Spirits of the Earth

The seas were hardly calm that night,  though it was hardly the rough weather that was to blame for the wreckage lay splayed across the rising waves. Sharp pieces of the ship's hulls protruded like a husk, while splintered remains dotted the unnerved sea.
It was night, and the sea was black, only glittered by the faint glow of twilight, just moments after the rumble of faded thunder parted the clouds.

It was on a night like this both sides of the skirmish might have been happy to have fallen pray to a moonless ocean- but at what costs? It appeared as if no one survived, especially not he ship, which, the main heart of both vessels in question had sunk deep below the ocean.

Blood had long since been washed away, but some oil that had spilled caught flame and flickered against the unhappy bobbing of the waves.  It was a lonely light, warm and fluttering helpless until it's life would eventually be burned out.  Yet, somewhere in the middle of it all, a wooden crate, a little over five feet in length, with it's lid nailed tightly shut, floated across the crest of a large wave and was gently carried away, appearing as meaningless and pathetic as the ship's remains.


OOC: Aaaaaaaaaaand... Paradox GO!
You can post now :P
and yes, I TOTALLY just posted as a random box (well, crate) in the sea.
BEHOLD MY POST ABOUT A BOX IN THE SEA! *wriggles fingers*

A lone fishing vessel approached the wreckage with caution. It's sole passenger stood out in the cold, his tattered grey cloak flapping behind him violently against the winds. The ship's occupant raised his hand to shield his eyes from the rainwater that descended upon him in relentless torrents. He felt his boat rock underneath him , pitching side to side each time a black wave crashed against the ship's hull.

Firelight had stirred his curiosity as well as his concern. Fire was rarely a good sign. The Serenian coast was plagued by all great manner of wave scourge. Nautical wars were not uncommon. Neither were ruins or corpses. However, wreckage could also be a boon to scavengers and thieves like him. The dead didn't need the things they left behind and out here, it was free to claim.Besides, was it really all that terrible to take from pirates? In the end, it didn't matter. If he could find something of value , then the stop would be worth it. Food, weapons, luxury items...sometimes he made quite beautiful discoveries. One such thing had been a full body length mirror made of solid gold and encrusted with jewels. Quite the small fortune he'd made for selling that through his usual dealers.

As the boat drew closer, the man caught a glimpse of a body-length box floating innocently along in the water seemingly untouched by whatever carnage had obliterated the ships. The man considered the possibilities. Was it a coffin for someone important? Nah. Pirates tended to cast bodies overboard. "Maybe there's a live person in there." The man joked, doubting it.  He watched for a few moments more, considering. The box was floating so whatever was in there, the contents must have been light. He looked around a little more, searching for anything else that might have been valuable. "Damn it. I'm too late, " He growled, " Well, I ain't leavin' empty handed!"

The mysterious box had drawn close enough to his vessel now. He leaned over and reached out, grasping the thing firmly with both hands, "Ha! I gotcha! Now just sit tight. " He told it and hurried away to prepare the fishing net.It took some time to get his new discovery on board, "Shit better be worth it, "He grunted as he untangled the newly acquired cargo. "Alright," He panted and bent over, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath for a few moments, " Now tah get this baby open. Hrm..." He approached the box . Then, pressing his ear against the lid, he wrapped his knuckles against the wood thrice. "Yo! Anyone in there? "He laughed, but his amusement was cut short.

"Holy -!!! Holy shit!!?" The man gasped and stumbled back. He'd heard a sound coming from within. That was the last thing he'd been expecting. So shocked he was by this revelation that the sound had not quite registered. Human? Animal? It sounded like a sigh? A whimper? "What the hell?" He collected himself, but it was difficult to keep his calm. "What the hell is in there?" He stepped toward the box again. "Hey! Talkin' box or whatever. If yah got a person in ya, it'd be great if ya would say somethin'. "

He paused, listened. No response. He sighed, "Oh man. Oh man. Alright. Screw it!" He stomped off to his cabin to find something to pry the lid off with. Fortunately , he kept some tools around for ship repair. He returned with a hammer and made short work of the nails . With nothing left to keep him from finding out what the hell was inside this mysterious talking/crying/ whatever box thingy, the man yanked the lid off and got a look.

He dropped the lid, "Shit."

Inside that box, there was a girl. 

Ooc: I fail! Oh well! You have your post now! I hope you're happy! BECAUSE I BLED FOR YOU!!! And then my brain died. D;

Eve didn't move.


Not at first...



She lay, pathetic and cradled inside a bed of pale, withering ivy.  She looked as pitiable as those decaying leaves, and perhaps as dead as them.  Her colors seemed muted, with her long locks of red hair, twisted and frayed throughout the rusted vines.  Even her body had been clothed in them, but when a wind rustled and broke away a few of the vines that draped off her face, she slowly opened her eyes.

But she couldn't see.  Her vision was bleary. Everything was so dark and confusing.  And it hurt...
SO much pain, so much agony, suffering and..

....and death.


She felt as though she might faint, the emotions so overwhelming it drained her of all of her energy as she let out a soft noise.

And her head was throbbing.

And the world...

the wind...

It swept through the leaves that blanketed her, and it was so bitter cold that she shivered and closed her eyes tighter, forcing her arms to hug around herself. But in doing so, the decaying vines broke, crumbling away from her skin, and the moment they lost contact she gasped, her eyes opening, but then closing again as the vines lost all color...

and dried up.... and died.

Shivering, her breath began to slow before she slowly faded away and lay unmoving beneath the dead ivy, seeming to be as dead as they.



OOC: Phshhhhhhhhhh.  But aren't you glad you replied? You get to play with the girl in the box!

The shock was difficult to shake off. He could hardly wrap his mind around the situation. He's seen some strange things in his life since he'd ventured out further than his homeland. Kouhei was possibly, in comparison with the rest of the world, a rather peculiar place. It was a place of humans , a place where magic was extremely rare and where mythical creatures were little more than whispered legend. No one ever believed him when he'd returned home with stories about elves and magic.

However, this was something different. He'd never seen anything like it before. He watched the vines with a cautious eye. Their movements made him nervous. Plants didn't move like that where he came from. Or maybe his eyes deceived him? Were they snakes? Man, how he hated snakes! He shook his head, chiding himself quietly. Nah. Maybe he was just seeing things. Lack of light tended to play optical illusions, right? Right? Maybe...

There were so many questions burning in his mind then. When she opened her eyes , he held his breath for a moment but then knelt down. She wouldn't be able to see much of him for darkness and his cloak concealed the majority of his features. " What are you doin' in there?"

She didn't answer him, but he noted her shivering. She brought her arms up around her body and hugged herself. In fear , in cold? Perhaps both. "Yer freezin', huh? I gotta getcha..."

She went still, "Hey!" The man cried out in alarm. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his cabin without another thought and laid her down on his bed. He tucked her in under the blanket and sheet and stood back, wondering what else he could possibly do for her.

Hundreds of questions assaulted his mind and he began to pace the room a little. Who was she? Why was she there? What was up with the plants? How long had she been in that box? Where was she from? Was she warm enough? Would she be okay? Was she sick? What was he going to do with her?

"Man, why couldn't ya be treasure or somethin'?" Sighing, the man leaned against the wall opposite to the bed and collected his thoughts again for a few moments. "Huh..maybe I should check for a fever? " He walked over to the bed, leaned over her and felt her forehead. "Kei's better with this kinda shit than me..." He grumbled.   


ooc:What the heck?! You make it sound perverted! D:<

The moment his arms wrapped around her body and she felt herself pulled from the decay, it broke the final bonds and she remained still without it.

Though it was quiet.

Everything seemed quiet.

But somehow, Eve knew she'd be ok.

Her body had been cold, so he would't find a fever when he felt for it, but the connection, feeling the gentle touch roused her and slowly, she opened her green eyes.

It was bleary at first, and she felt incredibly weak and tired, but upon seeing a man over her she slowly blinked and her vision began to come around.  It was only then she realized she didn't know him, or where she was and gasped in alarm. Drawing away, she hugged the blanket protectively around her body as she trembled in fear, pressing her back up against the wall in his room.

"Please don't hurt me," her voice begged, her eyes brewing with tears.

That's all she could remember in that moment.

The fear...
The pain...
So much suffering...

The calls had been so desperate, so agonizing..... so haunting.

THen she broke, and Eve began to sob, hugging her knees to her chest as her worn boots hung out beneath the blanket that covered her, barely keeping her warm, though it was better than the thin, white clothe dress she wore, now dirty from the dead leaves...
.. and the sea.

The man withdrew his hand, tentatively. She couldn't see the bewildered expression that now crossed his features. "Whaddyah talkin' 'bout?" He wrinkled his nose at her and his lips drew in a hard line. Those two features were the only thing she might have been able to see and the only thing she might have been able to conclude with certainty was this man was probably young. "I just saved ya from driftin' off into the ocean, lady. What's with the frightened little girl act, huh?" He sounded irritated with her. Really? What kind of thank you was THAT? Weren't girls supposed to get all doe-eyed and thank him with a kiss? Yeah.

"Sheesh. Ya know, I take a risk tah come out here lookin' for somethin' valuable and I find YOU instead! No jewels, no gold, no weapons or food. So a little thank you would be nice, ya know? " He ranted at her.

He knew he was in the wrong before she gasped and backed away from him, but it wasn't until she broke down into tears that he felt like a complete asshole. "I'm sorry. Just came out. I...er..didn't mean it. Don't cry. Please. I'm real sorry fer bein' a ass."

He spread his hands out before him, showing he was unarmed. Whether she chose to look at him or not was her choice. "I dunno whatcha been through, but I promise I won't treat ya bad like them pirates did. " Then  , under his breath he added, " hope there ain't any lurkin' 'round."

She could barely see the gentleman through her tears, or really hear what he had to say as sobs wracked her body.  And when he gestured, trying to show her that he was unarmed, she flinched suddenly, giving a cry and buried her face into her knees.

"Please, just kill me quickly," Eve begged, shivering as she was still tremendously overwhelmed by her own emotions.  Just as the vines had died away, she felt hollowed and rusted as a coming winter.  "I don't care about anything anymore."

Her request caught him off guard. He stared at her , his mouth hanging slightly ajar and his mind somewhat numb. What was a man to say to that? Did she really mean that? Or maybe she wasn't convinced that he wasn't a bad guy. He tried to imagine what she might have suffered, but he couldn't know.

He lowered his hood,  " I don't kill people. I kill fish." He said lamely. "Er...I mean I'm a fisherman. " He left out the part about being a thief, a scavenger, a smuggler. She didn't need to know that he was a criminal of sorts. She'd probably freak out more, if that was even possible.

"Ya don't mean that. S'probably just a fever talkin', " he assured her, "yer skin was so cold. Colder 'n mine, even and I'm freezin' my coc- er. Ya wait there. Ya must be hungry, huh? I got some food here somewhere. " He left her there for a moment and returned with some sun-dried fish and a bottle of liquor. " Ain't much but it's all I got til I make port. I wasn't plannin' on a guest. Go on. Help yerself. I ate earlier anyways. "   

Things were so overwhelming, but after a moment, as the man continued to speak, she curiously lifted her head from her knees and saw his face for the first time.  He wasn't a man, but a boy, about her age, maybe a little older.  She didn't recognize him, which only lowered her guard slightly, but he hadn't raised a knife to kill her off her try to harm her.

He was speaking.  Though, she wished she had listened, but there was too much for her to remember but it all began to fade away when she smelled fish.  And realized the room smelled of it, not just because of what sort of vessel it was, but because that's what he held out to her.

Liquor and Fish.
Blinking, a few remaining tears trailed down her cheeks as she brushed them away on the backs of her dirty sleeve.  She felt empty, and wasn't sure if she could eat, if that's what he proposed.  So Eve merely stared at it and said nothing.

He tried not to feel frustrated with her. She must have had it rough. He'd had it rough once. He knew he shouldn't judge her. She seemed to have a delicate personality. Girls usually did in his experience.

"I don't got no silverware or nothin' for ya to eat it with. But I picked the bones out. Salted 'em some. Ain't bad. Unless ya hate fish, but heh. I can't help ya out with that. "  He pressed the fish into her hands and set the bottle down on the desk near his bed within her reach.  "I ain't gonna shove this food down yer throat even if I think ya should eat.  I'm tellin' ya, I ain't tryin' to kill ya. I mean...would be kinda silly to pull ya outta the water and then off ya. Makes no sense, right?" He nodded. It made sense in his mind. He folded his arms over his chest, " I know yer cold still ,but I don't got nothin' else to give ya. I can't warm ya up or nothin'. I'm soaked, ya know? And ya don't look like ya would be too comfortable with that."

He waved a hand dismissively, "Yer shaken. Dunno what happened to ya , but bein' in a box ain't no picnic, I take it. I'm gonna give ya some space. You eat, rest , whatever. I got some business with navigatin' a boat and all. Don't got a crew tah do it for me. " He started out the door and paused in the doorway, "Ya gotta name, box girl? "

ooc: xD So rude. But he tries not to be! *flails* 

When he talked, this time she tried to listen, but quickly down cast her eyes at the things he had offered to her.  And still, she said nothing as she listened and stared at her feet, gently resting her cheek against her knees.  It was only beginning to be apparent to her that he had no connection to whatever happened before she was hauled on board his ship.  She wasn't one to be disrespectful, and he seemed nice enough, but she was too exhausted to move as her eye lashes lowered over her eyes.

"Thank you." She said, and after a moment she replied with her name.

"Eve." she said quietly, not lifting her gaze. "My name is Eve."

"Eve...huh. Sounds foreign," Most guys might have said something nicer and far more cliche. Leave it to a manner-less twit like Zavimaat to say something the opposite of charming. "Well, of course it is. I ain't anywhere near home. Eh. Whatever. Anyways, nice tah meetcha, Eve. I'm Zavimaat." He looked back at her over his shoulder, " Ya should stay in here. It's pretty nasty outside. I won't bother ya much. I'll come back and check on ya when I can."

He pulled his hood up over his head and left her alone in the cabin, closing the door behind him.

ooc: If you can't work with this....I AM DISAPPOINT!

Soon after Zavimaat had left her, she drifted off to slumber, to uneasy dreams, to uneasy rest; but despite the nightmares, she still slept onward, her body recovering from the terrifying events that transpired barely a day ago.

When she awoke, she was surprised and frightened to realize she could not remember where she was.  A dizzyness swept over her, and hunger too.  Though despite the food offered to her, she rose from the bed, clutching the bedsheet tight against her body and moved over towards the closed door.  Hesitating, she finally opened it and moved towards the deck of the ship.

The morning was beautiful. The ocean was calm as the sun began to rise over the horizon, melting the skies with a warm array of colors.  The breeze, though still cold from the night, caught against the sheet and ruffled it, as well as pulled upon her skirts beneath as she looked around at her new haven.  She wasn't sure how to put it, but for some reason, she felt calm. 

Part of her wondered if she was dead. Part of her wondered if she was truly alive after all that had happened. Part of her wondered if she could forget....

But the voices...

It was the first time she couldn't hear their screams and almost felt herself smile.

Peace.  How long had it had it been since her mind had been this clear?
Yes, perhaps... she was dead after all?

Night gave way to morning. The sun rose, Eve rose, even the birds rose...but not Zavimaat. Eve might have heard his loud snores, might have noticed the young man leaning over his desk with his head resting atop worn, yellowed parchment. A closer look would reveal a map of the world , its location names written in a foreign language.

It would be late morning when he woke. He lifted his head and wiped a trail of drool from his chin. After a big yawn and an arm stretch, he rose from his chair and looked around the cabin, scratching his head. He was alone. Had he been dreaming before about the girl? He had a pretty active imagination  , always dreaming about saving cute little damsels in distress and getting laid. Too bad it never happened in the waking world...

"Eh?" He noticed his bed looked tidier than usual. He NEVER made his bed except for when Aunt Kazumi nagged him about it. Women.... "Maybe it was that girl. Er..." Had she told him her name? He had to think about it for a moment. Right. Eve. That was her name.  He also noted that the food he'd offered her remained untouched and sighed.

"Where'd she go? " He left the cabin though not before snatching up the bottle of liquor on his way out.

The sun nearly blinded him and he cursed in his native tongue as he lifted his arm to shield his eyes. He'd slept in when he hadn't intended to. He stumbled around the deck, groggily until he found her. Any beauty and calm that she might have found in the day was completely lost on him. He looked at her through bleary eyes and shook his head, " Mornin'."

A long silence passed between them. Zavimaat was not a morning person, " Er...how ya doin'?" That seemed like a decent conversation starter to him.

Eve, finding herself alone for many an hour, took the time to stroll about the deck in silent wonder.  When things were dirty, she found herself tidying them up,  but found herself constantly distraction as she was ever enchanted by the endlessness of the ocean.
To her, it appeared as infinite and alien as the sky.

Though as time passed, she witnessed a formation of a group of most foreboding clouds, which made the air become tense, when it had once welcomed her with it's calming warmth.  Though it was still sunny, and the clouds seemed to remained brewing over the horizon, a cold wind began to blow, ruffling her gown.

It was at this moment that she heard a voice behind her and spun around, gasping in surprise and causing her to knock over a pile of nearby equipment.  Flinching, she stepped away from it and backed herself against the side of the boat defensively, bracing herself for him to strike.

Zav made a funny face at the girl. He'd never met anyone so anxious and timid. Those pirates must have given the poor girl hell. She was wincing like a frightened and abused animal.   "Relax. It's just me." He adjusted his tone a bit, not sounding quite as abrasive as his manner usually dictated. He didn't move closer to her, "Heh. Sorry if I scared ya. Just noticed ya wasn't in the cabin and wondered what ya were up to. " He turned away from her for a moment to look beyond to the sea. "Well, the weather looks clear. " He licked a dirty finger and held it up, testing the breeze. "Got a nice southern wind blowin'. Think it'll be good to put them sails back up. " He turned his head to look over his shoulder and grin at her. His expression might have seemed a bit more intimidating than friendly to anyone whom wasn't familiar with his type of personality, " Dunno 'bout you , but I ain't in the mood to entertain pirates. After I get some grub..."

He shrugged his shoulders and yawned again , " You musta been the one who cleaned up my mess. " He almost sounded like he was accusing her, but he shook his head and corrected his tone. "I mean, er...thanks. I guess." He went awkwardly silent for a moment, considering what to say to her next. He was still wondering what to do with her. "So uh...Eve. I was thinkin'- well, er...more like wonderin' uh...you were in a box and uh...why?"

ooc: xD He will invent a cure to idiocy one day.  I am sure of it!

She remained cowering, and even after he did not strike her, she remained timid, her lips baring a pout as she kept herself pressed against the side.  When he mentioned the winds, Eve dropped her eyes and looked down at her feet, and when he asked her more questions, her silence remained.

But thinking back to that fateful night, she began to recall the terrors, the screams, then the wooden box lid sealing shut.  Before she knew it, her vision blurred as hot tears began to stream down her face, her body trembling, her back, now braced against the side of the boat, being the only support keeping her from collapsing to the ground.

Shit. I'm makin' her cry again. What the hell did I say wrong?  Zav held up his hands, " Sorry. I was jus' - I didn't mean tah make ya upset. We don't gotta talk 'bout that if ya don't wanna, okay? I can change the subject. Er..." He tried to think of something else. " I was on my way to Serendipity to drop somethin' off. I can take ya there and you can find your family or your boyfriend or uh...whatever."

He wasn't sure where she was from but she didn't seem to want to talk about it. He wasn't going to bother her too much about that until later. If she was stubborn, he'd just have to leave her in Serendipity. He couldn't afford to play Mister Hero and escort her back to wherever the heck it was that she was from nor could he offer her to return to Kouhei with him. Outsiders weren't welcome in his country.

At that moment his stomach protested loudly ,  " Man, I'm hungry. What 'bout you? " He looked at her , frowning slightly. "I noticed ya didn't eat nothin'. Not good, ya know? No 'fense, but ya look pretty skinny. Lose any more weight an' the wind'll probably blow ya away." 

Eve only shook her head, still crying, still trembling as he asked her questions. She had no one. No family or home she would want to return to, and now she found herself completely lost and utterly helpless.  Her future felt grim, for there was nothing for her to foresee, and she continued crying until his stomach rumbled loudly, which made her choke on a sob.  Blinking, she curiously turned to him at his offer of food.

She? She was too anxious to be hungry, though she knew her body needed it because she felt light-headed and weaker than normal, but instead of giving him an answer she did not know, she merely stared at him as the winds brushed her red hair away from her face.

" Not much of a talker, huh? That's weird. Most girls like to talk a lot. Can't get 'em to shut up." He chuckled and then shrugged, "Alright, well I'm gonna eat. Yer welcome to join me. Or not. Yer not a child and I ain't yer daddy so I'll leave that choice up to you." He  left her alone on the deck and returned to his cabin to retrieve the fish he'd offered her the night before.

There was no formalities when dining with Zav. He sat on his bed and wolfed down the pair of sun dried fish in a matter of minutes. Surprisingly, he wasn't a mess when he was finished. A hungry man did not let a meal go to waste afterall. He took a swig from the liquor bottle and belched.

He considered Eve's reactions to him , wondering if his offer to leave her in Serendipity was for the best. What if she had no place to go? Maybe she'd been on ship from some other land  that was besieged by pirates. Maybe they'd killed her family? She could be all alone. That would be terrible. But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she'd just been kidnapped and she wasn't talking to him because she was afraid of him and didn't trust him. "Even if I did save her life. " He sighed and took another swallow of his drink. "Wonder what Gramps would think 'bout this? Uh...he'd probably do better 'n me. Damn it...." He hung his head , closed his eyes and tried to think. "We go to Serendipity and she'll find what she's lookin' for or someone who can help her out." He muttered to himself. "That's the right thing to do, isn't it? But where would I find someone who'd do that?  "

Eve remained alone for a time on the brow of the ship, but when the winds became too chilly for her, she brushed away her tears and curiously ventured into Zavimaat's room, where she opened the door and peeked in, watching him eat.  After a moment, she pushed the door open and stood inside, keeping her head bowed low as she quietly asked,
"Might I have something to eat or drink?" here she paused, hesitating to ask. "Perhaps some water."

She wasn't sure what she could stomach right now, but her throat was parched, and probably felt as dry as her hair did, which now hung all around her body in knots and loose curls at the end.  She looked worse for wear, needing a good bath, her clothes needing a good scrub and her hair could use a nice long, brushing.  Though her face was lightly smudged with dirt, that was the least of her worries.

Eve's intrusion gave the young man quite a start, "Shit!" He leaped off the bed and turned quickly to face her. Immediately, he felt stupid. He turned his head aside, doing his best to conceal the light flush on his face.  Had she been listening to him talk to himself? That's all I need. Her thinkin' I'm some kinda nut.

" Eve. Haha...I was jus'...ya. Course. Ya help yerself to whatever I got. I don't got water no more. Got some 'o this and er...think I got some ale down below. Um...I ate yer fish ,but I got some more. I got plenty. I'm a fisherman. Did I already tell ya that?" He didn't wait for her to answer him. " Well, lemme see what I got down below, okay? Sit tight. " He left the cabin for a few minutes and returned with four more sun-dried fish and a bottle of cheap, watered-down ale. She might appreciate a "This was supposed to be my dinner, but you need it more than I do. Take 'em. I won't take no for an answer. " He held the fish and ale out to her. 

Before she could consider rejecting his request, he was already away and gathering her food.  She felt pathetic as she waited, but kept her hands clasped before her, her head bowed down until he returned, then slowly lifted her eyes, her green eyes staring out widely from beneath a curtain of her red hair.

"Thank you," she said softly, accepting the fish and ale and took a seat on the edge of his bed as she ate it in small, cautious bites.  Though she wasn't used to ale, she wouldn't complain at the foul taste of it as it at least afforded her something to drink.  Though because she hadn't eaten in countless days, and although it was watered down, the drink went straight to her head as her cheeks burned subtly.

Once she was finished eating the fish, she lowered her head again and said again, "Thank you."
She felt awkward, not sure what to say to him, as she was used to eating and being alone- lest her father was around when he had punished her.

The memory made her eyes flutter for a moment, before the horrible memory faded away.  She didn't want to cry again, and found herself growing angry with herself when tears threatened her eyes again as she turned away from the young man who had sought to help her.
No, she couldn't burden him, despite him being unfortunate enought o find her and allow her to stay on his ship. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, it was that she didn't understand.

She should've died.  She was worthless- yet why had those men....

And before she knew it, she was crying again.  She rose to leave, but the alcohol rushed straight to her head as she let out a noise and began to fall towards the ground... her hands barely catching her as she fell but inches from Zavimaat's boots as her red hair fell into piles upon them.
She had smacked her cheek off the floor, which smarted, but out of frustration, she found herself sobbing again as her entire body shook from it.

He watched her eat and he found himself wishing that he had something better to offer her. She looked, well, terrible. Not my fault, but still. Poor girl. "Don't eat too fast. I did that once after goin' days without. All came back up. Was a fuckin' mess." He wrinkled his nose.

Zavimaat shrugged at her thanking him. He was still disappointed that she was the only thing he'd managed to find among the wreckage. He wasn't going to make any profit off of her. If anything, he'd probably end up burning a hole in his pocket getting her settled in Serendipity.  "No problem. Maybe when we make port, I'll treat ya to somethin' nice. Sound good? I " Most of them places ain't decent to take a girl an' all them nice places I couldn't afford. Meh. I'll think of somethin' later.

