Running With the Wind (Nova, XIII)

[Anonymous]

These were the times Rica really regretted leaving her homeland. The fact she couldn't get a moment's rest and had to tag along with a caravan through the bloody deserts was irking her to no end. She really needed the money, and she was lucky the caravan master allowed her to play the part of a guard. But still, she was bitter. The other guards, naturally, thought she was just a joke. Rica's been receiving dirty looks from them for a while now.

So there she was, leaning against one of the wagons as the group decided to take a break in the middle of nowhere. If it was up to her, no stops would be made, but she knew some people simply didn't have the stamina to roll with that. Still, the longer she had to be with them the more bitter she got. Heavens, even now she was absolutely busy glaring the sand beneath her to death. It was burning her bare feet, making her wear shoes!

Yes, the sand definitely deserved to die.

"Tired, Surly?" One of the guards threw the words her way with a smirk on his face, making her wince as she was torn from her thoughts. Rica looked up, and glared at the smiling man.

"Bite me." The woman replied bitterly, shoving herself away from the wagon and proceeding to the back of it. She got the message, alright. She was supposed to help the people off the wagon so they could stretch their limbs, at least. The guard laughed her reply off, making the Yoreiqi grit her teeth.

Grumbling under her breath, she went on her way, weaving her way through the people that were already off the wagons. Then it struck her. Why was she dodging them? It wasn't like they would have given her the same courtesy.

Spite rising within, she spotted a tall looking fellow going her way, and worse yet he was giving her the "I'm better than you" looks; or at least it seemed that way to her. Not hesitating a moment, Rica slammed her shoulder into him once she was close enough, her wings spreading just a little to help her regain balance afterwards. Then she glared darkly at him, daring him to say anything.

((That guy she hit could be Marius... or someone else. It's up to you, Nova))

[Scythe-Nova]

Marius cursed at himself for deciding to go to the Moraki Desert before going to the Hivan Ocean, With the Great Spirit of water this he would not have needed to go with this annoying mass of faces. He could just be off with every annoying face here but he decided not go through with that idea since it would be too much of a chore for him, and he would have to save his strength for the spirit he was after on this journey. He rised from his seat on edge of the caravan waggon that now stopped to let everyone get off and stretch their legs it seemed like.

-"...Might as well.."

He said to himself as he hopped down from the waggon and walked off towards the waggon in front he held himself like any man of his stature would, high and mighty like allways it were not unusal that he would get some wierd glances from some people. But he felt something off when he walked and suddenly from nowhere this woman slammed into his shoulder with more force than he thought possible from the short woman, He stumbled to the side a bit before regaining his balance and looking back at the woman thinking she had run off but no she stood there looking directly at him with that dark look in her eyes. Marius just looked at her for some seconds staying his anger looking at the woman with a peircing gaze trying to see through her motives.

-"...That's very daring of you.."

He said with a cold and calm voice as he corrected his stance just standing still looking at the woman with a very annoyed expression, the people around started to notice that there seemed to be some kind of dissagreement of sorts here so they moved away from the two creating an empty spot for them to have the room to swing around if they decided to do that. However the spot would become much wider as red flames started to dance on and around Marius and in the air around him small flames started to float around like small ghosts, Marius Eyes were Calm but still angry like he enjoyed feeling like this.

-"..But also very stupid"

[XIII]

Marius and Rica would both feel a sudden shudder of cold and wet, a stark contrast to the dry heat of the desert. The source was a young woman, at least one could assume that she was young. Her clothes covered everything but her eyes, and she remained under the shade of the caravan's cover, not wanting to be in the blazing sunlight.

Claire's voice was caring,but sternly so. The way a mother speaks to her children when she punishes them out of love. Her voice was somewhat dry, as though she were slightly dehydrated. "Please, let us not resort to violence. We will never reach our destination if we're at each others' throats. And not to be rude, but I refuse to let my patients back home suffer because I had to wait on a couple of children to cease their quarreling before I could return with the remedies that they need." With this, she took a long gulp of the water, being careful to keep her face hidden as she did so.

Shifting herself forward, Claire came a bit into the light and pressed the water jug forward, hoping that the two would take a drink and forget their petty argument before it escalated to the point where someone would get hurt. She spoke again, and her voice sounded much clearer after the drink of water, as though it had given her new life. "Brother hates violence, as do I. So please, forget your argument and have some water. The coolness will do you both well." She peered back into the caravan where she sat. She had four more water jugs for this trip, so she could afford to give this one away. She just hoped that they made it to her destination without too many stops, or she might not be able to continue on. She glanced warily over at one of the few desert plants thriving in the heat. Oh Brother, how do you survive in these harsh conditions?

[Anonymous]

His response made a tiny smile twitch at the corner of her mouth. Acknowledging her actions and skills did that at times. However, once the flames started appearing out of nowhere, he confidence made a backflip. Surprise flashed over her face as she realized she may be in over her head. Not that that would ever stop her, quite the contrary.

