Another lead, another store. This town was proving useless to her by now. The small fairy-like girl floated down gracefully on her ebon wings in front of the store, drawing the usual crowd. Unlike most winged creature, her wings sprouted from the small of her back rather than her shoulders. Fairy-like only described her weight and stature as well as the fact that her wings didn't flap like normal wings did, instead a unique wind spell was cast beneath them, allowing her to glide gracefully without disturbing the peace with whipping winds that flapping caused.
Her skin was a very light bluegreen, almost minty in color, and her short cut hair was the same ebon as her wings. Pink eyes looked around with a huffy expression as she marched on into the store with her small self, barely over five feet in height. She wore little, and very asymmetrical armor. It fit well and accentuated her wonderful figure well.
A curved sword was sheathed at her hip and a dagger with plated holster was strapped to her opposite thigh. Her clothing was dressed with decorative runes, from her two distinctly different boots to her one-sleeved top. Full of confidence, she rolled up to the counter and asked the man some very specific questions about a compass or map or locket of some kind that was particularly rare.
She used some secret words she had obtained to gain access to said item and the man gave her a knowing look, nodding and stepping away to retrieve said item. Finally, she grinned, getting somewhere with this place. She waited confidently for the man to return, humming contently now that she was getting what she had been searching for at long last.
Rei swaggered into the small town, swooning girls gathering like famished flies to a half rotted dragon carcass. He swung his long braid of brown/red to red hair over his shoulder and winked his red eyes at the girls, causing some to swoon. Some shook their heads in disgust. But he knew they'd be dreaming about him later.
He found the shop. It was an average shop, specializing in rare things. Particularily navigational items. Like compases, geoscopes... and maps.
He waltzed in like the place was his bloodhound puppy's doghouse. He swaggerd up to the counter and and hailed the shop owner, who had just come back from a back room with a scroll.
"Good day, sir. Did you get my letter?" Before the man could speak, a boy burst through the door.
"Papa! This letter came by Griffin Post! A griffin dropped them off! And it had a girlfriend! Coooooooool!" The man grabbed the letter and and opened it. His eyes widened more and more as he read each line. When he finished, he looked up at Rei, in his elaborate silk clothes and basilisk-skin boots. Then he read it again.
"A girlfriend, huh?" Rei mused. "How fortunate. Post Griffins don't exactly meet new girls every day. That would be why it took so long. So, you have the map?"
"Y-yes..." the man looked worried. "In fact, its right here. But..." he looked at the girl at the counter. Rei turned to look.
"You! It's you!"
She glared when the boy walked in and her wings twitched. He didn't see her! Was he ignoring her? She snickered, never guessing she'd run into him again. She waited with a grin, wondering if he'd ever notice her. What was this? A letter? She blinked, showing signs of curiosity. She listened intently when the owner said he had it right here. What?? What he had, she had JUST asked for! What was this?? What was going on here? She glared slightly, eyes questioning the chop keep and HIM.
Oh NOW he noticed her. She grinned, but was still angry, hissing a small laugh at the boy. "Well, took you long enough, dolt! I couldn't get away from you last night! You were a cute little thing chasing after me, soo confident and sure of yourself!" she had a good chuckle. "Am I suddenly too short for your radar? And what's this? Whatr you barging in her for and taking MY stuff?" she crossed her arms and glared at him annoyedly.
Urg... that girl...! He'd forgotten about her! "Well, uh, Krem, was it? I orderd this map first, so its mine. And you are a bit small..."
"Um... actually, sir...she came here for it first."
"But I sent that letter weeks ago. And I am paying you a lot..."
"Y-yes..." the man blushed. "That is a lot. But this lady has excellent credintials, contacts that I cannot ignore. If I sell it to you, I'll get kicked out of the guild."
"But if you sell it to her, you lose a lot of money. And I have contacts, too."
"W-well..."
"How about you both buy it?" The boy asked. Everyone seemed to have forgotten he was there. His father tried to shoo him away, but the boy was adamant. "I've seen this map: its a treasure map, right? Can't you both go? And, I dunno, share the treasure? That way, you have backup!"
Rei listened patiently. Yes... that made sense. Then he looked at Kremzzn, and his facemuscles spasmed. Or maybe it didn't.
She nodded surely every time the shopkeep defended her purchase of the item. "It belongs to me!" she puffed her small body up and stared him down. "Your money is worthless here!" she spat, clearly not wanting to give up her map. "Why the hell are you even here, and for MY map?? You only want it because I do! Wait, how did you know I wanted it!? And that it was here!? " She growled. Did she tell him a bout it?? She thought hard. No, no she didn't! Hmm, what was this trickery??
The boy chimed in and she twitched, looking at him like he was a stupid child. "What? Share? With HIM? The only reason he wants it is because I do! ...I think!" she grumbled, trying to remember again. "A-anyway, its rightfully mine, the man says so!" She scowled at him when he went along with the child's idea, but after a moment, she took a deep breath and exhaled.
She tapped her finger on her forearm as she stood there, arms crossed still. "hmmm..." She looked him over good as she thought. She could get it from him and just leave him behind. She was confident of this. When she was sure she had this planned out, she smirked smugly and sighed. "Fine! I suppose we could work this out after its purchased." She eyed him, holding her hand out to accept the map.
The man obliged and set the sealed scroll in her hands and she held it vertically, letting him grab hold of it as well. She extended her hand and shook his, if only to look good. She kept that confident smile as they shook on it, unaware of the curse she had unleashed upon them both. "Deal...now pay the man!" she huffed. If he wanted it so bad, he could pay half. She placed her half on the counter and awaited his.
"Only want it because you do? You're delusional. And self-centered." He watched her finally come to reason, and he shook her hand. As he did so, he felt a gossamer of magic delicately brush his fingers, but he waved it off as some spellwork from out in the streets. "I've already given the man my money."
"But, sir!" The man cried out, unable to help himself. "This is more than half, in fact, its several times the price of the map!"
"Well, then! Fix up this shop! Its disgusting, dingy... I want it to be suitable for nobles when I come back, you hear?"
"Yes, sir..." The man seemed confused.
Rei turned to Krem. "Well? Shall we?"
She clearly didn't like his style. Throwing money at people like that was rude and shallow. This place was fine! Wonderful in fact! It had the aura of a perfect loreshop. She wasn't someone who cared for his hallowed out riches. "We shall...! "She huffed calmly, letting him pay and taking her own pouch back. She may not be materialistic, but money was still needed for payment.
After all was said and done, she walked outside with the scroll in hand, with him obviously following after her. She knew he wouldn't let her out of his sight that easily. Once all done and outside the shop, she glared at him with a smug grin, shaking the scroll in as him reprimandingly. "You are a monster, you know that. Egotistical rich boy who doesn't understand the value of a copper!" she hissed, wings ruffled cutely.
"But now, I'm done with you. I bid you good day sir!" she laughed, quickly rising into the air and out of his reach, waving the scroll lat him smugly. "Thanks for the gift. It is much appreciated!" she slowly rose higher and higher, teasing him uncontrollably.
Rei shook his head. "You don't know me. Did you see that boy? Dirty? Hungry? Not starving, but well fed. Loreshops don't exactly get customers every day." He glared at her. "Oh, no you don't! Holding his arm out, he changed them into large wings. Harpy wings, though clean. Crouching down, he prepared to leap up after her, she who was already a pinpoint in the sky, when a sudden headache, grew to a raging killer migraine. Rei clutched his head and screamed.
Pain, like Zeus giving birth to Athena. Pain, like a javelin taking its leave of his mind. Pain, like a wrenching of his soul. Pain, pain that made a proud man clutch his head and scream like a mother who was suddenly not.
And suddenly, it stopped, with a whimper of wind and a bang of earth.
