berry picking (OPEN!!!)

[Anonymous]

Rosie hummed to herself as she skipped and skidded, and jumped over branches, trying to find berry bushes, she skidded in some mud, and fell flat on her back, and went about 5 feet until she stopped.  But, she didn't just stop, she ran into a tree.  She blushed a bright red, and looked around hoping know one saw that.  She quickly got up, brushed herself off as much as she could and whistling walked on.  Fearfully looking around just waiting to hear someone laugh at her.

Elves are supposed to be graceful, not klutz's!!  Pay more attention!!  Oh no, I hope no one saw me!! She kicked angrily at her tight black skirt, that went totally at odds with her bright blue, tight shirt. And blushed even harder.

[Anonymous]

Days before the Elf maiden had stepped onto the Terrin Mountains' face, a being had arrived to this very spot.  Through space his body surged; burning past the atmosphere above the mountain tops.  This monster was a molten red as he sped across the night sky; did you wish upon a star that night?  If so, you may have wished upon a Devils bane.  From the sky he descended, unconscious to the world around him.  Flesh and earth collided with one another, sending a spray of dirt and rock into the air.

There Merica lay within a crater, his body pulled into a fetal position.  Ivory horns gleamed in the light of the full moon, as did his body.  How sad it was that a being of evil could look so holy this night, for he shone brighter then the brilliant light of the gods.  Take pity on such a creature, damned to be hated, but wanting to be loved.

So now today Merica stood atop the mountain, inquisitive as a newborn child--he was in fact newly born.  His oversensitive fingertips caressed the leaves of many plants, taking in their texture and spirit.  It disheartened him to watch the plant life die at his touch; curl and turn black as coal, falling apart as he walked away with his shoulders hung low.  Was he death incarnate?  No, he was just a being with a lost soul.  Song birds called to him, making his heart swell.  In the daylight Merica felt drunk, overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the mountains--but this would be just the beginning of Dind's day, for there was another in the mountains.

Merica at first heard the humming, a sensational sound that pulled at his being.  Branches bent against his body and snapped as he made his way toward the music, his slate gray cheeks turning a teal from excitement.  From the bushes the darkness watched the light, and was it so wrong that a being of dark found the light appealing?  Possibly, for that is not how the world is supposed to work.  Suddenly the humming stopped and Merica watched as the woman fell on her backside and slid down the hill, stopping only when she hit a tree.

Something tickled his stomach and a sound nearly escaped his mouth.

What was that? he thought as he looked down at himself.  He was so new to the world he did not know what laughter was.  Now the woman walked on and began to sing as the winged creatures did in the trees, making Merica sway to-and-fro with the tunes.  It mimics those that live in the trees, thought Merica as he followed the woman along the brush line.  Can those creatures mimic it, also?  Now he watched as she began jerking back and forth, kicking at an imaginary object.  No longer could Merica object to his laughter, for it was too much for him to handle.  Large clawed hands fell upon the middle of his abdomen as he laughed hard, falling out of the bushes and into the view of Roselle Jen Flutop--the black haired Elvin maid of Serendipity.

[Anonymous]

She heard a twig break and attempted to ignore it, It's just some little animal, its not a person calm down.  Then she heard the dreaded sound, yet it still scared her as much as she was waiting to hear it, laughing.  She jumped, feeling her ears twitch.  She spun looking for whoever made the dreaded sound.  And from behind she heard a thump.

She slowly turned afraid to see what could make such a thump, and such a loud, yet oddly and faintly deep and harmonic laugh.  When she saw the horns and the red she screamed, long and high.  "BBEEAAASSTTTTTT!!!"  She then turned and attempted to run in the other direction, but fell, again.  She tried to roll over into the bushes, hiding from it in its current state of hysteria.  But there was a rock in the way, and a root caught her skirt.  She tried to tug at it, go over the rock, and keep an eye on the thing at the same time.  

Yet, she failed, she just ended up getting more stuck, "HHEELLPP!!!"  she screamed hoping some hunter would hear her.  "damn!"  she muttered, as she got even more snared in roots and a lone bush.

