Common Misconceptions (M)

[RedOptics]

Keona wouldn't be crying because of a new scar, but because it had happened again that she was forced to use a hellish ability. That and the wound stung so much nothing could distract it. Though it had saved their lives, it hurt her immensely. Her shoulders reverberated with soft weeps until they died down along with the pain of healing. Tears boiled away, and no more blood on her face, she looked up at Travis before hugging him back.

"Why do you care...?" She asked in a whisper. He was the first person to actually not be cautious when it came to touching her, and that set off a sort of spark within her heart. It was strange, and she'd prpbably have to accept the fact that she... no, there was no way! Never before had she felt it, and so she wasn't sure it was what she thought it was.

[Wrathwyrm]

It was just the two of them on this island, as far as they knew, and they were in each other's arms after a tense moment.  Though the reasons were certainly different for why, Travis certainly didn't mind real comfort every now and then.  Being able to endure didn't mean that he only wanted to live.  He wanted to thrive and feel like a person should, all the ups and downs of being human.  But even still, here and now...why did he care?

"Because you're incredible.  Because you shouldn't have to be pushed into a corner when I can take the hit for you.  Because you've been nothing but good to me and don't deserve to be put through pain of any sort.  And...because I have to.  I take a look at you and...I want to care.  That's how it is."

From the moment he got off the boat to this island-hopping, she'd been nothing short of a warm ray of sunshine to him.  She was good to just be around, nevermind associate with.

[RedOptics]

It was at least another minute before Keona pulled away from him, "No one's ever said that to me before." She murmured before smiling softly up at him then stood up.

"By the way, thanks for protecting my ass, you did a lot more than you think..." Trailing off, she suddenly pressed her burning hands to both sides of his face, pulling him down closer to inspect something, "Travis! You have your eye back!" Her own eyes shone like topaz gemstones in the light when they met his darker gaze.

Everything came with a cost. And it would be same to assume he'd get his eye back for the blemish on her face. Speaking of which, the scar melted into a darker shade before settling, still leaving the deep tear in her nose as a result. Turning his head from side to side, she checked for anything else that could be good or bad.

[Wrathwyrm]

He meant every word.  Travis didn't have the patience to be a cunning liar, so generally he settled for brutal honesty, and that meant being completely forthcoming about things because he felt no insecurity.  What he did feel was irritation for Keona's wound.  She didn't heal properly, like a person would, thanks to her powers.  He did smile just slightly, though, when she announced that his eye was back.  Yeah, it most certainly was, and it was a perfect match to the other and everything.  Normally, if he'd removed that eyepatch, there would've been just a glow there, but now...

"It does that.  I said I got power from pain and wounds, and my eye got wounded somewhere prior.  But every time I take my demon form, it uses up the energy in battle, and then uses my own strength to repair the damage.  I can put it back or not as a human and keep the energy boost, but it just uses up the energy when I'm a demon, naturally."

Another reason he felt bad about Keona's wound: He undid his without effort.  It was literally automatic.

[RedOptics]

Something in his eyes read of dislike, and it made hers falter for a moment. He did care, maybe that's why there was a certain urge to-... Realizing she had been way too close for too long, Keo pulled away before chuckling nervously to herself and blushed lightly, "Ah, right, sorry for that." She quickly said before studying their surroundings. The ground was cracked and broken in several places, and fire still burned on small plants that had managed to survive out here for so long. With a sigh, she rubbed her arm and started to walk forwards to the trees, "Come on, we'll set up a camp or something to rest for the night in."

It wouldn't be hard to find a tribe that lived here, albeit small, she knew of one that shifted around quite a lot. Swiftly taking off to glide just over the stone, simply to get to the tree line faster. The winds had started to blow again, and the clouds in the sky were no where to be seen for miles. Music could be heard in the distance upon reaching the dirt and green, cheering Keona up a little.

[Wrathwyrm]

Her reaction there was...odd, but then again...his eye had grown back, and that wasn't normal for anybody other than him.  Letting it go, he agreed that they had to setup camp somewhere.  He was honestly surprised to learn that there were darkeer things out here than animals about the place.  And with that in mind, they certainly weren't going to setup camp here.  It was craggy, burny, and frankly tainted by the dead hydra-thing.  They were flying elsewhere, instead, and...hang on a minute.

"There's people here too?"