Scowling once more, the woman backstepped into a fighting stance. "Did you just-" She spat, and then winced as a weird sensation pulsed through her. The woman searched for the cause of that, and found it after a second, hissing at the young woman that presented herself.

"Just who the hell do you think you are!?" Rica snapped in response, stalking over to the woman. With a swift move of her hand, the Yoreiqi aimed to smack the jug out of her grasp, and proceeded to grab the woman by the front of her shirt, hauling her up from the ground if not stopped. "You think you can just stand on your pretty little moral high ground, and expect everyone else to bow to your will!?" The woman yelled.

[Scythe-Nova]

As Marius prepared himself for the woman to attack he felt a small feeling of cold which made him stop in his tracks, Another woman standing against him? What is this was his display of power not enough? He looked at the woman in the shadows of the caravan and gave her a firey gaze as he turned towards her a bit. He were about to speak when the other woman walked up to the one in the shadows and smacked the water bottle out of the other ones hand.

-"..."

He just shrugged his shoulders before looking around at the crowd around them with a smile on his lips, small embers started to float down from the sky like snowflakes they did not ignite any fires or so but they were still warm to the touch. A larger flame sprung from thin air next to Marius and Ignis in his smaller form appeared looking at both of the women with an expressionless face, Marius looked at Ignis a little suprised that his spirit had decided to show up without his command.

-"Is there something you wanted Ignis?"

Ignis:"I just had to infor you that Ventulus is in the opposite direction now"

At First Marius just looked at Ignis before his left eye twitched in anger and he looked back along the caravan tracks clearly annoyed. Ignis looked at the Yoreiq Woman almost smiling before he vanished in a flame that enveloped him quickly, Marius on the other hand had brought his hand to his forhead which he now were massageing lightly to calm himself down. After some seconds he turned towards the two women with a calm expression as the flames he had around him turned blue in colour and the embers that had previously floated through the air were now nowhere to be seen, He looked at the two women with a pondering gaze aas if he were thinking about something.

"Hmmmmm..."


[OOC: If Rica knows much of the spirits in Yoreiq she should know who Ignis is :3 Since it's from Yoreiq]

[XIII]

From the sand between the edge of the caravan and where Rica stood, a wall of vines, each as thick as a man's arm, sprung up from the ground, knocking Rica away from Claire and sending the latter spwraling backward into the caravan's cover. Claire stood back up, her hooded shawl knocked backward revealing her green skin and bright yellow-to-pink hair. Twisting her hands around slowly, she controlled the vines to pick up the split water jug and bring it back to her hands. "Wasteful child. Water is the essential element of life4, and you waste it so thoroughly here where we need it the most."

The vines parted a bit, and Claire glared sternly through the gap at the other girl. The Cytocast could see that she herself was not much older than this other woman, but by her actions knew that she herself was far more mature. "I do not mean for others to bow to my will. I only mean for you to see reason. You initiated confrontation with this man, and the ensuing fight would waste valuable time and resources, as well as having a very high chance of ending one of your lives. Anyone with the common sense of an infant should see that enduring frustration is better than lying dead in the sand."

Claire seemed to be ignoring Marius and his showoffishness as she chastised Rica, but soon turned her attention to the man as his flame spirit left him. "And you. Are you not a grown man? Can you not control your temper? To threaten a woman over such a petty gesture... Honestly. I'm sure that you have been shoved before. Is this how you react in all cases?"

Looking around at the others that were part of the caravan, Claire noticed that full attention was now on their impromptu trio, and the sudden locking of eyes on her plant-like features made Claire very self conscious of both her appearance and the fact that she could feel the sun beating down on her head. She gripped the water jug tighter, feeling a few mouthfuls still sloshing around inside, but refused to take a drink until she knew that these two would not assault her again.

[Anonymous]

Instead of the woman's shirt, Rica's hands landed on vines and were pushed back. Stumbling a step, the mageling let out a hiss at the wall of foliage before her. Great, another mage. Rica really knew how to pick a hopeless fight. The plants parted, and the other woman spilled more words through the gap, making the Yoreiqi cringe at her words.

"Oh don't give me that crap!" Rica snapped back. "You think I haven't seen the numerous jugs of water you brought with you? That's bloody enough for the whole caravan! How many people broke their backs bringing all your little eccentric luxuries with you, oh queen of the water!?" She spoke, poison dripping from her words.

"Don't... call me a child. I had no way of knowing th-" Rica hissed with a heavy warning, before a flash of fire caught her eye. She promptly turned around towards the foe she completely forgot about, only to see a weird humanoid made of flames. The weird exchange between the tall man and whatever that thing of fire was passed quickly, leaving Rica to stand a bit stunned.

