Acknowledgement

[Anonymous]

Heads turned, eyes wandered, and quickly as they came, were averted. If this was a simple beast or strangely-disfigured man, then perhaps the reaction would have been different. Sadly, I can say, all that there was, was a rag-borne child, cautiously treading the streets of the city, afraid, alone.

He wore rags of what had once been middle-class attire, multi-colored, but now haggard, and in quiet disrepair. His hair, as green as emerald grass, shimmered with every step. The boy's eyes shifted from one side to the other, watching carefully every last creature in the city's street. They wouldn't hurt him, would they? Not like that one guy did...

Oh, shut it. I never hurt you, you little prick.

The boy in question, who knew his name only as 'Sai,' smacked his forehead sharply, momentarily erasing the spoken thoughts of that wretched guy. He had, it was true, merged spiritually with the man who had turned him into a freak, and a killer; every day it haunted him. Nothing was sacred, not one bit of his soul remained untainted. This guy... He was a part of him, now.

Sai glanced up, only to see no one before him. True enough, it was almost night... But the reason why was quite clear, even to this boy. His head lowered in shame, as he slunk forward, each step crashing down the truth of his fate upon his young spirit. None wanted anything to do with him; none wanted to even look at 'that poor kid.' It was saddening.

Fool. Just blast 'em all...!!! I can help--

"No." The word came as a defiant growl, high in pitch, but still noticeably deepened from the average. Sai's days of killing were over. He'd already stained his hands red beyond repair, and any more... That would damn even him. The best he could do, for now, would be to find a nice, quiet alleyway and try to get some sleep. After a fair bit of searching, past nighttime's dawn, Sai found such a place -- it was between two small buildings, littered with trash, and filled with the stench of spirits, but... There was, at least, a few scraps of abandoned paper to cover himself with.

This was all he could hope for, now. With a slight sniffle, the boy-construct wrapped himself amongst the heaped trash, hoping to keep warm, and closed his eyes, hoping -- praying -- to finally get some rest.

(( Short Post Syndrome ))

[Anonymous]

Silently, her wings pounded through the air as she soared above Serendipity village.  She wasn't one who liked being aroung so many beings, and villages meant lots of liveliness in one area.  She was growing a tad tired though from her long flight.  Her destination?  Not even she knew that.  

She glanced down upon the village as her wings continued their consistant pounding against the air.  Perhaps landing somewhere out of sight to take a breather would do me some good... she thought to herself.  She spotted a quiet alleyway.  Surely there'd be no one there.  With a slight change in direction, she headed for the alleyway.

She made a soft and silent landing.  Her wings folded tightly against her back.  Two-toed caninelike feet padded noislessly across the ground immediately upon landing.  She moved to the entrence of the alleyway and peered out into the street.  Seeing that there was no one about that seemed to have noticed her, she sunk back into the darkness of the alleyway and leaned against a building, her chest raising and falling as she took in deep breaths.  She closed her eyes and with a small sigh, she slid down the wall and sat on the ground.  She drew her legs up, and with her back against the wall, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them.

((OOC:  Forgive me for cutting this post pretty short.  Dinner just got done.  ^^;;  Also, sorry for taking so long to post in the first place.  I was a bit more busy than I had planned to be.))

[Anonymous]

(( Well~... Sorry for not replying until now. Holiday stuff, laziness, bah. I've got some  time on my hands, now, though... Sorry. ))

The sound of metal clanging against metal echoed through the open patch of plain, as a young boy, armed of sword; and an older man, deft of spear; clashed. The smaller boy seemed particularly adept at thrusting, alternating physical blows with attempts to draw in or deflect his foe's strikes. In his own right, he was an excellent warrior, natural, flowing... But he couldn't scratch this man. The two clashed their weapons together, straining to outmatch the other.

"You're tough..." The shounen spoke in a double voice, one light and one deep, all filled with malice. "... but I'm tougher. Why not go easy and let death embrace you...? Ha ha... WH-!!?" Sai was shoved back, pushed to the brink and back, as he fell, sword flying to the side. The opponent, a handsome man whose face was partially shrouded by a mask's remnants, straightened, and shifted his free hand to his side.

