A Role Play of the Serious Sort

[shinjoyoshida]

So I enjoy being stupid in our "RP" threads, but every now and then I look at them and find something missing. There's not a lot of substance to them, there's not a lot of story, there's not a lot of character development. I'm not saying in this topic that it should be deathly serious and extremely well done. But the general idea is to watch as you create a story that seems pretty cool to read.

So here's the way it's gonna be, people who wish to participate will use their forum names. There's nothing zany like making meteors coming out of nowhere. In general it's like telling a ghost story, very visceral, things happen that are odd, but not weird like the meteor reference.

So without further adieu, I present to you all the Role Play of the Serious Sort.

[shinjoyoshida]

Theme: Dark Ages
Setting: An urban city, roughly the size of NY
Time of day: 7PM, the sun is setting and people are going inside
Specific location: A tavern, think the size of McDonalds, only it's 2 floors
People participating: Anyone who would like to

Character Bios:

Name: Colt Imas
Age: 19
Height: 6’2”
Eye Color: Steel-like light blue
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Hair Style: Straight with a slight curl to the ends
Weight & Build: 210 lbs - Slightly muscular
Clothing: Black pants, dark blue travel shirt and vest; dark green traveler’s cloak and plain shoes. Only when his wings are present will a thin light-weight suit of navy blue steel armor appear. An Aquamarine pendant adorns his neck.
Personality: Shy, cold and insensitive
Weapon(s): Twin Daggers and Twin Swords. The Twin Swords only appear with his armor, when his wings are present.
Trait(s): Good swordsmanship; an angel wing and a demon wing sprout from his back.
Disadvantage(s): Psychically weak; Alignment of good or evil is undecided.
Summary: Colt is the last survivor of the Azha, a remote people in Edenia. The Azha were subjected to Denethor's rule as his servants, due to a prophecy the race carried. The prophecy stated that a child with one black wing and one white wing would be born. When that time came, the final choice he made would ultimately uphold the light in Edenia or abolish it in darkness. Fearing the child, yet craving more power at the same time, Denethor enslaved the race. Years after his defeat, the child was born.

Colt is quiet and shy at times, never getting close to anyone. He has known of his prophecy for only about two years, when his village was by a man named Tentrath. Colt learned of his powers and abilities from a dying elder who was trying to save him. Colt has no relatives to speak of, his mother having died in child birth. Upon his neck lays a single pendant, Aquamarine in color. Colt is unsure of what it is, other than it has been given to him at the time of his birth. With the discovery of his abilities, Colt awakened two "Guardian Spirits" within himself. Neither has a true name nor a true form, but Colt instinctively knows which represents the light and the darkness. Both have Colt's safety in mind, but each sees its own way of achieving it.

Colt can be outwardly friendly to others, but he never lets anyone close to him; for fear of what may happen to them, if he should chose the wrong path to follow.



Name: Shinjo
Age: 21
Height: 6'0”
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Hair Style: Spiked Back
Weight & Build: 145 - Average frame with average build
Clothing: Plain brown shirt (sleeves come down to elbow), black pants, black combat boots
Personality: Reserved, calm, focused
Weapon(s): Broadsword w/ornate pommel
Trait(s): Good morals, proficient with most swords, all purpose soldier
Disadvantage(s): Loses more of his humanity with each change to a Berserker.
Summary: A cacophony of voices ring through a busy street. In a word, Shinjo is that street, every emotion and skill set expressed mildly. For the most part he is a jack-of-all trades, not showing much expertise in any one subject. However, his one weakness would be his berserker rage. Every now and then his basic instinct to protect will drive him to frenzied acts, most of the time ending in bloodshed. His past is known only by himself, he doesn't openly tell people of how he came up. Other than his reluctance to be frank with people, Shinjo holds a pleasant atmosphere around himself. A conversation isn't too far out of place for anyone Shinjo comes across, though it may take some extra effort on the other person's part to initiate any verbal exchange.