[Anonymous]

So that was the first verbatim towards the demonic soul, the word Beast.  Sharp ears took in the pitch of the voice with the word and understood immediately what it meant, and thus his laughter ceased.  Thick brows furrowed as he rose from the ground, the joyous attitude dissipating instantaneously.  Oh how the atmosphere about the monster churned, with hate and self-pity.  He was a Beast, and she had said it.  What was it about him that scared the maiden?  He had never seen his own face, did not know what he was, yet he made this beautiful creature bustle about the earth in an attempt to get away from his hideous being.  His throat tightened, his eyes burned--oh how he wished she could only understand the deep pain he felt right now.  How Roselle's reaction had affected him, his pure and newly born mind.

Are all creatures like this? he pondered, stumbling toward the shrieking figure of Roselle.  Will everything cower or die before me...  Am I a beast?  

Now the Elf called out for help, already Merica's vocabulary was increasing.  She would struggle against the vines of her capture, and the demon would think she should fear the vegetation more than she should fear him.  His grotesque figure neared her, the pallid flesh of his bare body reflecting the light from above.  He heard everything she said, even down to the damn she muttered.  Finally he was now within reach of the woman; how such a beautiful creature could make such horrible noise, he did not yet understand.  Bulbous and gnarled fingers reached out for the woman, a large open palm held toward her.  "Help," he said softly, though a rage burned through his being.

[Anonymous]

She screamed as the beast came closer to her, his face distorted, it came closer to her, and reached out to her, she screamed louder and attempted to get farther away, but only entangling herself more.  So she cowered away from him instead, screaming.  She stared at the beast as it drew closer.  "Help."  Her screaming stopped abruptly, she stared at his hand, and at the face.

She tried to gasp and choked instead.  Her eyes feeled with tears, and she coughed, staring at the beast through streaming eyes.  Is... Is... he trying to... help me??  the... the... what?  She finally got her breath back and she tried to speak.  "Umm, you... you.... help??  What....you... hah?"  She cringed as she heard herself stumble over words, she tried again.  "Will... you...er- help... me?"  She said slowly and carefully, half so the thing might understand her, and half for herself.

[Anonymous]

Again that high pitch filled the air, piercing the receptive ears of the demon.  His thick, purple lips pealed back momentarily, revealing rows of sharp, ivory canines.  It was not done to scare the Elf, but out of sheer pain from her shrieks.  The distorted face would only make the monstrosity look more gruesome then before, but he did not know he was so frightening.  Like any other being, he was reacting, but in a world of imagery, appearance is everything.  Please, he begged inwardly as his clawed hand shook, stop the noise.

And then it stopped.

The woman had ceased her screaming and was now looking at him in fear, eyes boiling over with tears.  What's wrong with her visuals, thought the demon as he saw the tears shine in the afternoon sun.  But he knew what was wrong.  Every fiber of his being picked up the atmosphere radiating from her body.  She was frightened.  Oh how the Elvin woman was frightened of the beast, so much so that it brought her to tears.  And now she began to speak again, this time slowly and nervously.  Merica listened carefully, he did not like the fact that he could not communicate with the being, yet he fully understood her.  His towering figure expanded as he took in a breath, thrusting his hand forward toward her.

"Me help you," he said.  He had formed a simple sentence, what a surprise.  The beast had spoken.

[Anonymous]

She cringed, trying not to scream more at the sight of his teeth.  So pointy, so gruesome.  The beast got closer, and she noticed something as she cowered back a bit more, he seemed somewhat confused.  Is, it confused?? How?  And then she heard it, "Me help you."  She paused replaying those words over and over, until it finally went through the fog around her brain.  She stifled a scream and just gaped instead.

After what seemed like eternity, she finally found her brain again and nodded.  That was the most she could do, she cringed slightly at her slowness, and blushed ferociously.  And just stared at the creature.

[Anonymous]

Again the woman cringed at the site of the demon as stood before her and bared his teeth, but who would not at such a site before them?  His hand was still out stretched, the veins atop his palm pulsing with the beat of his heart.  Every muscle in his body bulged as he tensed up and kneeled down, so that he was eye level with the Elvin woman.  He looked her in the eye, listened to her heart beat within her chest.  Fear was a strange sound.  Her heart throbbed with fear, with confusion at the actions of the creature; demons are beings meant to steal away fair maidens and take them back to their cavern, where they would do as they please, but this monster seemed to be different.