He spoke, "Poor wretch. You really don't understand... Very well. Then you shall die and be reborn." The swing of his hand was sightless, his speed peerless, and with that single movement thought returned to Sai's mind -- conscious, consciencous thought, the conscience he had lost to that evil part of him. The boy managed to eke out a grunt, but fell back in horror, with his previous misdeeds striking at him like blows from a dagger. Sai let loose a horrendous scream, but none could hear him but the stranger; his cries fell upon deaf, uncaring ears, and so he was left rendered helpless in the middle of these fields -- fields outside of Connlaoth, as it were -- hollering his pain out for the world to see.

"... 'Sen.' Remember that name, o 'Sai' of the Mirror Shadows," Said the stranger as he turned to leave, returning his weapon to his back. He walked a short bit forward, shifted, and murmured something, that Sai never did manage to catch. That was all the Mirrorshade could remember before he blanked out.

"Mm... Sen-sama... Who..."

Sai's weary eyes lifted up, finding before him a strange creature, almost sleeping, it seemed, or at least incapacitated. Cocking his head ever-so-slightly, the forsaken child crawled out from under his trappings, pushing aside the crinkling paper that had kept him warm through the night. This... wasn't a human? He hadn't spoken to anyone in weeks, at least. If this creature was a 'freak,' a 'mistake' like him, then wouldn't they be able to be friends?

Hah. You'll never find any 'friends,' brat. No one'll want to consort with a dirty rag boy like you!

"STOP IT!!!" The words burst from his mouth before he could cover his mouth, streaming out and disrupting the flow of time and space. The world blinked, the continuum slowed, and Sai shuddered at the magnitude of it all. He... had spoken out loud to that guy. More, he had screamed what he'd said. That wasn't usual. Was he becoming that weak, that he couldn't even keep his two hearts inside? He was weak. He was useless. He was dirt, trash, a freak. ... That guy was right: all he was, was a dirty rag boy.

Sai started back, readying his magic to climb up from the alley. Hands stretched out to his sides, the vacuum he had grown accustomed to creating struck down upon the ground sharply, splintering the cobblestones, and as quickly as it had came, burst up in the reverse, allowing the young boy to float slowly upwards. If that creature wasn't awake by now, surely it would be now. All Sai could think of was, I have to get out of here; I can't take it anymore.

(( Meh, crappy post. I hope it's okay. o.o ))

[Anonymous]

Her tall dark brown ears perked upright as they collected the sounds of the other's movement.  When he shouted, it startled her and her head came shooting up from its rested position.  She hadn't expected anyone to be there in the alleyway with her.  

She was utterly embarrassed, as well as slightly angry with herself, for not noticing that there was another.  Her honey hued eyes studied this other being.  She could sense an inner conflict in him, though she wasn't sure what of.  He looked a bit upset, from what she could tell.  She had hoped it wasn't because of her.

As the other, she had identified as a boy, began to rise, she stood up and leaned against the wall watching him.  She wondered if she had scared him away.  She didn't like that idea.  Too many have been frightened by her, but there was no need for it.  She was a kind hearted beast.  That's it...  She though.  I'm a beast.  No body likes a beast.

He rose higher and she began to feel ashamed of herself.  She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure of what, or even if this character would understand her.  Without much thought, her canine-like mouth parted, bearing pearly fangs, and a soft feminine voice sounded, Wait!

((OOC:  Not crappy at all!   :)  I'm just full of shorty short posts right now.  Wow.   :( ))

[Anonymous]

"WHOA-HOA!!" Thud. Even if he had been able to lift off for a few brief moments, the shounen's concentration dropped to below the zero mark, forcing him down to the ground with the aforementioned thud. "Ow..." Sai rubbed his head where he'd landed, brushing a growing wound. Not that that really mattered right now. He craned his neck, finding the creature behind him, mouth agape as she had spoken the word: "Wait!"

The young one pushed himself to his full height, which was nothing spectacular given the circumstances, and turned fully to meet the creature. The air around it was... gentle, sorrowful. Said could feel the pain, the suffering, that the creature felt; and he didn't even need to be a psychic to determine it. All he needed was his own experience, of being an outcast, a 'freak,' to know this creature's feelings.