Name: Kenshin
Age: 19
Height: 5'07”
Eye Color: Gray
Hair Color: Jet black
Hair Style: Long, tied in a ponytail.
Weight & Build: 140 – Average frame with a lean build.
Clothing: Tight black shirt with long sleeves and neck line reaching half way up his neck, a long untied white kendo jacket, loose fighting black pants worn out around the heels and a red cloth to hold them in place and sandals. Wears slender, rectangular glasses.
Personality: Quiet
Weapon(s): Katana with wooden sheath and handle, no hilt.
Trait(s): Extremely fast and agile; a spiral tattoo centered on the back of his neck.
Disadvantage(s): Physically weak and doesn’t communicate well with others.
Summary: Kenshin had been training for 11 years prior to leaving for Valencia to finish his training under his master's order. After taking his final test and succeeding, he received his new sword and became the new master of his sword style.



Name: Blade
Age: Unknown
Height: 6'0”
Eye Color: Pale Blue, which glow red when he drinks blood.
Hair Color: Red
Hair Style: Short and tousled
Weight & Build: 145 lbs - Average frame with a very toned build.
Clothing: Faded Black tunic with the sleeves torn off at the shoulders, tattered black cape with a small hood he doesn't prefer to wear up. Faded black pants, the bottom of the right leg beginning to fray, faded black leather boots with metal soles that strangely don't make much noise as he walks. His hands and wrists are wrapped in bandages.
Personality: Rude, Lewd, but Dedicated
Weapon(s): A Crimson Red Scythe with a Jet Black shaft
Trait(s): Immortal with an inhuman level of strength he has yet to reveal, though his speed is lacking in comparison.
Disadvantage(s): Cursed with an incomplete existence; his fighting skills are unknown.
Summary: Blade is a vampire who could trace his existence back over 200 years ago, if it weren't for the fact that he's lost most of his memories. Blade used to be human and lacks the bite marks on his neck that would suggest that he had been turned. Rather, Blade used to be a selfish man seeking immortality like so many other foolish, before even Denethor. However, unlike the others, Blade managed to find a method to obtain his goal. The ritual he performed granted him eternal life, but at a cost - in order to continue his cursed existence, he would have to drink the blood of humans every few months, effectively becoming a vampire.

Like all vampires, Blade cannot be killed by conventional means, at least not normally. In fact, you could decapitate his head and he'd still come after you, though it would take him a while to recover and get his body back together. The only real way to truly kill a vampire is to destroy his or her heart, and Blade decided to take care of that little flaw himself. However, whatever it was that he did, he is rather loathe to share with others, and it seems to also be related to why he lacks memories from many years past.

Currently working as a mercenary for an employer whose name he doesn't even know, Blade is under orders to track down, observe, and safeguard the Guardian Aya until further notice.



Name: Hiku
Age: 25
Height: 5'11”
Eye Color: Emerald Green
Hair Color: Black with strange blue highlights
Hair Style: Short and somewhat messy
Weight & Build: 160 lbs - Average frame with very toned build.
Clothing: Similar to: www.rpgfan.com/pics/lunarebr/art-hiro.jpg
Personality: Isolated
Weapon(s): One-handed sword called the Defender
Trait(s): Physically strong, strong swordsmanship.
Disadvantage(s): Tends to isolate himself from others and is rather stubborn; he cannot fully control the Defender without Mai's influence.
Summary: Hiku grew up in a small village near the Mohabi Desert in Edenia. He doesn't speak much of his childhood or his life in general. According to Mai, four years ago when their village was attacked by a creature merely known as the GIANT, Hiku attempted to use the treasure of the village, the Defender, to defeat the beast. However, Hiku failed when he underestimated the Defender's drain on his body. As a result, though the beast was injured and fled, his lover and Mai's sister, Eliza died protecting Hiku from a blast when he was left weakened. Hiku doesn't associate well with others and is rather harsh in personality. His only source of comfort seems to come from having Mai with him. Why they are traveling alone is still not understood, whether it be a complete accident or act of fate.