Oh yeah, that... She remembered his bragging about transformations. So it wasn't a lie after all. She twitched when he transformed and backed away, gliding in the sky, floating gracefully as her wings stayed gently outstretched, casting wind beneath them. Crap, this wasn't good. He then collapsed a moment, in mid transformation and she blinked. What the-? But before she could mention anything, she felt a similar pain, like a throb in her chest.
She winced and clutched between her bosom a moment, the pain fading. What the crap was that?? She trembled for a second and panted, looking at him with a glare. What was going on here? She didn't want to waste any time though, so she used this moment to wisp off across the sky.
That had been only the initial reaction of the curse they unleashed upon themselves. It wouldn't be until a while later that the lingering weakness would set in, a few hours maybe. As he searched for her, he would feel similar pains as she did, a shortness of breath, a pull in his chest, and later in the day, the distressing feeling that his soul was trying to be pulled from his body.
She wasn't so well off either. Flying low and slow, she began questioning her strange and sudden illness, panting softly like she was having trouble breathing. Curse him, what had he done!? She growled mentally. Later in the evening, she worsened to the point of going back to find the bastard child. And that's what she did.
She analyzed the symptoms and noticed they were getting stronger and then weaker depending on the direction she traveled, and when she finally found him across the street, and the strain was mild, she looked at him wide-eyed. No way! She called out to him weakly, feeling low for crawling back, but was somewhat happy to find he too wasn't fairing so well. When she finally approached, him she was short of breath again and glaring.
"Ooooh you!" she whined near hysterically. "What did you do!?" she grabbed him by the shirt and shook him, trembling slightly. Her body felt at ease around him and that confirmed it. And being frantic and starved for rest, she whined louder pressing her chest into him and breathing shakily as the pain began to slow. "You bastard...!" She grumbled, face buried in his chest and wings twitching worriedly.
Night had fallen and she was exhausted. The map scroll was along the small of her back, tucked through her belt as she held onto him in the middle of the street, too tired to strike him with anything right now.
After he'd collapsed, the pain stopped. Looking up, he saw Kremzzn, too far to catch up to now, waver in her flight, before making a slow decent into the distance. What...was that? as the day went on, he began to feel sick and tired, even ill. He still had a headache, although it never became unbearable. And it began to rain. As the twilight dawned, he stood in the rain, too weary to move, too sick to vomit, too hungry to eat. This all started when she stole the map. And suddenly, she was there.
It was then that he realized that the pain and discomfort had been fading. And now, it was gone, as she leaned on his chest, and in his arms. Had it been in another situation, "Couldn't stay away?" would have oozed out of his mouth with an arrogant smirk. But not today. Not now.
"It wasn't me," he murmered. "I thought you were doing something mean-spirited, but its affecting you too... its an oath of some kind..." he suddenly grabbed the map from the small of her back and...sniffed it. And licked a corner of it.
"Wasn't you, my foot!" she growled, pulling her face free to glare up at him from against him, looking more adorable than intimidating. "And why would i-! Well...if I could, I probably would, now that you mention it...! "She nodded surely, raiding a finger and making a point of it. "And oath huh?" she pondered it. "H-hey!" she snapped when he snatched the scroll and quirked a brow when he licked it. "...Whatr you doing?" she grumbled, looking at him like he was a dirty animal.
The pain didn't leave completely, it only lowered to a tolerable linger. It would take a nights rest close to her oathshared other to relieve the fatigue. Certainly, while close to one another, they could relax away what pain they had endured from being apart, and if they stayed within range of one another, they would not be affected. This proved they must learn to get along in order to beat the oath.
Her wings twitched at his behavior and her already low-hanging belt had slipped lower when he relieved her of the scroll. This would cause her layered skirt-like bottom-wear to slip, revealing a bit of her bum before she quickly snatched it with her hand and tightened her belt. "Don't take things from a woman's lower garments!" she whined at him, sighing and staring at the map with a drained expression.
"So now what?" she mumbled, pressing her chin against his chest as she looked up at him anmd the scroll, looking rather cute.
"I'm sorry," he said distractedly. "Its... this map has an ancient spell." He glanced at her — and his glance froze a moment as he looked over her head at her bottom — before turning rather hurredly back at the map. "The creator knew people would fight over it, so he laid an enchantment on this map: whosoever would fight for this map will swear to work together to search for the Finder. And they will be forced to search together to find this artifact. If one should leave the other (or others), they should all become weak and pained, to the point of death."
Rei spoke as if he was reading a book before blinking and shaking it off. He looked down at the girl gazing cutely up at him. "So, we can go and look for it. I mean, that was the original plan, right? We just... have to stay together, I guess. I'm fine with that."
Was he? True, she was the One Who Got Away, but she was fickle. And clever. And she liked to toy with people's se- emotions. She knew what she was doing, last night. She meant to leave him waiting in an inn with his pants down. And she'd tried to fly off with the map! Sure, he wasn't the most soft-hearted man in the world, when he made a deal, he kept to it. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Especially since he knew she was going to tempt him every step of the way, conciously or not. Probably, not only consciously, but intentially.
But would she really let him change his mind? They were bound together, now. As far as he knew, finding that magical artifact was the best chance for them to be freed. And he doubted she'd let him drag her around. And he could not afford to follow her around like a baby Wild Dragon, which were both smaller and less intelligent than a normal dragon. As well as being quite tame, despite the nomenclature. No, they were stuck together, now.
"Come on. Let's find an inn for the night. And we should get out of this rain." He held her around her shoulders, rather familiarily, as he pulled her up the street. "If we stay together, for the night, and...share a room, we should feel better, I think." He headed passed the inn they stayed at the night before.
She blinked at him from that spot on his chest and quirked a brow. "..And you got that all from LICKNIG it?" she asked baffled. "Well your tongue DOES have some talent after all...!" She snickered. Great, looks like they were stuck together looking for this thing. Her snicker faded and she sighed, plopping her cheek against him with a soft whine, teasing him all too well.
"an in..?" she murmured against his chest, pulling away to look up at him again. "OBVIUOSLY we feel better when we're closer, I JUST proved it." She remarked, but let herself be taken by him, clinging to him still as her wings twitched softly. "But no funny stuff!" she hissed softly as she went along with him.
After finding an inn of his choice, FINALLY, they were able to settle in. She snatched the key and flew up the stairs before realizing it and she landed at the top of the staircase, gripping the railing and trembling. Oh yeah, that... Another whine escaped her as she waited for him to catch up, and she held his hand as they searched the hall for the door. Seemed touching made it slightly better. Wonderful...
She found the door and pointed to it, dragging him inside and plopping on the bed, rolling around like a little beast, clinging to the sheets and pillows and moaning suggestively with her rump in the air, torturing him. "Mm...you may be a spoiled brat, but damn, you have good taste for inns...!" she squealed, embracing the silken bedspread.
Immediately and without wanting, she began undressing, throwing her boots and bracers aside, right in front of him. But before she got all the way down to skin, her layered skirt would meet his face with a slap to block his face as she stripped down to just her panties, cleverly hiding the rest of herself behind her ebon wings as she grabbed onto the sheets lifted the bottom slipping beneath them and crawling to the top of the bed.
Her head popped out, ears flickering, and she looked back at him with a smug grin as she shook her bum underneath the sheets. She didn't have to say anything. She knew it was working on him. An then that lingering pain came back and her ears lowered and she looked at him with almost a puppy expression, calling him over to sooth her pain. "I hate you..." was all she grumbled as she begged him over with her eyes, blushing dark at the idea of actually having to sleep with him.
This woman! She really knew how to mess with him! She was actually undressing before him with a nonchalance he'd never seen before in a woman. Usually, either they were very excited and eager, or he was the one taking off theirl clothes. And... she tossed her clothes in his face, ruining the finale. Nice. And she toyed with him from under the sheets as well. Rei sighed. There was no question that Little Rei would be having any fun tonight, just as there was no question that she wasn't going to play with Little Rei's emotions all night long.
