|
Reyes glanced between Nero and Kanone briefly when it appeared that they were both entertaining his idea of sending Shen, well, one of the canines as Nero had put it. He focused more on Kanone when he brought up some questions and nodded almost weakly at his mention of Shen scaring LaRae if he did look as he had described. He tilted his head a little at the question Kanone posed, as if he had to think about it. "Of course he can. He can travel in just about any shadow he wants so long as the sun is producing a shadow." He said with a nod. "Once it's dark there isn't really a shadow to hide in any more so he just tries his best to blend in with the darkness and stay out of sight." He added quietly and realized after a not so nice comment from Shen that he had said more then he should have. "But yes, Shen could go with one of the others or he could go without one of them and not even be noticed." He paused. "So long as shadows connect to one another he can freely pass without having to exit one to get the other." He said and then turned his head to stare down at his own shadow. "Oh shush Shen! I can tell them whatever I like." He muttered and then turned his back on his shadow. Shen clearly wasn't too thrilled about this much knowledge getting out about his abilities. He really did prefer being silent, unseen and unknown.
Nero glanced down at Kyiri when he heard her ask if she could go and then shook his head as he heard Kanone telling her that he didn't think so. "It's probably better that you stay with us Kyiri." He said, agreeing with Kanone. "You can't go looking for her like you are now and your smaller kitten form may slow the dogs down... and you'll scare people in the bigger one..." He said quietly, trying not to really offend her. "Besides, wouldn't you rather be here for when Celestine wakes up?" He added in hopes of taking her mind off helping anyone look for LaRae. He knew well enough with his little sister that once her mind was set to something it was kind of hard to get her to change her mind. He glanced back over towards Kanone momentarily and then looked over at Reyes. He would've tried to give more input on the whole sending a canine thing but he didn't know a whole lot about the creatures and it would probably be a decision better left to those two because either way he'd probably just nod his head to agree. Aamori for the most part had been trying to sit quietly and pat Nobu and Zale. If she'd had a third arm she'd have reached over Nobu to pet Esen too but she didn't and she couldn't reach. She for the most part ignored whatever Kanone, Nero and Reyes were talking about and didn't bother looking to watch Hikari nor Kyran and Nanashi. She did lift her head finally and put a cease to the almost mechanical motion of petting the two canines when Hikari came over and flopped down beside her. "You alright?" She asked quietly seeing as Hikari almost looked ready to pull her hair out. Nobu's ears twitched very slightly at Esen nuzzling him and then licking his face. He'd been resting, or at least enough that he was half in and half out of sleep. He lifted his head a little when he heard her say that she was going to see what she could do and then let it drop back to his paws tiredly. He didn't have the energy in him right now to move, let alone lift his head completely to follow her as she walked. He was just so sore and though the pain had subsided just a little it still hurt. He barely even registered anyone touching him or petting him. He really just wanted nothing more then to sleep until everything stopped hurting. |
Kanone nodded slightly as he listened to Reyes and then nodded his head a little. He laughed softly when it sounded like Shen was complaining to him about what he was telling them. "...Don't worry, Shen, it's not like I can do anything with the information..." he said calmly. He would have patted the dog if he could, but considering it's current location there was no way he could get to it. He noticed Esen coming over to where they were and then sighed softly before glancing between her, Reyes, and Nero for a moment. "...Well...I don't know. LaRae knows Esen, so it would probably be a better idea to let her go...but I don't really want to send her off on her own, so..." He glanced back to Reyes again, "...What do you think?"
Kyiri stared up at Nero as if hoping to get better answer from him than what she had gotten from Kanone, but her ears laid back when he said that she couldn't go either. "But I wouldn't slow anyone down..." she said with a pout. She looked at him again when he mentioned her wanting to be here when Celestine woke up and then glanced over to Celestine. She thought about it and then sighed heavily, "...Okay..." she agreed, "...But he's taking too long.... How come he's not getting up? Kano's up..." She glanced back to Nero again before sighing and laying her ears back. Esen walked over to the boys and Kyiri slowly and then sat down just off to the side of Reyes, near Celestine's side. She tilted her head a little as she listened to the two of them talk and then sighed and stood up again, walking around Reyes to sit beside Kanone. She nudged him gently with her head and then glanced over to Reyes. "...Do you want me to go look for her?" she asked Kanone as she looked back to him again. Kanone blinked when Esen asked him if he wanted her to go look for LaRae. That was the first time she'd spoken to him since she'd thanked him for giving ownership of the blades over to Celestine. He smiled slightly and placed a hand on top of her head. "...Do you think you can sniff her out?" "So long as she wasn't flying..." "Well...won't know unless we try, I guess..." He glanced back to Reyes again, "...She'll go." Hikari raised her head a little when Aamori asked her is she was alright and then sighed heavily. "...I guess so..." she muttered quietly. "...I can't believe this...It's rare hunters ever come this close to the city, and what are the odds of someone being out here far enough to report the disturbance back to the guards?" She cast and almost annoyed glance back to the shy guard that she had allowed to stay behind. She sighed heavily, though she kept her voice low enough that only Aamori could hear, "...I guess having them around is a little handy with LaRae missing but... Uhg, I'd rather be looking myself or doing...something..." Her tail thrashed irritably behind her and she sighed heavily. "...I am so not ready to go back to being Princess Selenity...this is going to make things so much more difficult than they need to be..." She made a bit of a face at the very mention of the title, "I'm not going to be able to raise a finger with those guys around... He's already getting on my nerves and he's one of the less annoying ones. LaRae's missing, we've still got a dragon down, Nobu's hurt, and all any of them are worried about is my face. I already haled it!" She seethed for a moment and then let her breath out in a long sigh. "...Sorry..." she muttered when she realized she'd just gone off on a rant. She was pretty sure Aamori was most likely to understand, though. |
Reyes stared over at Kanone for a moment when he addressed Shen and told him that he couldn't do anything with the information and then sighed softly, placing his hands over his ears as if that could possibly be enough to keep from hearing Shen. Once it was quiet again, or for the most part quiet he lifted his head a little and looked back over at Kanone. "Shen wanted me to point out that even if you can't use the information you still retain it for later discussions... like the whole shadow thing..." He said with a heavy sigh before waving his hand slightly not wanting him to dispute it with Shen. He hated the idea of being the liaison between Shen and any other dragon here. It was kind of annoying. He listened to what Kanone had to say about sending Esen and nodded his head slightly in understanding. If Esen had been his canine he wasn't so sure he'd want to send her off on her own either. She didn't exactly look built for combat, for lack of better words though she did seem pretty good at 'protect the base'. She had managed to keep a good eye on Kanone and Celestine while they were down, at least until Nobu had needed some assistance. He glanced back at his shadow from the corner of his eye and sighed softly. "I don't think I would send her alone. Shen maybe, but not her or that other one. They're both smaller in comparison to Shen and Nobu and likely to be perceived as easy prey to anyone that could be out there." He paused. "We still have to take into account that there could still be hunters out there not to mention other dragons who may shoot first and ask later if they're on edge or have seen hunters in the area already."
Nero had been trying to listen in on the conversation that Kanone and Reyes were having though the little interruptions from Kyiri side tracked him a bit. He dropped his eyes back down to her and smiled weakly when she mentioned that Celestine was taking too long to get up. "It's kind of hard to explain." He told her quietly. "...But I'll try." He added before he gave a quiet sigh. "...Celestine and Kanone, they're different sizes so the stuff in the darts, the bad stuff ...well, it reacts a little differently because of that." He paused. "The darts, those red things, they have the same amount of bad stuff in them and it spreads faster and lasts longer in a smaller body then it does a bigger one." He said quietly. "So, for example... say that you had been hit with one of those nasty red darts. You would have taken a nap a lot faster then Celestine had and you'd still be asleep long after he woke up.... it just takes a little longer to work out the system when you're tiny." He tried his best to explain. Kyiri could talk like a child and react like a child, he just wasn't sure about her understanding. He kind of hoped it was a little more developed or else understanding even that may have been difficult. "He will wake up though, don't worry." Reyes looked to Esen briefly when she was nearer to him and then watched as she moved over to Kanone. He didn't say a word at least until Kanone started talking to her and then said that she was willing to go. He nodded his head slightly and glanced back to his shadow again for a moment. "You'll go too, right Shen." He said more then asked. Shen may have been a little disagreeable at times but he usually listened pretty well. "You don't have to worry about me. Nero is here and there are other capable dragons. I'll be fine." He tried to assure him. If anything Shen was a little over protective. He probably could've argued with Shen about the whole thing for a while but there wasn't a whole lot of time to be doing something as silly as that and even Shen knew it. He finally agreed though he didn't exactly want to be leaving Reyes to a bunch of people that he didn't really trust. He hadn't even gotten to know Nero so he wasn't so sure but then again he'd rather leave Reyes with a dark dragon then any of the others given the choice. He finally shifted and moved away from Celestine slowly, getting to his feet enough that he could move over so that his shadow over lapped Esen's. "This'll only take a second." He said with a slight smile before he pointed quietly to Esen's shadow. It really did only take a second before the darker shadow had switched places and now inhabited Esen's, leaving Reyes' as normal as everyone else's. "He'll behave, he promised me." He paused as he stepped away to make sure his shadow was really normal again. He nodded slightly after seeing that it was. "He should stay quiet for the most part Esen." He said looking at her. "He'll only come out when he needs to or when you ask him to... or well... maybe more if he feels like listening to you..." He said with a sigh. "But if you're in danger he'll come out. He likes a fight... and if you find the girl and need to carry her, he's big enough to do that." He added. "Other then that... just move like you normally would. It may feel like your shadow is weighing you down a little... oddly enough... but it shouldn't stop you from moving." He said lastly trying to be helpful with a quick how-to on Shen's perching in your shadow ability. He was quiet for a moment trying to think a little if he had left anything out. "Oh!" He almost forgot. "If you feel resistance or feel like you can't go the direction you want it's because Shen doesn't want to go that way... and it's a strong urge not to... He only does that when it's really, really dangerous or way, way too bright." He paused. "Unfortunately he's similar to us dark dragons in a small way... he doesn't care for extremely bright light and I'm not talking about the type the sun projects and the crystals reflect... he hates the light the dragons can project... it almost burns..." He shuddered slightly. "...but I think that's about it." He said with a final nod. Aamori kept her eyes towards Hikari while she waited for a response and then nodded her head slightly when she answered and then continued on. "An odd coincidence..." She uttered quietly. She nodded her head again, more in understanding at the idea of doing something herself. "...I'd like to be looking for her too..." She commented quietly. "But I know it's better not to go out looking when there are guards looking." She sighed quietly. "If she's out there to be found the guards are fully capable of finding her." She hated to admit. She smiled weakly as Hikari continued and then finally nodded her head once more. "I know." She responded firstly. "...I wasn't ready to go back to being who I was either..." She paused. "Training every morning and having to be escorted around when I wanted or needed to go somewhere and having to wear the same clothes all the time... it's annoying but it's... well... how things work." She shook her head slightly. "I also know how hard it can make things considering our task... I mean when we first started in Kairava you and I got into trouble in that library because my brother found us... and I got punished for that and almost didn't get to find the relic." She sighed softly. "It does make everything take longer but it's how things work since you can't just throw away who you are. If I could, trust me, I would've for the sake of finding that relic faster..." She glanced down to Nobu momentarily. "...and of course the guards are worried about your face over everyone else. We're all not as important as you are, just like in Kairava I came first before everyone else. You're important to them and they care for your safety above all else... it's also part of their job as much as I even hate to admit that..." She shook her head. "Goodness... I think Hisako would be having a heart attack right now if she could hear me..." She muttered quietly. "...Anyway... we will get through this, eventually." |
Kanone raised an eyebrow when Reyes started telling him what Shen said said and then just blinked, before he chuckled softly. "...Oh brother," He shook his head a little, noticing the way that Reyes was waving him off as if not wanting to get into it. He shook his head a little, "You know, Shen, if you want to debate with me you could just use a little effort like the others. No need to give Reyes a headache." His voice was still kind, almsot amused, though at the same time he seemed a little annoyed. He turned his attention back to Reyes again when she started to mention that she wouldn't send Esen out alone. He nodded slightly in agreement to what she said, though he had a feeling Esen could probably take care of herself pretty well. After all, she'd gotten along fine on her own before he came along, but he still didn't really want to send her out alone. He was relieved when she agreed to go and then Reyes passed Shen off to her shadow. He watched for a moment in mild amusement before he half smiled. Esen didn't really seem to know what to do with her new attachment at first. "...Be careful, you two..."
