'But if it altered something internally..' Seth still fixed his eyes forwards, frustrated. "Why not?" he asked in an attempt to mask his own uneasiness.

Sophie went chibi with one of those anime stress marks. ~Why not? WHY NOT?! What if it backfires or something? It might not work the same on people as it does on objects like a tree house... It could seriously hurt you!~ Once she calmed down she landed on the grass near Seth and had her purple eyes fixed on the ground for a moment before concentrating on becoming physical, holding her blanket tightly wrapped around herself. She somewhat hopped Seth knew where this was going, but then again he probably wouldn't be too happy about it.

Seth's eyes flickered with irritation. They were the only thing that stood out in his calmness. He had a million reasons to back up that emotion yet didn't want to expose them in the open to a stranger. So, he took a step away from the tree in the grass. The glow from the Crystal faded as well. Though he didn't admit it inwardly, Seth showed signs of taking Sophie's advice. "Let's go back, then." he said with that same blank expression. He really did want to make sure that Michael would be alright.

Sophie blinked and nodded lightly then followed him, going back to her original spirit self.

[one-liner ><]

[[ gosh darnit, this might be my only reply for today x.x i'll definitely be reserved from the comp for the next.. (this week, next week, week after, 2 days after that) three and a half-ish weeks. school is starting to throw homework at me like a machine gun >:x.. but I'll try and log on to reply at least once per day >o< gonna go type a research paper /logout ]]

Seth immediately began to walk back towards the village. He'd released his angry hold on some of his thoughts. It was as if he were a raccoon searching for shiny things and gotten himself caught in one of those raccoon-traps where a tiny critter-hand can fit through the little opening but a clenched paw couldn't get back out with the shiny thing. Unlike a raccoon, however, Seth let go of the shiny thing and decided to go after it at another time- to go after it another way. He felt another emotion seeping into his thought space, too. It was a small feeling of pride, like he'd actually done something right for once, for Michael.

Sophie followed him quietly with her hands behind her kid like a kid in a museum.

Michael slowly awoke from his nap and slowly sat up, wincing a little when he did. He looked down to see his lower torso wrapped and bandaged. "What the..." Krystal nudged him gently and nuzzled him. He looked at her and smiled a little, gently stroking her muzzle. He remember the little girl who did more than just kick his butt and sighed. "Right. Guess that explains the bandages." Michael muttered.

[[ it's okay, it's okay ^~^;; don't fret *huggles* ]]

[[ >o< 1am~ managed to post ^^' *huggles back* ]]

Seth noticed that he'd subconsciously checked for the spirit multiple times on his trip back to the village. Once, he even turned all the way around- with his arms crossed and all- and walked backwards for some time before facing the front again. When he saw Michael and Ariel, his eyes lit up a little. Like a candle just barely burning, a dull flame, yet suddenly being given a little more wax to go through. Seth always seemed to feel that way around Michael- ever since that one day in town..

"You're awake~" he said once he was in closer range.

[[ -giggles- -- hm... don't cha mean Michael and Krystal? I think Ariel's still hiding ^^; ]]

Sophie continued to follow Seth and tilted her head a little when he kept looking behind him. When he walked backwards she put her arms behind her head. ~I'm not going anywhere, I followed you to that tree house and I plan to stick with you 'til we get back.~ She said softly with a small smile, barely noticeable, but still there.

Michael blinked and adjusted so he could see Seth and the spirit girl. Krystal nudged him gently as if saying 'down boy, she's harmless'. Michael looked up at her and sighed. He slowly stood with Krystal's help and waved lightly, mainly at Seth. (did I mention he hasn't been wearing a shirt since being bandaged? i figured it made since because of where the wound was and there'd be a large hole in the shirt xD but mainly because Ken and Sophie would've had to remove it to tend to the wound- just never put it back on ^^')

[[ most likely >x< *shotdead* ]]

Seth felt immediately relieved when he got a clearer glimpse of Michael. Fear of death went away with the wind upon seeing his companion standing upright. It meant that the injury wasn't too traumatizing, nor was the toll of blood loss too extreme. He was pained a little upon seeing the bandages; it stirred up memories within himself. Seth realized that he, too, had a similar life-threatening injury in nearly the exact same place. The horrifying image of Michael that had engraved itself in Seth's mind slowly began to loosen its grip on his thoughts, but Seth knew it would never completely leave. He was forever cursed with that unfortunate event. He continued to walk right up until he was only a few feet from Michael. "How do you feel?" he asked.

[[ lmao, you didn't x3 *kudos to no-shirt-Michael* ]]

"I feel like I got in a fight with a bear with a metal baseball bat..." He replied with a hand on his head. Michael still felt a tad light-headed but it wasn't anything he couldn't get over. Krystal nuzzled Sophie who blinked several times and tilted her head then facepalmed. ~Ohhh.~ She giggled. ~It was nothing~ <3.~ Michael looked at Sophie. "so, does this mean you're a good guy now?" He asked, confuzzled. She nodded lightly. ~I'm no hero, but I'm not a villain. Just the village nurse. ~

Seth nodded with a breath of stability and took the truth as it was. He then proceeded to corner the part of him that resented Sophie into a box so he could push it far into the back of his mind. He didn't want to be rude or make a bad relationship out of something that had the potential to at least be neutral, if not something he would eventually count on. Seth simply looked away for a moment when she claimed to be just the village nurse. He knew he would find a way to convince himself of that truth at a later date.

He almost blurted the next thought out loud it came so quickly. Seth suddenly had the urge to bring Michael back to see his tree house. Then again, Seth wouldn't feel quite right if he did that. 'After all that's happened today..' he thought. Seth bit his lip slightly and kept his ideas hushed for just a little longer. "Has anyone seen Ariel?" Well, almost hushed. Seth had been thinking about what to get a spirit girl to wear when he thought of Ariel's attire. He glanced around quickly and for the first time realized that Ariel had made no presence in the event other than to play the unfortunate role as a messenger of bad news.