A sound creaked from his mouth, but fell to awkward silence, again, and again. The words wouldn't quite come. They were just within reach, but... Gulp. This thing... no, this being... spoke like a human woman, soothing in texture, but its appearance was...

...

"I... uh... Hello...? Um..." He didn't know what to say, or do. He knew he had to be kind to this being, as a common courtesy. A few moments following his silence came more words, firmer in texture: "You... Uh... Want to talk to me? Even if I'm just a... what I am? I... don't know whatta say..."

Kill it with fire! I've got just the sp--

"Ungh...!" Falling to one knee, Sai clutched his head between the grips of his digits, streaming out the bad thoughts with whatever good things he could think of; lollypops, trees, whatever -- he just had to rid himself of that bad guy.

You can't get rid of me, remember? Hah... What a foolish brat...

Sai's eye twitched, but he rose regardless, striking back his pain, and extending an open hand to the being before him. "S... Sorry if I scared you... Bad thoughts..."

(( Short post syndrome ))

[Anonymous]

<OOC: oo; Butting into conversations isn't nice, but I'd like to get started, somehow. So uh...hello? *hands cookies*>

Syirhen was wandering in the streets to nowhere in particular. He was always shadowed with his black cloak, which seemed to cling to him--and the wing--like a loose second skin. People skittered out of his way, and regrouped behind him as if the Eyrist was a boulder thundering down the market streets. No one knew who he was; to them, he was just...just...Shadow. Not even a Someone. Just a Shadow. Of course he had to be. A longsword hung draped across his back between the black wings, and if anyone noticed closely, tiny particles of ice formed on the ground an inch below where he stood. Or floated. Whichever you chose. Stallkeepers bellowed out their wares and goods, but their voices dwindled into small murmurs as he passed by. Even amid the crowd, he was conspicuous, being the only hooded translucent winged creature.

Truly he thought, smirking. I'm some sort of black magic wandering around this place! Syilrhen whistled a tuneless tune, leisurely wandering in peace. But it was broken when a small child rammed straight into him with a small yelp. The child stared up at the glowing eyes, and before the Eyrist could snarl "Get away from here!" he had whimpered and run back the way he came. Just as well. He got no pleasure in frightening anyone for the moment.

The man turned a corner into a secluded alleyway and rested his head against the cold stone wall. His wings were yearning to fly, and the magic he'd held in for over three years were on the brink of explosion. He needed to use some of the magic in him, or he could become a blank eyed shell, a wandering 'corpse.' A hand formed into a fist, and he winced as one sharp nail cut through the skin. Syilrhen raised his hand to his mouth and licked the blood away, and wiped the moisture off his hand carelessly on his pants.

Thinking he was alone, he pulled back his hood, revealing pale strands of hair that almost glowed in the shadows. His face was delicately carved, as if a sculptor had spent years detailing it. Every silvery lash of hair was tilted at a perfect angle, his eyes just tilted and pointed at the corners to a perfection. Long pointed ears divided his cascade of silken strands. Unrealizingly, a seducers smirk had been planted on his face. But no matter. Years of getting through by cunning had melded his personality into that, and his smile with it too.

Syilrhen walked further along the alleyway, or rather, ran. He was eager to get out from the street's view. He was just bending the corner when a loud shout echoed down the stone walls. Unable to stop himself from his magnificent speed, he stumbled once, twice, righted himself, stepped foward, and ended up in plain sight of the two people, just managed to see a figure kneeling down, apologizing for something.

<OOC: And ack! The crappy post syndrome hath arrived at thee doors!>

[Anonymous]

Her outside appearance was a cool, calm mask of serenity, her icy eyes taking everything in, but letting nothing show. Inside was a different matter entirely. Why am I here? There are too many people. Somebody could decide to put a knife in my back. Some part of her mind said nobody had a reason to do that, but Samantha still looked around with feigned casualness. She stopped by various merchant stalls that were still open at this hour, pretending to look at the items for sell, but wasn’t really paying half a mind to them. At an iron smith’s stall she purchased two throwing daggers, and for the life of her didn’t know why. Yet it did make her feel strangely safer.