He noticed her look away from him and he wondered what was going through her mind. Before he could say something, she was rising to stand but just as quickly she fell. "eve!" He was at her side in an instant. He didn't even need to think about it, " Damn! Are you okay?" He noted the flush in her cheeks and felt her forehead. It was only now that he realized that he should have offered her his spare shirt to replace those wet raggedy dress she was wearing. " Yer such a dumb shit!" He was talking to himself , but forgot he had company. He was accustomed to spending weeks, months alone at sea. " Lemme help ya there. " He hooked an arm beneath her and lifted her up, slowly and as gently as he could. 

It was only then that he noticed the ale bottle lying on the floor. He nudged it with his boot and it rolled along a little too easily to contain much fluid. "D-did you just drink all of that?" He shouldn't have been surprised. For all he knew she hadn't had anything in days, maybe a week or so. But was it even possible to be affected that quickly?

He shook his head, " Oh man. I toldja to take it slow. C'mon, let's get ya over here." He helped her to sit back down on the bed. " Yer body's gotta be weak from bein' hungry and uh...dehydrafication. Donchya worry though. I'll take care of ya and get ya back in shipshape in no time. "

Eve was still a little dizzy, and when Zavimaat escorted her to the bed, she found herself leaning against him for support.  And because she didn't know better, his irrational ranting she assumed was directed towards herself, and suddenly turned her face and pressed it against his arm as she sobbed, "I'm sorry."

She was a pathetic sight indeed, and never felt anything she had ever done was worthwhile. After all, she had been treated horribly her entire life, so why was she surprised when she ended up inside that box?  Had it not meant to be her coffin?
Though, she had always feared there was a worse fate in store for her...
Had she made it to the Island.




But....


Here she was...



Some strange twist of fate, had her crying into some strangers arms.

"Please, Zavimaat, I don't want to go back."she said, shivering as she held onto him.  "When we get to a town, you can just leave me there. I don't have any money. So I can't pay you anything.  But I don't want to go back home. I'd rather be anywhere.  I don't care about anything else. "
And really, she didn't. She didn't even aspire to keep on living-
She just wanted to fade away and be forgotten...

Then maybe... she'll be at peace and figure out why she was even ever born at all.
She never asked or any of this to happen to her, and i n fact, would have preferred to remain, living in her father's basement, eating scraps of rotten meat for the rest of her life.  After all, that was all she really knew.  And even the recent turn of events, and change of fate to her own body, had been strange and foreign to her.

Most of what she was experiencing was new-
And she could barely remember it at all.. what had brought her here...
What had happened, what had begun...
but as she wept, she felt her stomach twist with anxiety, for she knew, from this day forth-

Everything would be different.
Even if this Zavimaat fellow had intended to bring her back home- she would find herself back into the same predicament as earlier..
but perhaps...

She could just run away her entire life.
And hide away from all the scars.

"Go...back? From where? I dunno where yer from." Zavimaat blinked, not quite sure how to respond to her clinging to him or to her plea. He considered embracing her, but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Didn't want to think he was going to harm her in any kind of way. At the same time, she was probably in desperate need of comfort which was not something he was experienced with. Tentatively, he placed a hand gently on the small of  her back and rubbed in a slow, circular motion. Something he recalled his aunt doing for him when he was a child. He wasn't quite sure if it worked very well but he wasn't sure what else to do.  He let her lean on him. Tears, snot, whatever...it didn't bother him much. He wasn't a priss.

Her next words cut into him, made him feel guilty as hell. He wished that they didn't. It seemed she'd come from a bad place only to end up in another bad place. "Whatever ya want. I jus' wanted tah help. Ya don't owe me nothin'. I'm glad I found ya an' uh...earlier...I was jus' hopin' ...no. Nevermind. It don't matter. S'gonna be fine. I got money if ya need it. Not a lot , but uh when I reach port, I'm gonna meet with my boss an' get paid.  " He wasn't going to tell her the truth. That underneath in the cargo hold he was ferrying stolen possessions from influential individuals.  She didn't need to know and it was likely for the best. " And ya can have some. Maybe it'll help get started. And ya can go wherever ya want. Maybe start a better life somewhere. Forget all the bad shit in the past that's buggin' ya."

As he held her, she continued to cry, but after a time...
She calmed.  Then felt numb.
Never in her life could she remember something like this, and closed her eyes, imagining the rotting smell in the dank cellar in which she had dwelled.

But what he said, this man, if it were true- than what was to become of her?  She had no place to go, no direction, no desire for stability.  Though internally, she hungered for what she had never had before and feared that if she were to move, this simple moment in her life might break.

He felt her breathing slow, didn't hear the sobs anymore of feel her small form shiver. She seemed to have calmed down for the moment which was good.  "In the meantime, I'll look out for ya. I got a cousin. She's 'bout yer age, ya know? Kei. Good kid. She'd probably be spoilin' ya rotten if she was here. Heh." His hand stopped rubbing and he stood back, looking down at her.

"Don't expect yer gonna feel too well for some time. If ya need somethin' from me , ya don't gotta be shy 'bout askin'. Probably don't got much to offer, but I'll see what I can do.  "  He gestured to the bed, "Rest as much as ya need. I uh...really don't got clothes for girls or anything but ya could borrow my spare shirt if ya want . I shoulda thought 'bout that last night but I dunno ...my head was spinnin'. Still kinda is. " He didn't seem quite as distressed as she was, " That part of our lives is over now , eh? Now we just gotta think of what to do next.  "

He moved for the door, " First course of action is tah get the hell outta here and set them sails before the weather changes. Almost forgot..." He moved away from her and snatched up a bucket from the opposite end of the room. He held it up for her to see. "This is the pot where ya take a dump or a piss. When yer done, ya gotta toss it into the sea."   

His incessant talking actually calmed her.  Where she had not much to say, or rather, not much she wanted to say, he would go on and it lulled her.  After he left, she took comfort into his bed, but grew restless after a time and began to wonder about the world around her.

Rising, she moved out of the room and gently explored the place.  Her bare feet lead her deeper below the deck where a bunch of old crates and cargo was stored.  She paused before the, her fingers lightly brushing over the fishing net before she found her toe bump against a small box.
Then she thought she heard something but when she turned around, a spider came crawling down, nimbly weaving a web against a tall structure, covered by a thick blanket.  It looked rather worn, even dusty as she approached.

Curiously, she lifted the blanket and when a metal man inside was staring back at her, she gave a scream.

ooc: What the hell is Tony Stark doing down there? o.O

ic:

Satisfied with her response, he left her alone to what he assumed would be a long and much needed rest. He'd use this time to raise the sails and get the boat on proper course. The sooner they left these pirate-infested waters, the better. He'd sweep through another day , combing for lost treasure some other time. It wouldn't be good to be caught by pirates with a girl on board. He shivered to think of what they'd do to her. After all, she was kind of a cutie even with all that muck on her. Sort of.

He'd just completed the task of releasing the sails when he heard a girly scream coming from below. Cursing , he took off running for his cabin. He retrieved a lamp and some matches from his desk , lit the lamp and vaulted down the stairs. He stumbled into the cargo hold and was but wasn't surprised to find the girl there. "What are ya doin' down here?!" He demanded, feeling just a little bit annoyed and pissed that she'd caused him alarm and that she was wandering around in an area that he didn't want her to be. It didn't occur to him that he hadn't told her that this area was off-limits down here. "And what are ya screamin' abou-" He followed her eyes and raised the lamp to illuminate a suit of armor. He looked back at her with an eyebrow elevated curiously. Was she seriously freaking out over that?

He tried to resist the urge to laugh, "Yer not afraid of this thing, are ya?" He reached out and wrapped his knuckles on the iron breastplate twice. "It's just a suit of armor." There was humor in his voice and he didn't mean to laugh at her ,but it was funny.

She was so terrified at the very sight and idea of a man made of metal that she stumbled backwards in shock, kicking open the small box she had spotted earlier.  Gasping as the lid clamored to the floor, she stepped away as her eyes traced into the narrow haul of the box.  THough as the lamp light flickered from where Zavimaat held it, eventually light had spilt over the contents inside the smaller box-
and a small leather book, looking worn and ancient, lay with- with a burned image pressed into it's binding. 

It was the image of a fruit tree.

And the very image itself burned into her memory- pulling her back to that day when there was fire, water, heat, pain....
dust, decay...
and death....


It was the same symbol from the tomb...
The tomb they had taken her to-
one she believed would be her own.


And here it was, on some unknown boat..
on some unknown waters...

Staring back at her in the dimness of the light.
And all Eve could do, was whisper,
"The Tree of Paradise..."
before she fainted to the ground.

"Careful there! This is valuable shit. The boss'll kill me if there's so much as a scratch. " Zav scolded her and bent over her, extending a hand out to her to help her up. He noticed that she had a funny look on her face and was staring at something as if she'd seen a ghost. He turned his head to look, swinging his lap around to give light to the situation. "Eh? Whaddya babblin' 'bout now? Tree ? What tree?"  He saw the book now and wrinkled his nose, "Eve, ya might wanna get yer eyes checked. That's a book. "  He chuckled, " Never understood the value of 'em either. They're just a bunch of paper 'n words. "

He turned around, " It's kinda dark here and the light must be playin' tricks on yer..." then he noticed she'd collapsed. Feinted, probably. "Damn it!" He knelt down beside her and slapped her cheeks lightly with his free hand. "Aw, c'mon! Ya gotta be kiddin' me here. Eve, Eve...geeze... stop layin' there like a dead fish. " He poked her with a finger. "Eve?"

Eve gasped, her hand suddenly gripping onto his in brief panic when she opened her eyes.  She was confused as he was for a time, but then as the memory returned, she turned fearfully from him and glanced over at the book. She clutched against her shirt, a necklace, hidden beneath the clothe, held a delicate rock, and upon it was engraved the symbol of the sun.  It was one of the matching pairs against the legend-

Though she couldn't recall any of it. She had been too fearful when she was dragged into their plot-
the plot of men she did not know.

Her eyes could not be torn away from the book as she looked at it, and suddenly she pulled away from Zavimaat and crawled over it, staring down at the leather bond book before lifting it from the box.
She felt her breath caught into her throat the moment of contact.
Then, after a time, she turned to Zavimaat and asked, "Where did you get this book?"
And fear gripped her as she backed away from him.

He had seemed pleasant enough, but now she began to dread he was part of that secret society, of those men who sought to harm her, those men who's laughter was as cold as stone.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what ya mean!" Zavimaat snapped at her defensively. He was a thief, he knew that deep down but he didn't like being accused of it, didn't like all the negative stigma that came with it.  He wasn't a bad guy. He just needed the money. His family needed the money. He always told himself that.

He didn't like the look she was giving him. She looked close to being horrified. Maybe she had put two and two together. Maybe she thought he was a no-good pirate or worse.

" I jus' -look,  I transport stuff for uh some guys. I dunno their names and I don't care to know either. They gimme a crate.  They pay me some money to not ask questions and deliver it across the sea to someone else. It's nothin' shady!  " He insisted, but wouldn't meet her eyes as he told her. " What's the big deal, anyway? Does it belong to you or somethin'? " He wasn't aware of how he'd raised his voice at her or how red his face had become. He had no reason to be angry with her, but the anger he felt was more towards himself for being ashamed of what he was doing.

He thought he'd be able to get over it when he'd started the trade, but deep down he'd always hated himself and he knew that if his grandfather were alive , that he wouldn't approve.

The words struck her, not helping to ease her anxiety as she cradled the book in her arms, eyes watering with more tears.  When the first few tears hit the leather book and began trailing down the sides of it, she got to her feet and ran away-
bolting out the door, through the unknown darkness and up the stairs.

In seconds she was on the deck of the ship, where a sudden, and most violent gush of wind nearly lifted her from the ship as she stumbled against the ledge, the book falling from her hand and landing onto the deck.  It was only then she noticed the change in the air around them, as enormous dark clouds brewed over head, and a loud, rumble of thunder announced it's arrival.

Lighting flashed, and as another loud crack of thunder roared over head, Eve shot her hands to her ears and cowered, dropping to her knees as the winds tore threw her hair and began spilling open the pages of the books.
The yellowed pages, ancient from time, began to flutter furiously as the winds continued to howl around her, until it became too much, and a page or two broke free, fluttering off into the air.


It was only then she let out another scream, and leapt upon the ancient book, sealing it shut, but to her dismay, the two other pages were sailing worlds away, tossed about int he violent airs above.

"Hey! Where the hell do ya think yer goin'!? " He snarled after her as she ran off with the book. He was being paid a small fortune for that. The money would keep his cousin out of the brothel for a few years. "Get back here, dammit! " He chased after her. She wasn't faster than he was, but she still managed to beat him to the deck.

He caught her by the arm , grasping her a bit roughly. "Look , girly. I been nice to ya cause I felt bad for ya bein' nailed up in a box 'an all , but yer walkin' on real thin ice with me right now.  Yer parents ever teach ya to not go pokin' around in a man's cargo hold, huh? How'd ya like it if I started pokin' around in your private places?! Huh!? " He fumed at her, paying absolutely no attention to the sudden and unexplained change of weather.

"I don't expect YOU to understand, but I saved your life and this is MY ship. The least you could do was respect-" He was aware of the wind now and heard the not so distant rumble of thunder. He whipped around to face her again, hearing her scream. His eyes caught the pages being violently stolen away by the wind. "No! Son of a bitch!" He ran after them , leaping forward to grasp them but the wind taunted him, carrying the pages higher, just out of his grasp. He fell onto the desk face first , his nose smacking down on the hard wood. He lay there for a moment. Still. Had he been knocked unconcious? Perhaps.

He sat up quickly and looked up, searching for the pages. "Damn...damn it." He felt his anger building up. The book was going to be worthless now. The buyers would check the pages. See  two missing. They wouldn't be happy. And all he could think about was how they probably wouldn't be interested in it anymore. "Damn it, damn it DAMN IT!" He bellowed , his rage could have rivaled the storm. He  spun on his heel to face Eve, pointing at her, shaking with so much wrath. So much frustration. "YOU!" He snarled. "You...ARGH!" He turned away from her and stomped away to throw a tantrum that one would not have expected to see coming from a man his age. He punched out at the boat's mast, "Worthless! Worthless piece of SHIT! "


ooc: Epic Mantrums abound! Wheee!

OOC: Oh those mantrums! Gotta love em lol
I just feel bad because Zav does all of the talking~
Oh well, I'd rather not post an incredible amount of fluff to get the point across that Eve isn't one to talk, so yeah.. XD

I shall TRY To post something, um, good enough in return, but brain = fail right now and also, that was an EPIC mantrum :3

IC:




Terror gripped Eve as the man went on a tirad. She feared at one point he might strike her as she cowered away, but when he didn't and rushed off after the pages, she watched him as if captured in some sort of bad dream.  But it was too late, those pages were gone for good.

When his anger returned to her, she had already bowed her head from where she remained, perched upon the ground, her legs tucked beneath her while the winds tossed the ends of her white skirt and brushed her long red hair into her face.

For now, she looked at the book, keeping her focus upon it as tears returned to her eyes.  The tree... the sun... what did it all mean? And why did she happen to find this symbol, here of all places? Could she trust this man? How much did he know? Would he even have answers for her? Would he care?  Lifting her head up, she hugged her book against her chest as a bolt of lighting dashed over head.  And her tears began to fall, along with the cold droplets of rain.

ooc: Eh. It's cool. My posts are shitty, but I know you forgive me! x3

ic:

His tantrum might have lasted longer than it did, but the storm grew weary of Zav's antics and intensified. Great waves about as tall as the angry young man slammed into the boat's hull, causing it to teeter violently. Zavimaat lost his balance and fell flat on his back. He lay there in a daze, staring up at the darkened sky and not comprehending how he could have missed this storm. He didn't have a lot of time to think about that as the wind picked up , ripping the sails from the mast and all the while the boat kept rocking more and more precariously. The last thing he'd recall seeing was an enormous black wave descending upon them right before the boat capsized and water rushed up all around him.

He knew darkness , then, nothing more....

Lighting cracked the mast in half, forcing the wood to smash into the deck between Zavimaat and Eve.  Eve panicked, but could do little about their situation as a massive wave surged over head, blackening the lighting filled sky as it sent the boat into a tumble.

And she recalled the water being cool as she began sinking, bubbles rippling around her body.  And slowly, she opened her eyes.  All around her was a suffocating blackness, a water so heavy and potent she was numb to it...

And then a great pull had her drawn upwards and tossed about a waves, as she swallowed waters and was treated as limply as a rag doll.  She felt exhausted, barely managed to think of ways how to stay afloat when something caught her eye.

It was the book, floating pathetically before her in the sea of black.

That was the last thing she saw before the waves took Eve again....



.........




.....................






.................................




As the sea calmed, the morning sun rose again.  Everything appeared as normal against the jagged, cliff like shores on the remote beach where Eve had been spewed upon.  Her cheek was pressed against the rocks, a rough and untamed branch of beach, which was the only one for miles, lest a sailor was lucky enough to find homage in a cave.  One such cave existed, with a wide, open mouth gaping behind where Eve lay still in the sand and rock. 

Her red hair lay in tangles about her body, her white dress suctioned against her form in a pathetic attempt at giving her warmth and modesty.  Though, despite the raw destruction the storm had offered, there she lay, gently breathing- though not awake...

with the book clutched fervently in her hand.

He woke up feeling cold and wet. He felt a cold wet wash over him, immersing him up to his waistline, only to recede moments later. He felt the hard, compact gritty surface beneath him and heard the familiar sounds of ebb and tide. It took his mind a moment to register that , somehow, he had made landfall. Zavimaat  pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around. He had no idea where he was or even how he'd ended up here.

Recalling the events that led up to this moment, he found himself doubting that any of it was real. It seemed too melodramatic. Like something out of some stupid storybook his grandpa used to read him as a kid. He must have had too much to drink and passed out for a long time. Yeah. That was logical, right? The storm must have hit while he'd been unconscious. He was damn lucky to be alive and he cursed his stupidity. This was proof that he needed to lay off the booze.

He rose to his feet slowly and turned to survey his new surroundings. The coast wasn't familiar to him. This didn't appear to be the Serenian coast. Oh boy. "Where the hell am I?" He muttered and raised a hand to shield his eyes as he peered up at the sky, catching a flock of gulls as the wheeled overhead, riding on the southwestern breeze.

Behind him , the sandy beach gave way to a grassy expanse , sloping up to form tall and ominous rocky precipices. Further up the slopes, he spied some trees. He could only hope this island wasn't small, or uninhabited. He turned back to face the shoreline, his eyes sweeping over the waves and searching for the remains of his boat. Little had washed up on the beach with him.

He felt for the knife he usually kept in his boot and was relieved to find that it, at least, was still there.

Some time had passed, and the gulls were crying over head when she opened her green eyes and stared out towards the expanse of rocks all around her.  Her entire body ached, and as she pushed herself off of the ground, she touched her cheek, realizing there was a deep cut that was swollen and sore. A similar injury had pierced her shoulder as she winced, her eyes prickling with tears.
But she was alive.
Somehow, she had survived the storm, and as her eyes traced across the beach, she was shocked to find the book lying right beside her.
Reaching for it, she stared at the front cover before slowly pressing her hand against it and lightly caressing the indentation of the tree.


Whatever had happened to her... would it be explained in this book? What connection did it have to that ritual?
Though when she opened to the first page, a cold wind ruffled through her hair and sent a chill up her spine. She closed the book and hugged it close to her body, even bent over to stop the wind from at least hitting the front of her.

Then, when the wind subsided, she blinked and slowly looked around.

She was alone.
There was no sign of the man she had met upon the boat, nor clue as to what had happened to his ship. Glancing back towards the ocean, she brushed her wild, red hair from her face and studied it.

The ocean- it was so vast, so wide...
It made her feel so small in this world, and at the same time, filled her with so much wander. She never had the luxury to go to the ocean, and took a moment to walk along the shores as the cool waters lapped at her bare feet.

The rocks hurt to walk on, so after a time, she peered over her shoulder to examine her surroundings.  It was then she realized she was caged in- both ends of the beach were cut off by tall expanses of rocks that jutted up into the air as they reached for the skies. Atop of the rock there were trees and inside the sharp cracks in the rocks were the bird's nests.  SHe could see a group of them fluttering above, but then her eyes went inward, and she noticed the great mouth of the cave.

It was huge, and could have probably swallowed a few of the ships they had just traveled upon.  It looked as if her only option was to either wander inside the cave, or try her luck again in the ocean. 

She made her way towards the cave, but only gave one final glance back towards the sea, just in time to hear the distant rumblings of thunder.
Another storm was on it's way.

Moving forward, she made her way into the gaping maw of the cave in slow, cautious steps.
The mouth of the cave was like a the giant maw of an animal, gaping wide and hungry.
And inside, it looked like the innards of one, with a valted ceiling and rib like recesses.
She hugged her book tighter as she moved forward, but when her foot caught against a rock and she almost tripped over it, the noise she made echoed softly into the cave, a thousand times over.

She raised her head, listening curiously to the sound in wonder, but after listening, her ears strained at another sound, and when she turned towards it, a massive, black cloud of bats came flying towards her.

Her mouth fell open as she let out a scream and the swarm was around her, frantically flying through the cave and out the expansive mouth of the cave and into the grey-darkening clouds of the second on coming storm...


As soon as the bats had gone, Eve remained, crouched against the cave floor and slowly peered out over her shoulder, looking back towards the rocky beach where she heard another crack of thunder that made her jump on her feet and back away.  Again, she hugged the book tighter and turned to look inside the cave. Shallow waters foamed in from the sea, and she followed them curiously and studied the rocks.  She hoped no more of those creatures might come back, but at least it seemed they had been harmless.
She must've startled them.

So she pressed on.

Cresting the sandy slope, Zav paused and rubbed his aching stomach. It protested quite loudly, reminding him that if it was not fed soon that it would be most displeased and that there would be dire consequences. Sighing, he took his first step off the sands and crossed over towards the verdant grass.

His muscles ached and he felt there wasn't something right with his left leg. His knee felt warm,  swollen. A sticky substance or something covered the knee and trickled down his leg, sluggishly. He had to be careful not to put his full weight on it because he could only imagine that the pain he'd feel if he did otherwise would be legendary, but he was too stubborn to let himself look like a limping weakling.

There wasn't much to see. Just grass, a scattering of trees and , of course, the rocky cliffs. The view to the other side of the island was quite clear and Zav could spy the sea in the distance beyond the grasses on the other side. "Damn. It is an island then. And there don't seem to be much to it either. No people, not much animals, few trees... " He studied one of the trees, pondering how he'd harvest and shape wood to make another boat if necessary.
"Even if I do make it offa this island, I'm a dead man. My client's gonna be pissed ." Pissed off over a stupid book, he thought and shook his head.  He leaned back for a moment, resting his back against the tree's sturdy trunk and enjoying the cool of its shadow. He closed his eyes for a moment and shivered. "Wish I had a change of clothin'." Again, his stomach protested, "Heh. An' a bite to eat."

He opened his eyes and tilted his head back, peering up through the boughs and branches, " Might be some eggs or somethin' up there. " He frowned when his eyes caught no notice of anything edible. He moved away from that tree with a snort and made his way toward another. He repeated this process until his persistent search was rewarded. Lucky tree number eleven boasted an ample bird's nest ripe with a clutch of fat white and blue speckled eggs. "Lunch time! " The young man grinned and rubbed his hands together.

Wrapping his arms around the broad , gnarled bark, he proceeded to scale up the trunk. His eyes were on the eggs and his thoughts were on how he'd eat them, how good they'd feel in his belly. Three quarters nearer to his destination he thought he heard a woman screaming. He hesitated and wondered if he hadn't been hearing things. It sounded distant, but not. If there really was another person on this island then perhaps they had a means of helping him leave? Or maybe there was trouble? He had no doubt that he was stranded in pirate territory.

He looked down the tree trunk and then back up at the waiting eggs. He should go looking for the source of the scream, but it probably wasn't a good idea to pass up on an easy meal.

Ultimately, he chose to ignore the woman for the moment and continue on his egg hunt. However, as soon as he was eye level with the nest, a great colorful bird landed atop the nest and squawked loudly at him, pecking at his reaching hand. The bird was about the size of a great horned own and it's enormous talons looked as though it could tear out Zav's throat in a matter of seconds if it wanted to.

Zavimaat pulled his bleeding hand back sharply, cursing. The bird stared at him with its large yellow eyes. Zav held his breath for a few moments, waiting to see what the creature would do next. He'd never seen a creature like this one before. He waited...waited. Nothing. Perhaps , he thought, it would leave him alone so long as he didn't try to go after the eggs again. Releasing a soft sigh of relief, the young man started his descent down the tree. His relief was to be short lived, however. The bird began sqwaking loudly and started flapping it's wings. It lifted from its nest to hover over Zav, beating its wings in his face.

"Shit!" Instinctively, Zav released his hold on the tree and fell. He landed on his side, his bed leg crunching underneath him. He cursed himself for his stupidity as the bird's shadow fell over him. Zav staggered to his feet and ran limping down the beach with the ticked off bird closing in behind him. "Oh shit! Shit ! Shit ! Shit!"