Name: Mai
Age: 14
Height: 5'5"
Eye Color: Violet
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Shoulder length tied in a ponytail
Weight & Build: 105 lbs – Petite frame with gentle features
Clothing: Similar in appearance to Hiku’s, only dull purple, gray and brown.
Personality: Cheerful
Weapon(s): None
Trait(s): Mysterious magic powers and extensive medical knowledge to deal with even the most bizarre of aliments.
Disadvantage(s): Physically weak and defenseless. She gets mad easily, especially with Hiku, and is known to hit people when she is frustrated.
Summary: Mai is a young girl under the care of Hiku; she acts as his support and traveling companion. She too grew up in the same small village. She was only ten when the GIANT attacked her village and killed everyone with the exception of herself and Hiku. After her sister Eliza died, Mai awoke her hidden power and provided Hiku with the energy he needed to ward off the GIANT. She has traveled with Hiku ever since, like a daughter, rarely leaving his side. Mai is a cheerful, friendly person; in a way, she has to be sociable for Hiku and deal with people when he refuses. She has amazing medical capabilities, being able to treat ailments that even the best doctors are unable to. Because Hiku seems to restrict her from directly fighting, Mai is frail on her own and would be the easy target of an attack. Her biggest drawback is her rather violent temper, though not strong, she tends to punch and kick men who make her angry.



Name: Aya
Age: Estimated at 24.
Height: 5'5"
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Blonde, various shades
Hair Style: Straight and waist length, very fluid, with a side-part. Bangs slightly cover her left eye.
Weight & Build: 130 lbs - Average frame, but with a rather curvaceous, shapely body.
Clothing: Armor similar to: i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/kaname_chidori1983/PSO%20Comic%20Clothes/ARMOR-GWgeomancerpho.jpg with matching boots and a long, over-sized, dark green hooded cloak.
Personality: Protective
Weapon(s): Two dual-wielded twin swords: i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/kaname_chidori1983/RPG%20Thread/ayasswords.jpg
Trait(s): Aya is an angel; she has divine powers, great agility and intuition. She has the ability to see the soul. Aya's blood also has healing properties. Well trained with various weapons and in hand-to-hand combat. Her complete abilities are unknown.
Disadvantage(s): Taking injuries to protect those around her. Despite having healing abilities, should she lose a large amount of blood or be injured badly enough that her healing cannot work quickly enough to compensate, she can die. Her physical strength is only slightly higher than that of the average female.
Summary: Aya's name is actually Arianna. She was married to a man in the small town of Olanther from the time she was seventeen to twenty. She was killed in her defiance when The Vainians came to her town and attempted to take her as a sacrifice for Denethor. About forty-five years later, she is resurrected as Aya, by a Saint. She had the same physical appearance that she did when she dies as Arianna. Aya did not remember her past, but accepted the training the Saints and Guardians offered her. She was officially announced a Guardian after four months of training, and shortly thereafter, accepted a mission from Kalinin Dumore in Hallow's Town to protect his adopted son, Oren. Oren is the reincarnation of the Demon God Denethor, who reigned about fifty years ago. Aya's job is to protect Oren even if it means her life, to prevent a ritual called The Awakening, from being performed by The Vainians, even if it means she has to kill Oren herself. Oren and Aya met Shinjo about four years ago and have been traveling together ever since, her estimated age is 24, though her birthday is unknown. Aya's divine healing has saved herself and her companions a number of times already, as have Oren's strange abilities and Shinjo’s companionship. She has a place in her heart for both Oren and Shinjo. Oren has become fairly caring toward Aya, only previously not obliging to because of his fate. Shinjo shows next to no emotional attachment to Aya, even when she reaches out to him.



Name: Oren
Age: 20
Height: 5'9"
Eye Color: Vibrant Green
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Straight and rather shaggy, some of it hanging in his eyes.
Weight & Build: 145 lbs - Average frame with a toned build.
Clothing: Long, white priest-style shirt with elongated sleeves and navy colored pants with a long, over-sized, dark red hooded cloak, similar to Aya's.
Personality: Protective and caring, yet detached.
Weapon(s): Small throwing blades and a lengthy dagger, concealed near his ankle.
Trait(s): Oren has strange abilities, most of which are unknown. He has the ability to use elemental magic and to heal others, though he is unable to explain how he is able to do so.
Disadvantage(s): Physically weak and has a lack of control over his abilities.
Summary: Oren is the reincarnation of the Demon God, Denethor. Though Oren is his reincarnation, Denethor's spirit sleeps within Oren, yet to be released. Kalinin Dumore in Hallow's Town adopted Oren at a very young age when a young woman, appearing to be a maid, gave the boy to Kalinin before she died. Denethor's spirit can be awakened in Oren by The Vainians performing a ritual on Oren, called The Awakening, atop the Altar of Faradin. Aya was hired to protect Oren, even at the cost of her own life, though Oren wishes no harm come to her. She has orders to kill him if it means preventing The Awakening from taking place. Oren can have the god's spirit exorcised out of him by a Saint, but it must take place on the same Altar, and there is a high chance that he will be killed in the act. Oren and Aya met Shinjo about four years ago and have been traveling together ever since. Oren is in love with Aya, and it has yet to be seen if she feels the same way. Oren gets incredibly jealous when other men are near Aya, even if it is Shinjo. He has said nothing to Aya about the way he feels because of the fate he must endure. Oren has almost a dark presence to him, his strange powers obviously emanating from the sleeping Denethor. Oren's fate is unknown.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