She just continued to stare at him, not taking his large hand in her own.  But for this moment that Merica sat and stared at the woman, he took in all her beauty.  Even while entangled in the bush she was beautiful, especially in the scene depicted by her seemingly being one with nature.  A deep breath was taken and Merica reached out to grab her wrist, would the woman allow such a monster to touch her flesh, or would she pull away in horror and disgust?

[Anonymous]

As he knelt down in the back of her head she heard her parents and other members of the tribe telling them horrifying stories about demons, and how if you saw one you were beautiful, and you were damned.  She also heard the tribe's healer sneering at her when she was a teen, 'ya hear that Rosie, it'll come for you!  I hope I'm there!'  She gave herself a mental shake, her hate for the man clearing away some of the fog, she stared back at the beast.

She gasped again as it reached out and grabbed her wrist, she pulled back slightly, but she didn't completely pull away, she just blushed even harder, He/it I think its a he, asked to help... kind of- i think.  So, he can, if not then I'll throw mud on my face and maybe he'll leave me alone.  Eww!!  I hope he just helps!!!  She stared up at the thing, and tried to calm her ferociously beating heart.

[Anonymous]

Large, purple lips parted and a breath escaped his mouth as his fingers encircled her wrist.  Her flesh was warm against the cold, stony flesh of his own.  The warmth of the Elvin woman spread from the monster's hand throughout his body, making his eyelids flicker for a moment.  Sensations for demons were intensified, that was why when they felt pleasure they always lusted for more.  When a beautiful maiden fell upon their eyes, they always needed her.  And when the emotion of hate arose, their anger would grow.  To quench that anger a demon would destroy, and the dispersing of that hate brought pleasure--that was the vicious cycle of the demon kind, but Merica was different.  He had not been born into demonhood, per say.  He was born to the stars.

The features of his face softened and he smiled as best he could, the coal black of his eyes twinkling within the hollows of their sockets.  "Thank you," he said in his cool velvet voice to the woman--yes he was picking up on the common tongue quite quickly.  Now what would the woman do that the man had a grasp on her--or was he a man?--especially now that he spoke as a human would.  Would this startle her are calm her heart even more?

[Anonymous]

It took her a moment to feel how cold its hands were at first.  Then she slowly felt them warm, she stared down at the hand eyes wide.  She couldn't believe it, it was almost like he was taking her heat, but she didn't feel any colder.  She looked back up and he saw his face... soften?  Did his face just... soften?  She stared at his face instead, unblinking.  However, when he smiled she blinked, and blinked again when he talked a sentence, "Thank you."  She gaped at him, blinking rapidly, the fog slowly returning.  Her brain sped up trying to register everything, while her heart oddly slowed a tad so it was just a tad faster than it should.  

She stared at him, she decided it was a him.  She attempted speech again, "You... You, talk?  What... WHat is y-y-y-your name?"  She stared at him and tried to move under his gaze but, realized she was still caught in the bushes.  With her free hand she tugged at the vine thing closes to her waist.

[Anonymous]

Roselle's constantly changing atmosphere confused the monster; she was scared and now she was in awe that the being had become warm.  Not only that, but she had stumbled upon the fact that he could now speak!  The facial features of Merica were still that of a happy--err--person.  His free hand reached out and helped free the vine from the Elvin woman's waist, but upon his touch the vine dried and turned to dust.  Why was it that his touch did not do the same to the woman?  Maybe it was because she was of a higher race that could withstand the demon's touch, but the plants of this world could not.  Their spirit, their very energy, would be ripped from them in the most painful way.  If that vine had been human, the pain of Merica's touch would make one wish for the death that it would bring.

Luckily for the Elvin maiden, whom Merica found beautiful beyond all means, his touch did not affect her.  His pallid flesh looked watery, and his coal black eyes reflected the light from above.  Fat, purple lips parted as he began to speak to the woman before him.

"My speech," he began slowly, "is not good."  A deep breath was taken by the demon as he leaned forward, his face now only inches from the woman's.  "I believe I am Merica Dind, and who do you believe you are?"  He smiled, the anger that had rose within him dispersing quickly.

[Anonymous]

She squirmed back a tad as his free hand reached out to her waist, then blushed when he just helped free her, but then she realized that he didn't move it, it just crumbled up and... died.  Her gaze started shifting between her hand resting in his, and the dead vine, What?  He can't touch plants?  How sad!!  But why am I still alive?  She looked up at him with sympathy in her eyes.  Because of the sympathy and her anger at the unfairness of it, the fog around her brain completely disappeared, she could think clearly again.