He made one final mistake of looking back while he was running. A brief , frantic glance back at the pissed off bird was all it took for him to lose awareness and he tripped over a rock and went tumbling down the grassy slope and over a rocky overhang. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" He shrieked as he fell.

ooc: Not as long as your post but it's still special. Next post ...he dies!  ;D SPLAT!

Eve hadn't made it to far into the cave when she heard a scream from outside.  She braced herself, peering over her shoulder as she realized it had come from the beach.  Not knowing what else to make of the noise, Eve curiously made her way back out of the cave and peered out into the vast, rocky beach, where she watched, in horror, as the man from earlier fell off a cliff and landed, none to pleasantly in the only patch of grasses below.

Panic set in, as she dropped her book into a puddle of water and rushed over towards his side.  He looked an awful, mangled mess as she got to her knees beside him,a nd turned him over, gasping in horror at all of the blood.
Tears began to prickle hotly at her eyes as she panicked, and recalled his name.

"Zavimaat?" her voice was so weak and fragile, it sounded as if it were about to break as she stared at him, trembling at the poor mess that was his body. She had no clue what to do for a man in his position, so she did all that she could do, as she leaned over him and began to choke on her sobs.

Was he dead?

Was the only man out here with her on this strange island, dead?

A soft groan escaped from the man's lips. He opened his eyes, hearing a voice speak his name. He recognized it, but knew it to not be very familiar. "So it wasn't a dream. " He said to himself quietly and then he sat up. He'd nearly forgotten his leg and grit his teeth, biting his tongue to prevent himself from crying out in pain. He unbent his knee and stretching the leg out straight before him.He looked down at it now, observing the dark red spot. He reached out and touched it tentatively with a finger, feeling the warm crimson wet. "Blood. Well ain't that grand? " He quipped.

His gaze rose up, shifting now to the girl who sat before him. He immediately turned his head to look away from her , an odd combination of frustration and embarrassment flushing over his face. "Ya can cut them waterworks, girly. I ain't a goner. " He was silent for a long moment, refusing to even look at her. The early anger she'd witnessed on the ship prior to its wreck radiated from him. He sighed and let go of it, his shoulders slumping inwardly and he hung his head. " Damn it. This is fuckin' crazy. Yer not hurt, are ya?" He looked up at her again.     

At the sight of the blood, his mannerisms, and the mood he was suddenly in, only helped to aid her tears from falling faster as they hotly slid down Eve's cheeks.  She had always been fragile around emotions, and now wasn't any different as she lowered her head at his question, and embarassedly shook her head.

She had a few scrapes on her, one noticeably on her cheek, but nothing compared to Zav's injured leg.  She choked on a few sobs and tried to wipe her tears away, but her eyes still remained wet and averted.

OOC: omg. so. short.

D:

Eve is so meek, hRMMMMmmmMMmph.  >:T

"You're sure? " Zav half found himself wishing that she'd been the injured one. He was likely more useful than she was at , well, anything.  If he couldn't walk , that meant that he had to rely on her. Were that the case, he figured that he- no, they were both screwed. What could this seemingly weak little girl do?

"I got no clue where we are and we don't got no ship so we're kinda stuck here for a bit. That might mean it's jus' me 'an you. Seein' as how I...got a lil banged up, I....might need some help with some stuff. Ya think ya could help me out?"

He didn't wait for her to tell him, " I was lookin' round earlier and didn't find much. Grass, uh tall rocks and sand. Some trees , I guess.  They don't seem to have anything edible in 'em except some eggs- er from birds. I wouldn't recommend tryin' to steal no eggs less ya gotta weapon. Them birds are fuckin' enormous and mean as hell. "  He shook his head and gestured towards the shore. "Might be somethin' to catch in the shallows. And , if we're lucky, we might find somethin' from the ship that could help. " He looked past her towards the cave, "Hm. Think we could take shelter in there?" 

Eve listened to him in silence, her tears fading away as she stared up at the trees at the tops of the cliff.  Then she glanced over her shoulder towards the sea.
At the mention of the cave, she flinched, but ignored it as she moved away from Zavimaat, taking a few light steps towards where the waves crashed along the rocks against the beach.  The waters looked rough, but as she noted, over by the cave, there was a pool.

She didn't say anything as she began to silently make her way over towards it and flinched only when a wave came near her, crashing into the shore as the tide was beginning to set in and it's foam misted around her, making the light ends of her hair dance.
She didn't focus much more on it, her green eyes going to the shallow pool of water around her that only went ankle deep.

It was here she noticed an array of fish, barely the size of her hand, but they were silvery and pretty. She continued to watch them with interest when a few began to swim near her.  She studied them, her shadow falling over the waters as her red hair spilled over her shoulders.
And slowly, more and more fish began to swim towards her, fluttering in tiny school at her heels.

Curiosity teased him  as he watched her move away. It  only just occurred to him how revealing her soaked clothing was. Like any young male , he appreciated the view. It was a shame that she was such a skittish thing or he might try...nah. Wasn't a good time to entertain those kind of thoughts. "Where ya goin'?" He frowned , idly wondering if she was still upset with him for having exploded at her over that stupid book. Or maybe she was going to make herself useful.

The book. He really hadn't paid much attention to what it looked like or what had been in it. Maybe it had been some kind of unholy book that was offensive to her religion? Religious people WERE kinda crazy in certain parts of the world. Or maybe it had been something that had belonged to her? He wanted to know , but he didn't ask right away. The last thing he needed was her running off in tears and leaving him here alone with a busted leg.

"Hm? What'cha lookin' at?" He pulled himself up to stand, slowly and painfully then limped over to where she was. He looked down at the fish and then at her and smirked, " The way ya stare at 'em ya would think ya ain't seen too many fish before. Or are ya thinkin' of makin' one of 'em yer supper?" 

Eve continued to stare at the little fish, dancing around her legs as she gave a gentle smile.
"They're so small," she commented softly, and what almost sounded like a laugh, but it was hard to tell. She brushed her hair aside and continued to watch them, but more and more fish teamed around her, their silver scales glittering in the waters when a crack of thunder scared her as she jumped and turned to look out at the ocean.

The skies were dark and menacing,crawling with steep clouds that prickled and threatened to toss cyclones out into the not so distant sea.  It was then Eve noticed the violence to the waves as the crashed near to them, and a new surge of waves came in and flooded the pools, taking the little, glimmering fishies away.

Eve had her hands over her ears the moment the thunder barked, and had kept them there in fear the noise might come again.
She never did like thunder and another bolt of lighting and crash of thunder had her pressing herself nearer to Zav.  Grabbing onto his arm, she squeezed it lightly.

"Can we go to the cave to get out of the storm?" she asked, trembling beside him as a cool gust of wind rushed between them.

 "Well, yeah. Those are threadfins. They don't get too big, " Zav replied, still smirking. He already had her pegged as one of those sheltered girl types. Daddy probably never her let her out much. Probably thought he could protect her from the world and no good boys like him. Thinking that didn't give him any funny ideas. He felt kind of sorry for her. Even worse still was the fact that all the sheltering in the world had not protected her from the cruel predicament she found herself in now. I guess it could be worse. I mighta never found her and then where would she be?

The thunder startled him a bit as well though he'd noticed the ominous clouds moving in from the southeast earlier. He only hoped that this storm wasn't as nasty as the last one. It was moving in pretty fast though and he felt the wind pick up. The lightening didn't seem to phase him outwardly though when Eve approached him and took his hand, asking about heading into the cave he nodded, " Don't need to ask me. I don't wanna stay out here either."

He grasped her hand back firmly. He had rough , calloused working hands. " Let's hope there ain't no unpleasant surprises in there. " He started into the mouth of the cave, pausing to peer up at the jagged stalactites that vaguely reminded him of the fangs of wild dog. On one of the stalactites there perched a small , dark creature. Most likely , a bat.  "Jus' stick wit' me 'an yer gonna be fine."   He took the first few steps into the cave, moving slowly. Despite the pain that burned through his leg, he kept on without a sound or much hesitation.
The cave was weakly illuminated by a peculiar blue-green glowing moss that clung in haphazard clusters to the walls and an occasional stalactite. Aside from the bat guano littering the earth, the cave seemed relatively empty.

As soon as they were far enough away from the entrance, Zavimaat stopped, " I need to sit." He lowered himself to the ground and didn't care enough to know whether or not the soft, mushy stuff under his ass was bat shit. "This should be interestin' ." He beckoned for her to sit with him. "Might as well make yerself comfortable and wait this out. Don't be shy. I don't bite.," He smirked up at her, "Often.  " He added just to tease. "Nah. I'm kiddin'. C'mon. "

ooc: I have kept my promise! Now, give me COOKIES!

As they neared the cave, Eve remained close to Zavimaat's side, clinging onto his arm, and when they entered it, she pressed herself even closer to him as she peered around, uncertain of their surroundings.  She wasn't sure if anymore of those winged creatures might fly out in great swarms to startle her again.

At his comment, she moved to sit beside him, glad of the company but flinched at the mention of biting, only hesitating momentarily as she studied him before taking a seat.  The ground was cool, but at least it was better than what was going on outside.
That's when a crack of lightning lit up the cave in a fluttering of light, and Eve braced herself, the sudden boom of thunder making her jump and cling closely to Zavimaat's side.

ANd her eyes never left the mouth of the cave, her heart racing as she watched the storm rile the seas.

The pain in his leg took his mind off of the storm. He took notice of Eve's anxiety, however. "Relax. We should be safe in here. Unless the tide rises and floods this cave. " It didn't occur to him that his words likely offered her no comfort and might have made her worse.  He leaned his back against a stalactite and closed his eyes.

"Eve, I uh....sorry. About yellin' at ya before. Even if I was steamed, wasn't fair. Let my anger get the better of me and now look where we are. Crashed a ship. Can't fuckin' believe it. " The man groaned.

ooc: lol so short but I have posted!

Eve made no comment, listening to the roar of winds and waves.  Then, at his apology, she felt her cheeks flush as she lowered her head ashamedly. Was it not her fault things had occurred, that fate  had been so cruel?  She almost felt as though it were, a few tears sparkling at the corners of her eyes as the rains began to pound heavily outside the cave, with a lot more intensity than moments before.

And here she was, as useless as always, trapped inside a cave with a man she hardly knew-
Cold, frightened and hungry.

It was only then she recalled the book and sat up suddenly with a gasp, just before a bright bolt of lightning cracked outside.
she pressed fearfully against Zavimaat, trembling as she peered out into the world of the storm.


The book...
Could she really just leave it out there, the only clue as to what had happened to her...?
Or, perhaps it was best to let it go...
but foolishly, she rose to her feet, staring over at the cave entrance before she suddenly began to run.

She had only made it to the mouth of the cave, her heart beating heavily within her chest as she peered around, but all she could see were layers of blanketing, grey rain that pelted the ground and soaked her to the bone.
her fingers continued to move, slipping precariously over the slick rocks and before she knew it, her foot caught hold of something and she fell...
it was only then she noticed where the book had fallen. 

Scrambling to her feet, she dashed after it, just as an ominous darkness began to raise from the ocean, as a mighty wave threatened to devour her from over her head...

Silence. Had she nothing to say? Is she really that upset over a little outburst? She was the one snoopin' around in my stuff. Not mine. Some of those dealers are not gonna be happy that I fucked up. They won't care that it was on account of some girl. They'd figured I shoulda left her to rot and got on with business. Zav remained still, tired , hungry and in excruciating pain that he'd managed to nearly mask beautifully. The trick was to not think about it too much. His grandfather had taught him that. He smiled a bit thinking back to the good old days when it would be just him and the old man sittin' on the boat fishing...

He felt Eve move away from him and figured that she had overcome her fear of the storm and wandered off to find her own personal resting place. It must have been to awkward for her to be within such close proximity of a completely strange man. "Don't wander too far." Zavimaat called after her, not bothering to open an eye to see where she was going. Perhaps he ought to have been more concerned than he was but she appeared old enough to take care of herself.

He'd open his eyes in a few minutes, he promised himself. Moments later, his consciousness slipped away.

She didn't know how to explain it...
and no one had been there to witness it, but Eve had somehow managed to champion against the wave.
And although she stared at it in despair, as the wave crashed down upon her, consuming her in it's raw powers, all she could feel was it moving past her, drifting onward to ravage the rocks and shake the very ground that she had stood...

and then when it withdrew..
nothing..
and the seas continued to rage onward, biting violently at her legs, whcih were now standing on the flooded beach.

Blinking, she didn't know what had happened, but when she looked down, she still held the book, and the creases on the leather smelled of smoldering flesh.
It was only the sudden crack of thunder that brought her back to her senses, as she tore off into the cave and found solace in the only place she could, burying her body against the sleeping chest of Zavimaat as she began to cry, the book hugged against her, nearly hidden by her hair as she sobbed and sobbed.

Feeling something press weightily against him, Zavimaat woke with a start. "What?" He gasped and , opening his eyes immediately. "What's wrong?" He asked rather loudly , his voice laden with weariness. Why couldn't the damned woman just pipe down and get some shut eye?

Outside the storm continued to rage. If Zav didn't know any better, the damned dark clouds had seemed to pursue him with a vengeance ever since he'd freed that girl from the box. Shaking his head, Zav placed a hand on the girl's shoulder as gently as he could. He had a rough manner to begin with though so he couldn't be too sure how such a delicate being would respond. "Can't get some shut eye with yer blubberin', ya know? Somethin' botherin' ya?  Yer a girl so uh...ya need to talk 'bout it or somethin'?"

A flash of lightening briefly lit up their surroundings and he caught sight of the book. "How'd ya find that? " It almost seemed ironic that out of all the things aboard his boat, only some stupid book had managed to survive. Granted, a very valuable book , but it was still a damned book. "More importantly though,I'd like ta know what makes it so special to you? " 

She didn't know how to explain it if she wanted to, and backed away at his questioning, tears glossing her green eyes.  A softer strike of lightning lit up her form, the book still desperately in her hands, knuckles whitening as she held it and shivered.  A gentle purr of thunder reminded them the storm was still raging as Eve took a few more steps away, then lowered her head gloomily.

She wasn't sure what to tell him. She wasn't sure what to say.  She had absolutely no idea what this book even meant to her, except it was something that connected her to whatever it was that happened to her in those ruins..

Why she wanted to hold onto it, she was uncertain as she felt her hands aching the more she clutched the book...
She had been so distracted with her own uncertainties, that she hadn't noticed the pale, white figures approaching..
slowly crawling, fingers moving, all eight of them, across the dank ground.
They looked like moving ghosts, haunting, and were a decent size to catch enough of the lightning's next flash to glow within the darkness.
Some crawled upon the ceiling, others across the walls and floor...
either legs moving.. crawling.. searching...

It was only when one of the pale creatures reached her leg that Eve had noticed it and gasped, kicking it away instinctively as it gave an eerie hiss.
Gasping, she moved back, staring at the figment, uncertain what it was until another flash of lightning displayed to them the horrors-

the cave was filling up with large, white spiders, no bigger than your head, creeping and crawling all around, slowly, gathering together in a small hoard as they approached the two in silence,...

Then the lightning faded away, thunder cracked, and they could be seen no more-
And that's when one dropped upon her head.
Eve gave a cry, dropping the book as she tried to brush it off of her..
and that's when they began to move in, it appeared a hundred of them were surrounding them- all crawling after Eve.

"Forget it, " Zav sighed, sounding frustrated, "it doesn't matter to me anymore anyway. Even if I did manage to get out of here, it's not like that book is worth anything anymore. My clients will be kinda pissed. Huh...well they're not gonna find me here and they don't know where I live so I guess it works out in the end.  " He shrugged his shoulders weakly, " It was just a job. I'll pick up more. Damages have set me back though. Boats ain't cheap. "

He studied her face when the lightening gave him the opportunity to see her better. " I'm not a bad guy, y'know. Just don't got much choice. Gotta do what ya gotta do in this world to make it." He went quiet when she didn't respond. He merely shrugged his shoulders again. There wasn't much else to say.

He couldn't see the ethereal creatures approaching and so when she kicked at something, he could only gasp and snarl in response. She'd kicked his bad leg. "Fuck!" He bit his lip and squeezed the painful tears from his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You kicked ME!"
"I'm sorry I asked, okay? Ya coulda just asked me to mind my own beeswax. It ain't nice to kick pe-"Another flash of light revealed something unexpected. Zavimaat's jaw would have hit the floor if it could have. "What the-what the fuck?" It went dark and his mind was numb. "What the fuck was that!?" They were large , pale , creepy things. He had no idea what to call them.

He grabbed at the earth for the nearest thing he could find. A pebble. He threw it at one of the things that was nearest to Eve as hard as he could. Probably not the smartest course of action. "Fuck off!" He snarled.

Eve gave another cry as the spiders hissed around her, agitated by the pebble, and the one that was struck, turned around and rared it's front two legs towards Zavimaat menacingly.
More began to crawl up Eve's dress and arms, at least five in all, some even spindling their way up her hair.
She gave a shout, and was quick on her feet, trying to shake them off, but two still held a vicious grip onto her.
The one;s that fell wriggled on their backs before rolling upright, and one even landed on the book, where it spat out a sticky, gooey web on it.

The other spiders, the hundred OTHERS, began to pool around them, their little legs all moving about, creeping in closer and closer.
Eve was panicking, the one in her hair already making a gooey mess of webs, the other, blended in perfectly with her shirt as it began to crawl up her stomach to where it appeared to perched between her breasts...

All the while another spider began to crawl up her leg, quickly moving under her skirts as she gave a cry of alarm and tried to brush it away.  She managed to do so, the little bug went tumbled off as Eve rushed away...

and as she moved, she was nearly tripping over the spiders, that soon ebgan to make a move for her, all except for the one spider who was makin ga nest over the book, whose eyes were now glowing an angry blood red.


OOC: LE GASP!

Creepy spider things! D:

"Hahahaha!" Zavimaat laughed liked a madman as his pebble stuck its target and caused it to hiss its fury. " That'll teach ya to pick on a girl? Ya want some more, bitch?!" His hand swept over the earth near him, searching for another improvised missile. His fingers grasped little more than earth and dust though. Damn cave didn't boast much in the way of ammunition. The strange creature pale as death swiveled around on its creepy eight legs and made to move for him.

Zav couldn't run even if he wanted to. He tried scooting away as the creature turned its attention on him. It spat something at him and he couldn't lift his hands in time to shield his eyes. Something thick and sticky hit him square in the eyes and he cried out in alarm, furious and blind. "FUCKERS! I'LL GET THIS SHIT OFFA ME AND WHOOP YOUR ASSES!" He roared. He felt one land on his shoulder and he punched out at it, scoring a powerful hit and knocking it off before its fangs could dig into his flesh.

"Eve! Eve get outta -" Another spider spat it's goo at the man's mouth, silencing him.

The pale, eight-leggers were unrelenting.  Now that a few had been agitated by Zavimaat, they paid him some attention, aiming to silence their foe by means of a sticky web. And they had him surrounding, spurting the white goo all over him, hoping to bind him to the ground while the rest of their one hundred continued to move after Eve.

It was hopeless for either to fight against the beasts. They were drawn to the very real power nestled inside of Eve, and wanted a piece of it, to suck it away until Eve would be dry as a bone...
Before she knew it, the sea of legged creatures was upon her- her scream echoing through the cave as they began their work, spewing white- web like substances upon her, quickly spinning with their legs.

White around her toes, loops around her legs, binding quickly around her torso, and around and around it goes...

Soon there was almost nothing left of her, Zav for her eyes, that looked wide and pleadingly towards Zavimaat, before even they were covered in goo. Then she remained, struggling weakly against the sticky confines until one crawled upon her, struck her once with it's powerful teeth, and Eve's 'mummified' body grew still and lay on the dark, cave floor.


It would have seemed the spiders attacking Zavimaat had paused in their actions once his limbs would be temporarily sealed to the ground, and turned around, hissing excitedly to see their victim was captured, and were quick to make their way towards the others as they began to drag the white-wrapped Eve away.

Strings of webbing wrapped around his wrists tightly and the creatures that had produced them were strong, nearly able to force his limbs and secure them fast to the earth. Fortunately, these spiders didn't possess super strength that left him powerless to struggle against them. Zavimaat fought back despite his ebbing strength, yanking sharply on the web that bound his wrist and causing both spiders on either side of him to lose traction and go flying, only to collide with each other. Zav pulled the webbing off his wrists and then removed the one from his mouth and gasped for breath as the two spiders that had been attempting to bind him slipped to the earth , one atop the other, unconscious.

The webbing that clung to his eyes burned and he wondered if he hadn't been struck with acid instead. He started clawing at them and in his distraction he was overcome by his eight-legged opponents. The bound him up so tightly that he was pinned to the earth, hardly able to move. He struggled as hard as he could, wriggling like a trapped worm and thrashing his head from side to side , making a lot of "Mmmmrph!" sounds.

It took him several minutes of relentless struggling to wriggle free. He wiped the webbing from his face and sat there in a dark. He didn't need the illuminating flash of the storm's lightening to reveal that he was alone. He held his breath for a moment, wondering if he wasn't having a nightmare. "Eve?" He called out to the darkness. He'd been blinded before, heard her screams but hadn't seen a thing and didn't know what had become of her. "Eve!?" He called out louder, his tone sounding a bit more desparate.

There was no answer. She was gone. He was sure of it. But where ? He looked around and could hardly see a thing. Little more than the vague images of rock , stalactie and shadow. If he wanted to find her, then he'd need to move. He started pulling the rest of himself free from the webbing that clung to his body and once he was free he tried to stand. His leg immediately gave out beneath him.

He cried out in anguish and lay there on the ground for a moment, quietly sobbing. The pain was so immense that he felt as though it would have been better to simply tear the thing off and cast it away. He forced himself to stand though and not without releasing a string of curse words. He limped over to one of the walls and leaned on it. "Where did they go?" He mumbled to himself. Glancing back over his shoulder, he could see the storm was still raging outside. "Hrm. Guess I'll go further in. I gotta bad feelin' 'bout this."

He limped forward, each halting step taking him one step closer to be wholly consumed by the shadows.

Deep, within the darkest crevices of the cage, the white-leggers were moving fast.  The only noise they made was their scurrying, and the gentle squeaking of more threads of their fabric.  They appeared as one, big pulsating mass, moving over their target as they plastered Eve against a wall.  Here, in the farthest reaches of the cave, light barely reached - except for a few scraps of the glowing algae that illuminated the walls.

There were sticky globs of web everywhere, strung high and woven into an infinite tapestry above the wall, where there, high, high up above, lay a million-eyed, white-legger; breathing lightly as it slept.  Down below, it seemed not to notice the feast of power, held captive beneath it's children's web, but there remained Eve, bond and unmoving against the wall.

Once their work was completed, they waited hungrily for the right moment...
but it wasn't until a breeze, a soft wind prickled open the book, freeing it from it's pages as it fluttered open, falling to a single page...
and another breeze went by, and the cold winds sent a shiver through the spiders, forcing them to toddle off and burrow into the walls and hide among the threading of webs... momentarily abandoning their prey.

The deeper he went, the weirder things were to his perceptions. He hadn't made it a habit to explore a lot of caves even when he was a kid. Grandpa had told him stories of monsters that lurked in the deepest, darkest reaches of the world. Creatures that were so vicious and evil that their malevolence could bring the bravest souls to their knees. They were only stories, of course, but it was enough to convince the boy not to go poking around in some random dark cave. Just to be safe. He didn't want to risk getting eaten by a monster, after all.

Now he was doing something his grandfather had warned him against and it seemed that the monsters were real. Well, sort of. Oversized spiders were kind of monstrous.

He paused for a moment and looked down. The toe of his boot had bumped against something. He leaned forward to pick it up without bending his bad knee. He held the book in his hands now and scowled. He had a mind to throw the stupid thing away but he held on to it anyway. It seemed to be important enough to the girl at least.

He could hardly see and if it weren't for the small patches of glowing moss along the walls, he wouldn't have had any clue which direction he was moving in. He could just make out the walls and the floor less than a foot before him, and noticed how they changed from rock to webbing. It wasn't long after that her heard the odd hissing and skittering sounds all round him. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of angry chattering voices speaking in unison. Perhaps Eve was here too. Was she alright? Spiders didn't eat people, did they? Well, they DID wrap their food up.

"Gods..." Fear bubbled in his stomach as he considered the possiblity that she might be...

He reached the end of the cave and saw a body-sized mass held fast in a wall of webbing. There were spiders everywhere. Zavimaat had never seen anything like it before. His initial instincts told him to run over to the body and free it from the webbing but even as he moved forward to do so, his movement caused quite and uproar among his eight-legged spectators. They didn't want him here and he wasn't sure what he could do if they moved against him.

Doesn't matter. I gotta do something. We're both dead no matter what. With these thoughts in mind, he dared to take another step forward.

The spiders only hissed, barely sticking their white whiskers out from the grounds or webbings where they remained hidden, though when Zavimaat stepped forward, another chilling wind swept through, and the white-leggers suddenly vanished, becoming quietly disposed within their homes.
It was here the book began to pulsate, gently at first, but the sound it made was evident- like a soft beacon.  Though the noise was barely audible, it caused enough of an awareness to keep the spider things at bay.

And as the book pulsated, a few things began to crack from inside the webbing, tiny, little plants, gently ebbing their way outward as the inside of Eve's cocoon began to bulge.