Rei began to unbutton his silk shirt, calmly, pretending there wasn't a little boy in his pants, jumping up and down in eager excitement. He felt a sharp pain in his forhead momentarily, and finished unbuttoning his shirt and and sliding off his pants, rather less nonchalantly showing off his tight fitting silk shorts. He stood over Kremzzn a moment, casting a shadow over her, before climbing into bed. He unbraided his hair with his back to the little succubus, all without a sound, before attempting to go to sleep as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Yeah, right.
Finally he came to her and she waited almost eagerly. He had t he gall to undress slowly and she was about to yank him in bed herself at this rate. But he soon came and she scooted over for him, watching him unbraid his hair, a light blush coming over her cheeks when he did so. "You look better with your hair down...!" she commented slyly, watching him slide under the sheets.
And enter wavy hair... He rolled over, which probably wasn't a good idea, and left her with his hair. She immediately pressed that bare chest up against his backside and nestled into his hair, mming and running her fingers through it. Her hair was short and wispy, not like his. That little bosom squished against his equally bare back and he could feel her soft feathers down on his legs as she stretched her wings.
"Is this where we say goodnight...? "she practically moaned in into the back of his head, biting her lower lip and blushing more, but still very amused. She was a devil, she was. She gave him little mercy even though they were both weak. Every time she shifted, those supple breasts rubbed against his back as she closed her eyes and tried to let herself sleep, finding it difficult.
Her hand gently ran from his hair sown a shoulder blade as she clawed him softly with her nails mmming again, and giggling sleepily. She was rather content like this to tell the truth, perfectly happy to tease him to sleep. She was a restless sleeper though. Who knows where she would be found and in what position in the middle of the night.
One thing was certain though. She would defiantly be somehow tangled in or wrapped up in the sheets, twisted and stretched, like she owned the place. And though she was a vicious little monster, she was still amazingly cute in her own way, and in her sleep, she exposed this side of her self in cuddling and clinging depending on her dreams.
Rei didn't sleep that night. Even when she'd finally fallen asleep, she was pressed up against him. Even if she hadn't been teasing him, he'd still have trouble not letting himself touch her. She was going to be travelling with her and, no matter what others might think, he did not want a relationship with her. He usually went for one night trysts or, if the girl lived nearby, he might have some kind of relationship with her (and several other girls) that was a bit more long-term. But he was never serious, and they would eventually find out about the other girls. The only girls who we're safe frome him were the maids at House Acualian. Doryx had not approved.
When the sun finally deigned to gaze hopefully over the windowsill, he finally sat up, feeling quite better and full of energy, despite the night wide awake, with her pert breasts snuggled against his back. He stood up and watched her sleep, mouth slightly open, and chest rising, face scrunched up at the lost of her bedtime buddy. He quickly got dressed, quietly. Now that they were rested, he figured that the bathroom was close enough to not do them damage. And, after spending the night aware of her at his backside, he really needed to go inside of the bathroom.
She whined in her sleep and reached out at the bed after he had gotten up. She curled and twisted, grabbing onto one of the pillows and pulling it too her chest just as the sheets left her exposed. She rolled over and wiggled in her sleep, wings twitching and stretching, tangled in the silken bedspread. A wild little thing this one was, making a mess of that bed with little restraint.
Rei snuck off to the bathroom when and left her alone. The distance was well enough good but the longer it took, the tingling feeling would slowly come to them. A shiver ran up her bare spine then and she gasped softly, waking herself up and looking around as if she were lost, darting her head back and forth, dazed and confused. "Wh-wha?" she yawned, arching her back and giving a good stretch as she sat up, pillow still gently held against her chest, making her look like a child.
Wait, where was Rei?? She looked around again, heart racing in fear of that feeling again. Scrambling out of bed, she came to the edge and quickly realized she was caught in those sheets as she hit the floor with a thud, wings and legs tangled. Another whine escaped her as she wiggled her way free of those lovely sheets, rolling along the floor before she picked herself up, dazed and disoriented.
About now, Rei would have finished up and exited the bathroom, probably trying to look cool, though he would have heard the 'thud' she made. And just as he exited, she had stumbled backward and they would meet again this morning, with her backside falling gently against his front, his body catching her still topless self, wings lazy and limp, hanging down like coattails.
She meeped as she was caught and leaned against her captor, ear flickering as she looked straight up to find his face looking down at her. Her expression was tired and almost drugged as she gazed up at him from her upside-down position, cheeks flushed as her hands, hanging at her sides, clung to his pant legs. He would soon realize he had a nice view heading down her chest as she lay against him confusedly. "Why are you upside-down?" she mumbled softly.
"I'm not upside down," Rei said, looking at her nice peaks and valleys. "You are." She was still asleep, it seemed. Her cheeks were flushed, she had that dazed look in her eyes, she was holding tightly to his pan legs and... crap. He needed to go back into the bathroom now. Even when she's not doing it on purpose... "Here, how about you get dressed. I...have to use the bathroom again I, uh, have the squits. Don't open the door." Ah! He wanted to take those words back. Maybe she was too sleepy to pounce on that. Yeah, right. And maybe he liked men.
Rei helped her stand up, somewhat wobbily, on her feet, and bolted for the bathroom. After closing it, he noticed that it didn't have a lock. And it opened outwards, so that leaning against it wasn't an option. He stood over the toilet, so that he looked like he was simply urinating, closed his eyes and...let go.
Damn that girl. How was he supposed to spend so much time with her, non-stop? How could he go on?
What? Those pink eyes blinked at him from her spot and she seemed confused. "Why do I have to get dressed?" she whined. "And you have what??" she wasn't sure if he heard him correctly or not. But before she could ask him specifically, she was left by herself once more and he closed the bathroom door. Oh, so that's where he was. Such a rude child! She moaned tiredly and rubbed her eyes again, giving a nice long stretch, yawning as she tried to figure out the situation.
"What is he up too? That was way too suspicious. She frowned and grumbled. She then looked down at herself and put two and two together, squeaking loudly when she realized. "You saw me, didn't you...??" she half growled, more disappointed than angry right now, crossing her arms over her chest and blushing darker. "...And what could you have eaten to-" she stopped as it dawned on her. "You aren't....are you?" a grin crept up on her face.
She giggled and loosened up a bit, finally coming to be fully awake now. "I see how it is." She teased from the other side of the door. She had absolutely no idea of she was right or wrong, but it felt good to torment him anyway. "Well, when you're done in there, I need help getting dressed." She purred suggestively, tormenting him further. Giggling, she walked back to the bed and crawled back on it.
"~Rei...I can't get my panties off, could you help me~" she acted out in moan, wondering just how bad he was doing in there. She snickered and flopped back on the bed, rolling around and staring around the room idly. "Seriously though...hurry up in there!" she grumbled. "What are you, a woman?" she went on, ripping into him with no mercy. Maybe she needed a good disciplining herself. Or at least something to sweep her off her feet.
As he finished up, he heard. Krem's voice from the other side of the door. Damn this woman! That was it. That was enough. He wasn't going to go through this every night and day. He quickly buttoned up his pant and walked out of the door. Before she could even say anything, he was out the room door, which he didn't bother to close, and left obtusely ajar. He clammere up the steps, and sat heavenly at a table, where he orderd some of the inn's best wine (surely swill), and a hearty breakfast before taking out the map to look at.
He knew that it would begin to hurt soon. Starting with a headache, followed by tiredness, slowly descending into a painful exhaustion. Yes. He knew that. And he knew that she knew that. She was going to have to hurry. He studied his map as his food came in.
He was not a toy.