So we're all in this tavern. The lights are dim, something like a club scenario, however it's adequate enough to make out anyone from the far side of the room. The actual bar is filled up, everyone there is talking about the day's happenings and what they plan to do tomorrow. The company is middle class, no one looking out of place.

However, the door opens and in walks a hooded figure. Slowly the shadow of a person moves towards the bar attracting no particular attention along the way. The person requests a seat in a low voice and a large worker obliges and moves out of the way. Apparently the figure is female, she brings back her hood slowly as her fiery red hair spills over her cloak.

She looks at you all sitting at the table and flicks a smile in your general direction. She turns toward her drink and continues downing it in regular intervals. You notice that she's carrying a small sheath on her belt, the pommel of the weapon is superbly crafted, a deep crimson just as entrancing as her hair.

She orders another drink and walks toward the table you all are sitting at.

"I noticed you're sword as I walked in.", she said whilst pointing to one of you all.

"Where did you get it?"

(I think it's kinda hard to point out specific people in an RP that is done at leisure, so if you all want me to fabricate the story so that it's specific to you all I can do so, but this is just a pilot RP for the moment so we'll see what happens.)

[seraph_phoenix]

Might I make the suggestion to use this badass sword I found.. www.weaponmasters.com/index.html?ID=bb0c5304643afd779f4dd20755bfd9ae&SORT=&ITEM=WM-4256 <3

Sitting to the left of the gentleman in question, is a female. Unknown to the red-headed woman, she is a Guardian, one who has sworn to protect another. She has straight, side-parted, rather streaky medium colored blonde hair that reaches down to her waist, one eye is partially covered behind her bangs. She has a slightly tanned skin tone, obviously she has been outside quite a bit lately. Her eyes are a bright Hazel and her build is rather curvaceous for that of a fighter. She is wearing a very feminine set of red armor (Similar to: i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/kaname_chidori1983/PSO%20Comic%20Clothes/ARMOR-GWgeomancerpho.jpg) with matching boots that come up to her knees. She is wearing a dark green over-sized, hooded cape, the hood pulled back, you can see two sword handles sticking out from underneath. She is wearing her two swords (http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/kaname_chidori1983/RPG%20Thread/ayasswords.jpg) in an X shape, across her back. There is another man sitting to her left, whose side she has not left since arriving. She appears to be human, but there is almost an ethereal look to her.

She glances over to the man to her right and says, "Yes, where did you get that? You never made mention to me.

[shinjoyoshida]

"I'd rather not say." His words seemed to cascade over everyone like a waterfall. The sensation perked the interest of almost everyone at the table.

"The owner of this sword before me," he began, "well, one might say the owner was not even the owner, more of a holder."

"Why would the sword need a holder?" asked the red haired woman as she moved to take a seat next to the man on the mysterious woman's left.

"The sword itself isn't very special, but its origins are."

"By the way, I don't think I've given you my name yet, it's Shinjo."

Almost obvious to all of the company at the table was the tone in his voice, it wanted to shy away from the subject at hand.

"Ah," exclaimed the red haired woman, "mine is Selene."

"If you'll excuse me Selene, I've need of a drink, I'll go get a pitcher of ale and return shortly. Mean time you can get to know the rest of my friends here."

Shinjo lazily moved toward the bar almost taking a determined snail's pace. He wondered if the woman with blonde hair would scorn him or not for his actions. Though it seemed as if Selene had an agenda on her hands that didn't concern men at all.

