It became far too much. It seemed like blood was flowing everywhere, the thick scent bittersweet and torturous to his sensitive senses. It was too much, and before long, he could feel his rationale leaving, actually feel the lust for blood overpower any other thoughts, cautionary or not.

Luckily, he held onto self control enough to be able to distinguish friend from foe. They were attacking the...the man that had attacked them, first. Lesar. Attacking him would do them all justice...and the only factor that had restrained him to begin with was his own weakness. But now the man was weakened, himself, and occupied with an attack from their winged companion. Now was the ideal moment to strike and fulfill his own thirst.

Drawing from the final reserves of his energyâ€"after this, unless he was able to draw and drink some blood, he would be left with nothing, no energyâ€"he rushed toward their attacker in a near-blur, releasing his hold on his slowly healing side and allowing the blood to drip freely once again. But it mattered not. If he was able to drink some blood, his body would have the fuel it needed to begin its natural healing process. And all that was on his mind, as it were, was blood.

Never had he wanted it so much.

Seemingly appearing behind Lesar, the side that wasn't being attacked by Keldoun at the moment, he grasped the man's shoulders forcefully and reached over him from behind, aiming to sink his fangs into the side of the man's neck, to draw upon that store of rich, coppery blood. Inhuman speed was an innate ability of his kind, but it also took energy. Energy which very much needed to be restored through blood...

He no longer cared how bad this looked, nor did he care about the reactions this action might provoke. Feeding was his only concern...

Indeed, Keina's anxieties lessened considerably with the man's obvious efforts to put him at ease, and as the sheathed dagger was tossed at his feet, he sheathed his own blade with a metallic hiss. Sure, there was still the issue of magic...but if the man decided to use it on him, little good a dagger would do, anyway. Besides, peasants didn't generally wear ruby encrusted silver jewelry; this man was obviously of high standing judging by that necklace and fine clothing, and it wasn't everyday you saw a Lord taking such extreme measures to ensure he could be trusted, nor was it everyday that a commoner was bowed to by a Lord. Judging by the man's actions, he guessed it was safe to say the guy didn't want him dead or something, otherwise he wouldn't be humbling himself like that. It was a bit amusing, actually, and Keina's grin of feigned confidence turned into a genuine smirk of amusement as he watched.

On that thread, though, he also supposed it was safe to assume the man wanted something, wanted to hire him for something. After all, he had mentioned that from the get-go, and why else would someone who knew of him approach himâ€"if it wasn't to cause bodily harm, that is? In any case, it was good news to Keina. Lords paid well enough, and short of sleeping with the man, he'd do anything if the money was right.

Women...now, that was another story altogether...

Hell, come to think of it, he might even bed a man if he paid really, really well and looked decent enough. Couldn't really say until he'd been offered, he supposed.

Shoulders relaxing, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn breeches, the left knee of which was worn through completely, as he calmly listened to the man speak...and it was then that he finally noticed the Lord's odd...er...ability? An eyebrow perked as he noticed his lips weren't moving, but he kept his own mouth shut. He just wouldn't ask. The guy was making an offerâ€"well, speaking of an offer he was planning to makeâ€"and that was what was important.

Never mind that the man had just killed a lot of people. That wasn't any of his business, didn't concern him, and so long as he wasn't on the chopping block and stayed in this man's good graces, he was content.

Keina gave a nod of his own. "I'm a jack-of-all-trades, so to speak, so if the money's right, I'm in," he told him simply. "But...ya sure ya wanna talk there? There's a guy there, and, er, since it's a private matter and all...but, if you're sure..." He gave a shrug, then stooped to pick up the Lord's dagger and turned back toward the old bar to lead the way. Normally, he didn't particularly like leading a stranger anywhere, but he believed the man well enough to leave his back unprotected.

WHOA! O_O Lynxmaid, that's an awesome idea! You know, that'd be really fun to have races and be able to bet and with the outlaw factor and whatnot...AHHH! I love it! O_O You have no idea... *getting ideas already!* And the wings thing! That's awesome...it reminds me of chariot races, with the extra parts to deter other racers and all...and the carnage! Eheh!

Let's see...terrains! Well, Serendipity has wide open spaces, so it'd be easy to have a track there and put up obsticles. And there're always the Untamed lands. Adela is really foresty, but there are clear areas (and areas can be cleared away, too, of course) and Connlaoth is very valley-like...and...