"Shit!" Zavimaat gasped and dropped the pulsating book immediately. "What gives? Books don't...there's no such...how is it....?" He was at a complete loss for what was going on. He stepped around the book cautiously, wondering what power possessed it. Was this magic? He knew no other word to explain what normal logic couldn't give reason to. He shook his head and looked around, taking note of how the spiders retreated into the recesses of the cavern walls. Did they fear the book? And if so, what did that mean? What was the nature of this mysterious tome?

The questions would have to wait because none of them could be answered with the only link , the only connection trapped and about to be devoured. "That's weird though, "Zav muttered allowed as he crossed the room, limping, " why would they go through all that trouble to bring her here? Spiders don't usually hunt in groups."  Halfway across the room, he felt something hot and sticky drop, splattering in his hair. "Ugh..." He felt his hair . "Sick. It's like snot..." He kept moving forward though, only pausing when he reached the cocoon.

He dug his nails into the webbing and started where he assumed a face should have been and started pulling the webbing free.

As the webbing broke, her red hair became visible, then her face as she fell forward, her neck and shoulders free, but the rest of her was still trapped within the cocoon as her hair spilled forward, which was unique in itself since vines were now entwined around her hair with tiny, white blossoms at their ends.

Eve, however, appeared to be unresponsive as she lay there, eyes closed as if asleep.

It was then another sticky, hot blob fell from the ceiling and onto Zavimaat's head, and made a much angrier hissing noise than that of the smaller spiders-things, who then, put out their whiskers and tapped their front two legs in response, all hissing angrily, agitatedly as Zavimaat continued to rip at their cocoon.

However, the book turned dormant the moment Zav would have laid eyes upon Eve's face, but still, the white-leggers were cautious as they watched, waiting...
as did their mother up above.

Frowning, he passed a hand over her nose. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a light breeze caress his palm. " Hang on, I'll get ya loose in a minute." He ignored the vines in her hair, the still book, and went to work on removing the rest of the webbing. He had half her body free when he became aware of the dead silence.

Zav couldn't put a finger on it, but he didn't like the quiet. Not one damn bit. He paused and turned around, eyes scanning the room for signs of trouble. Then, he dared to look up and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. He was paralyzed for a moment as he gawked at the enormous arachnid perched above them. "Fuuuuuuuck..." He gasped at the sheer enormity of the thing. Now THIS was a monster!

"Oh shit...oh shit..." He tried not to panic. How long had it been sitting there!? "They must've been planning to feed Eve to THAT." He backed up slowly, never taking his eyes off of it. It would have been so easy for it to drop down on him and kill him with a single bite.  Was it sleeping? He made the mistake of looking it directly in the eyes for a brief moment before he quickly turned his back  and started frantically ripping away the remainders of the cocoon. Eve toppled out into his arms and he slapped her face with a hand, none-too-gently. "Wake up! C'mon... " He paused to look back to where the gargantuan arachnid was....

Eve fell into his arms, her long hair and fresh vines falling with her into Zavimaat's arms.  She had no concept of the danger they were placed within, as she still remained dead to the world.
However, the hardy slap brought her to her senses as she made a noise and opened her bleary eyes, though the paralysis poisons on her had her body numbed, though not entirely as she leaned into him, her legs feeling like jello.

It was then the massive white legger over head blinked all sets of it's it's and began to move, turning once from where it perched above them, it's massive form studying them as it's white whiskers flailed.  It then made a noise, a terribly noise that shook the cave.
A moment later, the smaller minions picked up on it too, whiskers out and flaring.

Eve took a moment to follow the sound, and at the sight of the giant arachnid, she let out a noise, gripping onto Zavimaat in a panic as her legs began to tingle back with sensation.

"Zavimaat, above us," she whispered, cowering against him as if ready for that massive being to drop.

"I know...." Zav whispered back , his inflection resonating with urgency. He wasn't sure how to proceed now. The monstrous spider was clearly awake but if it was aware then why wasn't it moving. "I'm just gonna try backin' out nice and slow..." He started to walk backwards , but cautiously, never letting his eyes leave the great predator.

"Why isn't it attacking? Not that I want it to, but I think it's pissed off at me. "

As they continued to back away, Eve braced herself against Zav, cowering due to the great fear of the massive white-legger hanging above.  It's breathing was growing more heavy, and the whiskers from the smaller ones seemed to tickle the air as Eve nervously itched at her skin.
As they moved away, the vines remained growing across Eve's body, and eventually- when she stopped, she let out a noise.
She looked down to notice the book.
That's when it began to pulsate again, and the massive being over head let out a hiss and scurried into a corner, but appeared braced, as if ready to jump.  Eve remained pressed against Zavimaat, but moved quickly to pick up the book as she hugged it to her chest, not knowing that as they stood there, the vines from her body began to wrap around Zavimaat's leg, crawling around them and suckling lightly against his skin where the flesh was hurt.

"Oh shit! It's comin' down!" And without even thinking, Zavimaat shoved Eve to the opposite side of the cave,  back in the direction of where they'd come. His timing couldn't have been better. A few hearbeats following , the arachnid released an ear-piercing shirek and descended. Zav had to cover his ears, shielding them from a sound that could have made him deaf. The high-pitched noise died after a minute and then the beast dropped from it's perch above.

The earth quaked and the intensity of shaking caused Zav to lose his balance and brought him painfully to his knees. The creature reared itself up on it's hind-most legs , towering high above him. It released another ear-shattering shriek and it's fangs gnashed together furiously. Zavimaat was fought to scramble quickly to his feet but the monster leapt forth and landed atop him , crushing the man beneath it.

Now it was Zavimaat's turn to scream.

As Eve was pushed away she let out a cry, falling to her side as she caught herself against the book.  The vines, which had once been latched onto Zavimaat's leg, broke away and hung limply at his side.  Eve only remained, stunned upon the floor as the massive creature fell from the ceiling above and shook the very ground.

Then it reared up, as if ready to attack and Eve froze again at the sound of Zavimaat's screaming.
That's when the book flared again, the pulsating growing louder, angrier and appeared as if it were to rock the cave.  Eve, stunned, would have fallen over had she not already been on the ground.
It seemed the pulsating noise emanating from the book angered the massive- white legger as it reared back, then up into the air, pawing angrily at the air before leaping upa nd over Zavimaat and landing just behind him, the entire earth trembling as it advanced upon Eve, ready to strike-

only the book pulsated again and the creature drew back in a hiss.

All Eve could do was hug onto the book and scream.  But the creature, despite the obvious displeasure of the book's sound, kept trying, pawing at Eve in attempts to goad her into dropping the book. It would lash out, rear back, and dance again, cutting at Eve's skin and dress as the poor girl was left paralyzed in fear, only able to curl up as the creature kept advancing, and would knock her open, nearly hitting the book out of her hand-
and then it did-

It hit her wrist with such  a force that Eve dropped the book-
and the Spider, satisfied, let out a gurgled roar as it lept upon her, fangs hungry for a bite.

"F-fuck...." Zavimaat tried to rise , but it took a few attempts to get his sore body to cooperate. "Don't ya turn your fuckin' back on me!" He drew a knife from concealment in his left boot and half ran, half limped towards the monster. Screaming like an man whom had completely lost his sanity, he jumped on it's back. His knife became a blur of fury, stabbing repeatedly at every and any part of the beast that just so happened to be in his path.

One knife thrust sunk into one of its many beady black eyes.  A transparent black fluid spurted from the eye. The creature stumbled backward, shrieking and shaking its body furiously, trying to throw Zav off. The man momentarily lost his grip and shrieked himself as he flew backward and far, but at the last possible moment he saved himself, snagging his fingers around a clump of fur on the creature's abdomen. Zavimaat clung to the thick hair on rear end tightly as the beast started shaking furiously again, trying to throw him once more.

The motion of being jerked around in all directions nearly made him so dizzy that he wanted to let go and vomit.  He grit his teeth and slowly clambered forward, one hand after the other up the abdomen and towards the cephalothorax (the head).  In a desperate move, the spider reared back quickly on its hindquarters and Zavimaat hung for dear life with nothing beneath him but air and a long , long drop below. 

Eve thought for sure she was d00med, and brace herself to be devoured when a scream rang out throughout the cave.
The second Zavimaat was upon the mighty beast, all of it's children went into a frenzy. Soon, they were skittering over into the battle, leaping towards Zavimaat and spewing threads, hoping to pull him down.
It was then they also took notice of Eve, and quickly advanced while their mother was bucking away...

Eve had been paralyzed in fear as she watched Zavimaat lung at the beast. Was he defending her? She blanched, not knowing what else to do as she watched him helplessly ride the white-legger through the cave.

The animal bashed it's back off of a nearby stalagmite, and continued on, shrieking as it tried to get Zavimaat off it's back.
It was only then Eve noticed the advancing miniature army of spidery things as she gasped and began to walk away, clutching onto her book for dear life.  And they neared her, all the more quickly with their either little legs moving swift-
and then the first one lept at her, and soon all of them were upon her again as she screamed...


but then the book let out another loud pulsate,
and the white spiders all jumped, shrieking as they scattered away, leaving Eve alone on the cold dark floor, but keepign a steady circle around her as they waited.

Eve had landed on her side, and was breathing hard as she slowly raised herself up, her hair still on the floor as she looked around.  The white leggers were all chittering away, frantically, hungrily, agitatedly as they watched her.
Eve gritted her teeth, then peered up, noticing the large spider took to the ceiling, and was now clinging to it directly over top of Eve.

She had to crane her neck to see it-
then it came down, hard around her, shaking the floor as it finally bucked Zavimaat clean off it's back and lept forward, biting into Eve.

His body hit the earth with a resounding thud and the breath was utterly blasted from his weakened body. Though his mind refused to surrender, his body had. Zavimaat didn't move. He just lie there, his eyes half-lidded and his entire body wracked by pain. He lay on his back , staring up at the ceiling in a daze. He could hear noise, but he was stunned and breathless. It was difficult to focus on anything more than the pain his body felt. He wondered if Eve had run, if she'd even gotten far. Or were they as screwed as he'd predicted in his mind?

How could anyone fight such impossible odds? He tried to get up , but his body felt heavier than a ton of lead. So this is it? I'm just gonna get eaten. Just like that, huh? Never imagine I'd go out like this. Fuckin' pathetic, Arashi.

He turned his head aside , away from what he assumed would be Eve's swift and brutal death. He couldn't bring himself to watch it and he felt shame fill him that he was powerless to stop it. His eyes focused on a small rock inches away. It gave him an idea. Maybe I can try to get it to eat me first. Maybe it'll give her time to run away. He reached for it and grabbed it up. He propped himself up on his elbows and faced the spider then threw the rock as hard as he could, aiming for the back of it's head.

The missile missed the beast's head by a wide margin and clacked loudly off a large, low hanging stalactite. His strength and hoped drained, he fell back onto his back with resignation. Just as he closed his eyes though he heard the cracking and rumble of stone.

The stalactite Zavimaat had thrown his rock at broke and came crashing down upon the giant arachnid. The force of the blow crushed the creature beneath it. It released a shuddering death  hiss and then it went still, it's eyes misted.

ooc : And Eve was also crushed...dun dun dun! 

Eve dies.


The end!

:D :D :D


OOC: I'll edit this as a real post soon LOOOOOOL

OOC: I couldn't bring myself to delete my troll post- so it shall stay here
FOREVERS!


IC:
The entire earth shook- the impact crashing through the monster like a spear of God.
Then, as the dust settled, all lay still.

Even the little ones hesitated, before suddenly moving towards their mother's corpse..

Although they weren't trying to wake their mother up, but rather, they moved beneath her, quick and fast...
Searching for the girl, tracking down Eve...
and were making haste to crawl all over her body, latching her with sticky webs in hopes to drag her away again.

It was then the book pulsated, and the white leggers all gave a scream.
And it pulsated again, much louder than before, nearly shaking the ground...
and soon the white-leggers scattered away.. disappearing into the darkness from whence they came.


OOC: Whence is REALLY hard to type when you're tired.
I think I type wench like FIFTY times before I could actually get my fingers to type WHENCE! D:

ooc: Dude, ya shoulda used this too.

(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgotggqM441qerqcg.jpg)


Trolling aside, I've decided that I'll move time forward a bit since my character passes out from being exhausted and all. Heh. Feel free to have Eve molest Zavimaat while he's unconscious. x3 Cause we all know that would happen.

ic:

His body still hurt like hell when he regained consciousness again, but that wasn't the first concern that crossed his mind. He turned his head , eyes scanning his surroundings. It was quiet. Too quiet. Unsettled by this, his sight settled on the giant arachnid which he had been hoping had been part of some booze-induced hallucinations. Well, damn. Either this was one hell of a long nightmare or this shit was real. The latter he still had difficulty accepting.

He stared at the slain beast and the stalactite protruding from the cephalothorax. And he wasn't sure whether the repulsive smell belonged to the corpse or his filthy self. "Heh. Dead."  That was a relief , at least, but that still left the baby monsters or whatever the hell they were.  Where's Eve? He sat up a little too quickly and yelped.

ooc: You can decide how much time has passed since he's been unconscious. Eve might be unconscious or she might have been close by. Might be funny if he knocked his noggin against hers. xD

OOC: DUDE *troll faces*

But yeah.. *gives two thumbs up* I like that idea XD

and if my post is short..
*TROLL FACES!*

IC:
When Eve had awoke, she felt the chill of the wind.  The storm outside had settled into a gentle rain, but left the island several degrees colder.  Sitting up, she felt the sticky webs fall away from her body, and had moved to brush them off as she looked around, uncertain what had happened until she saw it for herself.

A hand went to her mouth. But then the pulsating book caught her attention as she looked down at it.  It appeared unharmed, despite the incident, and gently, she picked it up and stood off the ground.  It was then she looked for Zavimaat, and found him lying unmoving on the floor.  Shaking him did not wake him, and not knowing what else to do, she remained huddled beside him, hugging her book to her chest as she watched him sleep...

And when he stirred, she awoke from her own daze and moved curiously near to him-
It was then they bumped heads together as Eve made a startled gasp and dropped her book as she backed away, shielding herself in fear Zavimaat might hit her.

Their noggin collision knocked Zav flat on his back , "Ow." He stared up at her while nursing his head. Seeing her frightened expression, he quirked a curious brow at her but then he smirked. "Good to see ya again. Not hurt too bad, are ya? "

He turned his head away from her and looked at the dead spider, then, slowly, turned his head back to look at her. " S'pretty wild, eh? Never seen a bug that fuckin' huge before. Have you? S'like some kinda nightmare. Like a monster from the stories my grandpa used to read. Huh...next yer gonna tell me I ain't awake, right? That this all ain't real? I mean...bugs can't be that big. S'not possible. And books don't glow all freaky-like. It's just a dream, right?"

When Zavimaat spoke to her, she flinched and remained cowering, but as he observed their surroundings, not sure if it was real, she found herself beginning to cry.
It most certain *had* been real, and the scent of the fresh, decaying large spider was proof.
Hot tears flooded her vision, as she had no idea how to explain herself or this situation, but deep inside, she was at least thankful to be alive.

OOC: lol, Eve is so useless sometimes XD (most of the time.. lol)

"What kinda response is that? " Zav griped, " I coulda died, ya know?  Been eaten alive by one of them creepy crawlies! And I don't even get a smooch! Or a, 'Oh Zavimaat. I'm so glad yer alive! ' " His imitation of a girl's voice would have earned him failing marks in the theater. 

He halted his theatrics. She was crying. Again? He sighed, "I hope those are tears of happiness." His gut told him that they weren't. "What's with the waterworks, girl? We ain't dead and I don't think...well, can't be too sure if those creepies are gonna come back to avenge their daddy or whatever. But I don't think it's a great idea to stay here. In case they come back. Though I'm real hungry. Ya think we could eat that thing? Though I ain't too keen on eating weird giant spider. Just don't seem natural. " 

His theatrics was lost on her as she moved away, still cowering as if he was about to hurt her.  All she knew was when a man was upset, she got hurt, no matter the reason or who was the blame.
It was only then the book awoke again, making another noise, almost like voices chattering as it whispered in the air between them.

The cave was still as death, the other white-leggers having seemed to have disappeared, and the air grew frightfully chilly as the rain continued to pour outside.  At least the storm had settled into rain, but their future looked as dreary as the dark clouds outside the cave.

At the sound of the noise, Eve lifted her head curiously, staring around them into the darkness.
The whispers continued, the words, inaudible as she slowly raise herself off the ground, tears still clinging to her eyes.
It was then her eyes followed to where the voices seemed to lead her, back into the darker depths of the cave.

It was then the voices seemed to stop, but there was still the sensation they were not alone hanging within the air.

"What...the...hell...was that?" Zavimaat thought he'd heard voices. Coming from a book?  Nah. I'm just imaginin' things. Gotta be drunk.I'm gonna wake up soon   It took a few moments for Eve's wandering off to register. "H-hey! Where ya goin'? Don't leave me here, dammit! Don't forget I saved yer life!"

He crawled after her on his stomach,dragging his body along the rocks one hand at a time. "This is 'bout earlier, isn't it? Yer still mad at me cause I yelled atcha. Well, I said I was sorry," He couldn't keep up with her and had to pause to catch his breath, " whaddyah want me to...to...?"  He went quiet, noticing the drop in temperature. This combined with the freaky voices whispering and the sudden disappearance of the creepy crawlies made his spine tingle.

"Eve, I dunno. Erm. I think we should leave. Ya know, probably go back the way we came from. And it would be great if ya would lend me a hand..." He stared at her back, "Hello? Anyone home? Reality is callin'!" Whatever it was that had her attention, it was pissing him off. He picked up a pebble and tossed it in her direction. It missed her. On purpose this time. Of course!  "Hey? What gives with this cold shoulder crap?!"

It was as if Eve couldn't hear him, staring off into the blackness before she moved forward, as if in a trance. Then she was entirely enveloped in shadows, completely covered from Zavimaat's sight.
And on a notion, she kept moving forward until she found a wall, covered in thick, black moss.
Her hands instinctively moved across it, brushing pieces away until the moss fell away, revealing a figure beneath.

Something drove her forward, made her move, brushing wildly at the wall, black moss dropping all around her body until there, she stood, seeing the symbol in it's entirety...


A twisting tree, the same symbol on the book with strange fruits growing on it's branches.


That's when the book beside Zavimaat began to pulsate again, and the scent of burning flesh began to smoke from the engravement...

The stone symbol remained before Eve in cold silence as she stared at it, craning her neck before taking a step forward and gently touching it with her hand.

It was then the image warmed, it was strange- the rock had been cold but a moment ago, but now...
It was warm, pulsating, as if running with the blood of life...
and then she felt it, her hand suctioning against hte stone, her skin being suckled by the very rock as she let out a gasp.
Then it cut her and she pulled away suddenly...
only to turn nad witness her blood ont he wall, as it slowly began to glow red...

and trickled and traced and moved across the symbol until the entire tree was glowing red from the dark abyss.....


OOC: DUN DUN DUN

Why do I bother? The girl's gotta be crazy or something. For all I know, there was a damn good reason she was left in a box. Is she the cause of all this weird shit happening?

Death wasn't a unfamiliar sensation. Kouhei had always been a one big warzone and he'd seen refugees flooding into his home, the remote and eerily tranquil Midori. Sometimes the Emperor's soldiers had passed through, carting their dead. He'd never forgotten the smell of the bodies. Now a stench that was just as sickening and oppressive permeated the air. It smelt similar to a pile of rotted corpses being lit aflame.

He stared at at the symbol Eve had uncovered and then his attention was drawn to book which was acting not so much like a book again. He tentatively poked it with a finger as though he were afraid the thing might zap him or inflict lethal paper cuts on him. "See? Weird shit goin' on. I told ya. I got a bad feelin' and I think we should g-..."

He noticed her reaching forward, " Don't TOUCH it!" He shook his head when she did and facepalmed. When he looked up, he saw the symbol glow a blood red and his jaw dropped. "I got a real bad feelin' 'bout this. EVE! Can we go now? "

As the tree symbol continued to glow, fragments of red light ghosted off from it's surface in gentle tendrils that moved about in gentle waves.  Eve stared at it, completely mesmerized by it's showcase, and also in awe that she'd find the same symbol again on the wall.  It was then she began to recall what had happened..

The men,...
they had cut her hand..
forced it against the wall..
but this time, the wall had cut her..
and the light...


She found herself in a trance, unable to look away from the red light as pieces of the wall began to break away, vines crawling out and reaching forth, tangling themselves around Eve's body, and gripping to her tight.

It was only then Eve realized her situation, made a noise, a yelp, a scream as the leaves and vines laced around her body, covering her whole until suddenly-
she felt it, it pierced her skin as her eyes widened in pain and horror as she cried out...
and blood shot out from her back as a two pairs of trees erupted from her back, opening up and blossoming into a delicate pair of wings as Eve fell to the ground...
and the vines clinging to her body broke away..
leaving her shivering and confused.



OOC: Poor Zav.. lol.

Now he has a tree-winged freak as a 'friend' lol
and she'll still be afraid of him, even though he's not trying ot hurt her, ah ha ha.

Also BEHOLD
another SPECIAL POST  *makes it sparkle*

ooc: Never a dull moment.

ic:

Zavimaat watched it all , wide-eyed and mind numbed with disbelief. He wanted to run to her, grab her arm and pull her away from it all. He'd take her away from this nightmare. They'd sit in the storm if they had to. At least the storm, no matter how intense it was, was normal. But he could not move and he was powerless to stop the horror that unfolded before him.

He flinched when she screamed and slapped a hand over his mouth, his stomach twisting sickeningly at the sight of the blood spraying from two points in her back. He was fighting down the urge to vomit but the sight of the blood combined with the oppressive stench of corpse won over him and vomit ejected from his mouth into his hand, spilling through the cracks between his fingers and dripping on the floor. He felt another wave of illness hit him but he swallowed it down, his eyes wide and locked fearfully on the strange abnormality that Eve was becoming.

This isn't real. It's not. But why does it feel like it is ? Why won't I wake up?

He removed his vomit-covered hand away from his lips and then vomited again.  How embarrassing.

Moving from the ground, Eve flinched at the pain as it faded away from her backa nd turned to look, horrified at what was displayed behind her.  For there, upon her shoulders, was a pair of sprouted wings, looking like healthy, young and even beautiful sapling trees that began to flower with color as blossoms and leaves opened up and filled the air with the scents of life.

Gritting her teeth, she felt her face flush at her predicament, and would have cried had she not been so astonished and ashamed.
What was going on? Why was there trees growing from her back?
And although htey were strange, it was a beautiful sight as she rose from the ground, appearing as if an angel from the earth, with tangled remnants of the vines spun throughout her hair, and some even ribboned across her pale white dress, which seemed to glow in the cave's darkness.

It was here she tried to take a few steps, timid and afraid something else might break out from her..
and then the book pulsated again..
then grew numb.

Turning around, she stared in horror at the glowing red light of the tree, which was still glowing.

It was only then she felt something inside her-
as if the symbol had planted a seed within her, and the wings growing on her back had been awakened from that seed...

Had this happened before?
Was this tree, and the other one she had seen at the ruins linked together some how?

It was all very much a mystery to her, and she wanted to run away..
she wanted to be thrown back into the darkness.. even beaten again, for at least that life had been real and made sense...

Now..
she had nothing, except the poor young man that had found her.

Then, upon hearing his noise, she gasped and found herself running to him and before she had a  chance to touch him, vines moved off from her hand, heading towards him as they began to wrap around his body.
Eve only watched in shock as the vines clung to his body, even biting into his skin around his injuries.

"No!" she exclaimed, trying to rip the vines off of him, afraid they were hurting him but they held fast and were growing around him, wrapping around his body and weaving him into a beautiful, vining floral cocoon.

Eve reared back in dismay, realizing Zavimaat had been last against the vines...
and then..
all of a sudden,

The vines began to rot, withering away right before her, evne her wings did as well as she felt it, the draining forces of light become sucked from hre very body, flowing through the vines and into his...
and then all of the excess..
the tree like wings on he rbody, the vines around hers, and his..
they faded away, crumbling to dust...


and his body was healed...
and their clothing was torn..
and they were both very dirty...


But both of them were alive...


Eve could only stare at him in wide-eyed shock.
He was standing.
Her hands touched his cheek.
He was ok...


and somehow she knew it..
he would be ok..
and somehow...
things would get better....


Even the weather outside had calmed to a mere drizzle, the last lights of the sun wandering into the cave in bright pink streaks of color, marrying the world they were in in a romantic hue of rose.
And Eve found herself crying again as her arms fell around his neck, burying her face against his shoulder as she wept.

ooc: Okay. This is kinda mature now. I still call it pretty tame but hey...*slaps the label up there anyways*

ic:

Zavimaat didn't even have time to scream. The vines were around him , encasing him in darkness. He was confused to the delirium. He started to thrash about in his floral prison, smashing his fists against the vines. "LET ME OUT! MOTHER FU-" He felt a warm , soothin sensation wash over him. It was comforting, like a warm blanket his aunt used to tuck him in with before bedtime when he was a kid. The feeling lulled him , physically and mentally for a few moments and he hardly noticed the pain in his body ebb away.

When he was finally released, he stood there blinking stupidly and seeming to stare right through her with a stupefied expression on his face. His complexion looked almost deathly pale. It felt as though he'd woken from a nightmare and yet...he looked over at Eve and tried not to look so anxious, but he could not help it. Nearly everything in his world had been turned upside-down now to the point that hardly anything made sense anymore.  He wasn't sure if this was real or fantasy. He'd always been told that magic wasn't real. There was no magic in his homeland. Magic was the thing of stories, used to frighten children into obedience. Magic was associated with evil , corruption ,monsters and demons...