She jumped at the noise and rolled over, sitting up. "whaa!" she squeaked, watching him barrel out the door. Krem glared and then frowned, ears tipped back. Maybe she went a little too far. She cursed at herself and whined some, then she sighed and rolled out of the bed once again, knowing it was a bad idea to push him away like that. She could help it though. He was just so easy, and spoiled. It wasn't fair!
Her brain was scrambled right now and she huffed, clutching her face and rubbing and then ruffling her hair. "graaah!" she whined again, mad at herself as well as him for being so stupid. Her eyes drifted toward the floor and she exhaled, reaching down and grabbing her one-sleeved shirt and ripping it off the floor, and marching out of the room after him, leaving the rest of her gear in the pile by the bed.
Slamming the door, she tromped down the stairs, wings still limp like coattails behind her fought with her top, as she came down the hall, finally getting the damn thing on to cover her chest as she reached the staircase. Slender wings dragged behind her on each step as she came to the lobby and headed to the dining room in just that sexy low-cut top and her incredibly skimpy panties, decorated in a childlike pattern.
She stood in the doorway and looked around with her small self, spotting the manchild who ran off on her. While he was hiding behind map like it were a menu, he would her a wood scrape and a plop as she moved the chair across from him, cheeks flushed, ears tipped back, and a guilty look on her face. She was silent as he lowered the map to look at her, one arm on the chair and the other on her hip, standing there rather boldly in her attire, not caring what anyone else thought.
Finally, she pulled the chair out and took a seat, looking down at the table as if she wanted to apologize for something. But just as she opened her mouth, her tummy growled and halted the sound would have escaped her throat. Her blush darkened at this and she lowered her head, looking rather adorable again. "s-sorry..." she mumbled under her breath. "...I'm hungry..." she added randomly, peeking up at him with those soft pink eyes, contrasting her pastel faded teal skin.
"Well, go and get you something to eat," Rei said, going back to his map. "Just because you're coming with me doesn't make me your dandy man. You need to pay for yourself." He didn't mention that her lack of bottoms might make some man's morning. Just the sight of panties was an infringement of the Adult Conspiracy. She was already getting stares. Some guy might even make a move. Oh, there we go...
"Is this lady with ya?" A big, hairy bear-man had marched right up to them, and was standing pretty close to Krem. "I'll buy you some brekfast, sweetie. Its on me. 'Less your boy here has a prob?"
"Oh, no," Rei said calmly, not even looking up. "We are partners in a traveling act, but she's not my type at all. She's too... free with herself, and likes to be close friends with almost anyone. Feel free."
The man looked greasily at her, and motioned to a nearby table with a bunch of men, who were watching and hooting. "Why don't you come sit with me and my buddies. We'll treat you nice. Real nice."
She frowned again, those big pink eyes cold again. She even apologized and he had to go there. "What the hell, I came down here...and even...even...grr, for you even...you unbearable little-" she grumbled mildly quiet when she was interrupted by the larger man. She blinked and looked up at him with a quirked brow, eyes piercing into his soul.
And once more, when she opened her mouth to speak, Rei interrupted her this time, speaking FOR her now. That twisted gaze shifted back to him and he could feel it without even having to look. But instead of getting angry, she took a deep breath and exhaled calmly. Returning her gaze to the large man, she smiled ladylike and laughed softly. "Oh, no thank you. I'd just dandy right where I am." She said in a sweet tone.
"I'm sure my little friend here wouldn't like me getting too friendly with you hearty boys." She teased. She didn't think she'd draw this much attention, especially from the likes of these kind of people at a ritzy inn's diner. He must have been some lowlife who'd gotten his hands on money and was splurging. She really didn't want to deal with this right now so she used a bit of her ability to 'persuade' him away.
"So be a good little boy and join the rest of your friends and have a wonderful day!" she purred softly, she shoed him off. Being altered by this, he would find himself agreeing, apologizing and heading back to his friends. She watched him lumber back to his table and returned her gaze to Rei with a small smug expression. "Now where was I?" she asked, her smile fading a little, still disappointed he was being so rude to her still.
"Are you still mad about are first meet? Are you mad about last night? Earlier?" she questioned softly, still glaring at him with hose stabbing eyes, frowning again. "Y'know I'm trying to be nice here...!" she folded her arms over her chest and huffed irritably. "Would you rather I make it worse? Are you that sore at me??" she hissed lowly. "I can make it worse you know! We have to learn to get along or this CURSE is gunna get us killed." She pointed out.
"I can be very nice if you let me!" she rambled on. "But you gotta be nice too!" she placed blame, leaning in her chair. She sighed again and cooled off, brining herself to smile once more. She made a cute whine and looked at him pleadingly, "Wanna buy me breakfast and we can talk...?" she purred seductively, using a little bit of spirit to try and influence him possibly.
"I already tried being nice," he said in that calm, dispassionated voice, still perusing the map. "I tried being nice, and you took advantage and played with me like a toy, your little puppet. Now," he looked up at here over the top of the map. "I decided that I will not be played with. I will not be toyed with. You can waggle your derrier at me all you want, but I'm not having it. I'm going to search for a magical artifact, and you will be coming with me. You can be nice- which you most definately have not been- and we will be business partners or, you can try to play my emotional violin, and the strings will snap at your fingertips, lashing at you. I can be very cruel, and I do not want to be cruel."
Rei frowned. What was that? That smell. It was something like magic, but...more pure. He felt himself softening, thinking that maybe he could buy her breakfast. He shook his head, as if to dislodge it somehow before leaning forward suddenly, and licking her face, the part of her left cheek that met the corner of her mouth. He moved back only slightly, his face still hovering inches before hers.
"You little c-..." he had stop himself something unnoblemanly. "You were trying to spell me, weren't you? I am Rei of the Acualian House. I've had the finest magical schooling in the country, possibly even the world. And you thought you could spell me that easily? Not easily, girl. You're paying for your own breakfast. It seems you don't know how to play nice."
He sat back into his seat, only to be grabbed by his silk collar. Looking up with a scowl, he found one of the bulky ruffians glaring down at him. "What do you want?" Rei hissed.
"Rei of the Acualian House? The Rei who all my girlfriends dumped me for, after sleepin' with you? That Rei?" The man growled like he was gargling basilisk eyes.
Rei smiled darkly at him. "I doubt you would know this, probably having never stepped foot on a marble floor before now, but humans, as compared to barbarians such as you, do not fight in nice inns. How would you like to bash your empty head in outside?"
The man roared, and, fist like a falling war hammer, smashed Rei's face in. His blow was so poweful, Rei's face was warped to the other side, as if there was no bone... Rei looked back up at the man, face squashed. He smiled as his face oozed back into its original face. It was the smile a villain gave his victim before locking them in a trunk and burying it, them quite alive and councious, hammering at the lid, screaming for mercy. "Krem? You should go and get your things. We'll be leaving shortly." With that, he swung his fist back, and shot it at the man's jaw. Unfortunately for the man, Rei's fist transformed into an iron fist midway.
The man shrieked in pain as his jaw broke and his skin sizzled and burn, as if the fist was instead made of acid. And, being a Serenian, it was. He dropped to the ground, squirming and clutching ay his face and screaming. All of the more upper class customers ran outside, unused to such fights, and those on the floor above quickly ran for the stairs and watched, wide-eyed. The other ruffians rushed up from their seats, and over to their new enemy. "You know how we got the money for this place?" One of them yelled. "We killed a berserk dragon that was sick in the head and killing people! If we can slay a dragon, do you think you even stand a chance?"
"Against dolts like you? There's no way I could lose." With that, battled ensued. They rushed him, trying to bury him with their fist and feet. A couple of them even took out knives. He changed his body quickly, from iron to stone to slime to rubber to crystal to full-body flint blades, to a dragon, blowing fire at them. The innkeeper had long ago run out the door, eager to escape the massacre ruining his bar. Soon, they were all unconsious or, rather unfortunately, quite conscious, and in intens pain. All sans one. The man smiled just at darkly at Rei as Rei was leering at him.