[Dragin "Hiku" Hikari]

Sitting in a far corner of the tavern sat a pair. The first was a man who looked to be in his mid to late 20's. His hair was pale black that almost seems like a dark blue in some light, unusual, but no one seemed to notice him really. His eyes were bright color green, another strange trait that people chose not to question. His clothes were light-color and covered, apparently desert-attire normally worn to protect against sandstorms and other desert hazards. He sat quietly, leaning on the sheath of what appeared to be a broad-type sword however, still in it's case, it was hard to make out any details on that.

The other nearby seemed to be a young girl, probably no older than 14, who appeared to be the man's traveling companion. The girl had raven black hair and purple colored eyes. She was currently wearing relatively dull gray clothing that was similar to the man's, only in a female style. That was about the only thing linking the two as far as could be told, she didn't seem to be carrying a weapon of any sort.

"...Hiku hellooo?" The girl was trying to bring the man back to attention.

The man, apparently named Hiku, shifted a slight glance to her, "Mai, I thought I told you to keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself."

Mai gave Hiku a bit a scold, "You're the one that dragged me into this boring place, and I don't like the creepy look some of these people are giving me."

Hiku closes his eyes, "Just ignore them, none of them are worth the effort."

Mai just groaned, "What is it that we're even here for, you drag me everywhere but never say why."

Hiku just remained quiet for a moment before trying to say, but Mai quickly mimicked him, saying what he always said, "You'll know when the time comes...god, you always say that."

Hiku shrugs and opens his eyes, "I never asked you to follow me Mai."

Mai groans and spins a bit, turning her back on him, "Well I just hope you don't get us into trouble like the last time. Cause I don't have a good feeling about this place at all."

Hiku drew his attention off of Mai and continued his observing for the time being.

[seraph_phoenix]

Aya sits up from her relaxed position and unknowingly gives off a snide, uneasy look towards Selene as she sits next to the man on Aya's left. Just as Selene has sat down, Aya takes hold of her pint of ale. The coldness of the ale touches her lip just as the man to her left clenches the top of her left hand, which is resting on the bench on which she is sitting. Aya stops from tipping back her glass and glances over at him. He is staring forward with a very blank look on his face, but his eyes look slightly concerned. Aya sets down her glass and turns to him.

"Oren?"

"Something is...bothering me." he says as he stands up from the table. Aya looks up at him unaware of what he is feeling. Oren says nothing else and walks away from the table and out of the crowded bar.

[shadowhexblade]

The man named Shinjo was nearly knocked over when another man bumped into him on his way to the bar. The male wasn't very tall, nor did he appear to be strong. In fact the only thing about him that hinted at being a fighter was the rather large scythe strapped to his back- the shaft was jet black while the blade, mostly wrapped in a tattered brown cloth, was a beautiful crimson color. This was where the quality about the figure stopped; his hair was red and tossled, his pants where a faded black and had seen travel, and his shirt was in a similar manner, faded black with the sleeves torn off. His boots were awkward in that they were leather with metal soles that clanged on the ground as he walked. His hands and wrists were wrapped in bandages, and one was holding a glass that had just been abruptly emptied on the floor.

"'ey, watch where you'rsh goin buddy," he slurred. His skin was very pale, his pale blue eyes looking at Shinjo but not focusing on anything in particular. His breath stank of alcohol. He began to resume his original trek across the room when he spied the ladies at the table Shinjo had just left. "Ello 'ello." He staggered his way over to the table and pulled over a chair. "Ello ladiesh."

"...Idiot...." Aya remarks as she leans back on the bench, folding her arms and crossing her legs with quite the irritated look on her face.

[Dragin "Hiku" Hikari]

Mai went to the bar to get some water since she was rather thirsty. Hiku had his eyes closed and wasn't really paying attention to Mai's movements.

Mai took the tray, having gotten a water for Hiku as well. As she walked past the table, the clumsy girl caught her foot on her own cloak, "Whoa!" The tray went flying and both of the water glasses came crashing down upon the table the girls and the drunkard were sitting at.

Mai sat up a little bit, the fourteen year old knew if these people were even the slightest bit unfriendly that she was in trouble, "Uh-oh..."

Hiku opened his eyes to the noise, he stood up, "Oh god..."