With the snake and all, he'd assumed that the Yoreiqi people found it a bit dangerous.  Maybe...just maybe...he should stop assuming things about this place.  Just saying.

[RedOptics]

Watching for anything else that could pose a threat to their health, the woman stepped lightly into the woods, "Of course, there's people on almost every island. Some live on plateaus like that, some on the beaches, but we mostly prefer the jungle."

Hiking over a few elevated branches, she paused every so often to listen to the sounds of people getting louder and louder. Eventually, civilization came into sight as a ground-based village appeared in a clearing. The wooden huts and tribal areas resembled her village, except with different people was all.

No one really seemed bothered by their presence, only eyeing their odd colours before going about their days.

[Wrathwyrm]

"Well, they must be pretty tough to take on the Killer Snaker."

Mostly, he based this on the fact that the thing was a real problem if you didn't know what to do, or if you weren't stronger by nature, like him.  A normal person would find themselves in alot of trouble if there were several heads and all of them spitting venom, say.  Anyway, they entered the village and it seemed relatively normal by Travis' expectations.  It was a pretty regular rustic village, more like something on the mainland that isn't a bigger town or something.  They didn't seem to mind their presence, which was a good thing.  Travis remained largely silent, for the moment.

[RedOptics]

"It was a Shadow Being Travis, they pop up around me. The Shamans speculate that I'm cursed," Keona explained, walking into the village. Children ran in front and she nearly touched them with burning hot skin, the same went for multiple adults around the area. She tapped a taller man on the shoulder and he turned around, pausing for a moment to look her over before touching his nose to hers. Quickly saying something, he smiled and nodded in response, then gestured to the area. Even though it wasn't always needed, Keona preferred to ask for these types of things.

"Good news, we're allowed to stay for however long we need. There's an empty hut for guests over on the end, he said it was small though. At least it'll be cozy." She scratched the back of her neck, smiling awkwardly before rolling her eyes, "Come on. Let's at least see it."

[Wrathwyrm]

What?!  Well, that very likely answered the sixty-four gold question of what keeps tearing apart the animals.  He could understand Keona not wanting to tell him that, in case she felt she'd regret it later.  Fortunately, it was something a demon could live with.  If only she didn't have to...  Oh well.  They headed into the village proper and Keona approached a man who appeared to be the boss around here.  Apparently, they got a room.  A small room.

"It'll be fine.  I don't take up much room.  Hell, I can be stacked like firewood."

What?

[RedOptics]

Keona scoffed, summoning small twirling flames in her hands as she turned and winked to him, "Now when will that firewood be stacked on top of the hot coals?" Did I really just say that? Mentally slapping herself, she mumbled softly to no one in particular before going to look for the hut.

It indeed was small, small enough for two maybe three people, but definitely was temporary. Opening the door, she could certainly say that she was surprised to see the basic needs of an overnight stay. Stacks of pillows and blankets all over, even draping from the walls.

"Alright..." Moving back to let Travis look, she decided to go and look at a hunt that gave out an item of sorts. Jewelry made of bones and beads, to be exact. An old woman looked up at her when she glided over, smiling with an almost toothless grin. On a threader, she was making a gold-threaded aqua blanket, and Keona had never seen it in her village often, so it was neat to watch up close for once.

[Wrathwyrm]

Congratulations, Keona.  You have definitely surprised the guy for a moment.  The first two-eyed blink of confusion has arrived!  Uhh...so!  The room was small indeed, but it looked properly comfortable, so they really knew how to treat guests whenever necessary.  Once Keona had allowed him to properly see, Travis smirked and made a dive for the comfortable material in the room.  When they got back there, it might be a bit umm...disorganized.  He only caught up with her later, looking around to see what was happening in the village himself.  Since he wasn't interested in clothes, what else was around here?

[RedOptics]

The village seemed to be a tiny market-styled area as well. Food was cooking, hunting weapons were being made, clothing was spinned, all of the sorts. It was also... really busy. Keona shifted uncomfortably in the crowding people.

The food smelled wonderful, drawing her senses to it as she looked to her left. Someone had kababbed a pig with an apple in its mouth, rotating it over a fire. She had no confidence whatsover to go up and ask for some, so instead she disappointedly looked down at her bare feet.

"You can take a look around, I'll be in the hut, making myself comfortable..." Smiling awkwardly, she creeped back in the direction of the hut.