Was this girl standing before him now a monster? Or were his people wrong about everything? That revelation was something even more frightening to consider. All this time he'd been blind to the reality of the world? It made him feel a lot smaller and weaker. He didn't like that.

He felt her fingers brush up against his cheek and he suddenly gasped, the color in his cheeks returned as if his awareness now had brought back the life to him. He grasped her shoulders, " Eve!" His mind went blank for awhile and he had no idea what he was meaning to say or what he wanted to say. And then she crushed him with a hug. The feel of a girl's soft body against his always led to physical arousal and Zavimaat blushed a dark shade of scarlet and turned his pelvis away from her so she wouldn't feel his excitement.  "You wanna leave here now? I've had about as much of this place as I can stand."

Eve still gripped to him fiercely, and at his comment and desire to leave, she only shook her head to show her enthusiasm for the idea.
Peering up at him, she cringed through tears and whispered,
"I'm sorry."

Somehow, she knew this was all of her fault-
even though none of this was at her own free will.
but whatever it was that was happening to her, she could only be happy enough to know both her and her new companion were ok.

He made a face at her apology, "Whaddyah mean?"  He looked down at her, appearing confused. He would have put his arms around her , but he was worried that she might have been sore from whatever had happened to her body. He touched her face instead, " I uh...don't know what's goin' on , but my gut tells me you don't either. " He wanted to believe in that and nothing else. He brushed a few tears from her cheeks. He was still frustrated and confused with the situation, but taking it out on her wouldn't have been fair. She seemed to be the victim of some bizarre circumstance and he just happened to get tangled up in it all. "We're okay, I think? You're okay, right? Uh..those things...on your back. They didn't...hurt you, did they? "

Not that I could be of any help if it does.

Eve blushed at his gesture when he brushed her tears away and only stared at him with a sad expression.  When he mentioned they might be ok, she stared at him more curiously, hope glimmering just beneath the surface.  But then when he mentioned those things on her back, she turned away to look, almost as surprised to see they were gone as when they had appeared. She reached a hand back to touch, and then tried again, feeling the trips in her clothing, but other than that...
There appeared to be no evidence of those peculiar wings left.

She blushed again, embarrassed as to what had happened as she lowered her head.
"I.. I don't know." They had hurt coming out, but she couldn't explain it...

It was all too strange, and even she had a hard time wrapping her head around it.

"I dunno. Never seen anything like it. " He looked concerned, " Well, if somethin' bothers ya, let me know, okay?  I'll take care of ya. "  He moved a few strands of hair from her eyes and the lowered his hand, resting it on her shoulder.

Why am I telling her that? What can I do ?

"We'll figure this out. C'mon." He offered his hand, " Let's get the hell out of here." He waited for her to accept his hand. Then they walked towards the light, back the way they came.

Zav was happy to be outside again. Even more grateful that the storm had subsided. He paused just outside the cave's entrance and took a deep breath, savoring the scent and feel of the fresh sea breeze. Above him he heard a loud squawk. He looked up in time to see the bird that attacked him earlier for trying to steal its eggs. It gave him the evil eye as it passed overhead.

Eve stared a moment, then slipped her smaller hand into his and let him guide her away. A warmth filled her, something she had never experienced before as a gentle, pink blush heated her cheeks.  Once outside, the fresh breeze felt amazing as it moved through her hair and cooled her skin.  The rain had since subsided, and the beauty of the sunset was a nice momentary distraction.

It was then she noticed a large shadow as she peered over head, spotting the bird flying by.  She followed it, craning her neck until something else over the horizon caught her attention.
It was a ship.

Zavimaat glanced over his shoulder at her, following her gaze and curious to know what she was looking at. He too noticed the ship anchored in the shallows far down the beach and gasped. "Do you see it? A ship! Ha! What luck! " He was giddy for a moment and was tempted to run to it and wave to the occupants, but he hesitated. " I wonder what kind of people are on it." He looked at Eve again, " Hope they're friendly."

He let his hand slip out of hers and moved around her to stand in front of her. "Maybe you should wait here. I'll go check it out. See if they can give us a lift."

Eve felt her heart racing over the possibility the ship might be those who would have pursued her.  Eve had never known what to hope for, or that hope was really possible, so she instantly thought the worse and clung to Zavimaat's arm desperately, fear evident in her eyes as she peered from behind his shoulder.


OOC: So short..
Feel free to post him figuring out who/what the ship is  lol

D:

"I'm sure it'll be fine, " Zav assured her though he wasn't so sure about that. However, he wasn't about to cause her any more concern. She already had enough on her plate to worry about. " But , then again, maybe it's just safer to stick together. I'll leave that choice up to you."

He left her side , walking briskly down the beach toward the ship. A ship. He admired it, envied it even. It was easily three times larger than his pathetic little fishing vessel. As he drew nearer, he noticed a group of men standing on the beach. They hadn't seemed to notice him yet so Zav paused to observe them. They did not appear to look like a rough crowd, but some of the men were armed with blades.  He couldn't hear what they were discussing , but he decided to risk approaching them openly.

"Hey!" He called out to them, waving his arms.

There were nine men in all. They were fair folk. Tall, pointy eared and , like their ship, their appearances were like a work of art. One of the elves approached Zavimaat with a skeptical look , "We were not expecting company on this island. " He looked Zavimaat up and down and wrinkled his nose a bit, likely a bit put off by the young man's filth.

Zavimaat pretended not to notice the elf's scrutiny, " I'm a fisherman from Kouhei.Got caught up in a storm off the coast of Serendipity and my ship got wrecked. Ended up stranded here. I uh...don't suppose ya wouldn't mind givin' me and my friend a ride."

The elf frowned and peered past Zavimaat at Eve, " I suppose you may. "

Zavimaat bowed , "Thank you."

Eve wasn't sure what to do, but she didn't want to be alone.  Though as they neared the men, she pressed closer against Zavimaat, hiding behind him and watched timidly without making a noise.

The elves had allowed them on board the ship.. and she couldn't help herself but stare at them curiously. She had never seen elves before, and their pointy ears caught her attention.  However, Eve also caught the attention of one of the men when they noticed the girl in a ratty dress.

"Seems like you're both worse for wear," he commented, rubbing his chin.  "We shan't be long on the island.  If you have things to gather, you may do so now. We'll be leaving within the hour since the sea is calm. Looks like the storms are moving south."
Then he paused and examined them both.
"Where are you two headed?"

"Heh. Don't got nothin' aside from each other." Zavimaat shrugged, not sounding as disappointed as he felt. He shook his head, " We're ready when you are. Ain't in no rush. We're jus' happy t' get the hell outta here."

At the inquiry about his direction, the young fisherman shrugged, " Well, we ain't far from Serendipity. I'm thinkin' ya could just drop us off at one of their ports." Keep it short and sweet. They didn't need to know more than what they'd asked and it probably would not be good if they knew why he'd been stranded. " I'm wonderin' though if it ain't too much to ask. I ain't got want for nothin', but the lady could use some dry clothin' and a bite t' eat. "

The elves looked at each other as if they needed to silently consent and then the leader nodded, " Yes, of course. That can be arranged. "

It would be little over half an hour before they boarded the ship and were on their way. Zavimaat remained on deck despite having been offered a room to rest. Eve had been shown off to find clothing and a meal. Zav had passed on the meal. He wasn't hungry which was weird for him. Zavimaat never said no to food.

He stared out at the ocean, his mind caught up in the events that led up to this moment. He knew what he wasn't going to do. He wasn't going to tell his clients what had happened to him. He didn't know those men and they'd looked like the type that would have slit his throat with no compunctions if he had failed. He regretted doing business with them, but the money had been too good to pass up.

But what was he to do about Eve? He still had no idea who or what she was. She might not have anywhere else to go. He wouldn't dare take her home with him. He wasn't sure but trouble seemed to follow her like a dark cloud. The last thing he wanted to do was get his aunt and cousin caught up in whatever this was.

Maybe he could help Eve find a new life once they got to a city. Then he'd go home and just be an honest fisherman for a while. Lay low until it was safer to get back into the old habit.

The two were lead on board with nothing but the scraps of clothing on their body, and the book Eve clung protectively to.  When asked, Eve said nothing and the elves left it at that, whispering about how she appears shook up over the storm.

"It was a real bad one. We were lucky," one of the elves said, and left her to change.  They had a few dresses on board, though most offered were even a tad large for her size, but she ended up wearing a layered dress, one that had long, puffy sleeves with a delicate lace trim, and then a green tunic dress that layered on top. The embroidery was exquisite, even though the style was normal to most elves, yet on Eve, it made her appear striking, even as her hair needed a good brushing and her body, a wash.

They had offered her a few amenities, and with what she had, she freshened up, even had a chance to brush out most of the knots in her long, red hair before making another appearance on deck.  She wasn't sure what to do with herself and found herself staring over at Zavimaat as he stared out into the Sea.

She timidly approached, but remained quiet at his side, the book still in her hand, but the girl, appearing like new.

Zavimaat knew someone had approached but he didn't acknowledge Eve at first. After a few minutes of silently watching the waves, he turned around to face her. He tried not to look surprised. It was kind of amazing what a little tidying up could do for a girl.

Zav smiled at her, " Lookin' fancy. Ya got a date with one of them pointy ears?" He teased, chuckling at the thought and thinking he'd have to beat the living shit out of any man on this ship that even thought about trying to take advantage of this poor girl. "Ya look...nice. Ya feel better bein' cleaned up an' all? " He frowned then, "They treatin' ya proper like? Cause if they ain't, I'll make sure they do." He cracked his knuckles, though he doubted that beings as civilized as elves were about to give Eve any trouble at all.

Eve blushed at his comment and dropped her gaze.  Compliments were rarely rewarded to her, and she had no idea how to react, but at his later statement and his knuckles cracking, she only stared at him, again, not sure what to say to an antic like that.  No one in her life had ever seen her as having any real value...
except when her father realized what horrible things he could sell her off for...
and that was the last she would ever see of him, or the small village she had been from. She had lived a sheltered life there, most of the people being magic-users that were hiding from the rules of Connloath, and also those who would rather not move outside the mountains, their home.  It was stupid pride, but all the same, she had grown up there, never aware of anything else besides the soiled windows and the dank, cold basement she had lived in.

She took a moment to stare over at the ocean Zavimaat had been admiring. She had never seen anything like it,and though it was beautiful, it frightened her all the same.

Zavimaat turned from her for a moment and went back to watching the sea, " I like watchin' it. Dunno why. Just calms me since I was a kid." He went quiet for awhile. He would have been content to remain like this throughout the night, but there were things on his mind. He glanced over his shoulder at her, " I uh...dunno how but I think ya made my leg better. I owe ya." He shook his head, " Ain't too bad of a ship, eh? Quite a beauty. Makes me jealous. " He stroked the railing as if it were a precious child.

She understood what he meant. The gentle noise from the ocean was calming, but the vastness of it was still unsettling to Eve.  The waters stretched as far as the eye could see.  Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine such a thing as the ocean.  She cautiously took a step forward, book still in hand as a sea breeze carried gently through her long hair.

Then when he commented about his leg, she looked down towards his tattered clothes and felt embarrassed. She wasn't sure what to tell him. She wasn't even sure if she could blame her, or rather, give her credit for such a deed.

But it was peculiar...
When all of it was happening, she felt a connection, something she couldn't quite explain...
It was as if she HAD healed him. but how was something like that even possible?  She down cast her gaze, staring through her long lashes at her feet, which had a pair of wrapped shoes upon them.  They almost didn't fit, but the wraps secured them around her ankles as she slowly wiggled her toes beneath.


Then, at his comment about the ship, she looked around them curiously.
"I've never really seen the ocean before," she commented quietly, her eyes drifting back towards the sunset, which melted the sun into layers of warm colors against the darkening skies.

"I come from a place where no such things exist," Zavimaat explained, feeling the need to fill the silence between them, " magic is something that only exists in stories. Healers don't fix legs with nothin' more than some bandages, and organic medicines. And I was doubtful that any of this is real right now, ya know? Feel like I've lost my mind or somethin'. Jus' kinda hard to accept when ya thought ya knew what things were like for so long and then somethin' new comes along and it flips ya, turns the whole world upside down. It changes everything ya thought ya knew...just like that. In the blink of an eye..."

He rubbed his neck, " It's a lot to take in. There's you and there's a book. Someone or a lotta someones had plans for ya. So it would seem. Got paid big to transport that book. I had no idea. Jus' thought the guy who wanted it was a collector but maybe there's more to it than I know. It could be bad news. "


"Really?" Zavimaat wasn't all that surprised to learn this about her. She certainly seemed like the sheltered type. She was probably one of those country types. Probably came from some village or town in the middle of nowhere. "What do ya think 'bout it?" 

Eve remained quiet as she listened to him, then at his question, she blinked and studied the sky against the ocean again.

"It's terrifying," she admitted softly, the sky reflecting in her eyes.  "But it's also beautiful."
She couldn't remove her eyes from it, only stare as she brushed her wind swept hair away from her eyes an stole a single glance towards Zavimaat, before her eyes returned to her feet.


OOC: MAGNIFICENT.. AND SHORT  X3

"Good answer," Zavimaat agreed with a nod , " ain't the ocean that scares me though. Heh. Nah. The weather is a force to respect. Alone, the ocean is harmless , but the storm is a wild power that not the strongest man can control nor the wisest of men can predict. A storm goes where it pleases and ,like ya seen, it's not merciful specially towards the ignorant and unprepared. Oh man, ya caught me at a bad time, I tell ya. I been sailin' since I was fifteen. Always been prepared. Nature got one on me, but it ain't gonna get me next time. I'm the best damned sailor 'n fisherman in Midori , ya know. " He boasted, puffing his pride-filled chest.

He moved closer to her, possibly closer than she was comfortable with. " Whaddyah wanna do when ya get to Serendipity? Ya got any particular job skills like uh....sewing or somethin'? "   

Again, Eve remained silent, though pleasantly so as she remained beside him, listening to him talk on and on about the sea and his history. She tried to think how life might be like growing up on a boat within the ocean.  THe idea was frightful.

Then at his next question, she turned to him and merely stared. She had no idea what he meant.

"I just want to be anywhere than where I was before." It might have sounded silly, but the only thing she could think of was to run.    And the question.. she did not quite understand it.  The concept of a job never settled into her mind, after all, most things about the world she had been sheltered from, and not by choice.

"Well that's well and fine, but ya need a plan. " Zavimaat informed her, frowning. Was she so sheltered that she had no concept of how the real world worked? " You have somewhere you can go? If ya don't , you need to find something. Ya just can't wander wherever. That kinda life ain't a safe life for a girl. Don't work that way. Ya got no money, it seems. Yer gonna need some and for that yer gonna need some kind of job. Ya got anything yer good at? Like I'm good at fishing and sailing. How 'bout you?"

Eve only stared at Zavimaat, not even sure how to respond as she raised her brows slowly as he pressed the issue. 

"What I'm good at?" She lowered her head with a frown, still hugging the book against her, though this time she was cradling it like a child. Her green eyes wandered towards the sea.
"I don't think I'm really good at anything. I... don't think I understand what you're asking." She said, lowering her head even more as she idly brushed her fingers across the leather cover of the book, fingers tracing across the branches indented for the tree of paradise.

"I never had to think of those things before."s he added quietly.


OOC: Eve so lame. Jobs make no sense to someone as sheltered as she is XD derp!

"Yer serious?" Zavimaat stared at her for a moment, appearing surprised but then he shook his head, feeling sorry for her. Even if she was sheltered, surely she must have known that. "Geeze. Yer parents really kept you in the dark if you don't even know what a job is," He tired thinking of a way to explain it to her, but he was not the best with words, " How have you managed to survive this long without - who took care of you before now? "

ooc: Today is a short post day. xD

OOC: Haha, for REALZ
Eve.. sometimes I can't post much for her XD Sorry.. but she can be useless sometimes >>

but she *did* heal his leg! :P


IC:
At his questions, she seemed to blanch as she backed away, even pouting before looking back down at her book.
"I lived with my father," she said softly, her eyes wavering with tears at the memory.  She didn't want to think of it, and found herself drifting back to those horrible thoughts...
and the day she had been taken away...
and how many times she had been called useless..
worthless...
pathetic....


She found herself trembling before a sob escaped her lips, salty tears falling onto her book.

ooc:


....


....


I'm keeping my thoughts to myself. *zips lips*


ic:

"Before you said ya didn't wanna go back. You meant to your father, huh?" He didn't like asking that question because he had a feeling that he was right and it seemed to be a very sensitive topic with her. "I ain't gonna ask no more 'bout it. It's yer business. Ya don't gotta say nothin' at all. I had some pretty shitty parents too, but I ain't gonna compare. I had another place to go. Seems like maybe you didn't..."

"Well, so maybe there ain't much ya know right now but that don't mean much. I'm sure ya got potential for somethin'. We jus' gotta figure out what it is. I could teach ya some skills , if ya want. Ya know, jus' a couple of tricks that'll help ya survive. I can't teach ya none of them lady-like things though. Cuz, y'know. I ain't a girl. Obviously."

"I can teach ya how to fish, how to sail, and how to bust some balls when some fucker tries to mess with ya. " He punched his fist into his palm and grinned at her, " Ain't nobody whose gonna screw wit ya once I teach ya grandpa's secret techniques." He boasted.

ooc: He will be the best teacher ever.

She wasn't sure what it was, but his desire to help her soothed her tears as she brushed them away.  It was an unusual experience for her, to have someone help her, let alone a complete stranger...a nd from it, despite the rough appearance and presentation, it warmed her and made her smile.

Lowering her head, embarrassed, she stated softly, "I used to clean." she suggested, eyeing the ship's floor.
"Though it was hard, it seemed like dirt was everywhere." She thought back to her shabby house, tears threatening her eyes again as she brushed them away.
"But he said I was never any good at it."
Her face became more crestfallen.
"I don't think I"m good at anything." she said, even softer.

"Yeah. That is a tough one. Never liked it myself. Huh...my aunt used to nag me all the time 'bout that, " He crossed his arms and wrinkled his nose and mimicked his aunt's voice poorly, " Is that a spot on your plate? I thought I TOLD you to clean it! Now you must wash all over again, you silly boy! Must wash until you get it RIGHT"

Zavimaat shrugged his shoulder, " Just a spot, right? Why make such a big deal? It's gonna get dirty again before the day is through anyways so what's the point? But nooooooo...you try sayin' that to my aunt and she goes rabid. "

He threw up his hands in the air, "Tch! What does yer ole man know anyway? If you was my daughter, I sure as hell wouldn't make you do no dishes. That's what wives are for- er I mean...that's why people have dogs. They lick the plate clean, THEN the wife rinses it off and there ya go. All done with little to no hassle. "  He lowered his arms , " Fuck him, I say. I'd bloody his face if I ever clapped eyes on him, I promise you."

Zavimaat clapped a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Well shit, Eve. Nobody knows what they're good at til they give it a whirl. Life ain't 'bout bein' born to do somethin' it's 'bout findin' yer path. Who an' what ya are ...that ain't up to me , or yer dad or anyone. That's up to you. Some of us are lucky to find our callin' sooner than others and some folks jus' take a little longer, like you. Trick is, ya jus' keep lookin'. Yer gonna find what yer lookin' for so long as ya don't throw in the towel. "

Eve wasn't sure she followed what the man said, but did take comfort in the fact he was at least trying to help her.
"I'm afraid I don't understand,"s he said softly, lowering her gaze as she slowly shook her head.  "I don't even know what I should do now." She approached the side of the ship, hugging onto the book while leaning against the wood, her cheek resting against hte top as she stared out into the ocean.

"The waters seem to go on forever," she commented softly.

Zavimaat elevated an inquiring brow at her, " Well, you've already been making some choices on your own. I didn't force you to come with me, but you probably figured that going with me was better than being left behind. Perhaps you just cling to me for survival's sake, but I'd like to think I have a trustworthy mug and a charming personality." He grinned at her before sliding back into a more sober mood again.

He didn't comment on her observation of the ocean.

"It'll make more sense the more time you've spent on your own, independent from whatever life you used to live. From this day on, you gotta learn to make your own decisions. I'll stick around for a bit, until I'm sure that you'll be alright on your own. But I need to write my aunt a letter when we reach land. She's expecting me home in a few weeks and when I don't show up, she'll probably freak out. How does that sound? " 

Eve kept her head lowered as she nodded at his statement.  Biting into her lower lip, she said not a word, but the idea of being alone terrified her. Where would she go? How would she live? She couldn't wrap her head around it no matter how Zavimaat tried to explain it.  She turned away from him, brushing away at the tears in her eyes as she shuffled the book still held within her grasp.
The day was waning, and a cool, night breeze fluttered between them as Eve felt herself shiver.

Soon this day would end, and tomorrow- a new one beginning..
but where would it lead her?
And why was she so hung up on this book?
She took a moment to slide herself onto the floor, making herself comfortable as she hugged her knees to her chest, eyes focusing on the front cover of the book as she slid her hands across it.
She was curious of it, but partially afraid to open it...
who knew what horrors were involved within the written pages.

"I don't think that's a good idea, " Zavimaat had kept his watch on her and when her attention had turned on the book, his nerves got the better of him. The fear was plain on his face, in his wide and dark eyes. " That thing is...I don't like it. I'd feel a lot better if we'd left it back on the island. " He meant that. He had a bad feeling about it and maybe that feeling was wrong but why else would shady men want it so badly?  "Maybe we outta toss it overboard now before something weird happens. N-not that I am afraid of it. Heh. Cuz I'm not. I jus'...ya know. In case...I'm jus' concerned 'bout other people.  "

Eve clung to the book at his suggestion.
"It's all I have," she said through a pathetic sob while she peered at him through a mess of her red hair.  "I... these things happening to me... I don't understand any of it. I just thought..." She felt herself shaking, more tears falling from her eyes.  "Maybe it could explain to me what is going on." but the words were lost as she pressed her face against the book and just sobbed.

This young man was right.
What did she know about the book? It connected her with the only thing that tore her from her other life. And was it so bad?  What could be said of it?
It was doing strange things to her body, affecting the world around her in strange ways she had never seen...

Tossing it over board..
she flinched at the idea, knuckles whitening as she clutched the book desperately, her face nearly hidden ontop if it as her hair hung around her face and body, hiding her crying face from view.

"I don't understand any of this," was alls he could sob.

He took a step back, blinking. The idea of keeping the damn thing around did not sit well with him even if she did have a seemingly legitimate reason for keeping it around. He couldn't argue or even be sure that the book was the source of all things wrong that had happened so far. All he had was a bad feeling to go off of. It was either her or the book. He'd rather toss the book overboard. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, " You think it had something to do with those strange markings on the wall?" He asked her quietly, looking back over his shoulder to see if anyone was around to hear their conversation. They were alone.

"It's a possibility , I guess, but even if it was...how are you going to find that out? By reading it? Where do you get the idea that it's gonna help you anyway? It's just a book...a creepy ass book that , for all we know, is gonna get us both killed with some dark creepy ancient kinda magic that wasn't meant for this world."

He wasn't going to hide the fact that he didn't like her decision. Even if she cried, he wasn't going to pretend everything was fine. No. This was not fine with him. "You keep that book of yours, but if causes more trouble for us, I'm burning it.  " He growled.

Eve listened to him quietly, tears running down her face as she pressed her cheek flat against the book.  She supposed he had good reasons to fear the book, after all, even she couldn't tell what sort of magic had transpired back on the island, or what had happened to her before she was found at sea...

It was all so confusing.  She merely hugged onto it tighter, saying nothing as her form remained tense beneath his gaze.

She was crying again. It irritated him because it made him feel like he was being such an asshole. He tried to ignore her tears, tried to be the tough guy. He turned his head away to look at the sea. "It's been a long day, I guess. I'm gonna get some shuteye."

He found his way to the guest cabin the elves had shown him earlier. There was only a bed and he'd been told that he would have to share it with the girl. The elves must have assumed that Zavimaat and Eve were a couple. That didn't bother Zavimaat too much though. At this point, he was too tired to care and just fell into the clean bed in his dirty, wet clothing. He was out and snoring in a matter of minutes.

Eve had no idea the concept of sharing a room, or that she would be offered such a privilege, so after Zavimaat had left, she found herself crying the rest of her tears, then brushing them off on her sleeve and dirtying it.  It was dark, and the boat had soon gone quiet as she nestled herself against the boat and closed her eyes, falling to sleep.

It was a moment later someone gently woke her.
"Hey, Miss?"

She opened her tired eyes as she looked up at an elf.
"Miss? YOu feel asleep outside. You might want to go inside your cabin before you catch your death."

It had grown surprisingly cold, but Eve was used to those conditions, so it hadn't initially phased her.  The elf gestured for her to follow, and cautiously, she rose off the floor and followed him into the bowls of the ship.

It ws there, the hallways were welcoming them by lamp light that he opened the door to her room.
"Your friend is inside," he said softly, then moved away as Eve stepped inside, and the door shut behind her.