[shadowhexblade]

His eyes woozily focused on Aya. "Aw, how shweet, a petname already." He went to take a swig from his glass, then noticed it was empty. He sat it down on the table, causing it to fall over. "Name's Blade, kitty."

Just then, Blade felt like it was downpouring into his lap- and it was cold rain. He jumped to his feet startled and promptly fell over backward. "What the 'ell?"

Aya stands up and walks over to Mai, who is still on the ground, and helps her up. "Are you alright?" She asked in a soft tone. Mai says nothing to Aya, she only nods. Blade mutters something behind Aya, as she stands up and hurls the tray that Mai was carrying at Blade's head.

"Don't call me kitty!" She snarled at him.

Aya walks Mai back over to her friend sitting in the corner. "My name is Aya. There are a lot of fools in places like this, be careful around here, okay?" Aya says and smiles. She turns and only gives Hiku the slightest of glances before she walks towards the door to the bar to find Oren.

Mai blinked as the woman walked off, Hiku crossed his arms, "Intresting...Aya was it?"

Mai nods, "Yea that's what she just said. Why, have you heard of her?"

Hiku looks at her, "I have only heard interesting rumors."

Mai giggled, "I think you were checking her out." She said rather mischievously.

Hiku just whacked her on the head, Mai whined, she was asking for it, mostly because Hiku didn't tend to show interest in anyone period. After all, he was more interested in the rumors of the woman's abilities in this case.

Blade slowly got back to his feet after being knocked over by the tray to the head. "Kitty'sh got clawsh..." He looked about wobbly. "Ey, where'd she go?"

[shinjoyoshida]

Shortly after Aya had moved towards the entrance of the bar did Shinjo finally return with his promised ale, only to find 2 of his friends missing, spilt water near the table, and the drunk he'd bumped into on his way towards the bartender.

"So Selene," Shinjo asked while averting his gaze to Aya, "you don't seem to be on a drinking spree, nor do you look like you're trying to find a cozy bed. If I had to put my finger down I'd imagine you would be looking for someone. But then again," Shinjo poured her a glass of ale, "I could be wrong."

Selene eyed her glass as the frothy booze rose and rose to the rim.

"That's really none of your business." She remarked. "What I plan to do or are doing at the moment is of my own accord, and for the most part it isn't influenced at all by others."

Downing the drink in one swift gulp she promptly got up and moved toward the man and girl in the corner.

Taking one last glance back at Shinjo she gave him an icy stare. Shinjo winced as she crouched low and drew a dirk from her sheath.

"Damnit!"

Shinjo drew his long sword and swiftly made his way to an advancing Selene. However, as the night would draw on the characters would soon realize that something quite bigger than them was mearly making a meager show of power.

(Feel free to add more to a general plot line than just making references to what you're thinking at the moment or doing. Part of the fun here will be making an epic kind of adventure. However, if you decide to play "GM" as Hiku and I have done so with 2 other NPCs then please make sure the actions or thoughts will coincide with the time of the area, and so on. Nothing worse than seeing a dog come out of nowhere and yell "OMGWTFBBQ" and eat you.)

After thought: I was thinking that if these little RPs that we're doing form something akin to a story then I could organize them into chapters and such. However, things like this should be communicated through little side notes. As the RP progresses we'll refine it a lot more. But it's gonna be up to you all to get your Mark Twain on and write up a storm.

[seraph_phoenix]

Blade watched the hooded girl walk toward the corner of the bar with disinterest. His general expression may have been of general drunken aloofness, but when he saw her bend down and unsheath a dirk his eyes took on a steely, focused look that a skilled warrior would recognize. He carefully watched her as Shinjo drew his sword and rushed after her, but decided he'd best just let this one play itself out.

"After all...my target is already gone." He thought.

Aya spins around at the doorway as she hears Shinjo's voice. She can barely catch a glimpse of Selene approaching Mai between the shoulder-to-shoulder drunkards. She now sees Shinjo chasing after her.

"Girl, watch out!!!" She shouts to Mai.

Hiku caught sight of Selene, "Mai, to me!" He yelled, as the girl scampered behind him. Aya stumbles through a few drunkards but barely makes her way past two or three before Selene has approached Mai and Hiku. Selene rears herself backwards as almost to strike as Hiku went to draw his weapon.