Then he looked at them, and it was NOT a good look, in Rica's mind. "What?!" The mageling demanded of him. "The fuck are you looking at us like that!?"

[Scythe-Nova]

Oh these women were fiesty and Marius liked it, they had guts for actually standing up against him and he could acknowledge that entirely. The flames around him died down dissapearing as he walked towards the two women and as he got near the wall of vines a small spark was the only warning before the wall bursted into flames crumbling down before him.

-"I like your Guts ladies, My Name is Marius Wynter current Head of the Wynter House located in central La'marri"

He said as he stepped over the now burnt down wall of vines looking at the women with a twisted smile as he stood before them all flames died down as he crossed his arms giving of an aura of power making the people around them scuffle away from them some whispering Marius name and some of the horrible deeds he had been rumored to have done. When he got close enough he looked at rica with a sligtly supprised expression before he smiled again.

-"Oho a Yoreiqi, Was quite some time since i saw one of your kind"

He said and turned towards the woman Smiling Wickedly as small blue flames danced over his clothing and skin. His expression and aura gave of a very mischiveous feeling as he looked at the Yoreiqi woman before he shifted his gaze over to the green woman. "Hmmm That's a nice colour" he thought to himself and looked over the woman with an almost studying gaze though the gaze were more perverted than his expression showed.

[XIII]

The heat from the flames that engulfed her vines singed the end of Claire's nose, turning it a somewhat withered pale-brownish color. She touched the end of her nose and took a gulp of water in order to begin the healing process. Claire's glare hardened on the man that addressed her. She  noticed a few of the others in the caravan shift uncomfortably as he mentioned his name, but she didn't know why. "Sorry Mister Wynter, I've never heard of you and I certainly do not need your praise for my assertiveness." She subconsciously wrapped her shawl around her head when he looked her way, somehow sensing his notice of her green hue.

[Anonymous]

Rica winced as the wall of foliage was obliterated. Not wasting a single second, the Yoreiqi stepped closer to the other woman, downright putting herself between the man who called himself Marius and the woman whose water she spilled. Glaring up at the man, Rica hissed lightly before speaking.

"In other words, we don't give a s***." Rica spat at him. She didn't like his comment about her race, and she definitely didn't like the looks he was giving them. Boldly, the woman stepped up to face this mage, a threatening scowl on her face.

"So why don't you just f*** off?" The woman narrowed her eyes at him, one hand itching to grab the blade at her hip if he tried anything aggressive.

[Scythe-Nova]

Marius was liking these women more by the minute as they really showed their guts literarly in front of his nose. He gazed back into the Yoreqi's eyes before a wide grin spread across his face and he burst out in laughter just to be silenced by a great gust of wind blowing almost everyone to the ground and even tipping one of the caravan carts over, Marius himself stumbled backwards and looked at the direction from where the wind came from.

-"...Seems like i am at a disadvantage here."

He said looking out in the desert were there was a large cloud of dust heading their way, Marius looked at how the two women had fared against the strong wind before looking at them with a serious gaze as he neared them slowly but there were no malice in his eyes anymore.

-"If you two wish to survive i suggest you find some shelter against that storm heading our way, and i suggest you find some really sturdy rocks for that"

As he spoke the wind picked up as the desert storm neared the caravan, the people started to flee in diffrent directions in hope to find shelter and some hid inside the caravan carts in hope that they would shelter them enough.

-"I can Provide you with shelter, because those carts will not be good enough, though you have to say please"

He said with a Wide smile as the wind tipped another caravan Cart over and it would not be long before the storm was on top of them.

[Anonymous]

The yoreiqi was effectively blown off her feet, the instinctive spreading of wings not helping the woman at all. She tumbled with vicious curses flying off her lips. After a bit of coughing, the winged one looked up only to see a vicious cloud of dust in the distance. It sent chills down her spine, propelling the woman to look for the other woman as well as the rude mage frantically.

The mage fared well enough, she concluded, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. Stricken by worry, she looked to Marius, and was met with words she never thought another human being could utter without lacking any conscience. If it wasn't for the vicious winds around, her mouth would have fallen agape with shock.

"WHAT!?" The yoreiqi protested, but before she could continue, another wave of dust interrupted her, bringing another wave of coughing; as well as a cringe as another of the carts toppled over. With the winds that strong, Rica didn't even consider getting up.

"Alright!" She managed through her coughing. "Please, just help us!" She said, and hoped to the spirits that he wasn't just pretending for –more- attention.

[Scythe-Nova]

-"Well since you said please"

He said with a wide grin and snapped with his fingers and a large sphere of flames enveloped both The Yoreqi and himself protecting them from the wind.

-"I'm not sure how long the storm will last though so i'll let the spirits keep check on that"

He said with a smile while taking off his overcoat and placing it on the ground and then sitting down on it looking at the Yoreqi.

-"So may i inqiure your name?"