Esen watched as Reyes got up and came over to her, then she turned her head downward to watch as the darker shadow shifted over to hers. She tilted her head slightly and then raised up he front paw before putting it back down and lifting her back paw a little, tilting her head slightly. She made a quiet noise somewhere between a whine and a groan. She couldn't help but wonder if she was standing on Shen, which...was a little weird. She shook off the thought before she looked back to Reyes again as she explained to her about Shen. She listened intently and then nodded her head a little with a soft 'woof' to let her know that she understood. She stole a glance back down to her shadow again and then trotted off to the tree where LaRae had last been spotted before lowering her nose and sniffing around a bit. She followed the scent past the tree and a bit further into the trees before she stopped and started looking around a little. She lowered her nose back tot he ground and sniffed again before tilting her head a little. LaRae's scent had stopped, but there was another one now, though it had the same earthy smell to it as LaRae's with a few differences. She whined out a quiet sigh and then continued forward, picking up her pace just a little while trying to keep her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Hikari sighed heavily as she listened to Aamori and then half smiled, though she still kept her voice low to keep the conversation between them. "Hisako might have a heart attack I'm sure...you sound just like Ishta," she said simply. "Believe me I'm well aware of how things work, I am reminded almsot daily around here, but that does not make it any less infuriating." She sighed heavily and laid her ears back a little. "...I suppose we can't, but that doesn't stop me from trying..." she said with a half smile, "No one here really knows my face, well, my face the way you've seen it. If I hadn't showed them my forehead they still wouldn't know me and likely would have arrested Reyes and Nero." She tilted her head a little, "...There is a bit of a difference between us... You're respected because you are going to be their elder... That is a possibility with me as our elders come from the royal family, but...well, my people see me as more of a...fashion model or a porcelain doll than a political figure head. I'm something to be admired for my grace, beauty, and all of that other crap that doesn't mean a thing and that I hardly possess. My intellect and other abilities don't mean a thing to anyone. Selenity has people to think, act, and breathe for her." She sighed again and glanced off toward the trees again. "...I know that's how things work, but even you have more freedom in your territory than I do here... It really is enough to drive a person stir crazy... Mostly I just hate sitting here doing nothing, I feel like I need to be up doing something, but I don't know what because everything I could be doing is already done or being covered." |
Reyes watched Esen quietly for a moment after it looked like she had taken to investigating her shadow a little. He just smiled a little and waited patiently for the two of them to get going. Once Esen had started off and was no longer in sight he gave a heavy sigh. Shen could be such a pain sometimes, it was kind of nice to pawn him off on someone else for a little while. He went ahead and moved back over to where he had been sitting before near Celestine and stumbled a little at first but regained his footing quickly enough. It was so weird being prepared to step down with the extra weight of Shen and then it not being there. After he was seated again he looked over at Kanone. "...So Esen, she talks to you even though she isn't yours?" He asked a little curiously. "Shen doesn't care to talk to anyone else and because he's never had the desire to want to I didn't really think it was possible for them to talk to anyone but their masters and well... he never really said he could or couldn't talk to anyone else." He said and then sighed quietly.
Shen kept quietly to himself once he had switched over to Esen's shadow and continued to stay quiet even after she had started away from the group. He wasn't thrilled about the idea of leaving Reyes there alone, or at least he considered the boy alone without him. He didn't like the idea of leaving him there when there were guards near too. It would certainly be hard getting back to Reyes if the guards just up and decided for some reason or another that they just weren't going to stand to have a dark dragon wandering around their territory like Reyes was. While Esen was searching he just barely paid attention. He was there mostly as backup, or at least that was how he looked at it. He did seem slightly more interested when it seemed Esen was following a different scent then the one that belonged to that girl they were supposed to be looking for. For now while Esen searched he just kept to himself keeping an eye out in case Esen missing something. Aamori lifted one of her palms to her forehead and sighed heavily after Hikari had agreed that Hisako might have a heart attack and then added that she sounded just like Ishta. "To think... this stuff is finally sinking in after so many years of Hisako beating it into me.." She muttered and then shook her head a little. She looked back over to Hikari and listened quietly as she continued speaking. She really didn't mind listening, especially since both she and Hikari had similar backgrounds. Or well, similar life styles was perhaps the better term. "I think that elders, especially the ones in training, like me.. would probably be treated a lot differently if not for the fact that there are royals." She said quietly. "I mean... I think most elders get respect automatically because of what they are whereas the royals even in my clan they are more well.. I don't really know how to explain what I'm thinking... but the water clan royals are a different type of icon to the people then the elders are." She paused and sighed softly. "...I also think a lot of times commoners, normal townspeople, they get it stuck in their heads that royals are nothing more then rich mouth pieces for the elders." She paused again. "Or at least I've heard it worded that way a couple times in Kairava. My people, they don't think too highly of our royals because they have Lady Levana so close to them and then of course there's me too." She shook her head a little. "I don't really think I have that much more freedom in my territory then you do in yours... what you saw while we were there isn't really normal for me." She paused. "They don't let me out of the training building any more then entirely necessary. They even bolted a heavy bookshelf along the wall where my window is my bedroom just so I'd stop getting out... then of course when I am permitted to leave I can only go certain places and it's usually by appointment and I'm escorted to and from and no commoner is allowed to approach me." She sounded annoyed at the recollection but shook it off. "I also don't stay hurt any longer then possible. If I scrape my knee it's usually healed before I even feel it really sting. After training with Hisako any thing that happened to me is taken care of right away and they'll even bathe me if I'm too tired to do it myself afterward." She glanced over to Hikari for a moment. "So... I really do think I understand how you feel, maybe a little more then you think sometimes." She glanced down at Nobu and eyed the smaller gashes towards the upper part of his head. "...I wish I knew of something for you to do so you weren't sitting here doing nothing ...but there isn't anything really..." She wanted something to do herself to keep busy but there wasn't anything. She finally looked back to Hikari once more thinking of changing the subject just a little since she thought the two of them could prattle on and on about their lives. "Are you going to have those marks on your face, forever?" She asked curiously. "Or is there something that can be done to get rid of them?" |
Kanone watched at Reyes started to walk again and then raised a hand when she staggered to take a hold of hers. "Careful..." he said quietly. He released her hand once it seemed she had her balance again and watched her go sit down before he nodded a little in answer to what she asked about Esen. "...Well...she was mine," he said quietly, "...The blades were left to me by my father...but...well, I'm not the most responsible person in the world, and I didn't want her life hanging on my ability not to break something, so...I gave them to Celestine. I didn't really care about the blades, I was more interested in her, so if he can take better care of the blades, I can still enjoy her company, so...it works out. No tot mention, Celestine has a way with animals." He smiled a little, "Besides, I think that was what she wanted. This is the first time she's said anything to me since thanking me for making Celestine her official owner...but she doesn't talk a whole lot anyway." He half smiled, "They can talk to whoever they want to, but I think it's harder for them to talk to anyone who doesn't own their blades." He glanced back down to his cousin and sighed, "I think Celestine knew before any of us, or it wouldn't surprise me. He started spending a lot of time around Nobu and he's always been...well...prone to...picking up on things like that..." he tapped his head lightly. "He thinks kind of loud sometimes, too."
Esen continued to hurry along her way, practically ignoring the weight that seemed to be pulling her down. She continued to stop and sniff around a bit as she wandered around, trying to keep track of the earth dragon's scent. She could smell other scents that were closer to Hikari's overlapping the path, ones that had more of a crisp, freshly clean scent to them, but she assumed those to be the guards. She came to a sudden stop and started to sniff around a bit more when she caught another scent. Still earthy, but stronger, with a hint of a scent that was both very distinct and unidentifiable, but at the same time, very familiar. It was similar to Nobu, Zale, and Shen. She looked around for a moment and then continued forward, trying to get back on the path that the earth dragon had taken, though it didn't take her long to come upon another of those familiar, yet distinct scents. This one, in spite of having the 'dog' smell still had a very fresh, almsot sterile scent to it, and this one seemed to be going back the way she had just come, though at a wider angle. She shook her head a little and sniffed at the ground again before walking in a complete circle. As far as she could tell they were alone in this part of the forest at least. She stood still, trying to listen, but really didn't hear much more than the small rustle of forest animals. After a few seconds she shook her head again and then started to hurry on in the direction that she had been going, again, following that earthy scent. Hikari smiled weakly when Aamori said that this stuff was finally sinking in and actually couldn't help a soft laugh at the way her people referred to their royals. "...Well, that is the one major difference here... The royals and the elders...we are all related. Any one of us could become an elder in time, so we all gather the same respect. I suppose rich mouth pieces is likely a good way to describe us," she said with a half smile. "...Here, pretty much what I say goes unless someone in a higher position says otherwise, though the only higher positions than mine are Akito and the elders. The biggest problem for me is that my views are very different from Akito's, so I am overruled...a lot." She nodded again when Aamori said that she didn't have much more freedom. "Well...that part is roughly the same. I hardly get the change to speak to anyone outside the palace, and rarely leave the grounds...well with permission. The palace is a little too big for them to block off all of my exits," she said with a sly smile, "They still haven't figured out some of them. I think the biggest difference between your being healed the instant you're injured and mine is that I am not supposed to do anything that could injure me. Even running is frowned upon because I might trip, I suppose you can imagine how badly everyone would flip at even seeing me holding a bow and arrow." She laughed again weakly at Aamori's mention of being bathed. "Oh, I am sure they would try if I ever had anything to wear me down that much. I still have people trying to help me since apparently I can't wash my own wings good enough to suit anyone." Her ears nearly flattened at the thought. "...Oh...I am going to get scrubbed raw later..." She blinked when Aamori asked about her face and then smiled weakly and shook her head. "...Cosmetic healing..." she said simply, "It takes a bit more effort, but scars can be healed to the point that they are virtually invisible or disappear altogether. I know how to do it, but it seems wasteful on many levels when it comes to energy. usually if a wound is healed entirely upon receiving it, it won't leave a scar, but...well, that ointment that Taro gave me worked to a point, but those gashes were deep and I needed to tend to Nanashi, so I wasn't entirely worried about how it looked, I didn't put anything more into it than what it would need to close the marks and stop bleeding. But in short, no, I will not have them forever. I will be lucky to have them five minutes once we reach the palace and even more lucky to see any of you again before the day is out. I can just imagine the scrubbing and grooming that is going to ensue..." Her eye actually twitched a little as one ear laid back. "...Oh boy..." |
Reyes was a little surprised to hear that Esen had changed owners. That was again something that he didn't know a whole lot about and wasn't even sure that it was really possible but Kanone and Celestine were living proof that the blades and canine could change hands. He nodded his head lightly while Kanone continued with what he was saying. He guessed it was a good thing to give the blades to someone else if you were afraid you might break them or not take care of them like you should. He never really worried about his blades because he rarely carried them himself and he'd barely even used them other then just to practice so he knew how to wield them. He smiled a little as Kanone was finishing what he was saying. "If it made everyone happy then it was for the best, right?" He said and then glanced down to Celestine momentarily. "I still can't believe they can actually talk to others... Shen's always ever made me the go between when he has something to say... but then again... you all are the first we've come across with other canines and people who actually knew of them." He smiled slightly when Kanone finished with mentioning that Celestine was prone to picking up on things like that and then added that he thought loud sometimes too. That was kind of amusing, the last part at least. He did think he understood what Kanone had meant with what he said, when you had some of the types of abilities that dark dragons could have you learned about things like that pretty quickly. Not to mention he had Shen to help even more with understanding telepathy though he sometimes wished there was a mute button. "...So how're you feeling now?" He finally thought to ask. "I mean, the sedative and all." He added lastly to clarify what he was talking about.