A bright streak of silver flies past Aya's head, she gasps as her eyes widen. The streak passes directly between Selene and the group she is approaching. Shinjo skids to a stop behind Selene, readying himself to attack. Selene stops and notices a small throwing blade stuck in the wood of the bar. She looks to her right and sees the mysterious man that had been with Aya, standing in the doorway glaring back at her.

"Ah, you are who I suspected." Selene says to Oren. "I didn't think you were alive." Aya glares at Selene, as Selene says to Oren, "Why don't you come with...." but she is cut off by a very stand-offish Aya.

"If you plan on persuing any course of action with Oren, you'll be taking it up with me first." Aya says to Selene.

"Oh really? Who are you, his keeper?" Selene snaps back.

Aya smirks at Selene, "I'm his Guardian."

"You...you are his Guardian?"

"That's right. You will stay away from him if you wish to leave here with all your limbs intact." Aya says to Selene, then turns to walk to Oren.

[shinjoyoshida]

As the drunkards began to flee the bar at the mere sight of an unsheathed weapon, it was obvious that someone was going to be leaving here with more than some scrapes and bruises.

The scene now was something like a ghost town stand off. Hiku, Mai, Aya, Oren, and Shinjo were all at the ready. The slightest hint of movement in Selene would certainly spell her death.

Shinjo took a low stance and spread his feet out wide. The length of his blade parallel with the ground, his arms held below his waist, his posture showing perfect poise. His spiky black hair gleamed in the light of a lantern as his gaze stared steadily at Selene and the surrounding area.

"So I was right." Shinjo scoffed. "You're weren't here for kicks."

"Does it really matter now?" snapped Selene.

"I guess it doesn't." He said. "But if I were you Selene, I'd start playing your hand now, because I guarantee you won't be reporting back to whoever sent you."

"That's what you think..." muttered Selene.

She began to chant softly in a purposeful way. Slowly, her feet started to rise from the ground until she was about a foot from the tavern floor. A slight flash of green was emitted from her eyes.

The mood changed. Now the group was dealing with not only an assassin, but one with a magical background.

"You wanted me to play my hand Shinjo."

"Well, I must say you do have a lot of tact for someone of your age, but playing with fire is stupid none the less."

A sharp burst of flame licked Shinjo's face as he moved in a backward motion to avoid the strike. Reeling from the attack Shinjo steadied himself and ran at Selene with his long sword in a thrusting manner.

"Damn you witch!"

The blade managed to pierce her left leg, but Selene wouldn't be had so easily. Immediately she thrust her right leg into Shinjo's face knocking him to the ground. As he fell, she maneuvered her leg so as to let the blade remove itself.

"Hah!" yelled Selene.

"Nothing more than dribble from a young punk, that sword of yours isn't much more than a toy!"

Shinjo's sword began to glow a fierce green. The color seemed to replace the entire lighting within the bar. As the rest of the team began their attack, Shinjo slowly picked himself up. Looking at his sword, he wondered how he let his emotions go.

"Sister...give me the strength to resist the rage..."

[seraph_phoenix]

Blade lounged on a stool at the table, enjoying the show, though slightly irritated that the wimp of a barkeep had run off at the first sign of confrontation. Watching a fight was always more entertaining with a frosty ale in your hand. His gaze mostly followed Aya.

"Let's see why she's so important..."

Aya hopped over a bench and made a small dash for Selene as Shinjo reeled from his fall. The moment she reached Selene, an unseen force around Selene, without missing a beat, picked up Aya and threw her into the liquor shelves behind the bar. Aya barely cries out as she pummels into the glass and hits the ground.

Shinjo rears back his glowing sword and takes a fierce downward swing at Selene, but the unseen force freezes him from contacting with her. He stands there, forcing downward with the sword, but it isn't even close to making contact with her. Shinjo grits his teeth as Selene smirks at the anger in his eyes. Hiku didn't draw his weapon for reasons only he and Mai knew. However, he seemed ready to use it if necessary.

As the situation got worse, the only thing on Hiku's mind was to get Mai out of harms way. He had a vow to keep, endangering himself was not a concern, but he feared for Mai's safety which prevented him from getting involved, not that he was interested in helping the strangers anyway. A hand reaches over from Selene's left and latches onto her throat.