"Those men could not have even touched the dragon without me. You see, boy, you can't touch me. Come at me, and I'm gone, somewhere else. You see, I'm a mage, too." Suddenly, his hands flashed out wards, and a ball of white lightning shot out from his palms and shot to the other side of the room, slamming Rei against the wall so hard, the building shook violently, knocking everything on the walls onto the floor, and eliciting screams from the stairway, where people were too afraid now to stay on the top floor, but couldn't even dare to cross the lobby floor for the open door on the other side, sunlight shinig through like freedom; and from outside, where spectators listened to the screams inside and watched the building shake.
Rei's head lolled, his stone body chipped as he lay slumped against the wall. Though he knew some spells, physical magic was his forte, his gift usually sufficient. He watched in. Horror as the mage crept forward, demonic grin on his face, palms held out. I'm going to die... Rei thought. But I can't... not yet. I haven't found him yet. My father...
She tilted her head, ear flickering as she watched him sniff. What was he doing? Then came the surprise as he got in her face. She blinked and before she could do a thing, she was...licked. Those cheeks flushed dark and a squeak escaped her as she jumped back, rubbing where he licked like it had done something to her. A shiver rand up her spine and she leaned back in her seat, thrown off by his animalistic sensing of magic. She was caught and looked away guiltily, ears tipped back as he scolded her.
"I play nice just fine-" she was abruptly interrupted by the other man and looked to him as he called Rei out. Before she could scold the man, Rei did it himself and got the man upset. It was getting much too loud in her for her taste, and she was being ignored. How insulting. Another surprised sound escaped her when the man planted his fist into Rei and she leaned away, looking at him in surprise when his magic kicked in. Those pink eyes blinked and she just stared at him as his face retuned to normal.
"W-what?" she replied, having not paid attention. There he was again, telling her what to do. She frowned and was about to hiss when she thought about it more clearly and quieted instead. But she made no attempt to leave and retrieve her things. She just sat there, wondering what would happen next. She hadn't expected the fight to suddenly turn around, but it was a good chance to see what he could do.
Instead, she watched on as he took down the man as well as cleaning up the man's friends. Well that wasn't very fair... She didn't seem happy at the sight of him winning, but then the last man confronted him. Her spine tingled at his presence and before she could warn him, he was plucked off and slammed across the room, making her wince in her chair and turn around. Everyone had left by now, scared off by the conflict. This wasn't the place for a fight, and she would have to yell at him for causing trouble.
Rei was now on the receiving end of the punishment for real this time, and she could only look at him helplessly as he was being beaten. Maybe she should do something? She thought he deserved it. But realized how bad it was when she suddenly felt his pain. Her body tingled and it felt like his body was telling her...everything. She trembled in her chair at this and her expression grew slightly worried. Yeah, she should probably do something.
"U-um! Y-you can't kill him!" she squeaked finally, realizing she said that aloud and blushing for it. Crap. She felt stupid now. The man looked at her and she twitched, shying up in her seat, laughing nervously. She frantically thought of what to do and leapt at the first thought that came to mind. "S-see!" she pointed back at Rei. The angry Mage quirked a brow suspiciously and looked back at Rei and staggered, suddenly nervous and looking around as if Rei had vanished.
Rei, who was sitting right there still would notice him go defensive as if looking for Rei. The mage then turned back to Krem, peeved that he had let her distract him and yelled, cutting himself off when he looked at her empty chair. She stepped back again, cursing and eyeing the room for the missing two. To Rei, she clearly ran right past him silently, making her way over to him, looking a little fatigued like she was trying to concentrate on something.
"You dolt...lets go...!" She whispered nervously, pulling his heavy butt up and dragging him outside quietly instead of upstairs to retrieve her things while the mage was trapped in her illusion. "C'mon gogogo...! "She whined, dragging Rei along and finally out the door, yanking him around the corner and attempting to run off with him. It was hard to maintain illusions and move like this. It was very taxing.
Once outside, Rei found himself blinking at the sunlight. "We have to hurry..." he mumbled, not exactly clear in the mind. The crowd outside saw them, and started up with their whispers. Some of them even walked up and asked, "What happened in there?" "Did you beat them?" "Who is going to pay for all of that?" "The law's heading over here, ya 'know. You're gonna catch it."
That last one caught Rei's attention, and he struggled to stand on his own. Then a new flurry of voices as the mage rushed outside, illusion broken, eyes livid. "We gotta go... gotta go now." His speach was slurred, his eyes glazed as he fuzzily formed his arms into wings. He crouched and leapt, wings catching the air and pushing him upwards, and he found himself in the sky as a shout was heard below. However, his flying became irregular, and he began a slow decent, unable to keep himself aloft. As he watched the growing earth, he could see the mage chasinv after him, ready to finish him off. He killed a [insert unnoblmanly word here]ing dragon, Rei thought. My shields were no match for him... I cannot take another blast. I just...can't.
Rei was mumbling about something as she dragged him off. She lost her concentration then and her spell was lifted, and the mage was very angry now. "This is all your fault, you crazy womanizer!" she grumbled under her breath as he helped him along. Rei then separated from her in an attempt to fly, failing miserably. "W-whatr you doing?" she yelped, stumbling after him with her coattail wings behind her.
Gathering up her strength, she activated her wings and they rose up from the small of her back and she floated up to him gently. "You are going to get it if we get out of this...!" She growled, pulling him along and looking at their pursuer. With another jolt of strength, those pink eyes began to glow and the entire are appeared to be engulfed in flames, the fires howling and twisting, spiraling off into the sky in-between them and the mage.
An elemental serpent had formed, the air cracking with a loud hiss as it uncoiled, rising from the fires and towering over the mage. This illusion was much more powerful than the last one. It could be heard, and felt, the heat lashing out at everyone in the area who had been entranced. She used this time to escape, fleeing across the sky and lowering between buildings to lose line of sight and continue onward to someplace safe to bring him.
She did not know this town very well though and somehow hoped he knew where she was going. "C'mon, gimme something to work with here...!" She whined as they flew through the town, whipping down the streets from the air, wanting him to recognize something or someplace to lose track of the people he enraged.
"There!" Rei pointed at a house, where a bodacious young woman was just walking outside whith a watering can.
"Rei! I haven't seen you in- come in. I can help you." The girl's face changed from joyful to business-like in a second as she saw his condition. Once inside, she patted a long table, suitable for Rei to lay on, and started reaching into cabinets and shelves for jars and packets for various herbs. She quickly poured them into a bowl and poured a larger amount of liquid from an earthenware pitcher. Mixing it, she brought it over to Rei and pored it into his mouth herself, his armes still winged, and incapable of holding it themselves. The effect was instantaneous. Rei sat up by himself and his eyes focused.
"Thank you, Rosetta," he said, gazing into her eyes. "You've saved me from death, and I'm eternally grateful." He leaned forward to give her a very passionate kiss before bringing himself to his feet.
"W-wait...were are you going?" She cried. "You can't leave yet, I'm not done with you yet!"
Rei chuckled. "No woman is ever done with me."
"No! I mean, I'm not done healing you! I have to give you a massage!"
Rei stopped at the thought. Her massages would make him feel as good as new- tthat was part of her healing magic. Plus... it was very enjoyable... he shivered, then looked at Krem. "I'm sorry... I have to do something, Rosy. I'll be back." He headed out of the door.
"That's what you said last time..." Rosy pouted. But she quickly grabbed a pouch she hadn't usedx for Rei's concoction, and handed it to Krem. "Before you leave... thank you for bringing him here. This herb will boost any natural gifts you have. Even," she giggled, "your natural endowments. I have some food here, in thatbag there- you look like you haven't eaten. It was my lunch, but..." Rosetta shrugged. "I haven't seen Rei in a long time. And you saved his life, by bringing him here." She gave Kremzzn a boobsquishing hug. "Thank you."