She moved her free hand over to the shriveled up and dead plant, and reached out with her mind, trying to remember her lessons as a youngling in her tribe.  She felt for some sort of life, or even where it used to be.  She found that it seemed to be burnt out, she reached deeped and found where it should be, she then found it, and connected them.  She didn't know her eyes were closed until she opened them and watched as the plant came back.

She blushed at her ability, and then blushed even harder when she realized that she just had to make them move.  She then realized he said something, "You're speech is well developed for a- a - you!  I am Rosell- Rosie.  Well, Roselle Jen Flutop.  But I don't believe, I know, or I think I know, hmm... am I who I think I am?  That's a good question.  Because just because thats my name that might not be who I am, right?  Hmm, that's confusing."  She stopped blushing even harder.

[Anonymous]

Heat rose on the cheeks of the woman named Roselle Jen Flutop, and Merica could even feel that change in body temperature.  She looked deep into his eyes, something had changed.  No longer did she fear him, put sympathized for him--which was far better then her taking pity on him for what he was.  As he stood there, hand still enveloping her wrist, she brought the once dead plant back to life before his very eyes.  This made the demon catch his breath and let go of the woman, stepping back.  The Elvin maiden could give life, while he took it.  Now she spoke to him, told him that he spoke well for...  for a you?

A brow would raise quickly at that statement, but before he could ask what she meant she continued on, more baffled by the statement he had made about who he was then he was about the statement of the you.  She had finished speaking, and just sat upon the ground, heat radiating from her face.  "Are you on fire?" he questioned as he looked at her face, his large hands being placed on his hips.  "Your face...  I think it's on fire."  A deep frown was worn on his visage, he was truly worried that the beautiful woman was burning up from the inside out.

[Anonymous]

She heard him gasp at the plant, and saw the brow raise at what she said.  "Uh, I didn't mean it like that, I just don't know what species you are, I assume you are a demon but I - um, not sure.  Eh..."  She lapsed into silence.  "Are you on fire?"  She looked up and blinked when he asked if she was on fire, confused.  "What?  Oh!"  She started laughing, "No, I'm not on fire I'm just kind of embarassed so I turn red, if that makes any sense, its like a umm, thing that just happens, umm.."  She fell silent again, willing her face to stop turning so red.

[Anonymous]

Merica watched as she lapsed into silence, confused at the question of whether she was on fire or not.  She spoke and tried to explain the fact that it was an emotion showing through her flesh, but the demon did not understand.  Yes, his body did in fact show the same thing when he was embarrassed, but he did not know it yetâ€"and unlike Rosie, he would turn a teal rather than a red.  So there he stood, looking down at her as the sun shone off his bare body, his arms crossed over his chest.  If anyone else were to see this scene, they would scream for the Elvin maiden to run, because the beast Merica would devour her very soul!

But was that about to happen here? No.

Never in all of his life could Merica hurt a beauty of the world, be it alive or inanimate.  He ran an index finger along one horn and let out another breath, feeling the ridges rise and fall along the keratin.  â€œSo how is it that you can bring life back to what has died?â€?  His voice was low, but still that smoothness ran through it like a river through a valley.  â€œAnd what is a demon?â€?  Roselle knew much more about Merica then even he did.

[Anonymous]

She stared as he ran his finger along his horn, hmm, I wonder if thats like a sign of some sort of emotion, like running fingers through your hair, speaking of hair, mine is probably a mess.  She blinked when he asked what a demon was, and about her powers.  "Oh, well, since I'm an elf, we usually have some sort of power, but not all.  But, I have Earthy powers such as, helping plants and animals, elemental powers, stuff like that.  But, yeah."  She stopped, her face only a dull pink now.  

"And a demon is well, umm," she paused and ran her fingers over the remaning snares, moving them away, she then returned to trying to explain, "A demon is a sort of being... I don't know much, only stories and some facts, however, a lot of the stories are just that, I can kind of tell because so far they are all wrong.  But umm, a demon can come from anything or anywhere.  A demon might be wished for on a star, for revenge, or they might be summoned by evil sorcerors, or anything.  But, umm- " she paused again, at a loss for more words, she slowly moved her position until she was sitting on the rock with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap.