"Let him go." Oren says in a fairly calm manner.

"Boy, my knowing who you are puts you in danger. Even more so if I take out your Guardian and Shinjo. The heavens would fall on me if I were to harm you. But that doesn't mean I won't try if given the chan--"

Suddenly, Selene is struck in the head by a large bottle of liquor from her right. She is struck by another before she can turn her head. Aya is seen behind the counter, soaked in alcohol, with her arm extended out. She closes her eyes and stretches her arms out in front of her, her fingers interwoven in a strange design. The wind moves around her in an unnatural manner and Aya opens her eyes as a spark resonates on her index finger. Another spark appears on Selene, and she bursts into flames, screaming. Shinjo is released from his hold as he crouches to the ground.

Oren rushes to the bar and helps Aya back over. Aya grabs Mai's hand and says to her and her companion, "Come on, we must leave." Hiku growled, he wasn't particularly fond of being given orders.

"Fine woman, but you better have a damn good story to tell when we get away!" He said before following her. Aya breaks for the door still holding Mai's hand and grabs her arm around Shinjo's as they make their way out of the flaming tavern.

[seraph_phoenix]

The group exits the burning tavern as civilians run by them in panic. Aya coughs from all the smoke and puts her weight on Shinjo's shoulder. Oddly enough, her small cuts and wounds from the glass had managed to heal in a matter of moments.

"We should leave this area before she cools off..." Shinjo says as he looks back toward the fire-engulfed tavern.

"I agree, we should make sure to find a place where we can clean up." Oren added.

"Would any of you like to explain to me what's going on?" Hiku said snidely. Mai runs out from beside him, next to Shinjo and the others. Hiku sighs and follows, barely picking up on their conversation.

"Hey Aya, how did you do that back there?" Mai asked Aya.

"Oh, it's something I've always been able to do, but it's not a spell like Selene used. I can probably teach you how to do things like that if you want." Aya responded back.

"Really??" Mai said excitedly. "That would be awesome!"

As Hiku follows along, he stops and looks toward his left, he thought to have seen a man standing in the nearby tree line, but there was nothing there. He gives one last lingering look and turns his attention back to following the group. He notices Oren was also looking into the tree line as well.

"Would the forest about a mile outside of Valencia be alright? Where we stayed about six months ago, with the cave nearby." Shinjo inquired, as he looked to Oren and Aya.

"That would be a decent trek from here, but I would find it to be the best suitable place to go." Oren answered.

"Alright, that settles that." Shinjo exclaimed as the group merged into the nearby woods, by a river bank.

Blade was stealthy, viewing the group from the tree line. He was well hidden by his tattered clothes in the darkened atmosphere, completely unseen by any.

The group finally comes upon the area that Shinjo had mentioned about four hours ago. It's very dark now, probably about 2 am. The three had been here before, but this area was new to Mai and Hiku. It is about one mile outside the prosperous city of Valencia, many tall trees give cover, as well as a cave that had partially been hollowed out into separate "rooms" by Aya, Shinjo and Oren. Oren and Shinjo moved some foliage from a boulder, and pushed it away from the cave opening so they could enter.

The group travels inside, Hiku is carrying a sleeping Mai, and sets her down on a pile of blankets in an alcove.

Aya, standing in the doorway, says "I'm going to clean up at the falls. I should be back in about a half hour." She then turns and makes her leave.

"Falls?" Hiku said inquisitively.

"Yeah, there's a small waterfall near here with a pond below. Aya likes to go bathe there. It's on the opposite side of the cliff of the large waterfall, it's pretty low key back there. Travelers are more likely to take to the larger falls, rather than to poke around and go to the smaller one that's nearly hidden away. You should go after Aya returns, it's quite soothing." Shinjo said to Hiku.

[shadowhexblade]

Blade had watched the little group enter the cave from the safety of the nearby treetops, taking his time to analyze the individuals.

"The ones that fit the description of Hiku and Oren could be trouble."

He waited around in the trees, his eyes trained on the cave entrance, eavesdropping on the slight reverberations of their echoes from within the cave, until he saw Aya exit and head off somewhere. Blade grinned and began to follow her.