For a while, she stared over at Zavimaat's loudly snoring form.  Then, she slowly moved across the room and found a small area in the corner, nestled herself in it and placed the book beside her as she went to sleep, using the book as a pillow.
Shivering once, she settled into the floor, closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The cold woke him up. He lay there in bed alone in the dark, hearing little more than the sound of his own soft breathing. He pulled the sheets tighter to him, wondering why it was so damn cold. At the far end of the room, he noted the book lying there on the floor open to the exact spot where the pages had been ripped out.

Damn it! Why had Eve not thrown that thing in the sea as he desired? Grumbling to himself, he slipped out of bed and walked over to the book and knelt down to pick it up. However, even as his fingers grazed the tattered pages, he felt something push him back. He retracted his hand as if his finger had been bitten or pricked. An image burned in his mind. The very same one he'd seen Eve inspecting on the island. A bloody tree...but this one wasn't glowing. It was on fire and it reeked of death.

He heard the cabin door creak open behind him. Eve stood in the doorway , staring at him with tear-streaked eyes but as he opened his mouth to say something, a vines exploded from her back , shot forward and grabbed him up, crushing the life from him before he could.

Zavimaat woke suddenly, gasping and sitting up in bed. His filthy rags clung to his cold, sweaty body. And for a few moments, he sat there in bed breathing heavily and mentally reassuring himself that he'd just had a nightmare. He frowned, noting that he'd kicked the sheets off of him. They lie in a pile on the floor.  Sighing, Zavimaat slid out of bed and grabbed the sheets up.

He noticed Eve lying in the far corner of the room and frowned. Now it only occurred to him that he probably should have asked her if she wanted the bed if she didn't want to share it. Oh well. He moved over to her and gently removed the book from her arms. He observed her for a few moments, contemplating on whether he should move her or not. In the end he scooped her up carried her over to the bed. He tucked her in , spreading the sheets over her. He watched her for a few moments then left with the book in his arms.

He made his way out to the deck with a single thing in mind. He held the book over the railing and was fully prepared to drop the thing and watch it sink, but he didn't because he'd thought about Eve and what it meant to her. He wished he didn't care. Sighing he found a place to sit and observe the book. He ran his hand over the surface, feeling the contours of the cover. His hand stopped over the the spine, feeling something engraved there. He turned the book in his hand and observed the small depiction of a tree, " Son of a bitch..."

He flipped the book over again and looked at the back, searching for words or symbols. The problem was that he couldn't read any of it even if there was something. But the symbol alone that strongly resembled the same one he'd seen in the cave unnerved him.

It meant that none of this had been coincidence. Maybe his meeting Eve had been but the storm, the island...some force he didn't comprehend had pulled them there. Something wanted Eve to stumble in there and activate whatever power that had been lying dormant there.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid. Without another thought , he opened the book and flipped through the pages. He wasn't sure what he was looking for.

Eve was so exhausted, she hadn't noticed the man had carried her to bed, nor took the effort to tuck her in.  It was well into morning by the time she awake, giving a soft sound as she stretched beneath the blankets.  The scent Zavimaat had left was familiar, a unique musk that calmed her as she snuggled into the bed.
That's when she realized where she was as she sat up with a start.
Everything was foreign to her-
Where was she!?

Panic set in, and she was quick to look for her book, but it wasn't there.
Moving out from the bed, she moved frantic through the lower deck before coming up top where she paused, staring over at Zavimaat as he was holding her book in hand.


She remained, tense for a moment, a hand braced against the stair rail as she looked at him, studying him as he read her book. She felt too embarrassed to approach, managing to only take a few foot steps his way before pausing and just staring.



OOC: That's RIGHT. Eve's gonna stare at you, foo'!

"Hrm. It's not written in any language that I recognize," Zavimaat muttered to himself as he leafed through pages upon pages of odd symbols. The pages were undoubtedly ancient, crisp and yellowed by time. The book itself had a distinct smell. Not new but old. As though it had been kept somewhere dark and damp. It carried a faint smell of mold, mildew and something else. Something bitter and off-putting. Blood? Some pages were stained with droplets of faded crimson. The writing itself looked very small and neat, artistic even. Whoever had written the book had likely been educated. Further along, there were some illustrations. Most were crude.

He paused on a page with the drawing of a nude woman and a tree that looked eerily similar to the markings on the cover of the book and the cavern wall. "Not a coincidence." Zavimaat frowned , staring at the nude woman. "Wow. She sort of looked like...."

"EVE!" He slammed the book closed and blushed furiously. "Uh...I was...jus'....I wanted to see if I could find somethin' useful in the book. To HELP." 


ooc: lol

OOC: loool!

IC:
At his sudden out burst, Eve flinched from where she stood, worry filling her eyes.  It was then his words caught up to her, even how abnormal they sounded as they squeaked out of his mouth.  It was then she cautiously approached.
"Are you able to read it then?" she asked curiously, crouching down before him as she looked down at the book, then up at him. "Are you able to decipher what it says?"
It was only then she realized the red flush on his face and stared at him curiously, she herself flushing at the sight.


OOC: A short post of posty shortiness

"Wh-what?" He stared at her for a moment, seeing the resemblance she shared with the nude woman. His imagination made it far to easy for him to picture her without her clothes on. "I-I- " He lowered his eyes and licked his lips, " No, no uh..no. I can't.  " He shook his head and opened the book up, turning the pages slowly for her so that she might see it herself.

Sighing, he gave the book to her. "Whatever this is, it's got to be decades old, maybe even centuries. I don't recognize this writing at all. It's not in any modern language I've encountered so far. There are pictures too. Weird symbols...they mean something, but I've no idea what. There's only one thing that seems to be consistent. Trees. The same tree keeps popping up over and over again and uh..." He flipped to the page with the nude woman on it and blushed a deep scarlet, "And then there was this. "  He glanced at the picture at her, then away.

Eve followed the pages with interesting, observing the same things he had. THen when he showed her the picture, and the girl..
It looked just like her.

She drew away with a gasp, her face flushing nearly the same intensity as her hair.

"That looks like..."
And the woman..
she wore no clothes, with petals and flowers barely clothing her body, and wings made of saplings and adorning hanging moth and leaves...
and there was the tree...
It was as if she was a part of it.

Eve took another step away, not sure what to make of it before she turned around and broke out into a room, dashing away until she collapsed on the other side of the ship.


What did that picture mean!?
Those drawings,.. the text..
it all appeared ancient..

But why was the sketch...
it looked exactly like her...


What was going on? What was she and what was this tree?
She found herself on the verge of tears, not sure even what to do with herself as some nearby elves stared over at her curiously, but said nothing.

Zavimaat followed her, caught up with her easily and knelt down beside her. He didn't say anything. Just reached out and pulled her into a fierce hug. Ignoring the looks the elves were giving them he whispered in her ear, " You were right about one thing. There might be some answers to be found in there. We just have to find someone who could translate the words. But I gotta ask if you really wanna know it's contents. You might not like what you find."

Eve tensed as she felt his arms wrap around her.
She wasn't used to being held, in any form other than repressively, and the voice against her ear made her shiver as she gritted her teeth while tears spilled down her face.

She wasn't sure what to say to him. She wasn't even sure what to make of this whole scenario.
But did she have any choice?
She found herself shaking until sobs wracked her body and she buried her face against his chest.

His scent over whelmed her as she cried, and slowly after a time, she became lulled and just remained, nestled within his arms.

ooc: FOR 300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ic:

"She's been under a lotta stress lately. She'll be fine, " Zavimaat told the elves whom were staring. He gently rubbed her back , doing his best to calm her. "It'll be alright. You got me around. It's scary, I know but I'll look out for ya." 

Hopefully giant spiders and a wrecked boat are the most of our problems.

He didn't mind comforting her though he felt slightly embarassed by his presentation. She looked nice, smelled nice and he looked like he'd just been plucked out of a filthy gutter. How she could stand to be near him made him wonder. Most girls would have told him to go take a bath before they came anywhere near.  But this poor girl didn't seem to mind. "Cry , if ya need to. I don't mind bein' here. "

After a time, Eve's arms slowly released their hold on him as she remained beside him.
Although she had just woken up, she felt exhausted. The stress from the day, amongst other things, had her worn out as her eye lids fell heavily over her eyes.

"I think I'd like to rest some more," she told him softly, her eyes seeming closed as she remained rested against him.  She felt like lead- both in mind and body,a n just wanted to sleep the entire day away...

to just sleep away from the world.

"Alright, " Zav replied softly with a nod, " but you might wanna...er. Do you want me to help you get back to the room?" She looked exhausted. The mental stress was likely the culprit. He didn't wait for her to answer him. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her off. He hadn't been paying much attention before , but he was only beginning to realize how delicate she was. He could have broken her, snapped her in two if he wanted to.

They arrived at the room and he deposited her in bed, tucked her in and sat down at the edge of the bed with the book in his lap, "You gonna be okay here on your own? Thought I'd walk around, maybe see if I can get some clean clothes and a wash."

Eve was too tired to protest, and almost fell asleep to his smell. When he placed her back into bed, she only looked at him once before nodding.
"I should be fine. I just need to rest," she informed him, though her voice was barely over a whisper as she gently closed her eyes, and restlessly nuzzled herself against the blankets with a contented sigh.

She hoped sleep would come to her quickly, as her mind was racing over the pages on the book..
her mind returning to the image she had seen...


The image that had looked like her.

ooc: Kinda mature because of implied nudity. I don't really think the label is necessary ,but I'll be cautious just in case.

ic:

"Okay,"  Zav replied gently, with a nod. For a moment he was reminded of the old days when he used to tuck his cousin in and reassure her that no scary monster was going to jump out from beneath the bed and eat her. He stood up and walked around the bed, leaned over her to set the book down on the night table abreast the left hand side of the bed.  He paused to look down at her for a few moments, then turned away and walked out.

The elves were generous to provide him with vestments and Zavimaat took them , uncomplaining, despite his distaste for their decorative appearance. He was given a comb , some soap and washtub to bathe in. There was only one problem. There was no place for privacy other than the room he'd been given and Eve was in there. No problem! She was sleeping. He'd just have to be quick and quiet and he could be done before she even woke up!

He entered the room as quietly as he could and had the bath set up. Where the elves got the water from...he had no idea but he hardly cared either. He made trip after trip for a kettle of water, slowly filling the washtub until it was just a little more then half full. He removed his clothing and sat down in the tub. The water wasn't hot, wasn't warm. It was cold , but it was clean and it felt nice. He considered relaxing for a bit but went straight to work with soaping himself up and scrubbing the dirt away.

ooc: This is your fault!

Eve appeared to sleep soundlessly, though the sounds of setting up the bath tub and the man now scrubbing himself within that bath tub eventually drew her out of her broken sleep.  She didn't open her eyes at first, only lay there as she heard light grunts and splashes of water.  Then the scents of the soap reached her nose as she opened her eyes.

For a moment she only lay there, then curiously rose and found herself getting an eyeful of a very naked and wet Zavimaat.  Bubbly suds clung to his body, glistening like gold against the lamp light that hung over his body like a halo.  She had never, well, truly seen a man naked before, and although she hadn't seen it all, she was seeing enough to make her sit up with a gasp, pulling the bed sheets closer as she stared at Zavimaat in shock.

Hearing a sound, Zavimaat froze. Ever so slowly, he turned his head and saw Eve staring at him. The look on her face...she looked mortified! Though he wasn't ashamed, the look she gave him made him feel incredibly awkward, dirty even. Calmly, Zavimaat scooped up a handful of bubbles and positioned them just so he'd be as decent as he could in such a situation. " Eh...whoops. Didn't mean to wake ya up. Thought I'd jus' ...y'know. While ya was sleepin'. " He laughed nervously, " Honestly, I thought ya was gonna sleep right through. Was gonna be a quick. "

He made a face at her, somewhat offended by the shock she was viewing him with. Did she think he was that ugly or something?  " Well, ya don't gotta look at me like that. I can take a hint. Sheesh. I'll take my bath somewhere else..." He stood up. The few bubbles that still clung to his body left little to the imagination.

Eve could help herself but stare. She hadn't meant to, and would have shied away had her eyes have not been glued to his body.
Then he moved, her mouth fell open, and there he was, standing in all of his bubbly glory- naked.. without clothes... and wet.

It would be the first time for many things for Eve that week, and she wouldn't have thought seeing a naked boy was one of them.  Having been so wrapped up in all the mysterious about herself, she had never gotten the chance to consider other laws of attraction at play and..
She had moved to run, but caught upon the blankets and began to fall..
her head feeling light as she gave way to a faint.


OOC: Yeah.. Eve has NO idea how to react to sudden NAKED BOY DX

XP

Well , crap!  Now he'd given her a show! He smacked his palm over his face. Idiot! He's just stood up without even thinking. He peeked out through the spaces in his fingers at her fleeing form. He didn't think to pursue her, but then she was falling and he ran forward to catch her. And catch her he did. He frowned at her, " Woulda been a lot easier if ya just covered yer eyes. "


ooc: I wasn't sure if she'd feinted or not! *flails*

OOC: Mature for um.. awkward content XD

IC:


She had swooned, and temporarily had fainted, but the position she had fallen in was jarring and soon she woke, her eyes coming into focus with the dark, raining hair of Zavimaat as he peered down at her.

She blinked again and moved, and a hand went to his bare chest and that's when she noticed what had happened-
she was in his arms and..
She panicked, made a noise and reeled back, slipping within his wet arms as she gave a cry and suddenly held onto him, afraid to be dropped..
but he was slick and wet and she found herself leaning upon him in a most compromising position, his bare chest against hers and....


an awkward sensation rushed through her when groin fell to groin and her entire face flamed as red as her hair.

After catching her, one of his feet slipped and he ended up on his back with her on top of him. Their position was hardly appropriate. Zavimaat tried not to laugh, but his sides were shaking. Though he didn't dare make a sound. His expression looked as though he might of been in some pain though he was just fighting the urge to laugh. "Heh. Gotta be careful. Floor's all slippery."

He sat up, helping her out in the process. " Okay. This time. Just cover your eyes with your hands and I'll get dressed. Y'know, so we can avoid any other future accidents. I don't want my naked ass to be responsible for your untimely death. " He moved away from her to fetch a towel and proceeded to dry himself off. He was acting as though everything were perfectly normal though , deep down he was feeling about as nervous and awkward as she was. He was just a lot better at not letting it show.

Eve was dizzy, and let Zavimaat guide her away. She remained, huddled upon the bed, her back turned away from Zavimaat.  There was a lot of questions she would never know about the world, and even after seeing what she had seen, male anatomy would remain in that category of unknowing. It was never something she ever thought about, nor had the luxury to think about under any laws of attraction, but having seen what she saw and...

Her face still burned a deep crimson as she remained looking away.
Too many new feelings were arising, too many new things to learn and explore...

The world was frightening and wondrous all at once.
Too bad she was having a series of panic attacks along the way.


OOC: his naked ass will be burned in her mind FOREVAR lol

Quietly, he dressed. The clothing was a little tall for him but otherwise it fit. In fact, it fit him a little too snugly for his tastes. "Bleh...dunno how anyone could stand wearin' this. " He fumbled with the buttons on the shirt, "look like one of them aristocrat fops." He didn't fuss with straightening the clothing and he'd buttoned the shirt up wrong. Why couldn't it have had three buttons like his old shirt? He would have ripped it off and thrown it on the floor in frustration if Eve hadn't been so traumatized by seeing his bare flesh.

"Okay, I'm decent, " He announced. He half-turned to look back over his shoulder at her huddled figure on the bed. "Erm...are you okay?" He really had no idea. He went over to her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, " Eve?"


ooc: Poor girl D:

Eve flinched at his touch, feeling the weight of her embarrassment as she flinched, but finally turned his way, staring at him for a moment in his new suit before another blush consumed her face.
It was hard for her to look at him the same way, and she had no idea how to cope in such a situation as she backed away, still fearful and lowered her head.

Despite Zavimaat looking like a whole new person in his get up, she still felt severely uncomfortable after what had happened.

"I'll take your silence as a no," Zav sighed, " Sorry. I dunno what else to say that ain't already been said. Hm. Probably should jus' stop talkin'. " He retracted his hand and took a step back. "I woke you, didn't I? I shoulda waited til ya was done nappin'. Real sorry. " He rubbed the back of his neck.

Too late now. Poor girl was now scarred for life. Probably.

He felt his stomach tying up in knots. He didn't know why he was nervous. Maybe her nervousness was affecting him. "Well, uh...I'll just tidy up here and leave you to your rest." He cleaned up his mess but on the way out the door he tripped over his oversized pant leg, hit his head on the door and blacked out....

for several hours.

When he woke up , there were shadows standing over him. They were speaking in hushed voices, but Zavimaat distinctly heard one of them say, " Maybe we should take him to see a healer."

Zavimaat sat up, still in a daze , " I-I'm fine I- ow...." The rush sitting up went to his head, the pain of a massive headache being realized in full force. "Who hit me!?" He demanded, seeming to forget that he'd only had a brief conflict with door before he'd lost consciousness.

"No one hit you." An elf began to explain, looking to another elf as he felt uncertain how to explain it.  "You sort of, um... fell.."

It was when he awoke she was able to come around, and suddenly threw herself at Zavimaat, burying her face against him.  Eve had feared this had all been her doing-
and berated herself the entire time she had been left alone.
She hadnt realized how much she had come to depend on him as she clung against his chest.

The elves all smirked and exchanged glances.

"Well, it seems to me things are back in order. But we've made it to shore now, but we wanted to make sure you're alright." the elf then smirked before adding. "You're both safely in Serendipity."

Zavimaat glared at the speaker, "Don't feel like no fall," he growled softly, still rubbing the back of his sore noggin, " Ow..."

Confusion spread across his features as Eve tackled him with a hug. Had she not been upset with him earlier? He blinked, stupidly and stared at the smirking elves. What was so amusing? They thought he was dumb enough to buy into that "you fell " bull?

He gasped at the elf's final words, " What!? How the hell can we be there so soon?"

Then there was much laughter at his expense and he was still confused.

When their audience departed, Zavimaat looked at Eve, " Was I out for long? And I thought ya was mad at me...? "

The elves had chuckled and left them alone.

Eve only clung to him, then, once he spoke to her, she backed away, feeling embarrassed as she lowered her head and downcast her eyes.  When she remembered his question, she meekly replied,
"You had been out for nearly the whole day... maybe longer." she said, trembling at the thought, but never lifting her head to look at him, a soft blush gracing her cheeks.

Zavimaat looked around. When he was sure for certain that they were alone, he leaned in closer to her. For a moment it looked as though he might have been up to something but he simply inquired in a hushed voice, "So who hit me? S'okay. Ya can tell me. "

Eve only blinked as she stared at him naively.
"You fell," she said simply, pouting a bit as she did so, almost flinching as though he'd hurt her for saying so.
"I'm sorry." she then added, feeling as if she were to blame, lowering her head in a dejected manner as she stepped away from him, feeling lost.



OOC: Short posts are short :U

"Really?" Zavimaat blushed. Man, he felt stupid and he sounded and looked disappointed. He shrugged at her apology, " Well, damn. That's embarassin'. " He shook his head at her, "Nah. Not yer fault. I guess I.... " He looked down at his pants, "Must've been the pants." He always had to blame something other than himself for his own personal humiliations.

"But we're good, right?  Yer not mad cuz I flashed ya on accident? " Maybe he should just stop bringing that subject up.

Eve observed him for a moment, unsure what to say.  But at his next comment, she flinched, backed away from him as if fearful shed' done something wrong. SHe wasn't sure what to make of.. what had happened on the ship, but quickly lowered her gaze again, keeping her frightful eyes upon the floor and her blush, well hidden beneath the shadows of her hair.


OOC: SO..

SHORT

D:

ooc: Sorry this took so long. Lazy post is lazy. So sorry.

ic:

" Relax. I'm not gonna hurt'cha, " Zav said gently. He approached her cautiously as one might approach a deer and reached out. His hand landed softly on her narrow shoulder. And mustering a voice as gentle as he could he spoke to her, " We're okay. " With a free hand he took her chin and turned her head so she'd have to look him in the eyes, " Don't worry. I'm gonna take care of you."

He offered her hand and they departed together.

Their ship had made port in sleepy fishing town that reminded Zav a little bit of home. Zav thanked the elves and bid them farewell. Now the pair of them stood on the docks while Zav contemplated what they'd do next. "Hm. This should be interestin'. I've never been here before."

OOC: YOUR LAZYNESS IS EPIC
<3 jk

I didn't give you much to go off of, haha.

IC:
The port was bustling with activity.  Fishermen were tossing nets into the water, ladies were carrying buckets over their head, others were drawing mules with carts towards the loading docks, awaiting for the boats to return for the day with their catch.

It smelled of it's livlyhood, of salt and water, sands and fish.  And it was all so interesting to her, a scene she had never seen before as she peered quietly from Zavimaat's side and began to observe the world blossoming around them.


The sun was high, and warmed her skin.  The air even felt more welcoming than the foreboding storm that had presented itself before, and so for a minute, she felt herself carried off into another world, that was, until a larger man came barging through, nearly pushing her over as he carried great big buckets full of fish.

"Careful there! Sorry! Outta the way!" the man said, then turned to Even, who was nearly fallign oer as a fish flopping onto her dress.

Eve gasped as the fish plopped onto the ground, twitching and throwing itself into a limp wriggle as it gasped through it's gills and mouth for breath.

"Sorry, miss," the man said, bending over to retrieve his fish. He attempted ot tip his hat, then was off.

Eve now pressed herself firmly against Zavimaat's side, her hands digging into his clothing as she watched the bulky fish carrying man leave the dock.


Yes, it was certainly interesting here.

Zavimaat neatly sidestepped the passing fisherman and bent to pluck the fallen fish up by the tail. He smirked and tossed it back over his shoulder into the water and then took her hand in his when she drew in close to him, " Seems like my kind of place." He said, looking down at her with the smirk still present on his lips.

He looped an arm around her back and gently pulled her along as he walked, "Stay close." He whispered in her ear as he guided her away weaving through the crowd and guiding her to the town proper.

On their way they passed an elderly fellow of a filthy, unkempt appearance. "Well, well...lookee here. Hullo there pretty lady," The old man staggered forward,and reaching out drunkenly towards Eve. "Give us kiss, love." He leaned in , reeking of booze. He didn't get close enough to Eve though. Zavimaat socked the man in the nose and sent him reeling away.

"Back off ya perverted old codger!" Zavimaat snarled. He pulled Eve with him , quickening his pace and moving around the man.

He found a tavern and found guided Eve to an empty table near the exit. The place was loud with conversations and jam-pack full of sailors and fisherman whom were preoccupied with their drink  and the swapping of their manly sea voyagers.

"Ah took down thee all by meself," One bear-sized man with an epic beard seated behind them was boasting to his mates, " With one punch!"

"Ach! Ah'm fer callin' bull shit, " One of the mates protested and the others laughed heartily.

Zav ignored the conversation and looked across the table at Eve, " How ya holdin' up so far?" With so many people talking at once, he had to sort of yell in order for her to hear him. He didn't expect her to answer and went on to inquire, " So, feeling hungry?"

Eve flinched and remained close to Zavimaat. This world was very different than what she was used to, for it was boisterous and loud.  Flinching at all the noise and sudden array of people, Zavimaat would soon find himself with Eve's fingernails nearly digging into his skin as she kept as close as humanly possible before they found a spot at a table, and even them she was hesitant to sit.

Tucking her hair away form her face timidly, she looked around before taking a seat.
Her green eyes slowly examined the room, a frown still wearing her lips as she clutched at the end of the table so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

At first, Eve didn't hear Zavimaat's question, for a loud mouthed man behind them drowned him out.  Again, at the noise, she flinched nad lowered herself, pressing her chest against the table as her red hair spilled around her.  She felt her heart pumping fast, her skin beginnign to sweat..

but then she heard his voice again and raised her head curiously jsut as a bar maid came by and her choice of attire made Eve stare. She had never seen a woman so... full busted before, the woman had gargantuan breasts nearly bursting at the seams, a large, black mole on her cheery cheeks and red painted lip stick and darkly painted eyes.  She turned to them both, then examined Zavimaat and gave him a wink.
"Can I get you sweets anything to eat?"
She eyed up Zavimaat real good.
"Or even the house special or some booze, love?" she grinned at him knowingly, chewing on something with large, teethy bites as she smiled.

Eve continued to stare, still not sure what to make of the woman as she leaned back, feeling uncertain.

Zavimaat's eyes briefly passed over the woman's bosoms and he shook his head, " Eh. Somethin' non-alcoholic for me and my uh...friend. " He offered the woman a pleasant smile and felt for some change in his pocket. He didn't have much.

He reached across the table and put a hand over Eve's to reassure her.

He would have liked a drink , but he couldn't afford it. He couldn't even afford a meal for them to eat. With a sigh, he hid his face in his free hand and shook it. He uncovered his eyes though and leaned across the table so that his face was close enough for Eve to hear him when he spoke, "Er...ya still got that creepy book?"

ooc: You'd think he'd see it but....

Eve jumped when his hand touched hers, then she turned to him and blinked.  A blush heated her cheeks as she lowered her head and simply nodded.
"The men on the boat gave me a satchel to carry it in,"s he said softly. It was resting beside her, but her eyes didn't bother to check.


The tavern was still very much loud, and she was still very obviously flinching everytime a loud clap of laughter shook the room or the boisterous sermons of men's boasts filled the air with their heavy arrogance.  She felt so out of place her skin was crawling as she squirmed upon her chair.