Shen picked up easily on the scents that kept causing Esen to pause though he grew a little more irritable every time she stopped to try and inspect certain ones. He hadn't worried even in the slightest about the scent of the guards though the two scents that seemed so very familiar peaked his interest for only a second before he wanted to continue on searching for this girl. They were out here looking for that earth dragon that went missing, not to investigate other scents. He was at least relieved that he wasn't going to have to lay into her about pausing at the other scents. He wanted to find this stupid earth dragon and get back to Reyes, that was it. He didn't care one way or the other about the possibility of there being other canines in the area and for all they knew they could just be smelling normal dogs or something. He did finally say something but it was pretty short and to the point. 'Don't get distracted.' Aamori listened quietly to everything that Hikari was saying and finally smiled a little, though weakly, when she answered her question about the scars. "...At least your clan knows how to heal them and make them go away." She said quietly. "I don't think any other clan has quite perfected a cosmetic healing.. or if they have they don't brag about it." She said quietly. Her clan as far as she knew never had come up with such a thing so any scars or marks were pretty much left where they appeared and you moved on. "It's good that they can be taken care of." She paused. "I don't think those marks on your face would be very becoming." She told her. "Then again, if you had to keep them I'm sure you could manage to make them work." She said with a weak smile. She wasn't that surprised to hear Hikari's mention of her being lucky if she got to see any of them again before the day was out once she reached the palace. "...Yeah..." She paused. "...I meant to tell you sooner but I wasn't sure when would've been a good time." She started. "Lady Levana gave permission for you to tell your clan about me... since... well... I talked to her about you once." She admitted quietly. "I've got a paper in my bag that's even issued from Lady Levana herself as proof of who I am... I'm not sure how your royals and elders treat people like me, but if it'll help keep anyone a little closer to you, like me, you can tell them." She wasn't even sure that would help anything but she was pretty sure most elders, regardless of being in training or not were treated a lot better then the average commoner no matter where they were and an elder was likely far better company for a princess then people with no social standing. Not that the rest of the group weren't good people but sometimes commoners just didn't mix well or easily with the upper class. She sighed quietly. "...Lady Levana also trusts you and your clan not to abuse information like this." She said of course referring to who she was since not every clan knew. Elders in training in the water clan were usually kept under wraps so no one knew who they were until they actually became an elder. Renzo had gotten quite the distance put between the group and him before he had finally stopped. He was certainly closer to the earth territory now that he wasn't looking for a convenient place to stop. The entire trek from the time he had picked up LaRae to now she had slowly been coming around from the sedative and it actually took her awhile to realize who was carrying her which amused him once she got around to trying to fight back. It really wasn't in her to fight or argue about much of anything but she was thoroughly annoyed even with the massive headache. He had stopped and had slipped a sealed letter into her pants pocket before setting her down on the ground. The letter was the back up in case she didn't retain any information but even still with her in the state she was now he wanted to actually tell her what she had to do for the clan. Unfortunately though it appeared he could've told her ten times over and she wasn't quite grasping it or retaining it for very long at all. Whatever she had been given was annoying him to no end. There was no fun in verbally torturing her if she wasn't keeping up with what he was saying. Maybe it was just too early to try telling her about it. He sighed heavily and decided to wait a bit and see how fast she came off of whatever she'd been given. It would probably take awhile for anyone to catch up to his position any way so he figured there was some time. Not to mention Gesa was out roaming a little and always within a close proximity to him so he wasn't worried. |
Kanone smiled slightly and nodded his head a little in agreement when Reyes said that it was for the best if it made everyone happy. He nodded again slightly when Reyes said that she couldn't believe that they could talk to others. "...They've all spoken to me...just because I knew from Nobu, I guess... He asked me not to spread it around that they could talk, so I guess they just don't like to advertise that they can. So I guess don't tell anyone else about that... I think nearly half the group already knows, but..." he shrugged a little, "...I just don't really say anything about it." He blinked when Reyes had asked how he was feeling now and then smiled weakly. "...I...think I'm alright... It's wearing off, but...well...heh...you ever been on something that's spun you around until you're sick? ...I kind of feel like that after the dizziness wears off..." He smiled weakly, "...I don't think I'm going to be craving breakfast anytime soon..."
Esen had only really completely stopped once when she noticed the other scent going back the other way. Honestly, she didn't like being in an unfamiliar territory without good knowledge of what was out here with her. She was already on her way again toward the scent that she had been following, though she was still keeping a look out for anything else. She growled softly when Shen told her not to get distracted and looked down at her shadow for a moment. '...I am not getting distracted,' she answered in a huff, 'I want to know what else is out where with us in case I run up on it.' She still spoke in her usual, soft-spoken voice, though she did seem almost a little annoyed that he thought she was getting distracted. '...If I am not going fast enough to suit you, you are welcome to get out and walk...' She continued to hurry forward for a distance and then slowed and lowered her nose to the ground again, looking for the scent again before she caught a whiff of the more animal-like earth scent again. She raised her head again to look around a little before continuing forward again in the direction that she had been going. She was aware that she was drawing a good bit closer to the earth territory, or at lest she was pretty sure that she was. the trees were starting to look more normal as she went, at any rate, and she was pretty sure this was the direction that the Earth territory was in. Hikari half smiled when Aamori said that no other clan had perfected a cosmetic healing. "...I doubt any other clan is that finicky about appearances..." she said simply. Most clans probably wouldn't care so much to perfect a cosmetic healing the way her clan did, but then again her clan seemed to have an excess in healing abilities as compared to most clans. It seemed to her that in order the clans with the most effective healing were the light, water, and wind...she rarely heard much about the healing abilities of any other clans, though she was sure they had some. She blinked when Aamori brought up Levana's permission to tell her people who Aamori was, honestly unsure why the permission would even be needed. He smiled a little when Aamori admitted to telling Levana about her, but she didn't seem phased by it. After all, it wasn't as if she was a top secret as Aamori was, she simple didn't care to be known merely for the sake of not being known. Of course she was sure that her people would prefer her to be unknown in other territories, but she half wondered how many of them even knew that she had been gone this last month or so. She nodded her head a little, smiling a bit when Aamori said that she could tell if it would help keep her closer to her and then again when she said that Levana trusted her and her people not to abuse the information. "Of course, that goes without saying," she said softly. After a moment she shook her head weakly, "It's alright, Aamroi...I don't believe anyone really needs to know. I am sure it would set some people at least knowing who you are if you are seen associating with me, but...well, I intend to grant you all permission to stay at the palace, and I am certain there are only two...well....perhaps three among us that anyone might dispute over, but in the end, I believe it will be alright. I have no intention of letting anyone run me away from my friends, especially while we are on a mission of higher importance." She raised her arms and then wrapped them around Aamori gently, "...but thank you, and thanks to Lady Levana for trusting us with the information." |
Reyes nodded his head a little. "I suppose it is better that no one knows that they can talk." He commented. He never really worried about it before but with there being more of the canines around it was probably better not to go around telling everyone that these creatures were actually capable of talking. "Shen never said anything to me about it and never corrected me when I referred back to something he said." He paused. "Maybe Shen likes it when it looks like I'm talking about an imaginary friend." He shook his head lightly. He smiled slightly after Kanone had answered his question and said that he thought he was alright. He tilted his head slightly when he asked if he had ever been on something that spun him around until he was sick. His first reaction was to stare over at Nero before nodding his head and uttering a quiet 'yes'. He did at least kind of understand what Kanone was referring to. "Well, at least you're starting to feel better and we'll have some idea of how it'll be when Celestine finally comes around." He glanced back down at Celestine momentarily before looking back over at Kanone. "...Does stuff like this happen to you all often or was this like.. a random occurrence?" He asked a little curiously.
Shen kept silent and listened while Esen spoke though he did put up a little resistance after her saying that if she wasn't going fast enough to suit him, he was welcome to get out and walk. He wasn't angry but the comment was enough to make him want to make it a little more difficult for her to move as fast as she liked though he did knock it off fast enough because there wasn't anything to gain by slowing her down. 'Don't worry so much about what's out there that you don't know, that's what I'm here for. I'll take care of it. You just find the girl so we can get back to the group.' He responded quietly. He figured if he was eager to get back to Reyes then she must have been feeling the same way about getting back to her master, at least a little bit anyway. He was paying attention to the other things around them more then he was where they were actually going so of course he thought Esen would do best to just look for the girl and leave everything else to him. If there was something out here near them at any point they did have an advantage. No one knew he was there. It would look like one canine and nothing more and he could leave the shadow easily, so they really did have the upper hand in just about any situation. Aamori nodded her head a little when Hikari said that she doubted any other clan was that finicky about appearances. "I think my clan would be if they had the energy to put into that form of healing." She sighed quietly. "I think they would all take advantage of the ability to rid themselves of unwanted scars or unsightly marks, especially ones that appeared on people like me or Lady Levana." She said with a slight nod. "Water dragons may not be all about appearances but we do like our skin smooth and soft and scars kind of ruin that..." In her opinion if water dragons took any real unneeded pride in anything it was their skin. She'd yet to meet a water dragon who didn't take care of their skin but then again the skin was kind of important to them because it could be used as a sign to tell when one was becoming dehydrated. The first thing to go was usually the smoothness of their skin and then the color. She smiled almost weakly when Hikari said that it was alright, that she didn't believe anyone really needed to know about who she was. She listened to the rest of what she had to say and then smiled a bit more once Hikari had wrapped her arms around her gently and said her thanks. She returned the hug and nodded her head slightly. "If there is any trouble, or dispute over the three you suspect, I am willing to vouch for them if it will help any." She paused. "It may be unnecessary but having an elder, for simpler terms, from another clan at your back may help a little." She said quietly. "...I don't want you to be afraid to use me if you need to." She paused. "I don't think my identity needs to be protected here and I don't mind your people knowing. I mean... it isn't like your clan is out to off an elder before they even take over. Lady Levana feels certain clans shouldn't know, the fire clan especially." She sighed quietly. She could just imagine the turmoil her clan would go through if anything happened to her. There weren't any other elders in training at the moment, there was just her and if she was gone... She shook her head lightly. Lady Levana trusted some of the clans at least, especially after meeting the group. Of the ones she felt safe knowing about Aamori were the light, wind and earth. Though the earth was almost borderline. She didn't approve of some of the things their elders did but she liked to believe they wouldn't abuse the information of knowing who Aamori was. She smiled slightly. "I guess what I wanted to say was you don't have to protect my identity here. That's all..." Gesa for the most part was keeping a look out on the perimeter around where Renzo was though she was several dozen feet out from him and circling the area. She had only run off once in the process of keeping an eye out because she caught wind of the three guards that were out searching the area. She assumed they could've been looking for LaRae but she wasn't sure. Either way Renzo had said not to let anyone near and she intended to keep to that order. She took after the guards mauled them almost brutally until they weren't able to get up and move right away. She had taken the upper hand in approaching them so she had managed to take care of them without too much damage to herself, if any at all. The only downside to the whole incident was the fact that she now had a blood stained muzzle and front paws and couldn't do anything about it at the moment. On her way back to her post she did stumble across a scent she hadn't recognized completely though she knew where it was coming from. She was a little surprised to only smell a canine and not a dragon attached to it. She almost found it hard to believe that group would've sent just a dog and not a dragon or two as well. She hadn't picked up Shen however. He was a shadow so he didn't give off very much of a scent at all though he did release a presence when you were close enough. She made a point of avoiding the canine though she did position herself back at her post and likely at a place where the two would intersect one another. The canine hadn't seemed too far off so she didn't think it would take too long for it to reach her and she was sitting, waiting. |
Kanone half smiled when Reyes said that Shen probably liked it when it looked like Reyes was talking to an imaginary friend. He chuckled softly and then shook his head weakly. "...Oh, I know...I've imagined people walking in on me talking to Nobu plenty of times..." He caught the way that Reyes glanced over to Nero when she said 'yes' and then glanced back to him himself. He grinned a little and then looked back to Reyes, raising an eyebrow. He nodded weakly when he said that they would have some idea of hat it would be like for Celestine when he woke up. "...Yeah..." He glanced down to his cousin and sighed softly before reaching over to him and gently stroking his bangs back out of his face. The action uncovered part of his little star-burst scar, but he hadn't noticed. He was staring more at his cousin's mouth, watching his still labored breathing. "Yeah...I just hope its' not harder on him..." Something told him that it might be, considering the size different between them. Celestine still didn't even seem to be showing any signs of coming around, he was still just laying there. He glanced back to Reyes again when she asked if this happened often or if it was a random occurrence. "...I couldn't really say.... Hunters are everywhere, I'm pretty sure that's usually a random occurrence at any point but...well this isn't exactly a safe trip to tag along on, I guess."