She saw the black clothed….figure, she couldn’t think of any other way to describe it, walk down the alley, but decided it was in her best interests not to follow. The figure looked like, to her, that he wanted to bite somebody. She didn’t want to follow, but her curiosity made her slowly wander in the direction of the alleyway, yet her slow progress prevented her from hearing the shout.

She peaked around the corner to see that, as far that her eyes could see, it was empty. That’s when Sam saw that the alley angled a little ways down. She followed it down a ways before what seemed to be a faint glow appeared before her. A slight breeze blew down the alley, too soft to be felt by most, and she realized that the glowing form was hair. Unfortunately for her, she took another step and kicked a can that proceeded to hit the wall and bounce a few time. Samantha froze where she was. Ohhhh crap. She thought.

[Anonymous]

Syirhen was contemplating what to do. As far as he knew, none of them had noticed him, not yet--though it seemed quite impossible. After all, he was almost in sight of the ragged boy. Poor boy, he thought wryly. He doesn't have much to live for does he? Shrugging, he stretched his wings, which froze for a moment. His whole body stiffened, and had it been allowed, his ears would have twitched. Tiny, almost silent steps were behind him. Stalking him? Was it a guard? After all, he was an assassin. Warily, the man's slender hands tip toed across his belt to a smaller dagger, and rested lightly across the handle. If that thing thought it was silent, it would do good to think again in the presence of an Eyrist.

Just then, like he wanted, a shattering noise. His eyes hardened, and a small but visible thin sheet of ice trickled around his feet (or the ground--remember, he floats one inch above), making some sort of intricate web.  At the same time, Syirhen pivoted on one foot, turning and brandishing the dagger, ready to lunge and thrust it deep into its beating heart.

But no, it was for nothing. Almost nothing, that is. The woman looked wary, but she didn't seem of any harm. Yet. Slowly, he straightened up and lowered the blade, but not down to the scabbard. He wasn't sure. His eyes only hardened, enough to make the ice around his feet crackle sharply twice.

"What?" He said softly, almost crooningly. It asked many questions that she wouldn't want to answer, but it was an instinctive one. Who was she? What was she doing here? Why? Did she want anything?

[Anonymous]

She watched the boy fall and small gasp filled with sympathy managed to escape her mouth.  She continued to watch him, quietly and motionless.  The boy now rubbing his head and turning to look at her.  He began to speak.  Good, good.  She could understand him.

The boy seemed as if he wasn't sure of what to say.  She was lost in a thought as he spoke, though.  Hearing what he said, but not really paying attention.  It was very rare for her to come in contact with another, at least in the past 5 years.  She wasn't sure of what to make of this encounter.  

She finally drifted out of thought and realized what he had said.  She wasn't entirely sure on how to respond.  As she opened her mouth to speak, her large ears caught another sound before her head shot in the direction of another, darker being, with glowing hair.  Now this was extremely rare, being in the company of two others.  She felt utterly uncomfortable.

Feeling uncomfortable wasn't a good thing for Nataku, in most cases.  Sometimes it'd cause her shifting abilities to take place without any control.  Unfortunately...now was one of those times.  The different shades of browns and tans coloring the fur that covered her entire body began to disappear beneath her skin, being replaced with human flesh that gave off an olive toned glow.  The caninelike face shifted into that of a woman's face. The claws formed into human hands and those doglike feet became human feet.  An unnaturally long, fluffy tail that was hidden by shaddows behind her, now moved into view as it got smaller and smaller, until it was no more.  The two tall ears that perched upright ontop of her head were gone now and were replaced with human ears.  The only thing that managed to stay the same was the wings, that stretched and folded back into place.