Nodding , Zav sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah? That was nice of 'em." He went quiet for a bit. His eyes scanned the room. He would have been comfortable alone here , but with this young girl with him, he couldn't help feeling concerned. She was pretty ,and made herself appear obviously vulnerable. Some men, some sick bastards liked to prey on girls like her. Lucky for her he wasn't the type.

His eyes wandered back to her and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He could see her fear. She was in place that was obviously way outside her comfort zone. Sighing, he stood up and moved is chair to sit nearer to her. "I know I'm not supposed to pry or anything, " he paused to thank the serving woman when she set two glasses of water down on the table, "but , I've been wondering what you can remember about...uh. You know. " He leaned forward, grabbing his glass and frowned. It didn't look very clean. Oh well, he thought, you pay for what you get. 

"If I'm going to help you out, we need something to go off of, " He raised the glass to his lips and drank deeply.

For a long moment, Eve stared at the dirty water glass before her, the sounds of clanking glasses and drunkards still lively in the background.  He had asked her a simple question, though she wasn't sure what to say and continued to stare at the flecks of dirt in her glass before down casting her gaze at the table.

"I came from a small village,"S he said quietly, her voice almost lost among the noise. She shifted uneasily in her chair, her toes curling inside her shoes. "I don't know where it even was, I just know there were a  lot of trees and a stream near by."S he shifted again uncomfortably and kept her hands clenched tightly around the glass. By now, the dirt mostly settled inside it.
"All I know is,"s he added even quieter, trying to hide her eyes from his. "Is I don't want to go back." A pause. "And I don't know where to go from here."

"Maybe if we give it some time, it'll come back to you," He set his glass down after draining it til it was half-empty. "Relax, I'm not takin' you anywhere. I can't go anywhere without money. That was, " He stopped himself and shook his head, "nevermind. It doesn't matter. But assuming that we're going to be together for a bit, maybe ya got something about you that you could tell me. Don't have to be important. Just would be nice to know a little bit about you. Or," he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, 'Do you got questions for me?"

ooc: Haha short. x3

Eve listened to him quietly, then when the questions went to her, she squirmed in her seat.
"I don't know what to say or ask," she replied softly, and honestly. She was never really asked much of anything, only told and scolded. Having an opinion, or something to say, was just not something she was used to expression. It wasn't that she didn't possess it, rather, that it was a tool awkwardly unrefined.  She kept her eyes lowered, flinching when the men behind her grew more rowdy as their table roared and cheered.

"I... this place scares me," she admitted, trembling in her chair, her one hand clutching onto the sling for the bag that rested against her chair. She almost looked ready to cry.

"To be honest, I dunno what to say to you either, but I feel as though I outta say somethin', " he shrugged,"I dunno. Ya got one of them sad 'n lonely looks. Like ya ain't got a friend in the world and that don't seem right to me. A nice girl like you deserves better than that." He reached for his glass again and drained it dry.

Setting the empty glass back down on the table, he listened to her admit being fearful of this place he'd taken her to and he had to admit that this wasn't the best place to take a young lady, " You wanna leave now? Though there's somethin' I'd like to look into first. " He gestured to her glass, " Might wanna drink. I know it ain't the cleanest, but it's all I can afford."

He was too preoccupied with Eve to notice the tavern doors swing open and two large brawny men clad in dark studded leather make their entrance. The two thuggish looking men appeared nearly identical to one another. They may very well have been twins. They shared the same square, muscular frames, the same short blond hair , prominent noses, tattoos , scars and a an impressive collection of piercings. The only thing that set them apart was one of them boasted one eye and facial stubble on his strong jaw.

They made an intimidating pair , moving together as though they were one person. Their expressions were stoic and their eyes scanned the tavern. They were looking for something. Or, more likely, someone. Most men got the hell out of their way as the duo waded through the crowd. Those that didn't were roughly shoved aside.

The duo made their way to tavernkeep's bar, and the One-Eyed brute leaned against the counter , "I'm lookin' for someone. " He growled softly, his single steely gray eye glaring at the tavernkeep.

"Look here, sir, " The keep began, " I don't want any trouble-"

"I'm willing to pay you for information," the thug replied, cutting the tavernkeep off.  He turned his head and nodded at his silent companion, " Show him."

Nodding, his twin presented a parchment with a crude drawing of a young man's face. "We're looking for this wanted criminal. Bastard stole from our employer and we're here to bring him to justice. If he's here, all I need for you to do is point him out to me. I promise you no trouble for you or this...fine establishment. And, for your troubles..." One Eye cut a coin purse loose from his belt and tossed it on the counter. It spilled open , some silver pieces rolling out onto the counter. The tavernkeep eyed the money, clearly interested and then studied the picture that One Eye's companion held up.

The man drawn on the poster looked an awful lot like Zavimaat.

"So old man, " The One-Eyed thug smirked, full well confident that he had bought this man' s loyalty, "Can you tell me where he is or not?"

Ooc: These guys won't engage them until AFTER they leave. Just so we're clear on this and it won't be in the open. I think they'd like to use a little discretion. Feel free to use them though!

OOC: and they always get his nose wrong *snicker*

IC:
Eve remained quiet, though obeyed, drinking her water and digesting what he said. He said she was nice? Was she? She had nothing to compare it to and remained uncomfortable as she drank the dirty water to the last drop.

But realizing he was the one that got them the water, which was much needed, she only softly informed him ,"Thank you."

OOC: Epic and short XD

D:

"Don't mention it, "Zav smiled at her and clapped her lightly on the shoulder as he rose from his seat, " Wait here. This won't take long. " He left her alone at the table and disappeared into the crowd.

Moments before his departure, the tavernkeep had indentified Zav. Now the thuggish duo found their way slowly over to the table and took a seat, one sititng on each side of Eve. Without a word, One-Eye stabbed his dagger down into the table , causing Zav's abandonned class to clink as it tipped over and rolled off the wooden surface. "Hello, little lady," The thug greeted her, his expression and inflection cold as ice. "Sit still like a good girl and listen well, because I won't repeat myself."

His silent companion only glared at Eve just as icily. He had a hand resting on the hilt of the blade sheathed at his belt, ready to draw it at a moment's notice of trouble or resistance.

One-Eye continued, indicating with his big hand to the dagger that had pinned a scrap of paper to it. " We'd like you to deliver this message to your boyfriend for us. Would you be so kind?" He grabbed the dagger's handle and ripped it free, leaving the note to to flutter back down lazily to rest on the table. "Now, this is very important to us, little lady. Show it to him. Or else, you'll regret it even more than he does." He offered her a cool smile and stood up from the table.  His twin did the same. Together, they left , making their way through the tavern and exiting several minutes before Zav would return.

When Zavimaat returned to the table, he was looking quite pleased with himself, "I've got some good news. They're looking for a part-time dockworker at the...." He sat down in his seat and looked at her. Something in her eyes,her expression told him that something was wrong, "What's wrong? "

Eve was scared stiff.  Not only were the men unpleasant, but they had a very large, very sharp knife. Too scared to move, she could only oblige their request and almost pissed in her chair had she not been so frightened. Her skin had paled, her face, fallen in expression with wide eyes gaping at the table. She hadn't notice or registered Zavimaat had even returned until he spoke and inquired what was wrong.

Then suddenly her face broke and she rushed through the crowd, blinded by her tears as she ran into one gruff man, who turned around, glaring at her and spooked the daylights out of her.
She only turned and fled, rushing out side before tripping over own two feet as she fell against an old by tree and buried her face into her arm. She cried into it as she slid down to the ground.

"Eve!" Zavimaat called after her. He leapt out of his chair and started after her, but noticed the note waiting there on the table for him. It had a hole in it. He went over to claim it and turned it over, his eyes widening as he read. He tore the note up and hastened out the door, pushing people out of the way because he was in too much of a hurry to be bothered with his manners.

"Eve!" He called her name again once he was outside and lokoed about frantically for any sign of her.

They were waiting there in the shadows nearby, watching the tree.
"Think he'll come?" One-Eye's companion inquired,his voice soft and cold as the steel of the knife he held in his hand.

"He doesn't have a choice, " One-Eye smirked and then pointed his dagger at Eve, "If he doesn't come to us willingly, then we give him a reason to. "

His companion smiled, "You know he doesn't have the money.We might as well stop wasting time and kill them both. "

One-Eye shook his head, "Nah. I'd rather not leave too much of a mess. Besides, the boss wants what he paid for. He won't be too pleased if we off the only person who knows where it is. "

"Enough talk. Let's go say hello to our old friend , eh?"

They left the alley from which they hid and stalked over to the tree where Eve was. They circled it like sharks and One-Eye reached out ,seizing Eve by the wrist. He yanked her up, pulling her in close and slapping his gloved hand over her mouth before she could scream for help. "Where's your boy, eh? "

"Told you he'd wuss out," his companions snickered.

One-Eye stroked Eve's cheek very lightly with the tip of his dagger, lightly grazing her skin and making her bleed. He stared into her frightened eyes, " Poor girl. He left you to pay for his mistakes. Now, don't look at me like that. It's not my fault you've got a poor taste in men, but don't you worry. You can come with us and we'll look after you from now on." He lowered his dagger and turned her around, pressing the blade's point roughly against her back. "Keep your pretty little mouth shut and move. If you so much as whimper or stumble, I'll kill you. You read me?" He gave her a none-too-gentle prod. "Move it! "

The thugs escorted her away long before Zavimaat reached the area, still looking for her. 

Ooc: I realize that there's probably not much you could do with Eve but uh...like I said you can use these two. >.> Just make sure to keep them around so I can execute the plan we discussed in messenger? X3

Eve didn't notice the men approach, and was scared witless when the blade was brought to her. As they advanced over her with their menacing plans, hot tears began to roll down her cheeks as she couldn't look away.

Then, she was prodded to move onward, left little choice as her legs numbly carried her, step by step. She couldn't stop crying, and felt herself trembling before she suddenly began to break down in tears, her cries echoing into the trees.

Irritated, one of the men backhanded her and Eve dropped to the ground.
"Shut up you stupid wench!"
and Eve remained on the ground, hair plastered over her face and thrown wildly over her shoulders as she continued to sob into the ground. The men didn't care much for it and pulled her by her hair as she cried out, only to be back handed across the lips and she fell into sobbing silence within their grip.


"There," one eye smirked. "Much better." He then prodded her forward again. "Keep moving."

Zavimaat followed the sound of Eve's cry. He had not been that far from where the thugs had nabbed Eve and he slipped down an alleyway, then cut right and head down another. At the end of the pathway, he could see the two brutes with Eve in tow.

"Hey!" He called out to them as loud as he could.

They stopped, turned and one-eye pointed his dagger at the man, "Been lookin' for you, Zavimaat. "

"Let the girl go. She's got nothin' to do with this."

One-eye shoved Eve towards his partner then stalked forward towards the man, stopping just a few inches away to tower over him, "You're two weeks late, kid. Where are the goods?"

Zavimaat looked confused, " Whaddyah talkin' bout? I ain't done a job for you since three months ago."

One-Eye prodded Zav in the chest lightly with his dagger, "Cut the bullshit and give me what's mine or else things are gonna get ugly for you and your girl."

"She's not my-" A heavy fist to the face sent him falling to his knees, spitting blood onto the cobbled street.

One- Eye stood over him, sneering, "Just answer my -"

Zavimaat tackled the larger man and knocked him to the ground where they proceeded to punch, kick and bite at one another.

One-Eye's partner released Eve and hurried over to the fight to pull Zavimaat off of his twin. Zav struggled but he wasn't nearly as big or strong as even one of the two thugs and whilst her thrashed about wildly, attempting to break free , the one-eyed thug rose up . He smirked at Zavimaat whom was locked in a choke hold by the other thug."I'm gonna enjoy this!" He drew back his fist and then hit Zav with full force, striking him in the face, gut, and chest repeatedly.

The beating lasted for a few minutes before the thugs released him. Zavimaat collapsed face down in the street, bruised and bleeding. "You find the book and you bring it to us. You've got three days. " One-Eye growled and kicked the fallen man viciously in the side. "You'll find us here in town and we'll be watching your every move. You even think to escape and we'll hunt you down and kill you both."

Zavimaat blinked. Book? But had they not searched Eve?

The thugs took their leave then, slipping back into the alley shadows.

Eve remained a crumpled mess on the floor, watching in horror over her shoulder as Zavimaat was beating before her- blood spilling from his form as illuminated by the eerie light of the moon.
It wasn't until the twin thugs had left that she found herself in a panic, suddenly tear across the grass and over to him. Her lips was swollen, cut; as was her cheek, her eyes reddened by tears as tehy continued to roll down her face in salty streams.

"I'm so sorry," she choked through sobs, afraid to touch him, but wanting to be near him all the same.

"No," Zavimaat said softly out the side of his mouth through swollen lips. He pushed himself up to sit. He shook his head slowly, " It's my fault. I..." He looked away from her , "I work for them. Well, I used to anyway. I've always known it's a dangerous job. I just didn't expect I'd ever slip up. Thought I'd pull off a couple more jobs and be set for life. No more living in the damned slums..." He sighed. "Well, whatever. They're after the book and I don't know about you but I don't intend to let them have it. " He wiped some blood from his lips onto his sleeve.

"They didn't rough ya up too bad, did they?" He inspected her face, " I shouldn't have left you alone like that. "

Not that he would have been able to protect her from them.

"They're the Adder Brothers. Nasty guys when you piss them off good. Heh. What they did is nothing compared to what they do to those that keep pissin' 'em off. "

He blinked, "Eve...where's your satchel?" It seemed to be missing.

Eve kept a hand cupped over her lips as she continued to sob for him, feeling absolutely wretched for all that he had endured. Sure, she had been smacked and threatened, but Zavimaat still remained, injured in the grass.  She stared at him as she sat there, a pout on her lips that continued to tremble, the tears unable to stop flowing.

She could't even answer him when he asked how she was, only more tears spilled from her eyes.
But as he spoke, she listened, and when he asked about her bag, she felt herself panic as she looked down, then over at him with wide, frightful eyes. That was enough to get the tears to halt for just that moment.

Fan-fuckin-tastic!  She'd left it behind! Sighing, Zav rose to stand, "it's probably back at the tavern. If we hurry, it might still be where you left it. I seriously doubt anyone is gonna steal a damn book. " He offered her his hand and they returned to the tavern together.

Zavimaat wove his way through the crowded room, moving quickly to the table where he and Eve had sat not but ten, maybe fifteen minutes ago. The table was already preoccupied by a man and a busty broad seated in his lap. Fortunately they were far too drunk and busy making kissy-face to pay either Zav or Eve much mind. Zavimaat looked about , "Er...ya see it anywhere?"

ooc: I am going to leave it up to you whether she finds it or not. x3

Eve went quiet, even as her face was stained in tears as the two were quick to return to the Tavern. Again, the bustle of it's activity made her flinch and stay close to Zavimaat's side.  When they neared the table and someone was in her seat, she felt awkward at what the two were doing and found herself staring for a good while before her eyes diverted to the floor and she saw the satchel beneath the chair the two were perched upon.
She would have went for it, however, she felt awkward as the woman began to make loud moans as she kissed the other man upon his lap.

OOC: Sorry it's short D: I just woke up and I'm groggy.. might go back to bed @_@ FOR SLEEP IS GOOD

"Haha...damn. It's like, get a room eh?" He laughed and nudged Eve. But then he remembered whom he was talking to and blushed, shaking his head. She was probably appalled by everything here. "See it?" He looked under the chair, "Aha. There it is. Heh. Don't worry. I'll get it."

He got down on the floor, crawling on his hands and knees towards the satchel with one hand outstretched towards it. He grabbed it and crawled back out and handed it to her. "See? We got it. No problem!" He said, grinning triumphantly.

Eve drew back at his gesture, but held her breath when he decided to retrieve it for her.  She watched as he crawled forward and triumphantly return.  She almost wore a smile.
Taking the satchel in hand, she stared at it a moment before hugging the strap tightly.
"Thank you," she said, softly, eyes averting his as she looked at the floor.

OOC: Eve posts are magnificently short XD

"Heh. Don't mention it," He smiled at her and moved to stand next to her. He hooked his arm around hers, "Eh...ya don't like this place and I ain't too fond of it no more myself. Let's go outside and find a quiet place to sit and take a break."

They left the tavern and walked leisurely down the street. Zavimaat's eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings and Eve might have felt the muscles in his arm tense up, might have seen his usual cool expression tight with concern. "You know, "he said quietly after awhile, "it's been a long time since I've done something like this. Walked with a girl..er. Other than my cousin," He shook his head, "Heh.  Just makin' conversation."

They found their way to the pier and Zavimaat sat down on the edge, dangling his legs over the water. He patted the spot next to him."Have a seat. "Whether she did or didn't , he turned his gaze towards the sea, watching the sun slowly sinking on the horizon. "I probably should explain myself some. You seem to have some kind of connection with this book and it only seems fair, I guess."

Eve felt awkward when she caught his smile, only because she realized she wore one of her own and blushed, loweirng her head. But then he drew himself close to her, arm around her shoulder and her green eyes went wide.  ALl she could do is remain awkward and quiet at his side.

As they walked, Eve awkwardly fussed over the strap of the satchel as it hung heavily onto her shoulder.  The book weighed a ton, or so it felt, and she wasn't used to carrying things over her shoulder like this- for she normally had nothing worth keeping or carrying on her person.
It was a temporary distraction from the tenseness she observed from Zavimaat, though on occasion, her eyes would sweep to where his were trained, growing fearful herself as fear tickled within her belly.

Though his next comment was jarring.
SHe lowere dher face, hair falling over her eyes as cheeks turned nearly red as her hair.  She knew partially the term for walking with a girl, though had never the chance to really know it first hand and had to wonder..

Was that what was going on now? Was this courting? THe blush she had remained scarlet at the thought.

At the sound of gulls, Eve finally raised her head and noticed the peer they were approaching and the great, wide expanse of ocean stretching eternally before them with splatterings of colors from the fading sun.
The world could be no more beautiful in that moment, with hot violets and reds cupping the world in it's light.


When Zavimaat mentioned for her to sit, she silently obeyed and let the satchel drop to her side as she sat near to him, legs dangling over the edge.  Her eyes went tot he ocean, still studying it as he spoke, though she was very attentive to what he said ad at the mention of the book, she looked to her bag, then finally raised her eyes curiously to him.

Zav rubbed the back of his neck, " Alright, so it's like this. I'm kind of a..." He looked over his shoulder at her, wondering what she'd think of him if he told her, " ...a little bit of a..." He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, " smuggler. " She might not even know what that meant considering how sheltered she was. "I transport stolen goods across the sea. I'm usually paid by thieves like the Adder brothers ya just met. "

"Anyway, it's like I said. I ain't done business with them punks for quite awhile. Last guy, huh...he was kinda creepy. Tall guy. Wore a mask and spoke all soft and raspy. He was wearin' a black cloak. Couldn't see much of him but he referred to himself as ________.Gave me a box and told me not to open it under any circumstances and to just get it to Serendipity. I was to give it to someone else. I had no idea what was inside. Just take the money and he paid a nice advance. But then I met you and now – I just thought you should know about this guy even if I don't know much. It might be a clue. I dunno. " He shrugged.

ooc: I didn't name the guy personally in case you'd like to make some evil name of sorts! *flail*   

OOC: Leave his name up to me and he's totally going to be called Mr. Poopy-face XD~

IC:
Eve listened, not entirely understanding, but as he explained, it somewhat made sense. But she had no idea all of the complications around it, except it was obviously bad news.  When he was done speaking, she stared down at the satchel, as if she could see the sacred book through the leather. She let one foot touch the water, a wave lapping at the soles of her feet before she turned back to look at the bleeding sunset.

"It's ok." She said softly, her eyes going distant, just taking in this moment as a memory- a brief moment in life.  Although they were both aching, though Zavimaat obviously more than her, the sunset was undeniable peaceful.
Sighing, she lowered her eyes and stared at the waters still lapping at her feet.

"What do you think will become of us." she wondered out loud.  SHe slowly turned her eyes, examining his bruised and bloodied face with a frown. She knew how much that had to hurt. It happened to her more than once, and she already felt numb tot he pain of her swollen lip and cheeks, a purple bruise already forming.  His face was, most obviously, worse for wear.

Zavimaat shrugged, " Dunno. Guess we gotta figure out a way to dupe those two thugs first. We could try our luck with running ,but I know these guys. Seen 'em track other guys down. And they're good. Real good." He rubbed his cheek. There was a massive bruise there that could scarcely be seen though it would show up in the next day or two.

"Means we'd need to leave this place, but we'll need some supplies to keep us goin'. To get those supplies, we'll need some money. I need to find a job which was what I was tryin' to tell ya earlier. There are some workers needed on the docks. Doesn't pay much, but it'll be enough to get by. " And he also needed to send a letter to his aunt , explaining the situation. That would need to wait, however.

"So, " he inquired , "how do I look?"

ooc: Shaddup and name Mr. Noname, woman!

OOC: What's wrong with Mr. Poopy-face? <3

IC:
Eve stared at him, listening intently as he spoke and drew her legs to her chest as they sat at the end of the pier.  A few gulls flew over head, floating across the sunset.

At the mention of a job and money, Eve twisted her lips in thought.  "How do you get a job?" she asked innocently, never having tried such a feat before, but then at his last question she only blinked and studied his face.  It almost appeared as if she was about to touch him, his cheek, which looked more swollen than the other before she frowned and drew her hands away.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, already knowing the answer- though sometimes pain like that only felt like a burning sting- and could almost be ignored.  She pressed her lips together and studied him a moment, a breeze carrying through her hair and sweeping it away from her face.

He met her gaze . How beautiful her eyes were. At her inquiry as to whether it hurt or not he nodded slightly,  " A little, yeah. I'm just glad they hurt me instead of you." He touched her hand lightly for a moment then let his hand drop down. His cheeks burned slightly and he looked down at his lap where his hands rested.

"Er anyway, the easiest way is to just ask people what sort of jobs are available and who to talk to about that job. Normally you try to apply for a job that happens to be something you can do. Like, say, cleaning. Then you and the person giving you the job make an agreement like maybe he or she wants you to clean their kitchen or something for a couple coins. So you go clean it and they give you the coins if they're happy with your work. "

OOC: He *would* stare at her eyes! DX

XD

IC:
Eve tried to read his eyes after he mentioned he was glad to be hurt instead of her, and the idea made her blush.  It also made her uncomfortable, as the notion was still very new to her.  SHe was used to being perceived as useless..

but maybe her father was right...
Now she had some value to her because of what happened to her at the temple. She bit her lip when her thoughts returned and avoided his eyes, only half paying attention to what Zavimaat was saying.

The idea of a job made her anxious as she remained, avoiding his eyes.
"I don't know if I could do that." she replied, shuffling uneasily. "Make someone happy."

ooc:  Well, at least it was her eyes and not her knockers. *snickers*

But enough games! It's time to make her even MORE uncomfortable!

Or maybe not!

ic:

Why was she so down on herself like that? "Sure you could. You could smile more. That would make me happy," He shook his head and shrugged, "Eh. You can't please everyone, you know? The only thing you can do is just, well try. I wasn't suggesting that you get a job though. I was talking about me. I mean, I guess you could get one too if you wanted to but if you're not comfortable with that, I'm not gonna pressure you. "

Not right now. Not until he knew her better, until he understood exactly where she was coming from. Right now she knew far more about him and he'd hardly told her much.

OOC: AND HE WILL FOREVER KNOW NOTHING XD

IC:

Eve stared at him, her cheeks warming at his comment. He was being far too kind to her. And what had she done to deserve it? And here he wants her to smile? A rarity, though, she almost smiled at the idea, but the flicker left her lips as quickly as it had come.

He was right though. She didn't feel comfortable about it, nor did she exactly understand the concept and frowned as she looked down at her dress.
"You're being so kind to me, but I've done nothing to deserve it." she reminded him, quietly. After all, was it not she who was responsible for all of this? Sure, he mentioned something about smuggling, though she sitll was uncertain as to what that all entailed, but *she* was the one who had the peculiar power..
not to mention the sudden appearance of those creepy spiders in the cave, the storm.. the way he found her....


The more she thought of it, she began to wonder what would have become of her had Zavimaat not have found her out at sea.
She would probably have been dead.

Zavimaat was watching," Almost had one there. " He smirked, "Heh. Maybe next time?"

" I'm nice to you because I want to be.  I like you, " For all her oddities, even, " but you don't like yourself very much, huh? Probably used to being put down. Well, I say fuck 'em! Shit...you saved my life. That counts for somethin' don't it? "

He stood up, "An' next time someone puts ya down , ya look that son of a bitch in the eyes and you say, "FUCK YOU!" He yelled this a little too loudly that he drew attention of a few passing fishermen who simply stared at the young man as though he'd gone mad. To make things worse, he tilted back his head and proceeded to laugh.


ooc: It never can stay serious for long. >.>

Eve blushed at his comment and his smirk, almost falling pray to a second smile as she kept her head lowered.  Then he reminded her about his life being saved. She felt awkward about it, not sure how to respond, but the man then proceeded to tell her what she should do. Blinking, she looked up at him, confused as he went about this and that, and flinching as he shouted- the words 'Fuck you' echoing across the waters, as did his laugh.