Esen was a little taken aback by the sudden resistance and that actually caused her to stop after a couple of step, though after a second she looked down at her shadow and growled softly to tell him to cut it out. If he didn't want her slowing down, it seemed almost stupid to make it harder for her to run. She sighed softly when she felt the resistance let up and then started to hurry forward again. '...Yeah...' she agreed quietly when he said that he would take care of whatever was out there, though she still sounded a little wary. Normally she was one to avoid conflicts if she could so she would rather be cautious. After all, she didn't want Shen getting hurt, either. Finally she forced herself to pick up her pace a bit and started to run a little faster, though she practically skidded to a stop when she caught the scent of blood. It took her a second to identify it as light dragon's blood, and only half a second later to realize that she smelled that earthy canine scent as well. She whined softly and then started to move forward again, slowly, mostly because she knew that the canine was up ahead in her path, and she was pretty sure whoever had LaRae was further past. Unfortunately, she didn't think she could try going around without losing the scent she was following, and she didn't want to have to find it again. Moments later she saw the canine and shuddered a little at the sight of her bloody muzzle and paws. She stopped there for a moment and then growled softly in warning. Hikari smiled slightly when Aamori said that her people were proud of their skin. "I can see why," she said honestly. Aamori did have nice clear skin, even if it was insanely cold. She nodded again when Aamori said that she could vouch for the three if there was any dispute. "Thank you..." she said softly as she pulled back again and then offered her a weak smile. She knew that her clan wouldn't abuse the knowledge, but she didn't really know if she would need to use it. She'd hate to have Aamori treated in her territory similarly as she was in her own. "Well...we will see if it comes up," she said softly before she glanced over to the woods again and sighed heavily. "...I wish someone would come back already..." she muttered quietly to herself. |
Reyes listened while Kanone spoke and was kind of half glad to hear he understood how awkward and embarrassing it could be to have someone see you talking to a dog, or in his case, an imaginary friend since Shen didn't show himself a whole lot. He looked back down at Celestine when Kanone reached over to move his bangs from his face and noticed for the first time part of the scar that had been uncovered. He tilted his head slightly and stared at it for a moment before looking back to Kanone after hearing him say that he hoped it wasn't harder on Celestine. He nodded his head in agreement. He barely knew Celestine but he still wouldn't wish coming out of sedation to be hard on anyone, well, except maybe an enemy. "...How'd he get that?" He asked and pointed towards the partially exposed scar. He stared back down at Celestine's face momentarily until his other question had been answered and then nodded slightly. That hadn't exactly answered what he had asked but it was good enough. "...I know hunters are fairly random since they aren't roaming everywhere, all the time." He paused. "What I meant... was more, the attack itself. The fighting, people getting hurt. Stuff like that." He said with a weak nod. He sighed quietly. "I guess I kind of wanted to know a little what Kana has gotten me into." He added lastly.
Aamori smiled very slightly after Hikari had said she could see why in reference to her people being proud of their skin. "If we had had more time in Kairava, I would've loved to have had like... a girly day." She admitted quietly. "I would've loved to have gone shopping with you and LaRae and maybe even gone to one of the other islands were they do skin treatments. I think it would've been nice." She commented quietly. Unfortunately they weren't exactly on a schedule that would permit a little R&R of that nature. She nodded her head lightly after she had said they would see if it came up and watched as she glanced over towards the woods. "They'll come back eventually." She responded. "It's a large forest from what I've seen, it'll take time, I'm sure." She added quietly. She shifted her glance briefly towards the one guard that had stayed behind and then focused on Hikari again. "...So..." She started. "...Around people like that..." She motioned as nonchalantly as possible with her head towards the guard. "...Your names Selenity right?" She paused. "Is it too informal to just call you by name or should there be the title before the name?" She asked kind of curiously. She hadn't ever really been close to any of the royals in her clan so she didn't really know how to address them around certain people. Shen kept to himself after Esen had agreed and let her steer them without any further complaints. He was fully prepared to pipe up and complain once she came to a stop once again but the urge faded almost instantly when he picked up on the scent of blood. He didn't particularly care enough to figure out the type of dragon it belonged to. He smelt blood, end of story. He kept himself quiet again once Esen started moving again even though it was slower and more whiny then he would've liked. He wasn't really that surprised to see the earth canine or the fact that it's muzzle and paws were bloody. That had kind of been pieced together from before, when the scents of blood and earthy dog had mixed. '...It's just blood.' He commented after Esen's shudder. Blood didn't phase him, especially not in this instance. Gesa sat patiently waiting for the other canine to come into view and then started to stand up as soon as it did. She was rather relieved to see it was just one canine like she had thought and it was even one she hadn't met before. Well, she hadn't really met any of them. She'd only seen the purple one and pretended to be him that once. Other then that she hadn't even met this greenish one. She kept her eyes on the canine and noted the wings since those were the most noticeable difference between them. Judging by size and build she suspected it was probably a girl as well, not that that really mattered. She had been ordered by Renzo not to let anyone bother him and she intended to fulfill that order. She actually jerked her head back slightly as if she as if appalled at the sound coming from the other canine. She was actually being growled at and in warning even. She found that rather amusing since she didn't see how a single wind canine could do anything to her. She took to an attack stance and let an angry snarl rip through her before she started forward quickly looking fully intent on charging at the green canine with fangs drawn. Mere moments before she would've been close enough to make one quick lunge at the canine she looked to literally disperse into dirt and fall to the ground. The whole body was gone and there wasn't even a sound of her, it was almost like she had completely disappeared. A couple moments after having dispersed into dirt in front of the canine she practically crawled out of the ground a couple feet behind her and lunged at her back, fangs drawn again. Shen didn't bother to budge even an inch once the earth canine took to an attack stance. Quiet honestly if he could be seen right then he looked nothing more then relaxed. He continued to just watch for the time being and he was even slightly amused at the look of earth canine when she turned to dirt right before them. That was interesting and unfortunately for the earth canine he had a pretty good range of vision while inside someone's shadow so he caught sight of her when she started to reform and come out of the ground by the looks of it. As soon as he caught her lunge again and for Esen's back this time he practically shot himself out of the shadow and lunged right back at the earth canine. He out weighed her and was certainly larger then she was so he knocked her back and skidding on the ground a couple feet before he touched the ground himself. For a brief moment when he knocked the other canine back there was a slight burst of his malice-filled presence though it subsided rather quickly once his paws hit the ground and he seemed to control it better. |
Kanone blinked when Reyes pointed to Celestine's scar and asked how he got it. He looked for a second and then moved his hand to cover it back up with the kids' bangs since he knew he didn't like it showing. Since she'd already noticed and asked he sighed softly. "...When we were kids our village was ambushed by the earth clan. There was this one about to hurt a little girl from the village. Celestine saw him and tried to stop him and was clobbered in the head with something. It cracked his skull and busted open his head. It probably should have killed him, but...well it looked like someone had done an amateur healing job on it, so...that probably saved his life. He didn't remember what happened, the girl told me later. I think she may have been the one behind the healing, but she never said and I never asked. He still has problems from it, but...they're getting better, so there's no need to worry much about them. Just pretend you didn't notice it." He sighed when Reyes asked if the fighting and people getting hurt was common and then tilted his head a little. "...Yeah...I think it's a rate time when someone in this group isn't hurt somehow. In our territory Celestine nearly got himself killed again. If he wasn't part hydra he's probably be dead already." He then laid one ear back, "And in Kairava most of us got pretty beaten up one way or another. Lately lit looks like Nanashi's been getting the worst of most of it, but I don't think any of us left the place in Kairava without a scratch except Esen and Kyiri, but that's just because they weren't in there." He glanced back to her and smiled slightly. "...Don't worry too much...we'll take care of you...but you're going to need to watch your own back some, too."