She tried to continue, "Well, a demon is usually mean and bad and scary, and that is why at first I was afraid of you and screamed 'beast'  but now I know that your kind aren't always bad, because you seem rather nice and gentle, and by now the mean ones would probably eaten me for dinner, or someother thing that I would of wished they eaten me."  The dull pink went to a dull red.[/i]

[Anonymous]

As he listened to the black haired maiden's words, the demonic being squatted down--his thick forearms resting atop his knees.  This position made the monster feel more comfortable, for from this angle he was more eye level with the woman.  He was no longer looking down at her, which had originally gave him a feeling of power over the frail looking Elfâ€"mind you that he is a six-foot-seven demon weighing in at two-hundred-and-thirty pounds; most creatures too him looked small.  So there he would squat, the bulbous knuckles of his gnarled hands swaying between the gap of his legs.  Those hands would swing to-and-fro as his ears tuned to the attractive voice of the fair maiden, his cold coal eyes looking into hers.

She explained to him her powers, and he took note of that.  So these beings called Elves are connected to the Earth, he thought inwardly, does that mean they feel the pain of Gaia?  His ears twitched a little bit as he pondered the abilities of the Elvin race, intrigued that they could heal the damage that he had done.  Now she continued, speaking of what he was.

“… a demon can come from anything or anywhere. A demon might be wished for on a star, for revenge, or they might be summoned by evil sorcerers, or anything.�

So does that mean that I was brought here for a purpose?  His eyes drifted downward, he did not even know why he was brought into existence, was it for revenge?  Possibly, but then again he had no feelings toward destructionâ€"at the moment.  Those fine hearing instruments sprouting from his head would listen further as the Elvin maid spoke more of his race.

“Well, a demon is usually mean and bad and scary, and that is why at first I was afraid of you and screamed 'beast' but now I know that your kind aren't always bad, because you seem rather nice and gentle, and by now the mean ones would probably eaten me for dinner, or some other thing that I would of wished they eaten me.�

Did that mean he was not a demon?  No, Merica Dind was a demon as one could get, but he had yet to find his place in the kingdom of darkness.  What would he contribute to the Devil?  Would he take life, or would he reek havoc upon the world, making those who lived wish their lives would be taken.  But he did not know this, and that is why he asked.

“Am I a demon?�

[Anonymous]

As she finished explaining about demons she willed to look into his deep dark cold eyes.  She nodded to herself proud of her explaining, until he asked if he was a demon, she stumbled over words again, "Oh!  Um, well, you look... umm, well... i don't...."  she took a breath and tryed to continue, getting words back.

"Well, you do look kind of scaryish and what demons are fabled to look like, but demons are also supposed to be mean and horrible as I said, but you don't seem mean and terrible, but I'm not much of an expert in demons, but I'd say you're half and half.  Because you look it, but you don't act it.  But I could be wrong.  So, I don't know."  She paused taking another deep breath, "I'm sorry I'm not that much help, and I'm sorry that I yelled beast, and if I scared you then I'm sorry for that too."  She smiled at the mMerci monster, Wow!  Being open with people kind of feels...good, now if I can do this more often than I'll be set!!  Ya, that's gonna be hard, it ain't gonna happen.  

She looked behind Merci and on a tree at first she thought she saw a red hankerchief, just like the one her father always carried, she stood up, and peered at it closer, and sat down, with tears almost forming, it was just a premature leaf turning red.  She turned her eyes back to Merci, "Do you have any other questions?"

[Anonymous]

Demons were explained to Merica, what they were and how they were supposed to appear.  This creature did not know his appearance, so when it was told that he was what a demon looked like it was news to his ears.  There the being stood, looking at the onyx haired maiden as she described his visage, matching it to that of his fellow demons.  Was it true then that he was a being born of sin?  No one would know until his life was played out.  Her eyes told the story, and as the stony stare of Merica followed her emotions, he noticed that she would look behind his shoulder.

Those lovely eyes would gain an expression of pain, of hurt that the demon did not understand.  Large brows would furrow as he neared the once ensnared Elvin woman, his palms facing the sky as he spoke.  â€œYes, the one who knows herself as Roselle, I have a question for you…â€?  a breath was taken as he finally closed in, cold palms pressing against her warm cheeks.

“Why is it that you look sad?