He finally saw something he recognized and she headed for it. In the heat of the moment, she helped the woman drag him inside and sat in a chair off in the corner while she patched him up. She frowned as she watched this woman treat him so easily and glared at the situation, wings limp at her bum again as she sat, hands on her naked legs. And then Rei kissed her! She brooded quietly for some reason, not liking it one bit, and soon, he was out the door like the idiot he was.
Those eyes glared at the door as he left, and she blinked and tuned back to the woman in surprise when she was being spoken at now. She stared at the item that was held before her and looked at it skeptically before timidly extending a hand to accept it. She stared at the woman, her expression a little cold and a brow quirking when she mentioned that it 'also' did. What was that about?? She automatically looked down at her chest and blushed, glaring a bit more now. But before she could speak, the woman continued to speak on and on, making Krem listen.
She was then promptly thanked and then embraced by the curvy woman and squirmed slightly, wigging in her arms. "Wha?? Don't thank me! She pushed the woman away, but because she was so much lighter, she pushed herself back, sliding the chair. "She then threw the item she was given across the room and looked at the woman with angry and possibly jealous eyes. "I didn't save him on purpose! Because of our situation, his death might have very well killed me! She hissed, blush on her cheeks.
"And what do I need that for? Whatr you trying to do to me?? What's wrong with my chest!?" her voice was a little shaky now and she trembled a bit as she backed against the wall in the chair. Krem seemed very edgy right now and frustrated, pink eyes looking away after she had yelled, avoiding the woman before her as she curled up in the chair like a small fairy.
Rei ran through town, back to the inn. Watching, he saw the mage pacing in front of the inn door, furious. The innkeeper was yelling at him but, with a wave, the mage let loose a small burst of energy that knocked the innkeeper back, and convincedhim to leave the mage alone. Rei transformed himself into an unnattractive, but not ugky, woman.
He walked timidly up to the inn. "What do want, woman?" The mage asked.
"S-sorry... I left some things inside..." Rei played the part well. The mage glared at him before waving him inside. Rei quickly crrossed the lobby full of demolished furniture and moaning bodies to where the map lay on the ground. Then he headed up the stairs for what he really came to get: Kremzzn's things.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
"What?" Rosette was confused. "There's nothing wrong with them! S-some people want them bigger, is all! And its magic; they wouldn't grow unless you want them too! And it helps your magic, too!" She took a step towards Kremzzn, and stopped, unsure. "And... I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings..." No wonder Rei likes me better... "I'm really sorry... I wanted to help... even if you didn't want to help him, I..." she stopped there. What was there to say?
The woman pleaded at her and she still looked away, scowling almost. Then came the part she didn't like. "What? Again?? Who cares of someone else likes em bigger, I'm me!" she snapped, looking rather stunned immediately afterward. Like someone slapped her. "W-what did you say?!" she hissed, having heard those thoughts mentally in her frustrated state. Her powers got the better of her sometimes.
"Well if he likes you better, you can have him, you sappy lovenest fool!" she roared from her tiny form, leaning forward at the woman as she yelled. "So why don't YOU go out there and help that pathetic swine!?" she pointed boldly at the door. Krem then felt that sensation again, the tingle telling her and Rei that they shouldn't linger this far apart. The weakness would set in soon, fatiguing them slowly the longer they stayed away. They had a few hours before the pains would start up again.
Krem gasped and clutched her heart, trembling and livid at this woman who flustered her so. She sank back into the chair and let out a shaky breath, immediately recognizing this feeling and hoping he wouldn't take too long. She was quiet now, a dead silence after all her yelling and those dreadful eyes finally left the woman's drifting away again to avoid her.
Rosetta stepped back cautiously. So this is what its like to have a crazy person in my house... did I really say that out loud? I understand her being angry, then... but not this! Rosetta backed herself up against a wall, and prayed for Rei to come quickly, and take this crazy woman away.
... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ...
Rei quickly climbed up the stairs, and went into their room, door still ajar. Everything that was not in a sack, he quickly put into one. And, just as quickly, he made his way down the stairs. However, there was a problem: the mage was down there, waiting.
"You know..." the mage drawled, "That mage I was fighting earlier could change his body. To that of a girl, even. And, wasn't he wearing clothes like that?" Dammit, dammit, dammit!, Rei thought. He couldn't change his clothes. He looked down innocently at his clothes.
"These are my brothers. He does better off than the rest of the family, and givese his hand-me-downs. I suppose they went to the same tailor. However, I'm not a mage, sir. I use some magical amulets and such, but don't have my own magic."
"Really?" The mage stepped closer. "So, you're just a normal girl, traveling alone in silk mens' clothes, staying at an inn?"
"N-no..." Rei blushed artfully, and looked away. "I live here. I'm staying at the end because I want to marry someone my Da doesn't want me to, and he kicked me out. But Ma's talking to him." He looked up, and the mage was right there.
"So, you're just a shop girl who lives nearby, hm? I bet you haven't been kissed by a handsome mage before?" The mage kissed her then, smashing his lips against Rei's, hands traveling up his/her waist, to the most attractive part of her body. Rei's lips trembled, afraid, before passion overtook them and they began to kiss back, passionately. That is, that's how Rei planned it to seem. In reality, he was seething, and he wanted oh so much to bite the man's lip, and tear it off in his mouth. I should have just grabbed the map, and left Kremzzn's stuff there... He moan slightly, as the mage started to get more bold with his fingers.
Just then, Rei heard the sound of horses, and boots. Quickly changing his teeth into poisonous fangs, he bit the mage, hard. Then, pushing away with a strength unusual for a woman his size, he ran toward the door.
"You bastard!" The mage yelled, face turning red with fury, and lips turning purple with venom. "I knew it was you!" Rei was out the door by then, and the mage ran out after them—
—to find himself surrounded by the authorities, mages, many of them. Rei was clutching the arm of one of them, hair mussed, shirt torn. "He's the one! His friends attacked a customer, and when the customer defended himself, this mage nearly killed him! I watched it all from the stairs!" The remaining crowd was nodding, forgetting that they've never seen the girl in their life. "When I came back the get me things, he started to..." Rei blushed, and motioned to her torn shirt (that he had torn himself).
"Alright, then," said the commander, whose shirt Rei was clutching so helplessly. "I think we've heard all we need to know. You run along now, girl."
Rei complied, to the sound of the mage howling as he was arrested. He made his way to Rosetta's house, walking in to find Rose against the wall, terrified, and Kremzzn having a fit. He stood there, bewildered a moment, before changing back to his man-self.
"Um...thank you for your hospitality, Rosey, but me and Krem have a mission, and we should go." He gave her a kiss, but that reminded himself of the mage, and he hastily broke it off. He grabbed the sack of food on the counter, knowing Rosetta wouldn't mind, and tapped Kremmzzn on the shoulder. "Are you ready to go, Krem?" He was suddenly very, very glad she hadn't been there to see him kissed and touched by a guy, let alone the mage he hated so much. He shuddered as the event played in his mind. It could have been avoided if he had only gotten the map; getting Kremzzn's things had taken too much time. Don't know why he did it: if she cared so little for her things that she wouldn't go to get it when he told her to, there was no reason for him to go and get them. But stil...
Her ears lowered as the woman continued to think at her so loudly. It was painful to have to put up with others thoughts like this. "Don't call me crazy..." she mumbled weakly in that chair. It was a painfully awkward time with that woman, who's thoughts she had to put up with.
Finally Rei returned, and she could feel it, her anxiety fading away, relieved he was approaching. And there he was, back through the door. Krem was more content now, but looked at his strange form questionably, blinking but not saying a word. He was back to normal in no time and she only glared as he went over to the woman once more.