Hikari smiled slightly at the idea of having a 'girly day' in Kairave. She chuckled softly and shook her head a little. "Maybe some other time..." she said softly, "It does sound nice. Though this place may 'girly' you to death..." she said with a soft laugh that almost sounded disgusted. She sighed and nodded a little when Aamori said they would be back eventually. "Yes, I know..." she said quietly. She just wished eventually wasn't taking so long. She turned her attention back to Aamori when she started to bring up something else and then turned her attention to the remaining guard momentarily before looking back to her. She half smiled at the question and then shook her head a little. "...Yes, my name in Selenity.... In the presence of people who know who I am...one would probably receive a few dirty looks for referring to me simply by my name. ...Princess Selenity, Your highness, Princess...whatever...something along those lines..." She rolled her eyes a little, "Though I do not expect it. Should anyone correct you you have my full permission to tell them to stu–er...well, just tell them as my friend you may call me whatever you wish." she caught herself just before finishing. She didn't think telling them to 'stuff it' would be too wise. "...Just don't call me Hikari. I kind of like that name, I'd like to be able to keep using it without Ishta finding it out," she said with a slight smile. Esen kept her eyes on the earth canine, though she did still respond to Shen. '...It's not the blood... I just don't think we're going to get past her without fighting...' she responded quietly, her voice almost a whine. Clearly, she didn't enjoy a fight the way he did, and she'd much rather avoid it. She saw the way the other canine reacted to her warning grown, even though she hadn't been prepared to fight. The growl had only meant that she would if she had to. Clearly by the way the canine was now charging at her, she was going to have to. She had just put herself into a fighting stance when the other canine erupted into dirt and disappeared. That took her completely off guard for a second, though she knew that she was still around. She looked for her, as well as listened for her, but she didn't see or hear anything. She did finally hear her when she came out of the ground behind her, mostly because Shen had decided to jump out and rescue her. She spun around and stood back, growling again, though this time because she was hit with that unexpected malicious aura again. She shuddered and then eyes the earth canine, finally deciding to try talking to her. 'Stop it, we're not looking for a fight,' she tried. Something told her it wasn't going to work, but she still had to try. She hated when things ended in violence. Of course she could easily make herself untouchable, but then she couldn't touch anyone either... Her body had to be completely solidified before she could touch anyone, otherwise she was like a ghost to people, anything that hair could go through or get around would go through her and miss her. It was a wonderful defensive maneuver, but it did little to help her in combat if she couldn't so that and attack at the same time. |
Reyes watched a little curiously as Kanone moved his hand to cover up Celestine's scar. He kind of thought after watching him do that that maybe he wasn't supposed to ask about it? He wasn't too sure. He listened quietly once Kanone started talking and answered his question. He continued to stare over at him for a moment after he had finished the little story and told him to pretend he didn't notice it. That would probably be easy enough to do since he hadn't noticed sooner. He wasn't really sure how to respond to what he had been told. He knew that village attacks like the one he had spoken about could be fairly normal between certain clans. He'd heard a few stories so it could be pretty common, that didn't really give him anything to respond with though. He sighed softly and finally just nodded his head weakly, mostly as a delayed response to pretending he hadn't seen the scar. "...What types of problems does he have because of it?" He asked. He probably could have figured that one out on his own if he thought about it enough but it was just easier to quiz a person who was willing to answer then to wrack your own brain trying to guess. He listened again once Kanone had started to answer the other question. He was a little surprised, and it probably showed, by the news of Celestine almost getting himself killed again and then that nearly everyone had gotten hurt in Kairava. Well, except two of the animals. His own ears laid back a little, especially after hearing him say not to worry too much. "That's really reassuring... especially after you tell me one of you nearly got himself killed again and then the rest of you got beaten up pretty badly..." He told him honestly. "...Kana got me into a big mess..." He groaned quietly. By the sounds of it he didn't think he was going to get through this trip without having to fight, or at least protect himself. He had hoped this job of tailing Nero would've been a walk in the park where he didn't have to lift a finger but now he wasn't so sure.
Aamori smiled weakly. "I... kind of like girly." She admitted quietly. "I don't get many chances to be, or be around girly, in Kairava." She paused. "It's all... study this, practice that, wear this, do that, don't do this... I just kind of follow directions and that's it. My clothes are all picked out for me and there's two or three outfits and that's it." She sighed softly. "I liked to sometimes sneak off to Sanura's because she let me dress up and be a normal girl but that never lasted. Hisako always knew where I went and took away all my fun." She said and stuck her tongue out a little. "She can be such a kill-joy." She looked back at Hikari and listened as she explained a little about the names. She chuckled very quietly at her having to correct herself when she started to tel her what to say if someone tried to correct her for just calling her by name. She nodded her head a little. She smiled again weakly. "...In all honesty, it's going to be hard to remember to call you Selenity let alone Princess." She smiled a little more warmly. "You're still Hikari to me and likely always will be." She paused. "I will do my very best though not to call you by that name when I'm not supposed to." Gesa was caught almost completely off guard by the other canine when he came out of the wind one's shadow. The aura threw her off even more because she wasn't expecting it. She hadn't even been able to get her footing before she hit the ground because of it all. She didn't even bother getting up right away. She just laid on the ground for a moment and stared over at the dark canine. He was so much larger then any she'd seen so far and honestly a little intimidating. She finally got to her feet and resumed her stance though she stayed where she was and growled quietly. 'Regardless of whether or not you're looking for a fight I'm not supposed to let anyone pass.' She responded with a snap. She was going to uphold her order at least until Renzo told her it was time to go. She guessed she didn't really need to fight them, just delay them and that seemed a little more appealing now that there were two of them to just her and the one dark canine was larger and that aura, it was enough to throw her off like that... she'd hate to get hit with it again. [[Had to go to the Dr. May add Shen later but I don't really see a big post coming from that right now >.>;; bbl.]] |
Kanone sighed softly and tilted his head a little when Reyes had to ask what kind of problems Celestine had left over. "...Well, what you would expect... Memory loss, headaches, blackouts.... He's usually alright, but his head doesn't take trauma very well anymore. Like...say you got hit in the head with a rock, it'd probably just hurt and raise a knot, right? Well, with him, he'd probably more likely be on the ground unconscious for a few minutes and then wake up with a migraine asking what happened." He thought it was probably easier to give a little example of how things went with him rather than just say it. "...I mean, he is getting a lot better. For a year or so after it happened for a while he had trouble even remembering everyone's names and faces and he'd just he standing there and then the next thing you know he was unconscious. That hasn't happened in a long time that I know of, but it still happens whenever he gets hit in the head just right." He wasn't really surprised by Reyes's reaction to hearing that Celestine had nearly gotten himself killed again. Of course the 'again' had been referring back to the village attack that nearly killed him, he didn't know of any other times that his cousin had nearly been killed. He smiled weakly after Reyes said that was reassuring and just reached over to place his hand on top of her head again. "...It happens?" he said with a weak smile. "...Last time we were kind of trapped inside a sealed, flooding room with a massive fish that swam so fast we could barely see it. It's scales were shard and hard to do anything to, so it thing got pretty much everyone but me and Celestine..." He then turned his eyes up a little. "But...Cel managed to cut his feet up trying to get down the stairs because there was broken glass everywhere, and...well, I got punched in the ribs cause the stupid fish moved and I didn't." He laughed slightly and then shook his head.
Kyiri was listening quietly to what Kanone was talking about and she tilted her head a little. "Is that why you left me in the kitchen?" she asked, looking at Kanone. She knew Sonia wasn't going to like them being on this trip if it was so dangerous. "You'd better not get hurt like that again, auntie will be upset if you go home crying," she reminded him. Kanone blinked when he heard Kyiri speak up and looked over to her for a moment before he half smiled," Yeah, that's pretty much why..." he answered, though his smile faded a little at the second thing that she said. Of course it didn't take him long to figure out who she meant, the girl had been around long enough to know how his mother was, and it wouldn't surprise him for her to call her auntie if she was calling Celestine brother. He just stared at her for a moment before he glanced away. "Heh, yeah, guess she would," he said quietly. He hadn't realized the girl was unaware of what had happened, but then again she hadn't seen and he'd never explained. It'd be pretty dumb to explain that to a cat. Honestly, he didn't really know how to explain it to her now either... He'd just let her think whatever she wanted for now and...just try to explain her later. Hikari half smiled at Aamori and then sighed. "I'm afraid I'm forced to the other extreme... I mean I don't mind dressing up a little, but...well, you'll see." She smiled at her and then chuckled when she called Hisako a kill-joy. "Oh, I'm sure. Ishta is nearly as bad. I have an a place that i like to go to get away from her...I suppose she is a little like Sanura. I just call her granny, she seems like like that. She knows who I am, but she lets me be who I am when I'm around her...of course she also likes ot ask me when I'm going to start acting like a lady." She smiled a little and then nodded when she said that it was going to be hard to call her 'Selenity' now. "It's alright...I'm actually glad. I like being Hikari." She leaned over again to give Aamori another hug and then sighed softly. Esen stayed where she was, just a couple of inches behind Shen as she stared at the other canine. She growled softly when she snapped back that she wasn't supposed to let anyone pass. 'Well I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice...we're going, through you or around you. Take your pick...' she responded, her voice still calm and fairly soft, though there was an tiny hint of an edge to her tone. She was a little irritated, mostly at the whole situation. She glanced back to Shen again, wondering what exactly he intended to do. She really didn't want to fight with this canine, but she knew they had to be close to LaRae if she was told not to let anyone near. |
Reyes probably could've gathered the problems Celestine had on his own now that he was hearing them but it was a little easier to just ask, not to mention it gave some conversation to an otherwise silent passing of time. He smiled weakly after Kanone was done explaining about Celestine. "At least he's doing better. I couldn't imagine dealing with him in the beginning, especially as a child. It must have been difficult." He commented quietly. He certainly was learning quite a bit by sitting here talking with Kanone and so far he seemed to answer everything he was asked without much hesitation. That was kind of surprising to him in it's own way because most people he had met weren't too crazy about telling you about their lives or telling things a well, a stranger shouldn't really need to know. He tilted his head slightly after Kanone had put his hand on it and he heard the first part about being trapped in a sealed, flooding room. Well that was interesting. He listened a bit more intently, intrigued by the story of this fish. He'd never heard of a fish quite like that but then again he hadn't heard very many interesting stories to begin with. He stared at Kanone when he said the stupid fish moved and he didn't and tried not to laugh. "A fish moved but a dragon didn't?" He paused. "That's kind of pathetic... how'd it happen?" He asked curiously. Hearing about previous outings was kind of nice, aside from the fact people got hurt. It at least brushed him up on where they'd been and what they had dealt with.