Well, whatever the case, I'm in! XD I know I have one guy (Keina) who would for certain love the gambling and money aspect...when he gets free time, that is. He's soon to be on a mission! Kekeke!

Keina had stayed where he was, rooted to the spot as he studied the stranger before him. More specifically, watched his hands, especially the one that slipped under the cloak. That action could be perceived very easily as innocent...if the man before him wasn't covered in blood, of course. Keina suspected a weapon; it was just far too easy to conceal a weapon under loose clothes like that and, hell, it was easy enough to conceal a weapon under tight clothes, as well, if you knew how.

Needless to say, he had no intentions of taking his eyes off the stranger. Do something like that, and you might as well openly invite the knife that could very well find its way between your shoulder blades or in your ribs. Keina was no stranger to danger, and he'd learned some of that the hard way. Well, he'd never been knifed, per se, but he'd come damned close to it, and had the scars to show for it.

Of course...much good keeping your eyes on some ominous stranger would do if said stranger didn't even need weapons, but was a mage. Unfortunately for Keina, he was an ordinary mortal, and from the scent of death and carnage around him, and from just knowing that this single person was likely the reason a whole mob had fled...well, he had an unnerving suspicion that this guy had magic at his beck and call. So, basically, if he decided Keina was next on his to-kill list, he was royally screwed.

Wonderful.

But, that didn't mean Keina wasn't going to do his best to avoid such an outcome. If he could make it to the age of seventeen, he could make it another year if he played his cards right. He'd become pretty familiar with tight, tricky situations these last few years.

However, for the moment, all thoughts of escape plans and tricks went flying out the window as the man spoke, and Keina was too focused on watching the more lethal parts of the man's body to notice that his lips didn't move when he spoke. But, even if he had been watching his face, it was doubtful that he would have cared much, for the man's words took him completely by surprise. And before Keina could rein the emotion in, it flashed across his face for a second. "Wait...what?"

He...knew of him? Taking a chance, Keina brushed his eyes over the man's face. Not someone he knew...and he certainly didn't look like any guard he'd seen...which could mean one of two things: one, the man knew of him and wanted to hire him, which would be just dandy, or two, the man knew of him and wanted to capture, maim, or kill him for some reasonâ€"and with the work Keina did, and the...ah...womanizing...he did, there were a lot of reasons he could name off the top of his headâ€"which was decidedly a Bad Thing.

The latter seemed really, really likely, given the blood. Not a happy looking guy. Though, he had mentioned the word "hire", though that didn't necessarily mean anything...that could be more like a way to describe what Keina did rather than an assurance that that was what the man was addressing him forâ€"

Damn, Keina, stop over-analyzing and do something other than gape like a dolt! he berated himself, snapping himself from his thoughts.

Clearing his throat, his fingers tightened around his unsheathed dagger as, once again, he returned his gaze, cautiously, to the man's face, gray eyes slightly narrowed. "That...depends on who ya are and what ya want..." he replied calmly with a small, wry grin, slowly standing. Even though his mind was racing, he somehow managed to keep his expression confident.

At least, he tried to.

And I did, too! Wheeee!

Standing near the door as the voices grew ever louder, Keina was on the verge of just throwing open the door and taking his chances with running. His companion seemed more concerned over alcohol than the impending desctruction a mob could bring and, quite frankly, Keina rather fancied living. However, right as he was preparing to make his mad dash...the pitch of the mob's shouts changed significantly, going from screams of outrage and excitement to cries of pure terror. And then, a growing silence as the cries began to grow distant, signaling that the villagers were apparently backtracking.

Keina started, gray eyes blinking slowly in confusion. That...he didn't know what to make of that. It was good that they were no longer swarming toward he and Lycansea, but...erm...well, what stopped them? Something had happened. Something that obviously spooked them.

Hrm...maybe an authority figure of some sort? Though, he didn't imagine their screams would sound that desperate and, well...blood-curdling.

"That's...weird..." he murmured, glancing back quizzically at his companion. But, though unnerved, Keina wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and so he continued to feign that cool calm that he always tried to project. "Hrm...well, in any case, sounds like they're gone..." In any case, now was a good opportunity to scram, and Keina wasn't about to let on that he was spooked. If he started something, he finished it, and he had been about to split. So, he would. Besides, it was getting kind of stuffy in that old bar. "Dunno 'bout you, but I'm usin' this as an opportunity to get outta here."