As soon as tha hand came in to tap her, she swatted it away hatefully. "Piss off you little manskank!" she hissed lowly shrinking back in the chair. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" she growled, slipping from her seat and shoving past him and out the door, slamming it behind her. She cursed at herself and clenched her fists a moment, trying to calm down. She knew she shouldn't go far and instead, activated her wings, gliding up to the rooftop where she perched, curled up with her knees against her chest and her arms around her legs as she brooded.
Rei would still feel a strong spiritual residue on his fingers where he had tapped her. It was malicious and tormented. It was a rather disturbed sensation, filled with turmoil and despair as it slowly vanished from his fingertips like steam. With that little bit, he would be able to feel a fraction of what she had to deal with in her own mind. She in fact was crazy. Delusional and lost to be exact, unable to prevent herself from being persuaded by these delusions and suffering for it.
Rei stood a moment, bewildered, before rushing after her. He changed almost completely into a very large bird, the size of a baby roc, all but his head, and, grabbing the bags, flew up after her.
"Calm down, Krem," he said, flying alongside her. "Its okay. Calm down. Everything will be okay."
"You! Don't you start now! Don't play nice with me, you selfish creep!" she smacked him and shoved him away. "I don't need your cooing! You wanna get yourself killed, do it by yourself!" she hissed, scooting away from him frustrated and angry. "This is all your fault anyway! You came onto me, you stole my map, you opened your big mouth!" She rambled on.
"And then HER??" She referred to Rose. "What was THAT all about?! She's head over heals for you! You slobber all over her face and throw her out when you're done! And she even tries to feed me some garbage that will make my breasts larger for you! I will have no part of you! And she can drink her own damn concoctions if the wants you so desperately!" She yelled loud enough for Rose to hear quite clearly.
"Cut it off and maybe we'll talk!" she revered to the sexual rod that drove him to sleep with everything he saw. "maybe then you'll think like a normal person! Maybe then I can respect you!" she raged onward. "You think you're sooo damn special! That you can do anything, and have anything fall in your lap! That because you have money, you can throw it at people and make it all better! You shallow whore!" she ridiculed him, cutting deep and hard as she lost her self control.
She huffed and panted her voice dieing down as she reached the end of her rambling, throat scratchy and sore as she sat back down tiredly. She trembled still and curled up tight again, looking away from him, having drained her rage.
Rei sat there, listening to her raving and ranting calmly. He'd changed back, except his hands, which he left as wings. It was true. All of it. He listen, and her voiced died off, and she curled into a ball. Rei looked at the view, at the town's skyline, peaked roofs making a haphazard horizon.
"I've never been comfortable in my own skin," he said after minutes of silence. "Doryx raised me, and I've loved him for it. He was the strong pillar I supported myself on. Still is. But, he never left me dissalusioned: he's not my father. He's my father figure, yes, but not my father. My mother asked him to care for me when I was still a babe. And, being the man he is, he agreed. I don't know what kind of woman she is, but I do know that I'm a bastard. She wasn't married to my father. I imagined he was like me.
Rei looked at Kremzzn's fetal form. "I despise weak women. Why is it she could not have taken care of me? And does my father even know I exsist? He's a powerful man, my mother told Doryx that. She said that she wanted me to grow with the education I should have grown up with. But, she couldn't have found a way herself? She was weak. I know it. All the women I've wooed and left; they're weak. Even when I move on, they still adore me. They're slaves to their feelings, and enjoy being wrapped around a man's fingers.
"Why do I toss them out like trash? Because they are trash. A strong woman, I could love. Strong women are the only ones I respect. Not like my mother. So weak, she fell for a man with money, and was too feeble to ask for help, or to tighten her girdle and do it herself.
"I've been raised with the highest education money and status could buy. Yes, I spend it shamelessly, but not as lavishly as you seem to believe. Most of the money I use goes either into my physical well-being, or into the search for my father. I hope that he is a strong man. I strove to become strong, knowledgeable, quick. I want to become strong for Doryx, and strong for the man who's seed I've grown from. He better be a strong man, because I refuse to be the child of two weak people."
She was quiet and listened to his words of explanation, feeling a little bit more toward him as he identified himself. He seemed a little more human now after he went on, clearing up her thoughts of him. Those eyes looked into his as she took in his words, a little more curious about him because of his feelings toward women. His responses seemed reasonable and so she stayed quiet until he was finished, taking in all the information.
"You...are searching for your father?" She asked in a raspy tone, wincing a moment at the soreness. "...I am looking for my sister...she doesn't know she isn't an only child though..." She replied in her trembling tone with a small and nervous smile, not sure why she was responding so openly to him now. It felt kind of random, now that she thought about it.
She went silent once more then. "...still...I don't think you should do stuff like that..." She grumbled in her crackly voice, blushing when the image of him slobbering all over that Rose woman came to mind again. She tensed up at that thought and shivered again. "It is true respect must be earned, but the way you treat these women...I frown upon it. As you have little respect for them, I do for the hateful little man you make yourself out to be." She whispered honestly.
"You've no right to treat them like that after luring them in like a snake. It is true most women are weak and susceptible, but it is in our nature..." she explained softly, relaxing a bit more as those pink orbs drifted away. "It is hard being helpless and having cravings we cannot control..." she mumbled, blushing more as indirectly described herself a bit. "Is it not the man's duty to protect the woman? Is chivalry really dead?" she rambled on as she looked over at the horizon too.
"You see, I don't treat them as worthless people, although many of them are. Do you think that, after leaving them, they'd still love me if I was bad to them? Even more than I detest weak people, I detest the stupid ones. Not all of them were geniuses, but I never courted a stupid woman. Only women both weak and stupid would love a man who treated them badly. I never treated a woman badly. Well, I didn't buy you breakfast this morning," here he offered the bag of food, although he had hardly taken a bite of his own in the inn. "But then again, you were being mean." Rei smiled at her.
"Even if I thought them weak, I treated a woman like... a woman. And wouldn't I have done greater injustice if I had stayed with them, even though I didn't feel for them? And won't they get stronger, having loved, and lost? Won't they know that good things won't fall in their laps, now? That they can't take things for granted? They'll be stronger, now. Less innocent of the world.
But that's not what I'm thinking, all this time, while I'm out wooing the girls!" Rei laughed. He stood, enjoying the horizon. "I think that's my feelings, once I think about it, but maybe I'm just justifying myself. Anyways, if you'll eat that, we can head on our way, one step closer to finding my father, and your sister." He smiled down at her. It wasn't his charming smile, his wooing smile, his playboy smile. It was a genuine friend smile.
"I don't want to eat that. And I don't want to be on 'our' way." She answered in whisper, having listened to his reasoning. "That woman is only nice for you, and you alone. She wasn't trying to help me, she was trying to help me help you. Which, I don't want to do. I will not touch her 'gifts', nor will I listen to you because you're being 'nice' to me right now. " She continued in whisper with a small tired smile on her face.
"I this is where I leave. But alas, I cannot, for I am unable to because of a certain someone. I will put up with you, but I will not be reasoned with by the likes of you." She told simply, her tone cold as those pink eyes looked into his once more. She felt like a different person, and she gave off a different aura.
She stood then, grabbing the sack with her belongings from him slowly. With that, she turned her back to him in what little she wore, and walked to the edge of the roof with her wings tailing behind her. She gracefully hopped down and turned her cold gaze to the front door of the woman's house. She thought about going inside again, but declined and instead, took a seat on the porch and sifted through the bag, pulling out her things quietly.
Rei shrugged, and watch her make her way to the porch. He could wait. As long as she needed. And he was pretty tired, even though it was still morn. He lay down on the roof, which was more comfortable than one might think, and tried not to think about that hateful kiss with the mage. His nap might not be so easy with that poisonous memory sashaying boldly about his mind.
... ... ... .... ..... ..... .... ... ... ... etc.