Nero had been sitting silently with his eyes shut while the two talked but as soon as he heard Kyiri speak up he cracked his eyes open and looked down at her since the last he'd known she'd been sitting in his lap. His ears laid back very slightly when he heard the mention of 'auntie' yet again. He'd forgotten to tell Kyiri about that before. It kind of slipped his mind when she had run off to get her arm looked at. He sighed softly after hearing Kanone's response to her. Well that seemed to pretty much say he didn't want to deal with it and honestly he wasn't sure he could blame him. Who really wanted to explain something like that to a cat? He stared down at Kyiri for a moment and then sighed again. "...I don't think so, at least not any more Kyiri." He said quietly. "...She's not alive any longer." He added and then cast a very brief glance towards Kanone. No one really ever talked about it since it happened so he was a little curious of the reaction just that little amount might cause. The kid needed to know and it was better to tell her now then to lead her on by not telling her the truth of what happened. She'd most likely just be upset about it later when she found out and then angry that no one said anything sooner. Aamori smiled slightly after Hikari had said that she would see, about dressing up. She rarely got the chance to dress up so she was pretty sure that if Hikari found it an extreme then she would probably like it. The most dressed up she ever really got was a sundress here and there. In Kairava there just wasn't a need for anything else on the island and if she went anywhere that formal dress was required... well... she had an elder outfit for that too. She tilted her head a little when she mentioned Ishta again. She couldn't really remember who she had said that was or even if she had explained to her who it was previously. Sometimes things like this really could slip her mind but if she had been told earlier then it was obviously at a point where the knowledge wasn't very important which would easily explain why she couldn't remember anything. "Ishta? She's like your version of Hisako?" She asked quietly, honestly a little embarrassed to be asking for clarification. She glanced down to Nobu momentarily before reaching over to pet him gently for a second before looking back to Hikari. "I think Sanura would've hit me if I called her anything but her name. She may be older but she doesn't like to be reminded of it by younger people." She smiled weakly. "She's told me before that her body tells her more then enough in one day how old she is, she doesn't need a young kid telling her she's old by some silly nickname." She shook her head slightly. "We're not related or anything but she's made clothes for the elders and special guards for quite awhile so she may as well be family to us." She smiled again weakly and then looked back to Hikari. "This woman, the one you go to see to get away... is she related to you or do you just call her granny because she's old?" Gesa was thoroughly amused at hearing the wind canine come back at her with an ultimatum. Or well, a choice of going through her or around her. There wasn't quite a threat in there so maybe it wasn't quite an ultimatum. 'I don't plan on letting you pass by so you'll have to go through me.' She responded in the same snappish tone. She wasn't too comfortable with the idea of a two on one but she would rather give taking them on a try then upsetting Renzo. She had to live with him and it would be utterly impossible if she failed at this without even giving it a good try. She also hoped that Renzo would be done with that stupid girl here very soon. The sooner, the better. Shen kept himself positioned between the two female canines and didn't bother saying a word. He'd much rather act then waste a bunch of time talking. He kept his attention towards the earth canine the entire time without wavering even slightly. His ears perked very slightly when he heard the earth canine respond that they'd have to go through her. Well that was fine with him, he had no issue with going through her and he took what she said as an open invitation. The sooner she was taken care of the sooner they could get this earth dragon girl and get back to the group. He waited quite possibly only mere seconds before he had dug his claws into the dirt slightly and then lunged towards the earth canine. His fangs were drawn of course and his claws would physically touch her first but part way through the lunge he let his guard down on the massive malicious aura and unleashed it full force in a rather startling burst which of course hit the earth canine first and threw her all out of whack. That was certainly the best part to his aura being like it was, if you weren't used to it, it could really engulf you and almost make you defenseless. Though the more he used it this way and the longer someone was around him the better resistance said person built up to it. For the time being though it worked the way he wanted because she hadn't moved nor had she tried to counter and his claws hit her first, knocking her to the ground where he immediately followed up by biting her a few times. He didn't bit hard enough to really break anything but more to show how he could disable her if he really wanted. It wouldn't take him long with her not able to put up a fight. The most damage he probably did was the claws hitting her and digging into her a little, then of course the multiple bites she received but those only really drew a little blood. He pulled his head back but continued standing on her with his front paws so that she couldn't move easily and just growled lowly at her while his aura subsided. Once he had a cap on it again he started to slowly back off of her so that his weight wasn't crushing down on her and then started to turn around to head back closer to Esen since he didn't think the earth canine would be stupid enough to try and attack them now. Gesa was unfortunately a bit stubborn so she did start to get up once the dark canine got off of her. He hadn't hurt her that badly, only really spooked her and now that his aura wasn't so heavy it was easier to get up and certainly easier to be angry. She got up as quietly as she could, even with having been bitten a few times and readied for a lunge. Of course you shouldn't ever turn your back on the enemy. She jumped right for him fully intent on getting her teeth into the back of his neck if she could make it that far without any trouble. |
Kanone glanced back to Reyes whens he said that she couldn't imagine dealing with Celestine in the beginning as a child. "...I guess it was... I mean...he wasn't difficult, really... I almost didn't know he was there. But...that was kind of what made it difficult. He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't eat, he wouldn't play, he was just there." He smiled weakly, "...There were other reasons for that, but...I still used to get irritated at him. I didn't like seeing him that way. That was what was so difficult." Kanone really didn't mind answering Reyes's questions, though Celestine probably would have killed him for some of them. As far as he was concerned if she cared enough to ask then she would get an honest answer. The only thing that he wasn't ready to talk about really was what had happened recently that involved him. He laughed weakly when Reyes asked how that happened that the fish moved and he didn't. "...Well, the first turned into a guy...and Nero and I were kind of taking turns beating the crap out of him and...honestly, I'm not entirely sure what happened, but Nero went to hit him and he shifted or something, but he wound up hitting me instead." He laughed weakly and rubbed the back of his head. Clearly he wasn't upset by it, he accepted it fully for the accident that it was. He was trying not to pay too much mind to Nero and Kyiri, though he still heard Nero's response to the girl and his ears laid back a little. He tired not to look bothered, but he couldn't help the sad expression that came to his face at the mention of his mother being dead. He didn't particularly want to talk about it, even if it had been nearly a month. He just clenched his jaw a little and glanced away, hiding his face a bit from Nero and Kyiri.
Kyiri blinked when Nero said that Auntie wouldn't worry anymore. She looked up at him and tilted her head in confusion. "Yes she will, she always worries," she protested. She stared at him when she said that she wasn't alive any longer. "But she just went to visit someone, she was coming home..." she said, apparently not quite understanding. She looked over to Kanone and saw him looking away with a sad expression that was practically unfamiliar on his face. That was enough to tell her that Nero wasn't lying. She wasn't very closely attached to Sonia, but she did still like her a lot, and she was going to miss her. She did actually feel worse for Kanone for once. She knew he really loved his mommy, even if they didn't get along all of the time. Her ears laid back and she looked back up to Nero before leaning against him. "...She's not coming home..." she said quietly, confirming it to herself. Her amber eyes watered up and it didn't take them long to overflow and after just a few seconds she rolled out of Nero's lay and went back to Kanone, curling up against him while wrapping her arms around him. "...My mommy didn't come home either," she told him quietly. "You'll be okay, I'll take care of you, too. You're both mine now." She nuzzled her face against his side. Kanone blinked, a little surprised when Kyiri came over to him and hugged him. He looked back to her again and stared at her for a moment, his ears laying back when she said that her 'mommy' didn't come home either. He sighed and laid his hand on the back of her head gently, stroking his hand along her hair. It was after the last thing that she said before he actually smiled weakly. He couldn't help but laugh softly at her claim. "...You really are a cat, huh?" he asked softly as rubbed her ear a little. "...Guess Cel wasn't kidding when he said cats think they own you." He ran his fingers down though her long, parted hair and was a little surprised by how silky it was. Finally he caved and heaved a sigh before wrapped both arms around her and pulling her up into his lap again. "...Alright, alright...you can be my kitty, too. Don't cry..." He finally cast a glance at Nero and stuck his tongue out at him as a silent means of saying 'thanks a lot'. After a second he just sighed heavily and dropped his chin to rest on top of Kyiri's head while he rubbed her back. Hikari smiled slightly and nodded a little when Aamori asked her if Ishta was like her version of Hisako. "I suppose you could say that. She started out as my personal bodyguard and worked her way up to Capitan. She is probably the only person inside the castle that I would consider a friend. She lets me do what I want when no one else is around, but then turns around and stomps on my tail if I don't act properly in company..." she half smiled and then shook her head a little. "...She is the only who taught me how to fight. I have a tendency to disappear on everyone, and she decided that if I insisted on running away I was at least going to know how to defend myself, so...she's probably grilled me even harder than she's grilled half of the guards. At times I honestly think I could probably outmatch some of them." She smiled a little when she said that Sanura would probably hit her for calling her anything but her name and that she didn't like being reminded of her age. After her question she shook her head a little. "No, we're not related...but I don't call her that because she is old, either." She smiled a little, "See...she had a granddaughter about my age who was killed in one of the raids... She told me that I reminded her of her a lot, so I told her I didn't mind if she wanted to be my granny." She smiled and chucked softly, "She agreed. She doesn't mind it, I think she likes pretending sometimes as much as I do. She is very sweet, more or less what one might expect of a grandmother. Sometimes I wish she was." Esen of course was not thrilled with the other canine's answer, but she was relieved when Shen took it upon himself to go for the attack. She did hope that he didn't hurt her too badly and that she would take the hint. Unfortunately, Shen's aura actually made her whine and shudder violently when she felt it hit her as well. She hated that feeling with a passion, and it really made it hard for even her to concentrate even though she knew Shen was on her side. She looked back to them once the aura started to fade and then sighed and watched him get off of the other female. She was actually surprised when he turned his back on her and started walking away. As much as he hoped the other canine wasn't that stupid, that was like inviting an attack and as soon as she saw the earth dog get up and start after Shen she was off, running swiftly before actually opening her wings and flying at Gesa at speeds that could practically match a humming bird in the air. She dodged to the side of Shen just a little, just enough to avoid hitting him in the face, and then bared her teeth with a defensive growl as she grabbed Gesa by the throat just before she could get to Shen's back. Her size was nothing to Shen's but her speed was enough of a force to knock the other canine back, though she didn't let go on her throat until both of them had hit the ground with a crash. As much as Esen did not like to fight, it was instinct to her to go for the kill if she was forced into a fight. After all, a threat would only come back if you didn't make sure that it couldn't, Shen's allowing her up was proof enough of that. She folded her wings once then were on the ground, the earth canine on her back while she remained on top of her, growling dangerously as she pressed down with her front paws. Honestly, Gesa was probably a little larger than her, and definitely heavier. Like a bird Esen's bone mass wasn't a whole lot so that it was easier for her to fly, but at the moment that didn't seem to bother her. She had lost her grip on the other canine's throat when they hit the ground, but she was in a good position to grab it again should she need to. |
Reyes still couldn't imagine trying to deal with Celestine as a child after that had happened to him. He didn't think he'd have had the patience to deal with him acting differently. He had a pretty good hold on his patience most of the time but he just couldn't see anyone being able to handle a child who wouldn't talk, eat or play. Well, at least he was meeting Celestine now and not back then. He smiled very faintly. "It's kind of nice that you've been there for him through all of that, most people I think would've given up and left him for dead." Or maybe that was just in his clan. The dark clan did want every one of their offspring to be perfect from the start so dealing with someone in their clan that suffered like Celestine had probably would have been out of the question. He stared at Kanone with a clearly confused look on his face when he heard him say that the fish turned into a man. Fish didn't just go turning into men. He nodded his head weakly as he continued and then shook his head when he heard that Nero had been the one that hit him. Somehow that wasn't that surprising. "You really shouldn't let Nero hit you. He'll break a lot of bones if he hits you just right." He said with a slight nod. "...and if you're going to fight with him you should probably practice with him so you don't get hurt..." He commented quietly. He hadn't really been paying too much attention to what Nero was talking to Kyiri about but he started to focus on it a little more when he saw how Kanone reacted. Obviously it couldn't have been something that he had said so it must have been someone else. He grew more silent then he had been once he started to piece together what they were talking about. Between the things that Kyiri was saying it wasn't that hard to get what had been said, not to mention the way she got into Kanone's lap and spoke more. He would never have thought by looking at Kanone that just some time ago he had lost someone as close to him as his mother. It just didn't really show.