Opening the shoddy door with a creak, he slipped outside quickly and took off...

Only to stop abruptly when he stumbled over something that had been in his path.

Sprawled on the dusty ground in a manner uncharacteristic to him, he collected himself and began to pull himself to his feet, grumbling. Smooth. Really smooth. It might have been smart to plan out his route and make sure there were no obsticles in his way before he decided to charge out in the open. But, there had also been no obsticles there before when he'd first come here...

And that was when he finally noticed the thick smell of blood that filled the air, and when he noticed that that thing he'd tripped over was the bloodied body of a villager.

...not a good sign.

Reaching quickly and instinctively for the dagger at his belt, he drew it without even thinking, and as his eyes raised from the body at his feet, and as he rose cautiously to his feet himself, they fell on the cloaked figure of a man.

A man with blood splattered upon his clothes.

He didn't look like any guard he knew...but he certainly didn't look too...nice, to say the least. And with the smell of blood so strong, it was Keina's guess that more had been killed.

Shit...just his luck...

Post post post post! XP

Heh heh! Good question! Well, they seem to just be some random villagers, so I'd say...mostly humans.

Who, me? O=)

>.> <.<

NEVAH!

Just toss him on in! ^_~ XD The more the merrier! Muahahahah! *bounces more*

*gigglefit!*

W00t to that, then! *grins and bounces around* *luffs her Keina and wants to play him moooore XD*

Sounds like a plan!

Basically, he's now in an old, ransacked bar awaiting his chance to dash out and get away before this crazed mob that's after another guy can get to him. XD Complicated, weird situation.

Makoto chuckled softly. "Heh, yeah, ya got a point there," she agreed, a bit sheepishly. She herself was good at the sleight of hand motions needed to work as a thiefâ€"when she wasn't bungling it up by making some sort of clumsy mistake. Grace had never been one-hundred percent on her side...most of the time she could make a clean steal, but it was just her luck to make too clean and swift of a steal, and to accidentally drop the apple she had just unnoticeably swiped.

Unnoticeably...until everyone around heard the thud as it hit the ground.

In most cases, the situation could be salvaged, though, with some excuse about accidentally bumping the table. Some times, though, what had really happened just turned out far too obvious; her furious blushes tended to give her away.

"Well, I was born 'n' bred here, so it's kinda like my home town. Or, close to it. I've got no loyalties toward the country itself, obviously, if I do 'business' with it, but I like the area well enough. It's pretty, and I've got some nice memories here. Some exciting ones, too." She gave a mischievous grin. "Lotsa grand escapes and close calls. It makes life interesting. For me, at least; not everyone feels that way, but I was basically brought up that way. My parents were dare-devils."

Realizing she had gone off topic, she shook her head. "Erm, but anyway! Yeah, I come here a lot, not always to take care of 'business'. I don't always have to have a reason, though. Just to reminisce, I guess."

SquidProRo plays a TON of dragon characters! I don't play any right now, otherwise I'd offer one up...but yeah! I know she has a ton!

WHEE! Okay! Eheheh! Well, Keina's in Serendipity right now escaping from a mob in the thread "Damned humans!", so if you want, you can post there. Or we could figure out another way to snatch him. XDD

Spur of the moment ideas are the best ones!

[I know! I luff them!]

Sunni smiled softly, her bowl of porridge finally finished and scraped clean. For now, though, her hunger was sated, and it showed/ Toward the end, she had ceased vigorously stuffing her mouth like one starved for days and had began eating at a more leisurely, relaxed pace.

Setting the bowl aside, she curled her healed legs under her as she sat on the ground, blue-furred tail flicking behind her. She was healed now, and no longer hungry or thirsty, and though she was still weary from travel she had a lot more energy, now, as she was just generally in better health. She still felt gross, though...she would need to get cleaned up and find new clothesâ€"or at least clean the old ones. And she would need to do so soon. Now that more important bodily needs had been taken care of, she could really begin to feel the layers of dust and grime caked along her skin and clothes.

"Wow...well, it was really lucky I ran into you, then. I...I haven't been having much luck when it comes to help and companions," she admitted, looking down at her hands as she absently began scraping dirt out from under her oddly claw-like, retractable nails. "Heh...I've been in bad situation after bad situation since coming to this world from yet another bad situation."