Rose walked to the open door, where she could see Krem looking through a bag. "That stuff I gave you... it boosts your magic. And can boost your breasts, yes, but that's only if you will it too. I gave that to you because you saved the life of someone I held dear...no matter how he feels in return. It really was a thank you; trust me, I am a jealous person, and if I had thought you were his girl, I would have given you something rather bad. I would not help my competition, believe me.
"I can sense your magic: its wild, and consuming. The powder would help... stabalize it, as well as making you stronger. If you've changed your mind, I have some more... but only a little. Enough to still the flailing of your magics, but not enough to make you stronger. You've wasted most of it. And it was expensive, too! But this woman might need the strength: they were adventuring, and anything could happen. Its better for her to have it.
She tensed when that woman came outside to greet her again. Oh god, not this again. She stayed where she was, pulling out her pieces and laying them out, waiting until the woman was finished before she turned to glare at her with those cold cruel eyes. "What if I am his girl?" she asked in her hazy voice, her aura frigid and sporadic again at the woman's presence.
"I do not need to be 'stabilized'. You cannot fathom what strength I possess. And stop your loud thinking....its very irritating." She retorted in her small voice. "Do you know 'why' my magic flails? Because it was my intention. I made myself this way. To prevent more powerful psychics from hindering me." She explained, her tone lazy and bitter, showing her lack of interest in this woman.
"Do not suggest that I cannot have him." She added unkindly. "After all, we will have to be the closest of companions in our journey, which could take a 'very' long time." She purred with that raspy voice, giving the woman a smug look.
"That reminds me, I need to confirm something." She turned away from Rose and unsheathed her crystal knife. She held it up with one hand and placed its tip into the palm of her other hand. With little hesitation, she stabbed the blade through her palm, letting out a sharp gasp and trembling as she blood ran down, dripping.
Instantly, Rei would feel the same sensation Krem felt earlier when he had gotten hurt. His body would tingle and he would feel she was in pain. "You mend. You can fix it, right?" she returned that smug look to the woman, not expecting much from her, but just proving a point as she pulled the blade from her palm, wincing and shaking as it came free. She stared at the slice in her hand then, just watching it bleed.
Rosette shook her head. She tried. This woman just did not want to be treated nicely. She did doubt that Rei could become hers, if only because he seemed uninterested. Rei was the kind of man who was either interested, or not. She had no way of knowing how their past night had been, or that Rei could change his mind about women. And she had done that to herself? There were safer ways to get a little stronger; what did she need so badly, that she would sacrifice herself for her power?
She was about to turn and leave the ungrateful girl to her misery, when the girl stabbed herself in the hand! She was crazy! Absolutely, mind-boggled, raving insane! But these thoughts did not deter her as she sped inside to get the herbs. She may not be able to heal minds, but she could not stand to see anyone with a treatable wound, and not heal it!
Bunch of elipses.
Rei had just been falling asleep when a pain in his wing like it was stabbed screamed through him, so powerfully, that his arms changed back from wings and, unprepared for the pain, he shrieked and clutched at his hands. He did not even know he was rolling, so busy was he to try to stop the pain, until he felt nothing beneath him. Oh, crap...
He got his nap.
Some more ellipses
Rosette quickly came back with the creams, salves and bandages for Krems's wound. She patched her up, then closed her eyes as she poured her magic into the herbs. She heard a loud thump, but did not let the trivial sound distract her. At last, she could feel it heal, and she gave a hand massage before taking off the bandages, revealing skin quite hale and whole. She turned around and saw Rei on the ground.
"Holy Goddess of herbs!" She quickly knelt down and and checked him. No, he was fine. Some bruises, and he had been knocked unconsious, but he was fine. As unnapealing as leaving him would be, it was best if she didn't move him.
Krem sat and watched with a lazy stare as the lump of Rei hit the ground before her. She let her hand be bandaged and a smirk arose on her face. She let out a soft chuckle in amusement at his fall and then sighed. "Confirmed. Though he feels it much more than I feel his, it seems" she explained aloud to herself with rose beside her. "Good to know." She said smugly as those eyes looked over his limp form.
That gaze then shifted to Rose as she mended Krem's hand so easily. "Wow, you really are something..." she said calmly, almost sounding sarcastic. Krem flexed her hand and tested Rose's healing before putting her hand down in her lap. "I think I like him better this way." She told Rose coolly, her expression softening as she watched over him again.
"...You made her cry." She told rose calmly, referring to the softer Krem personality she had replaced. "You may attempt kindness, but she truly is sensitive." She warned, relaxing a bit as she watched the sunset, feeling a little better now.
Rei woke groggily, only moments after he fell. Gah! I feel like..the boy with wings of clay, who tried to fly up to the sun, but his wings baked and cracked, dashing him down onto the water. What was his name again? Uhn...and why am I thinking about this? With a groan, he sat up, Rosetta besides him, worried. "Bruises, right?" He asked, knowing she had checked him. He hardly noticed her nod, though, as he was busy glaring at Kremzzn, whose hand had that aura of green, healing magic, in Rosetta's dark shade. And there was the bloody knife.
This had gone on too far. Rei was unsure what happened, why Krem had changed to...this...person, but it was apperantly not something time would heal.
"Is this how you plan on finding your sister? By torturing your companion at your own sacrifice? If you are this kind of person, why would your sister wish to associate with you once you've found her? And what reason do I have to not lay here and die, taking you with me? Dying here, ending it, might be better than traveling with this changeling, this demon in a person's body. It's like someone ate your soul, and made istelf a nest in the dark cavity left behind."
She scoffed at him. "My sister doesn't even know she's not an only child." She responded. "And you won't die. You don't have it in you. You couldn't bear to give up looking for your daddy..." she rambled on. "But yes, it's mostly as you say." She confessed, her mood calm and cold and dismal. "I do not know what will happen. I don't even know if what I'm doing is right. But I will find her. By any means necessary." She replied boldly as those eyes looked at him.
"Is that how you think of me?" she asked curiously. "Ate my soul and made a nest?" she repeated. She pondered the thought a moment, eyes drifting away a moment in silence before returning to him. Her good hand came up to clutch her chest then. "Sometimes..." she whispered. "Would you like her back? Because I'm done with you." she asked, referring to the previous Kremzzn. Suddenly, her eyes drifted off and she swayed, closing them and blinking tiredly. She winced then, and looked back at Rei, quiet and submissive, ears tipped back guiltily like she'd been there watching the whole time.
Rei wanted to step forward, hold her up, and make sure she was fine. But if it was Dark Krem, that wouod be a mistake. "Krem? Kremzzn, a-are you okay?" Was this the girl who he'd fought and argued with? Or was this the icy demon who sliced through whatever was in her path, friend or foe? He would have to see. It was going to be dangerous travelling with her, either way. He was going to have to be on his toes every step of the way.
Each time he called her name, her head lowered and her ears tipped back, eyes peeking at him and looking away. "Mm....what do you want...?" she mumbled, clutching her healed hand and curling up a bit. Those eyes drifted to Rose too and she blushed, still jealous, but reminded of what Rose had said about her breasts. It truly was an awkward moment and she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide from them now.
It was so awkward in fact, that she stood hesitantly with her wingtails and backed away from them and against the door of the house, almost ashamed of herself. She just stood there, leaned against it and looking downward silently now, not sure what to do with herself.
Rei had absolutely no idea how to act in this situation. His charms weren't needed in this situation, and that was usual weapon in this situation. So, he did the nonchalant thing.
"Are you ready to go?" Sure, he was still tired, but he'd get to rest eventually. Maybe they could get a carriage. "I've been looking forward to going, if you're ready. If not, it'll build suspense, but I'm not going to cry about it." He looked up into the sky. "How do you want to go? Carriage? Flight? Foot? Its up to you." Be nonchalant. Be relaxed. Act as if nothing happened. She's back now.