Nero didn't bother responding to the first couple things that Kyiri had said. He didn't want to repeat himself or go to any great lengths to prove to Kyiri that he was telling the truth. Or at least he didn't want to do that in front of Kanone. He was relieved though that Kyiri did finally accept that he hadn't lied, unfortunately it seemed to take her seeing the look on Kanone's face to prove it to her. He sighed softly and nodded his head lightly after she had said that Sonia wasn't coming home. It was a sad truth but at least Kyiri knew it now and it would possibly save Kanone and Celestine from too much heartache since they didn't really have to explain it themselves to the kid. He stared down at Kyiri briefly when he noticing she was starting to cry and then watched her go over to Kanone. He just shook his head lightly after watching her and hearing what she said. He smiled weakly when he caught Kanone stick his tongue out at him. "Just don't start crying yourself unless you want her cleaning your face with her tongue." If she'd lick blood from wound he was fairly certain she wouldn't take the time to use her hands to wipe away tears. He sighed softly after glancing between everyone for a moment. That certainly had knocked the mood down considerably. He glanced down at Celestine briefly and then looked back to Kanone. "Oh..." He paused thinking a change of subject was in order. "You get to thank Nanashi." He told him quietly. "He actually saved him from that halfbreed." He said as he motioned to Celestine with his head. He may have sounded a bit surprised in the way he said that. He really was a little surprised to even be saying that. Nanashi was actually useful for something and he hadn't even had to lift a finger, all he'd had to do was open his mouth. Aamori listened to Hikari talk about Ishta and smiled a little once she was finished. "She does sound a little like Hisako, at least in the things they do." Of course she meant the fact that both women trained them and even corrected them. Hisako had started as just simple bodyguard herself but she took on more work when it came time to train the elder in training. She supposed Hisako didn't have to take that job. She smiled a little and then shook her head after a thought. "...Could you imagine the two of them together?" She paused. "That would be a dangerous combination, wouldn't it?" She couldn't really help being a little curious about another thing. She knew what Hisako was capable of and Hikari knew what Ishta was capable of but who would win in a match between them? She listened quietly again once Hikari started to answer the other question that she had asked about the person she called granny. She smiled a bit more warmly. "That's really kind of nice of you." She commented. "But doesn't that woman feel weird, even a little, having her Princess calling her granny?" She asked curiously. Shen didn't usually have any trouble attacking someone and killing them or at least making it so they couldn't attack again but in this instance part of him had kind of wanted to try letting things go. Esen hadn't wanted to fight to begin with unless she had to and he didn't particularly want to kill one of his kind unless he really, really had to. There were so little of them as it was so he didn't really want to off one of them just because they were in the way. He laid his ears back slightly when he noticed Esen launch herself towards what he suspected was the earth canine. Well, it was official. The earth canine was indeed stupid. He didn't even bother turning back around until after he heard them hit the ground. Once he had turned himself around to be able to see them he just sat his rump on the ground and stared over at them. He shook his head slightly just because he couldn't believe that earth canine would try and attack him after he'd shown her that he could've pretty much killed her if he really wanted to. Gesa had kind of hoped that the wind canine would've stayed out of everything since she didn't entirely appear the type to jump into a fight but maybe she should have rethought that. Of course you'd jump in if your comrade was about to get attacked and you could do something about it. She really hadn't expected the canine to interfere so of course it startled her to be caught by her and she gave a startled yelp when the wind canine bit her throat and they crashed onto the ground. She almost immediately started growling once the wind canine had lost her grip on her throat. She squirmed a bit beneath her and kept growling though she didn't snap at her like she would've wanted. She knew the canine could get a hold of her throat again if she wanted and didn't particularly want that so she was trying to keep herself from wanting to lash out at the winged mutt. She wasn't entirely sure how she was getting out of this mess, two canines really was dangerous especially if they were going to work together. She didn't have to think too much on it however before she heard a sharp whistle from back in the woods a little ways. That was her usual sign to come and she was more then happy to oblige. She ceased her growling of course and stopped struggling to want to get up. '...Another time, maybe.' She responded almost teasingly before her body erupted into dirt like it had before and she was gone. LaRae had been left behind not too far ahead of where Esen and Shen were. Renzo had become aware that Gesa was engaged in a fight and had hurried himself along and made his exit. He would have liked more time but the time he had, had sufficed. It would have been better had LaRae not been effected by the sedative but the letter would do. She was laying on the ground with her face turned towards the tree tops though her eyes were shut. The sedative had worn off enough for her to be conscious and able to move a bit, though almost sluggishly. She hadn't gotten to ease out of the effects of the sedative because Renzo was impatient. He'd taken to smacking her face to get her to come around faster and she had an awful looking red mark on one side of her face where it looked like even the blood vessels had been popped. Her head hurt terribly and frankly she was just trying to make the throbbing stop so that she could figure out what exactly had happened and where she was. She wasn't at all sure how she had wound up with Renzo and the last thing she remembered before a few swift back hands to the face was pulling a dart out of her neck and hitting the ground. She groaned quietly and started to roll over onto her side and blink a few times trying to focus a little. So far the only thing that was really easy to gather was that she wasn't right near the others. She didn't see them, or hear them so she figured she must have been moved but she wasn't sure where she had been moved to. |
Kanone probably looked a little surprised as well as appalled at the idea of leaving Celestine for dead. "...I don't believe anyone would have been able to do that," he said simply, "...We all love that kid, and it's not like we have family members to spare." After all they were down to four before, and now they were down to three. He shook his head weakly and then smirked a bit at Reyes. "I kinda gathered that myself after the broken rib, thanks..." he said simply. "Geez, you make it sound like I was standing there with a target drawn saying hit me." He had been trying to keep the conversation going, at least until Kyiri had ended up on him. After that he just dropped it and even if anything more had been brought up he didn't bother paying enough attention to respond to it. He smiled a little when Nero said that he'd better not cry or she'd lick it off of his cheek. He shook his head weakly and just glanced down to the crying girl in his lap again. He did look a little depressed, but he didn't offer to cry, merely sat there with a rather strained looking poker face. Listening to Kyiri cry was hard to do and not want to cry himself, but he was fighting it down. Unfortunately, he seemed to be almost losing the battle as he bit his lower lip. He had just closed his eyes before Nero spoke, though when he spoke he opened his eyes again and looked over to him. He stared at him for a long moment after he said that he got to thank Nanashi. He looked a little confused, though it didn't take him long to figure out what he meant. He stared at Nero for a moment, his eyes widening a little before he glanced down to Celestine, finally noticing the four punctures on his neck. He almost seemed to go a little pale at the sight of that. He hadn't even known that he was in danger in the first place. After a moment he looked up and over to Nanashi, though he saw more of Kyran's back and the back of Nanashi's head than anything from where he was sitting. After a moment he looked back to Nero. "How?" It was probably clear by the look on his face he definitely would be thanking Nanashi later...a lot. There probably wasn't a way in the world anymore to make Kanone more grateful to you than to keep his little cousin safe.
Hikari laughed softly when Aamori asked if she could imagine the two of them together. "Oh my...that would be an adventure in itself. I believe the two of us may very well have to run and hide..." She smiled a little more when she asked if Granny felt weird being called Granny by her. "...Well, she's never said... I suppose it may have been at first, but...well, after a while, I don't see that it mattered anymore. She doesn't treat my like a princess, and I don't act like one, she just treats me like...well, like a granddaughter, I suppose. We just enjoy each other's company." Esen remained on top of the earth canine, trying her best not to let her up as she squirmed. She knew better than to just let her up. She was on the verge of telling Shen to go on and look for LaRae, but her ears perked when she heard the whistle. She wasn't very surprised when the earth canine told her 'another time' and disappeared into dirt. Honestly, she'd half expected her to do that in the first place tog et away from her. She growled again softly and then looked around for a brief moment before turning tail and starting to hurry off in the direction that Gesa had been trying to protect. She didn't bother to say anything to Shen, she was pretty sure he would get the message that she wasn't too thrilled that he'd turned his back on dirt dog there and she was pretty sure he would be on her heels shortly. She knew they were close to LaRae, and she didn't stop until she came up on her. She hurried over to her side and whined softly, leaning her head down to lick her cheek gently, whining again when she noticed the red marks on her face. She nuzzled her gently, trying to see if she was able to get up. |
Nero wasn't surprised even in the slightest to hear Kanone ask how, or see the look on his face. It also seemed to be the distraction he wanted since Kanone didn't quite look like he was going to be depressed at the moment. Kanone and depression just didn't seem like they should go together at all. "The halfbreed managed to get a hold of Celestine after she'd retaliated against Nobu and Hikari failed to peg her with one of their own darts." He paused. "She obviously got a bit rattled and went for what looked the easiest shield. Unfortunately she happened to pick up the one person that would set almost everyone of us off if she killed him." He shrugged lightly. "Anyway, Nanashi just kind of talked her into leaving and without hurting anyone." He told him. "...By the time she had a hold of Celestine she was outnumbered and at a slight disadvantage. I suppose it took Nanashi talking to her and assuring her that no one would come after her for her to actually leave." He added lastly.
Shen sat where he was up until Gesa had retreated and Esen started off in the direction that Gesa had been protecting. He almost lazily got to his feet and started to follow after her. He didn't keep to her heels or anything but he kept her in sight. He paused briefly when Esen came upon LaRae and glanced around a little. He didn't bother going over to the girl like Esen did, instead he took to walking around the immediate area just making sure that there wasn't anyone around. He wouldn't have been surprised to find someone waiting to attack them. That almost seemed a logical plan of action since they'd been found. Why not call the dog back and make everyone think that you'd left when you really hadn't. He was kind of glad he wasn't finding anything though. He preferred this to be easy so that they could get back to the group as soon as possible. LaRae cracked her eyes open when she heard whining and stared at Esen for a moment before she smiled weakly. It took her a moment to realize it was just Esen. With whining she couldn't have been sure unless she looked to see who it was. "...I'm ..okay.." She mumbled. She shifted again and started to roll onto her stomach so that she could try and push herself up. Her wrists and ankles were of course still a bit bruised and they ached, especially with the applied pressure from trying to get up. She managed to push herself up onto her knees though she leaned forward a little and cringed as she pressed a hand to the side of her head. Her head certainly hurt a bit worse then she had ever had to deal with before. She sat on her knees for a few moments and waited for the throbbing in her head to subside some before she started trying to get to her feet. It hadn't been a quiet process but at least she managed to get up onto her feet finally. She by no means stood up straight but she was upright and that did nothing for her head. "...Are we ..far...?" She asked quietly and then tried to shake her head a little since she realized that she was asking a dog a question that couldn't possibly be answered. |
Kanone continued to stare at Nero as he explained what happened and then sighed heavily and dropped his chin back down to Kyiri's head, while resuming his motion of stroking her back. "...Oh..." he said quietly. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again to glance down to Celestine again before he half smiled. "Aww, wonder how he'd feel if he knew everyone liked him that much." He seemed to amuse himself silently with the thought before he glanced back to Nero. "...It's a good thing though...at least no one else was hurt. I'm glad he talked her down." Kanone could fight just fine, but as one Nero might have noticed when they fought Varun, he did prefer to try and talk things over before fighting, and he still showed the proper respect for the dead, even if they had been trying to kill him just a few minutes before death. He didn't really like fighting, and he didn't like people getting hurt, so he was glad that Nanashi was able to stop anything really bad from happening.
Esen stayed close to LaRae when she said that she was okay and whined again softly, licking her cheek one more time. She backed off a little as LaRae got to her knees and then moved closer to her again while she tried to get up, mostly so that she could use her for support if she needed to. She wished she could help her since she could tell getting up was hurting her, but she couldn't really do too much. Once LaRae had asked if they were far she tilted her head a little and then nodded slightly. They were kind of far...not too badly, but it would take a while to get back with her walking. After a moment she looked over to Shen and tilted her head a bit. [I]'...Can you carry her?'[?I] she asked him as she glanced back up to LaRae, 'I don't see her walking very well on her own...' |
Nero lifted his hand briefly to fidget with the wrap on his arm again now that he had finished telling Kanone what happened and no longer had Kyiri in his lap. He glanced back over to him when he mentioned wondering how Celestine would feel if he knew everyone liked him that much. He shrugged lightly. "I doubt he'd believe any of it, personally." He said quietly. "Neither you or him were awake to suffice as good proof and well... it's probably better that way." He said with a slight smirk after he remembered Kanone would probably have hit him for the things he said. He nodded his head a little after Kanone had said that it was a good thing though and that at least no one else was hurt. He couldn't deny that but he would've rather done away with that halfbreed then let her escape. "Just don't go thinking all of the battles can be avoided just by talking." He said quietly and finally left the wrap on his arm alone and let his hands rest in his lap. He was more for fighting of course and getting things settled quickly rather then wasting ones breath trying to talk someone out of fighting. The easier, faster way was better to him or at least maybe that depended on the situation.