She stood bare footed in front of the boy, looking at the new comer, who seemed to have noted something in the persue of him.  Does this mean more?  She really wasn't too sure of what to think now, as she in fact sensed another presence.  When she noted that glowy haired figure holding a dagger, she grew nervous.  And naturally, that woman's instinct kicked in, she moved toward wretched boy, fearing for his safety.  She didn't get too close, not to make the boy feel uncomfortable, he seemed a bit shy, like herself, and she understood the feeling very well.  She positioned herself somewhere between this glowy haired fellow and the boy.  If this guy had any intentions in harming anyone, she wouldn't let it be that boy.

[Anonymous]

Quite the freak show... Kill 'em all, I say! They'd make good test subjects...

The young Mirrorshade's teeth clenched, the emotions of his second half biting into his thoughts. This was... certainly an unusual turn of events, even he had to admit. First came the doggie-girl, and now some winged guy and another girl... What was going on? He felt afraid, detached from himself. Were these people going to hurt him? Would they attack? At least with the now-changed doggie-girl, he felt some degree of comfort: She moved to protect him, as a mother would for her child even in the face of Death himself. He smiled gently, the fringes of his lips curling into a shy grin at the thought.

He didn't need to be protected, though. He was... unnatural. Any damage he would take, he could reject. Any wound he wished, he could inflict. But, it was comforting to know that someone still drew in life for his sake. Timidly, Sai said to the doggie-girl, in a whispered, heartfelt tone, "Thank you." Nevertheless, he readied the deeper parts of his soul, enrapturing the threads that wove around in the seas of his consciousness and drawing them together in his hand to form a revolving diamond-like gap in the air. This, he crushed in his fist, its celestial dusts crumbling and falling to the wind -- namely, the wind that blew beyond the doggie-girl, where it was just perfect for his purposes.

Even if his power had shed his skin, Sai retained control over most of it; that mastery, he made use of, swinging up his hand in a curving motion, like a rising uppercut, and forming his personalized protection wall. The ground trembled, and split in a minute fashion, a small space forming that would be the basis for the wide, firm wall of power. Strings of light covered the air around the front of the alley, tightening to create a woven shield of clarity that even the best of abjurors would remark at. A sort of clanging sound could be clearly heard, as two rays extended towards the buildings on either side, reflecting off and covering the walls with that same light.

"Don't worry," He said to the doggie-girl, still unsure of himself as he conducted his power; "I'll protect us both... So don't worry." The spell had bound itself primarily in his mind, and the four-walled, top-covered barrier had just begun to take shape at remarkable speeds. In just a few seconds, he had created the makings of a shield that could protect him, and his new friend. As he spoke to the girl, Sai readied the final step of the complicated magic, only to be seized at the apex by his other side...

Don't you DARE lump me in with that... freak!!

"...!!!" The spell cracked with his concentration, and the threads that he had so swiftly and accurately bound now began to unravel. Darn! With the remaining burst of strength he had gathered, Sai erected a simple fortification -- a clear wall of simple force that would reject damage -- before the alleyway's mouth and himself, and of course, the doggie-girl. His power now failed him, as he was not used to expending so much energy at once, and he dropped to his knees with a low "Darn..." He couldn't muster the power for the absolute defense again for a while... If there was going to be a fight, he would just have to make-do with the air and his vacuums. Darn...

(( I, as usual, have no idea where to go from here. o.o Your show, guys and gals. ))

[Anonymous]

"What...what?" She asked, comming around the corner fully. "What am I doing here?...Uh...Funny story that...You see, I saw you duck in here and well, my curiosity kinda got the better of me." She said with a shrug. That's when she noticed another girl moving towards a small boy, she hadn't seen them while peeking around the corner.

Just as she was about to say something, the ground started to shake. "What the hell." And then she was mesmerized by the light show that came afterwards.She was sure something wrong happened, because all of a sudden the...box made of light the small boy was making seemed to be falling apart and he dropped to one knee. "Nice light show, although short." She turned her attention back to the guy with the drawn dagger. "You can feel free to put that down now." She told him curtly, brushing past him and walking in the direction of the girl with wings and the small boy. The boy looked like he was some sort of pain, why else would he have fallen to his knees while making something? "Let me have a look at what's hurting you." She said kneeling next to him while keeping an eye on the other guy. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him." Sam said to the other girl, very conscious that she could easily have daggers or some form of the like.