How did she manage it? She always seemed to have a knack for getting into trouble. Well, ever since escaping from her world, that is.

She'd been unhappy then, but life had been so much less complicated. Yet, if she had the choice to do it all over again or avoid the route that brought her here altogether...she'd do it all over again.

It was worth it.

Josef wasn't the only one taken off guard.

Sougra gave a yelp of surprise and a jolt of alarm when, suddenly, Ziarre attacked somethingâ€"someoneâ€"behind Toviel that Sougra hadn't been aware of. For that matter...it seemed no one but Ziarre had sensed the invader's presence, and thanks to her, the mysterious stranger was quickly, and messily, dispatched.

Soon after, Ziarre took off with only a few cryptic words to Toviel, and all Sougra could do was stare from the place the bloodied body had been to Toviel to Josef as he returned, amber eyes wide, shocked orbs. He'd never seen someone be killed before. Not even a prey animal, since his pack hadn't yet deemed him old enough to watch a hunt. And if Ziarre hadn't been quick, someone else could have been killed, too, someone closer to them. Sure, he didn't really know Toviel or Ziarre, but they'd been around long enough to be familiar, at least.

The wolf pup shifted uncomfortably. Everyone else but he seemed pretty used to this kind of event, since Toviel and Josef had continued talkingâ€"if only a littleâ€"like nothing had happened after it was all over. But that was assuring, nonetheless. If they were used to this, they knew what to do, and he was safe around them. As if he hadn't already felt safe around Josef.

Sliding closer to Josef, Sougra laid back down, though he kept his head up and ears perked. This situation, with the new people, just got more and more confusing...and weird.

Makoto followed along side Alex as they strolled through the village, her gait light-hearted, as usually, making her myriad braids bounce with her every step. She probably should have followed Alex's example and disguised herself, if only a little. A simple alteration of her hairdo would have done the trick, though she feared doing that. Her hair would stick out a mile in each direction after being done up in braids for so long! Hm...but, she'd also been in Adela not a day ago, and she was pretty well-known among the guards that patrolled the village.

Of course...to her, running and escaping was exciting, a good adrenaline rush. But...on second thought, she wasn't so sure her new companion would appreciate that. Not all thieves liked to flirt with danger.

Wouldn't exactly make the best first impression. Or, second impression, actually.

Reaching back into her hair as they passed a fruit vender, she began undoing her braids, and was pleased to find her hair only turned out wavy from it, and not a massive bush of wild, frizzy hair. That should do the trick. She was easily recognizable for her braids, so this should at least make her stand out a little less, even if it would be a pain. Her hair was long, and the braids kept those locks contained and controlled.

Makoto finished just as Alex spoke, offering up a bitten apple that she hadn't noticed him swipe. With a grin, she took the offered fruit and took a bite from it, then handed it back to him, assuming they could share it. Hey, he took it, no reason for her to hog it all! "Heh, thanks!" she said once she'd swallowed the piece. "You're pretty smooth, y'know. I didn't even see ya do that," she complimented with a playful nudge.

So far, so good. She didn't see any guards around...yet. But the day was still young.

"So! Well, we made it in one piece, eh? Been around here much?"

Ooo ooo ooo!

XDD That'd be...fun.

I don't think anyone's ever tried to capture a member of a royal family here yet...nd that would certainly cause a stirr, considering the current royal family just moved in! Wheee! Crisis!

[MOVED THREAD! Author: Nightcandle as The Matron]

The Matron rose from her chair and looked out of the window behind her. She couldn't see the Village from her study, but she knew what happened, having heard about it moments before. "Did anyone recognize you?"

"Your brother my Lady," replied General Moko Verde, an end of his lips pulling back somewhat. "He didn't seem too suspicious. More surprised, like he was caught in the middle of something."

"Going after Paris," The Matron turned back to General Verde. "Was it before or after?"

"Before."

The Matron's eyebrows crossed slightly and she crossed her arms.

General Verde remained still, taking in the Matron's shifting features.

"A full closet has trouble staying shut," The Matron mused, her eyes crossing more. "Make sure the noose is tight."

"Yes, my Lady."

"Summon our officers and proceed as usual. You are dismissed."

General Verde bowed at the waist and exited the study.

The Matron kept her eyes on him until he left, afterwards turning back to the window and placing a hand against one pane. The coming winter bleached most of the grass a dull yellow-brown and cast the sky grey.

How fitting.