Shen was just barely paying attention to LaRae while she was trying to get up. He did finally look over at Esen and focus better on the situation when she asked if he could carry her and added that she didn't see her walking very well on her own. He didn't bother saying a word and just started to move a bit closer to LaRae. It had been mentioned that he could carry LaRae if need be, so this must be need be. He paused beside her for a moment and stared up at her for a moment before brushing against her a little forcefully. It could at least in his eyes be a little difficult to get someone to understand to get on you when you didn't speak to them so he intended to get her on his back one way or the other and personally he had no issue with knocking her onto his back, that just might be a bit uncomfortable all things considered. LaRae glanced over to Esen for a moment after the throbbing in her head was a little easier to deal with. It still hurt and most likely would for a little while but at least she could see alright and focus on things. She wanted to reach out and pet Esen since she'd whined before. She just kind of tilted her head a little when she noticed what looked like Esen nod her head. That was strange. Her head must have really been messed up if she was seeing the dog answer a question. She startled very slightly at the sight of the other canine. She hadn't even noticed him until he started to come closer. Ordinarily her first reaction after startling probably would have been to back up and just move away but she was in no shape to get her feet moving that fast, not to mention she felt like the ground might just roll right out from under her feet. She eyed the dog once it got close enough to brush against her and then wobbled considerably when he did brush against her and with a little force. She actually had to put her hand down on him to keep from falling over though she started to get the hint, or at least she thought she did when she had straightened up only to have him do it again. She stared down at him for a moment and watched as he motioned his head towards his back momentarily. That was just getting weird. Maybe these dogs were a lot smarter then she originally thought. She turned slightly and set both of her hands down on his back, towards his neck for support before lifting her leg. Just as she had thought lifting her leg up did make her want to fall to the other side but she grabbed fist-fulls of his fur to keep her from going anywhere and then climbed onto his back as best as she could. He still had the harness thing on that had the pack on it and held a pair of blades but she still managed to get on him. He was larger after all. She didn't stay upright very long. She caved easily and leaned down on him so that her head was pretty much against his neck. She sure hoped this canine was on their side or else she'd been really stupid getting on his back. Since he was here with Esen though, she assumed he must have been a friend rather then a foe. Shen shifted slightly once LaRae finally got onto his back and really only grumbled a bit when she'd grabbed his fur like she did. He didn't care for rough treatment of his fur but at the same time he knew it couldn't be helped much if she was going to fall. He looked to Esen and started to motion with his head for her to start but paused mid-action and his ears laid back when he felt the girl lay down and rest her head against his neck. His tails swished behind him with a slight bit of annoyance showing. '...Lets go...' He muttered quietly. |
Kanone half smiled when Nero said that he doubted Celestine would believe any of it. "...Probably not," he agreed softly, "...Though I think the marks on his neck are enough to let him know something happened... But you're right, he probably wouldn't believe he was the one that would set the most people off if something happened." He actually chuckled softly and then shook his head a little. "...I know all battles can't be...some people don't have the capacity to get it through their skulls that everything doesn't have to be solved with violence. Sometimes it's unavoidable. ...But if it can be avoided, that's usually best...or at least I'd like to think. ...Probably goes without saying, but I hate a senseless fight...."
Esen watched as Shen approached them and could he had startled LaRae with his appearance. She moved a little closer to him and actually nuzzled him once before he pushed against her, trying to show her that he was a friend...sorta. Once LaRae started to get the hint and get on, she moved around behind her and actually pushed against her butt with her head when it looked like she was about to fall backwards. She didn't want her to have to get up all over again. Once she was on Shen's back she sighed softly and then watched him, getting ready to go when he started to motion. She couldn't help but laughed mentally at the irritated look about him when LaRae laid down against him. '...She's not well....' she said softly, trying to ease his agitation a little, though she merely nodded again when he said 'let's go' and started to walk back the way that she'd come. She didn't run, she didn't want Shen jarring LaRae too much in attempt to keep up with her, but she did keep her pace brisk. |
Nero listened without a word as Kanone spoke, even once he had gotten into the part about his hating a senseless fight. He didn't entirely have a choice half of the time when it came to fighting a senseless fight but he certainly wasn't going to waste time trying to talk someone out of fighting. If you decided to fight and have previously decided that then he was most likely going to fight you. Obviously the person would have their own reason for fighting and who was he to deny them a fight if they really, honestly wanted one. He sighed quietly and looked at Kanone for a moment. "I think that's probably one place were we don't quite agree." He commented. "I want the fastest possible outcome to a confrontation and that usually involves fighting." He said with a slight nod. "...But that's most likely because I was raised to fight and you weren't really." In his opinion there was a difference in being raised to fight and being raised to protect. Or well, maybe just trained to protect. He didn't think Kanone absolutelyhad to be raised that way. He glanced away briefly. "Guess I'm one of those people who don't really have the capacity to get it through my skull. I'd sooner fight then talk it out."
Reyes had been keeping quiet and just listening to the two of them though he couldn't help butting into their conversation. "That's only because you were raised from day one practically for nothing but fighting." He told Nero. "You'd probably have a completely different outlook on things if it hadn't been stomped into your head to fight first and ask questions later." He said sounding half annoyed. "Your father being who he is isn't any help either. I wouldn't be surprised if you were born merely for the purpose of war and fighting." He said and then rolled his eyes slightly before looking away all together. It kind of annoyed him sometimes how boys were raised in their clan. Since he hadn't been a prime candidate for the whole military treatment he got to get a whole different outlook on somethings. He hadn't had the same things forced into his head as Nero and he could actually think outside of the military issued box. Shen kept his ears laid back a bit while he waited for Esen to get going. He wasn't thrilled about having this girl laying on him like she was but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. His ears perked a little after hearing Esen say that she wasn't well. Of course she wasn't, but that didn't mean anything to him. He disliked having a stranger practically flopped out on him like this and he had to lug her all the way back to the others. He laid his ears back again and finally started after Esen once she got moving. He was at least being careful with her, or trying rather. He didn't want to make her fall off since that would only slow them down and he had no idea how long it would take the girl to get off the ground again. He kept up with Esen's pace easily enough and watched how he stepped down so that if LaRae moved at all it wasn't enough to knock her. Then again, even if she did manage to slip off she wasn't going far without hitting the harness he was wearing so there would be time to shift her back up onto his back before she could actually hit the ground. At any rate, he was eager to get back to the others and get this girl off of him so that he could go back to his usual shadow. |
Kanone glanced back to Nero again when he started to speak, but he merely smiled patiently at him. He let him speak, though he chuckled at his last statement after he'd glanced away. "...That or a glutton for punishment," he said playfully before his voice softened and he added, almost apologetically, "...but that's not entirely what I meant...don't get offended." He glanced over to Reyes and sighed softly at what she said before he shook his head and looked back to Nero. "...Well, that probably doesn't help," he admitted, "...But even still...you don't strike me as the type of person that goes looking for a fight. I guess I'm not a good judge, I mean, I haven't been around that long, but I've never seen you cause anyone any problems. I was talking more about the idiots like that guy that got a hold of Nanashi in Kairava...people who are just so blinded by prejudices they can't think of anything better to do than 'stomp em into the ground'. You just don't strike me as that kind of person." He smiled a little more warmly, "Which is good thing. I mean...well, to put it simply, you're kinda more the type of person that when push comes to shove you just shove back really hard. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with that." He smiled again and then tilted his head a bit, looking almost sheepish, "Personally, though, I just don't like bandaging myself and everyone else up after a huge fight." He glanced away and looked up toward the leaves for a moment as he continued, "...It just seems more reasonable to me to try and clear up what could be a big misunderstanding before anyone gets hurt and...well at least then if I have to fight I can't feel guilty for what might happen. I can honestly say I tried to avoid it." He chuckled softly, "My mom always told me not to fight, then dad turned around and told me that if I didn't fight back, he'd kick my butt himself." He finally looked back to Nero and smiled a little. "So you're pretty much guaranteed a decent chance to back off before I lay into ya, ya know?" he said with a wink. In other words, that was about the only way to make both of his parents happy in those situations.
Esen kept up her brisk walking pace and kept a lookout for anything else that might be out here. She was relieved not to hear or see that her earthy counterpart again, and that relaxed her a bit, though she was worried about the scent of the blood that had come from the canine's muzzle. She may have to break her silence and tell Hikari about that. She did glance back every once in a while to make sure that she wasn't outdistancing Shen too much and that LaRae was still securely on his back. She could tell he was irritated at having to carry her, but she couldn't do much about it. '...I would carry her...' she told him quietly, almost regretfully. She really would if she was able, though she was sure he realized that LaRae would make it near impossible for her to even stand up straight, let alone move. Of the three canines in the group she was still the smallest, and even Nobu probably wouldn't be able to carry her easily. She was also easily the lightest of all of the canines, and go figure that when it came time to fly she was the only one capable of carrying herself. It was taking them nearly twice as long to get back to the group as it had to get all the way out here, but she was at least going without pause this time and trying to make it as easy of a trip as possible. |
Nero kept himself quiet, especially after hearing what Reyes had said. He didn't want to respond to anything his cousin had said. That would probably only result in an argument of some sort between the two of them and in the end he would probably wind up divulging Reyes' secret. He sighed heavily but listened to Kanone explain what he had meant. He had misunderstood slightly but he thought Kanone was being too nice in the way he thought of him. That could honestly get you killed if you weren't careful and frankly, his clan would probably laugh at him right now if they could hear the way Kanone was talking about him. He guessed though, that he wasn't exactly like the people Kanone meant. He didn't just go and attack people for no real reason like the people who attacked Nanashi. At the same time however he could understand how someone could do that, how they could talk themselves into doing it. It really wasn't that hard to do and certainly not too out of character for a dark dragon but he did kind of see little point in attacking someone just because of your own personal feelings. He'd much rather be ordered to attack someone or something then to do it of his own choice. At least then he had something to blame it on to make it okay. He shook his head lightly. "One of those idiots is actually a friend of mine." He commented. "He, for no real reason that I know of attacked Nanashi at the festival." He paused and shook his head again. "I still don't quite get why LaRae is even alive after I stepped in that day." He paused. "She should've bled out a considerable amount and frankly died, or been near death but she up and walking just fine by the time the meeting rolled around." He shrugged slightly. He couldn't remember if he'd been told what happened to fix her up but he kind of assumed someone treated her since there was no other explanation. He looked back towards Kanone briefly. "At least you had parents with two different feelings." He paused. "Both of mine are on the kill now, talk later bandwagon. But I think that goes for just about anyone in the dark clan." He could understand why Kanone thought and acted the way he did when it came to fights and if it worked for him that was fine. It just wasn't the way things worked out for himself. He didn't usual feel any guilt in fighting, or killing for that matter but given certain circumstances he could probably feel guilty but that was rare.
Shen continued after Esen, doing his best to keep up with her and keep LaRae from moving too much. He hadn't liked it very much but she had at one point moved her arms to wrap them around his neck a bit so that she was a bit more stable. Other then that she was pretty quiet and unmoving. He stared after Esen when he heard her say that she would carry her, of course that meant she would if she were capable. So far of the four of them Esen and the blue one, Zale were no where near big enough to carry a dragon this size and the purple one, Nobu, well... he could probably carry her but he'd likely be moving at a turtles pace in comparison to everyone else. He, unfortunately knew he was the only one really large enough or capable enough to carry the girl or others who were about her size. Out of the dragons in this group the only ones he really thought he may struggle under the weight of were Nero and Kyran. Then Kanone and maybe Nanashi, those two were a little iffy. He hoped he didn't have to carry anyone else for awhile, this was such a pain in the rear. |
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