[Wrathwyrm]

"I'll bring lunch."

Where Keona doesn't have much confidence in confrontation, Travis tended to just bite the bullet and go for it.  This may surprise her, but he noticed that she was giving the pig a look and that the two of them had basically had today...one piece of fruit each.  That's not really enough.  He hadn't really found himself gravitating towards the other things, overall.  So, he headed on right up to the pig and turned to whoever was mind.

"Hi there.  I need a pair of pig for me and my friend."

[RedOptics]

Entering the hut, she huffed to herself as it was in worse shape than before. She figured a certain demon had done this, and smiled while shaking her head. Making herself a throne of pillows, she sprawled over them on her back, leaning her head over the rest as a seemingly uncomfortable angle and crossed her legs. These pillows were softer than hers at home, making her envious on the spot.

Outside, the man cooking looked down at Travis with a cautious eye before giving him what he wanted, then returned to his chore. Two wooden bowls of fresh pig meat autta fill their bellies for the night, and just my looking at it you'd know that it was going to be deliciously worthwhile.

Keona was preening herself, fixing her hair buy running her fingers through it and making sure her silks were properly placed over her body. There was a large blue splotch on her lower back, a bruise she hadn't realized before she laid down. The snake must have gotten her there too.

[Wrathwyrm]

Well, the state of the room was something you kinda' had to live with, sometimes.  Impulsive Travis is just slightly kid in a man-sized body, due to the way he developed.  You can't expect otherwise, given the situation.  But at least things were comfortable in there.  And yes, he did notice that the man was giving him a stare.  He was use to it, no matter where he went.  He was unusual and he just didn't care.  So, two bowls of meat later, he managed to get himself in the door and handed her one of them before sitting down on a pillow.

"Complements of the man outside, no questions asked...meaning of course that he just didn't say anything."

[RedOptics]

Stopping what she was doing, Keo took the bowl of meat and didn't hesitate to try it. You could tell by how the pain metled from her face and was replace with a brighter flame that she liked it.

"Thanks Trav, I appreciated." Her wings ruffled themselves and tucked in closer to her body to make more room for him. Her form was tiny as she had sunken into the pillows, looking rather comfortable.

"I'm sorry by the way," keona stated out of the blue, "About earlier. I didn't want you to endure something like that. From the day we met I didn't want you to get hurt by those things."

[Wrathwyrm]

He also began to attack his meat, making only an "Mmm-hmmm" sound to acknowledge the thanks for bringing it in the first place.  Basically, a 'no problem' kind of response, while he ate.  He did, however, interrupt himself when she made her apology about the shadow creature.  It seemed strange to him that she should apologize for something that he could handle, but...by the same token of he not wanting to see her hurt either, it was understandable.  Still, though...

"You don't have to worry about me, there.  I've handled some pretty horrible things before.  I'm more worried about what they can do to you, since you said they appear around you.  How long has this been going on?  How've you dealt with them in the past?"

[RedOptics]

"Since I was around six or seven years old? It started off with the skeletons... like I said. And they don't normally attack me... That snakw was the first to try and actually kill me, and now I'm more frightened than ever before." Wrapping her arms around herself, Keona slightly shivered, wishing that Ira was here to make her feel better. The only source of warmth she had right now was this bowl of warm food, unless... no. She growled inside her head as all these sugar sweet thoughts swam through her mind.

"If they manage to hurt me in a way I can't recover from... I just want you to know that you're a great friend within the three days I've known you..." Psh, as if. You faltered on 'friend' Keona, good job.

[Wrathwyrm]

With her having said her peace, Travis came to sit beside her, putting his bowl down for a second and giving her a careful eye.  Well, both of them, this time.  Yes, Travis vision IN STEREO!!

"I am not gonna let those things get to you, Keona.  No damn creature of darkness will overcome me.  I...wait.  The first time?"

A penny dropped, and a look of realization crossed Travis' face now.

"Keona...  The talisman!  The shadows were smaller and weaker, gradually becoming stronger and stronger...as the dragon itself started losing its power.  Today, it's power is all but gone, and now this thing was able to make a move."

Either that, or it's entirely his fault for provoking it, but he hadn't been here before and there's no reason such a vicious thing or series of things would just stand around idle unless they were being forced back.  It made sense, and...it made even greater sense to leave if the talisman no longer had any power.