Her shoulders slowly louder as she blinked again, looking at him and admiring him as he laughed. She wondered if some day she could act like that, but felt self conscious and just remained content to watch him in silence.

ooc: I think it'll be good to fastforward time a little.

ic:

A few hours later,Zavimaat set the last crate down on boat and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

An old , robust sailor clapped him on the back and tossed him some coins. Zavimaat caught them and counted. Decent pay for decent work, he supposed. He hadn't had an honest job in a long time. He went over to where Eve was and showed her the coins, flashing her a grin, "That wasn't so hard now was it? This should get us a room, maybe a bite to eat. Think you can handle that noisy tavern again? "

He didn't know where else they could go. It was a small town. They were lucky there was even a tavern to begin with!

Eve found herself alone for a time, but was kept near to Zavimaat so that she could watch. It was interesting to see him work. Lifting the heavy crates and working, wiping the sweat from his brow. SHe drew her knees to her chest, rested her cheek to her knee while red hair spilled across it as she watched him.  When he approached, she studied his face then looked at the coin.  She only simply nodded before rising to her feet and fetching up her satchel.
Even she needed a reprieve from the quiet moments she had just been afforded, and well, if Zavimaat wanted to use the money he earned for such a thing, who was she to reject him? After all,s he had done nothing to help.

As the two began to move towards the tavern, and old man waved at them.
"Abigail! Hey Abigail is that you? Why! I'd say so! You look just like the bean pole your mother had grown up into!" the old man laughed, exposing a smile with some missing teeth and warm brown eyes. He removed his hat as Eve blinked, staring at him curiously  before she looked around.

"I know it's been a while since I've seen you, but I reckon things have gone well?" he blinked, then noted to the man beside her. "And I suppose this is the fiance your mother disapproves of?" The old man gave a laugh, his breath whistling through the gap in his teeth as he patted Zavimaat on the shoulders. "You don't look so bad to me. How are you treating my granddaughter, eh?"


Eve merely turned to Zavimaat, not sure what to make of all of this.

Zav didn't think too much of the old man waving at them. He assumed the man must have been waving at someone else, but then the old codger walked towards them with a large grin on his face.

"Not another drunk..." He sighed.

The old man was looking directly at Eve with the familiar expression, one that suggested that the two might have known one another. However, when the man addressed her as Abigail, he noted how Eve's expression looked about as confused as he felt.

Zavimaat's mouth hung open and he looked from the old man to Eve, back to the old man and then Eve, then to the old man, " Er.We're not together. Like that." He wasn't about to tell the man anything he didn't know , however. Maybe Eve DID know this man? But it really didn't seem that way. He looked at Eve again," You know him?" 

"Eh?" The old man raised his shaggy grey eyebrows as Eve shook her head and moved closer to Zavimaat's side.  The old man leaned in closer to study her, then backed away.
"OH, I'm sorry little lady," He removed his hat and bowed his balding head. "I thought you were my little girl's daughter, Abigail." he said with a chuckle. "I didn't mean to offend anyone. I just thought well.. you looked a bit lost." he shrugged his shoulders. "And here, I was thinking that i knew you and here you ain't my Abigail. Sorry about that." He turned his head back towards his cart where his mule was pawing at the ground.

"I guess I'm getting worse eye sight in my old age," the man said with a chuckle.  "I'm just a dillusional old man passing through hoping to sell some wares. It be nigh impossible to have run into her, if you'd be my grand daughter. Again, I am sorry."


Eve only stared at him, not sure how to feel or what to do as she blinked. then lowered her eyes, as if ashamed.
The mule appeared equally unamused.

"Eh? You don't need to look so glum," the old man pointed out, then raised a finger. "But you two just wait right there. Old Roger here has got something you might be able to use."
Going back to his wagon, he began to root around for something.  Eve peered at him curiously. When he returned,he had an old, dusty box in hand, which he brushed off before handing over to them.

"Here, it looks like you might be able to use one." the old man said with a grin.  He held it out, waiting for one of them to take it.  "Think of it as a passing gift from an old senile man."

Eve only stared at it, uncertain as she remained beside Zav.

"No problem. We were just...confused..." Zavimaat smirked His grandfather hadn't had the best memory either. Maybe if he'd been around today, he might have been mistaking random villagers for being his grandson!

Zav accepted the box from the old coot and looked at it curiously, he then looked at the old man quizzically, "What's this?"


ooc: Shoort!

"Just go ahead and open it," the man gestured, a twinkle in his eyes.
Eve looked to Zavimat before curiously turning to the box nd helping him open it and peered inside. A metal wind chime rested within. Eve blinked at it curiously, having no idea what it was.

The old man gave a light chuckle.
"Every new house of a married couple ought to have one, eh? I suppose the two of you might have one some day? Or.." he blushed. "Know of someone that might have use for one. But listen to me, an old man rambling away." he waved it off. "You two take care now. I need to be off to the next village."

Eve blinked, and turned to Zavimaat, but then the old man paused and turned back to them.
"Say, what are your real names, if I might ask? Since.." he chuckled. "Well, considering I know now that you're not Abigail, nor you, Charles, her fiance."

Eve opened the box for him and started at the wind chime, a little at a loss as to why this senile old man thought this would be of any use to them. He held his tongue though. His aunt had taught him to appreciate gifts. After all, this man had no reason to give them anything.

He glance at Eve, wondering what she thought about it. He had no interest in it, though perhaps his aunt and cousin might. At the mention of a house and being married, Zav shook his head.He couldn't see himself being tied down to a single woman let alone owning his own home. He imagined that he'd die at sea fishing til he all wrinkled.

"Thanks. You take care too, " He bid the man a farewell but then the old man asked for their names. "I'm ..." He hesitated, contemplating sharing his identity but what harm would it really do? "Zavimaat and this young lady is Eve. She's kinda shy..."

The old man chuckled.
"Zavimaat and Eve?" He smiled. "Sounds good together."
The soft noise of the chimes clanging together drew his eyes to Eve, who now held the metal work up as the chimes clanged together, making a light, sweet chaotic sound. Eve stared at them, mesmerized by the noise.

The old man smiled.
"Glad to see she's taking a shine to it." His face lit up, then he eyed the up. "Say, if you don't mind me asking, what are you two young love birds doing in town?" This village didn't have much, perhaps they were travelers and he? Well, he was a bit lonely and could use a bit of chat.

Eve continued to stare at the wind chimes, even as they settled.

Why did this man insist on labeling them as a romantic couple? "Pops, I keep tellin' ya, it's not like that!" He snapped defensively. Why was he making such a big deal out of that anyway? Just because this crazy old bat thought so, that didn't make it true.

Not that he would have minded being involved with a cutie like Eve. "Does it really?"

He heard the chimes ring -well, more like clang together and turned his head to regard Eve who seemed a little enthralled by the gift.At least one of them appreciated it.

"You're real friendly, aren't ya? " Zav eyed the man with mild suspicion. Even if the man seemed harmless, he knew that trouble wore many disguises. "We're travelers. Just passing through, doing some sightseeing." He lied. The real story was to ridiculous to tell and it was nobody's damned business.  "She's never left home before, so I'm showing her around."

"I'm heading up to Cerenis, myself," Roger informed, smiling warmly and seeming to not hear (or chose to ignore) Zavimaat's comment about Eve's relationship.  "It's a lovely town, bustling and just full of activity. The have one of the best fisheries around and even better tavern food than any of these small town's can boast."

He eyed the two and rubbed his grey stubbled chin.
"Say, you two wouldn't mind keeping an old man company as he travels there? It's a days travel or so." he shrugged. "If not, you two have a nice time here in town."


At the mention of the next city, Eve raise dher head curiously then turned to Zavimaat in silence.

Zavimaat frowned at the offer. "Now? Er, would if we could, but we got business here in town that needs finishing first." He wasn't about to risk getting this poor old codger caught up in his problems. The Adder brothers wouldn't show either him nor Eve any mercy if Zavimaat tried to run away without giving them what they wanted.

"See, we're being harassed by a couple of thugs. If we leave town without paying them , they're going to kill us." Zav explained. "But we don't have the payment they want..." Which was a lie , but the old man didn't need to know the specifics. "So unless you've got some way of smuggling us outta here without them knowin' it , we're kinda stuck here. "

Roger stared at the young man in surprise.
"Truly?!" he exclaimed, appearing baffled and fearful for them. Then she shook his head. "Then you *must* come with me!" he insisted, moving to the part of his cart and began to fuss over the thing-
There was a make shift hood that he was working at pulling up- a sturdy, foldable piece of clothe and wood that, when raining, kept his wares dry.
"You could always take refuge inside my cart as I travel," the old man suggested, after the hood was well pulled and set.


Eve merely stared at it. It looked like there wasn't much room on the back of the cart, but felt her heart swell a little at the idea of finding a way to hide and escape from those men...
After all, they did frighten her terribly and unknowingly, Eve clung to Zavimaat's side, her eyes focused on the wagon before them- a small, glimmer of hope and curiosity in her eyes.

"So long as you can keep hidden and quiet, who would know if you traveled along wtih an old man and his wares?"

"Er...yeah , but it's kinda complicated, " Zavimaat began to say , but the crazy old wind chimes man rattled on about leaving. Zav grew frustrated, "You don't understand, pops! These guys are mean as hell. They get a whiff that you had anything to do with helpin' us and they'll kill you and anyone else that you care about. I appreciate yer help an' all but I-"

He considered it though. It was a clever idea. "Take the girl with ya. I'll...stay here and deal with them. They're not really after her anyway." Yet. Once they knew she had the book, he shuddered to think of what they'd do to her.

At his idea, Eve grew fearful and backed away from him with a start. It almost looked as if she were about to cry again. Would he honestly abandon her after the whole ordeal? Or.. maybe he was just keen on being rid of her. Either way, she was shocked to be suddenly placed, or at least, suggested, into the care of another, a stranger.


The old man watched the exchange. He shook his head. "Your girl doesn't seem too keen on it, I'm afraid. I'm sorry to have troubled you." Roger bowed humbly. "but if you change your mind, I'll be at the shops over yonder. I wish you to two well."

Eve watched, a hand gripping to her arm as he left, tears threatening in sharp, crystaline drops inside her eye.

Why couldn't she just go? She had to be so damn difficult. Women! Zav crossed his arms and glared at her, "I'm thinkin' 'bout what's good for you, you know.  I ain't gonna leave ya hanginin'. If I wanted to , don't ya think I woulda just left ya to them punks? " He reached out , cupped her chin in his hands and made her look him in the eye, " Can't you trust me ? I just wanna throw 'em off. I'll find you in Cerenis or whatever okay. Pops seems like an okay guy. I'm sure ya got nothin' to be afraid of." He frowned, "Talk to me. What's eatin' ya?"

Eve froze up beneath him, growing fearful before she began to cry. Lowering her head, she shook it and weakly replied,
"I.. I just don't want to be alone." She clutched onto his arm suddenly, desperately, afraid to let go. "I don't know where I'm going or what to do." Her lips gave way to a trembling pout as she sobbed weakly.

OOC: Y HE MAKE HER CRY AGAIN!? DX

CX

"Aw. Naw. Ya won't be. You just stick with er...old Coger. I'm sure he'll look out for ya til I can get this sorted out. " He tolerated her clinging. It reminded him of his cousin when she'd been about six or seven years old. Always needy, clingy. It used to annoy him so much. Though he did appreciate the feeling of being needed. Damn these complicated feelings. He sighed, "I'll be back with ya sooner than ya think. I promise. Come on, ya don't wanna get the old man into trouble and ya don't wanna hang around and wait for the Adders to come. Please, Eve."

ooc : x3

Eve only stared at him, but felt herself grow awkward over the phrase 'please.'
Lowering her gaze, she pouted and did not know what to say.
"If that is what you wish."s he said after a time, softly, quietly.. defeated as she still held onto him, but he might notice her grip, much weaker than before.

OOC: *Snicker snicker snicker*

It's not what I wish , but it's the way it has to be. I'm sorry.  Zavimaat reclaimed his arm from her and nodded, " Let's go."  Without another word , he made his way to the shops that Old Roger had indicated. He found the old man and his cart and cleared his throat, " Change of plans. She's goin' with you," He announced, feeling somewhat awkward and guilty for making Eve's decision for her. This is the right thing to do for both of them. He reassured himself. "This should pay for her expenses." He fished out the coins from his pocket and gave them to Roger, but couldn't look the man in the eye.  "Take good care of her, will ya? I'll uh...be seein' ya 'round , I guess." He turned to leave. 

Eve felt numb, being lead away then tossed off to the old man.  She watched him though, with sad, longing eyes as he left.  If she had the gall to do it, she would have called out to him, but instead, she felt her lips twitching as tears brewed inside her eyes.

And again she was alone.

"Come on, deary, do not fret. I bet he won't keep you long. You know, " he said, after coercing her into the cart. "It's very heroric of him to let you go on ahead of him. So do not worry, alright?"

Eve didn't respond, but simply obeyed as she climbed intot he bacl of the cart and was taken.. far far away, her eyes lingering on the small town as the two began to make their way towards Cerenis...

Her tears were hollowed as tehy moved, but as night began to crest into the sky, she found some small comfort in the clanging noise of the wind chimes as she hung them on the back of the ride.

He'd kept just enough money to rent a room for the night though when he went to lie down , sleep would not come to him as easily as he'd imagined that it would. He told himself he'd enjoy the freedom and the lack of responsibility. He could do as he pleased without having to worry about offending a girl who seemed so damn fragile. But he lie there awake , staring at the ceiling and thinking about her, filled with worry. She'd been so dependent on him and he'd pushed her away. He rolled over on his side and glared at the wall, guilt and worry consuming his thoughts. What if the old man said something or did something that scared the girl? What if she ran off? What If she got lost or hurt? She couldn't take care of herself. Hell, she could hardly hold a normal conversation! Someone out there was going to pick up on that and they'd take advantage...

But he'd be back before that happened. He'd figure out a way to dupe the Adders. They weren't incredibly dim, but they weren't incredibly bright either. He'd just have to figure out how to give them what they wanted without really giving it to them and hope that they were thick enough to take his offer genuinely. He'd also have to hope that pleasing them would also ensure his ability to walk free without much trouble...

Eventually, all of the internal worrying and scheming lulled him to sleep. A few hours before the light peeked in through the cracks of musty old window curtains. A nightmare concerning his aunt scolding him over leaving Eve alone caused him to wake with a start. He sat up in bed, looking about almost frantically and half expecting his aunt to be there. Fortunately, she was not though he wished that she were. She understood these things better than he did. Doing the "right" thing and all. Sighing, Zav stretched and dressed.

He had a quick breakfast at the tavern and washed it down with a nice big healthy helping of booze before leaving to hit the town market. There wasn't much to look at. There was a LOT of fish and produce. Not so much of what he was looking for.  So he waited around, watching more merchants arrive and setting up their stalls. One brightly colored stall in particular caught his interest. He wandered over to it, trying not to appear as if he were in a hurry or all that interested. "Welcome , friend. What may old Gregory interest you in..."

"Uh...you sell books, right?" Zav began stupidly, staring at the man's display. Need he even ask the question? There were certainly plenty of books for sale at this stall!

"Oh how delightful! I haven't met too many individuals here particularly interested in eductation!" The book vendor laughed and clapped his hands together jovially. "Tell me, young man. Are you new to this enlightening venture?"

Zav stared at the man as though he might have lost a few marbles, "Whaddyah talkin' 'bout? " 

"Come now, don't be shy!" Gregory chuckled, " Judging by your diction, I'd say that you were a novice in literary pursuits. " Gregory,  the enthusiastic book vendor puffed out his chest with great pride and adjusted his oval spectacles that crested his long, pointy nose, "But , never you fear my good sir! For it is my duty as a fellow literary enthusiast to assist you in your quest for knowledge!"

Zavimaat scowled ,"But I'm not-"

"Hush!" The vendor interrupted him, "Now let me see here. What would be prefect for you..." The bookseller proceeded to turn his back on his potential customer and rummage through his stall, books being pushed aside and stacked neatly on his worktable.

"Look, I just wanna know," Zavimaat growled softly, starting to grow frustrated with the pushy book vendor's antics.

"Aha!" Gregory announced triumphantly and produced a thin book with a weathered old leather cover. "This here is a rather old but very respectable manual that will help you learn the language of our country. "

Zavimaat stared at the man. He was not impressed.

"Oh..I-I'm sorry. I assumed that you were a foreigner...you look...well, I've never seen someone with your complexion..."

"Really, I know what I-"

"I'll find something else!" Gregory exclaimed, determined to find something that would satisfy his customer.

"That's really not necessary..."

The bookseller slammed down another book on his counter, " This might please you, sir.  This book here is about the language of love. Have a little lady you're trying to impress? Well this book here," he held it up before Zav's eyes, "is chalk full of romantic poetry that will have your heart's desire swooning over you in no time!"

Zav shook his head, " I doubt that , but whatever I'm not-"

"Not interested in love? Hm. You're a tough customer!" Gregory snapped his fingers,"But you won't stump me! No sir! I think I've figured you out!" Before Zav could protest, the man was back to rummaging for yet another book.

Annoyed, Zav was ready to leave when the man gave him another book, "You're a tough guy. How about the art of war? This book here was written by an ancient hero of legend. It contains advice and information of various sword tech-"

That was the last straw. Zavimaat slammed his hands down on the counter top and snarled nearly at the top of his lungs, "SHUT UP, DAMN IT!  "

Gregory dropped the book and stared at the young man, looking so stunned as if he might have been slapped.

Red-faced and ticked off, Zav took a few moments to regain his composure and he now spoke in a slightly calmer manner, "I appreciate yer help , but I'm lookin' for somethin' kinda specific and I don't got a lot of time. Okay? "

Nodding, the bookseller began putting his books back in their appropriate places, " Sorry. I get so excited. I shouldn't have- but nevermind ! You said you're looking for something specific. I'm not sure if I would have it , but perhaps if you tell me the name of the book and the author's name I might know where you could get it."

Zav shook his head, " I dunno either of those things."

"Okay, can you tell me what it's about? "

Again, Zav shrugged, " I dunno that either. It has trees in it and uh weird symbols I've never seen before. And uh...naked chicks."

Gregory blinked. Was this man serious? "Trees, weird symbols and....nude women? You're talking about a pagan book?"

"Er.. I dunno what that is. But they were pictures and the writing was...foreign. " He grew irritated and threw his hands up in the air, "Fuck it. Look, I just need a big old leather book that looks like it's centuries old, okay? "

"Ohhhh.. Well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?" The book vendor laughed.
If looks could have killed , then Gregory would have been six feet under the ground then.

ooc: Never say I don't write posts that are kinda long. x3

The cart ride to Cerenis seemed to take an eternity.  Left by herself, Eve's mind wondered until the old man began to talk- and she listened, quietly to this stories. By the time they had made it to the city, she had heard about how he met his wife, May, and about his three children and their grandkids. Abigail, the one whom he thought Eve had been, was brought up in fondness and dismay. Apparently she had run off with an unapproved of lover, and the old man had to chuckle thinking on it again.

"Now, don't you worry on it too much," he said, patting Eve gently upon the head. "Now go ahead on into the house. I'll prepare us supper in the mean time."

Eve did as she was told, finding herself, actually enjoying her time with the old man but...
Also missing and finding herself ever searching for Zav.
It had been over a day since she had seen him and found herself peering out the window, thinking about him as the windchimes drifted leisurely in the breeze..

Was he alright?
Did those terrifying men harm him?
And if so.. what could she do even if she had still been at his side.
Sighing, she found little comfort in the hot bath offered to her in the privacy of the small home, and let herself soak away in the water, washing away her worries as she dreamed about Zavimaat returning 'home'.

With his newest purchases in tow, Zavimaat returned to his room and set to work. Armed with little more than a quill, a well of ink and his memory, he went to work on creating a literary masterpiece. He spent hours cramped and bent over the desk, slaving away and never pausing until the task was through. He ended up falling asleep at the desk and woke to find his nose shoved in one of the least expected places of all. "Argh! " Zavimaat exclaimed , whipping his head back and sitting up straight in his chair .He stared at the book then at the quill and finally to his ink-stained hands. Oh. His memories flooded back to his now conscious mind. He relaxed. For a moment, he thought he'd become a nerd.

He rubbed his eyes, smearing some ink on his eyelids and cheeks and then yawned and stretched. "Final day. What time is it?" He stood up and looked out the window. The sun had reached its zenith in the sky. "Still got some time left. " He looked at his hands, "Probably should wash."

He washed up, taking extra care to scrub the ink stains from his hands as best he could but not really giving two shits about the rest of his appearance. It was just the Adders that he'd be meeting with after all.

He took his time with lunch and ,perhaps had a little too much to drink before he stumbled off to meet the thugs in the alley he'd had his ass pummeled two days ago.

"Heeeey," Zavimaat greeted the thugs as he approached, his walk slow and meandering all over the place as though he weren't quite sure what direction he wanted to walk in, "I been lookin' for yooou guyssss. "

The thugs exchanged glances. And then one-eye shook his head , "You got it?"
"I ssssssurrre dooo!" Zavimaat laughed and held up the book.

One-Eye moved forward and snatched it from the drunken smuggler. He turned it over and then opened it up, leafing through the pages, "The hell is this ?"

Zavimaat sobered up a bit. Oh shit. Did the Cyclops know it wasn't the real deal? But he couldn't show them his fear. Maybe if he'd bullshit a little, they'd eat it up? Couldn't hurt to try because if not...he was dead. Zavimaat shrugged, " Well, you got me. I went down to the market and bought a cheap old book, marked it up with a pen and thought I'd be able to pass it off as a fake."

The second thug poked Zav lightly in the gut with his dull blade, " That supposed to be a joke?"

Zavimaat just grinned stupidly. " C'mon. What kinda dumb shit would try to pull a fast one on you two? "

"Yer damn right!" the thug spat and then turned to One-Eye, "So, is it legit?"

One-Eye frowned, "Well, it matches the boss's description, I guess." Then he turned his eye on Zav. " You gave this up awful easy. "

Zavimaat shrugged, " What other choice do I have?"

One-Eye nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer. "We have what we came for. Now , get lost. I don't want to see your ugly mug around here again."

Zavimaat was more than happy to comply with that order. He left town by late afternoon and was on his way to Cerenis. He followed the directions given to him by an old fisherman and found his way to town on the fourth morning. Now, all there was left for him to do was to find Roger and hope the old man hadn't forgotten where the hell he was bound to and given Zav the wrong name. Zav already had the man pegged as a loon. Wind chimes as a present? Really! He still didn't understand how anyone could find something like THAT useful!

Stepping out of the tub, Eve wrapped a towel around her body and stepped into her room, being grateful to have a moment to herself and some privacy. She was used to being alone, and never thought she'd miss and, and found herself, though, day dreaming against hte window as the chimes continued to move...
when something caught her eye...
and down the street she spotted Zavimaat and her face reddened with glee.
She moved to get his attention, but found herself bumping her head off the window, knocking the wind chimes clean off the ledge as they tumbled towards the cobblestone road with a load, obnoxious CLAAAAAAAAAAAANK.

Zavimaat cringed at the horrific sound and looked down to see what ghastly unknown object had made such an offensive protestation as it rebounded off the back of his head and clattered harmlessly off the cobbles directly behind him. He whipped around on his heels and glared at the guilty party. 

His eyes locked on the most sinister perpetrator and what he saw was quite an unexpected but not so welcome sight, "Wind chimes!?" He bent down to pick them up , "Alright, I've had just about enough of these! So which one of you bastards threw it at me !? Huh ?! I'll tear ya a new..." He looked around, searching for the owner of said chimes with the most dastardly design of chucking them at the owner's face.

There seemed to be no one within clear range aside from a tiny and pathetic looking mutt puppy and Zavimaat stood there holding the wind chimes, looking and feeling extremely stupid and perplexed.

The puppy yipped at him and attacked his boot, tugging viciously at his laces and growling , "Argh! Get off ya dumb mutt! I ain't in the mood for games!" He shook his leg , but the puppy held on and was determined to destroy those infernal shoe strings! 

Eve couldn't believe her eyes,a nd even gasped as the windchimes dropped ontop of his head. No matter, she rushed from the room and down the stairs, rushing out of the place in bare feet as she approached him, suddenly throwing herself against his form in a tight hug.. burying her face into his shirt.


Roger, who had seen the girl dash out of the place made chase.
"I say, Eve, do come back here! You are running very unlady like in a towel!" pausing at the door, he caught the sight of the pair and had to grin.

ooc: omg we're mature now! *posts explicit nude scenes and profanity*

ic:

He was tackled by a girl in a towel and hugged. He recognized the hair and wrapped his arms around her , hugging her in return though not quite as tightly. "Told ya I'd catch up, didn't I? Heh." He would have been content to hold her until the sun set , but he noticed there were some unwanted pairs of eyes not minding their own business. "Maybe we should continue this lil reunion indoors, eh? Ya can show me 'round pops's place."

The puppy barked happily, wagging his little tail and unlacing Zav's boots. Soon. Very soon...those shoelaces would meet their maker!

OOC: Yeah that's SOOOOOOO mature XD

IC:
Eve blushed at his comment, smiling up at him, a sensation still all too very new for her. Then, at his comment, she realized the eyes were staring at her face fell, and flushed.
Sticking closely to Zavimaat, she moved towards the house, Roger eyeing them as they approached.
"Well look what the dog dragged in," he said with a good humored laugh. "Seems old Marly's pup is after your boots. Well, come on in, come in. Dinner's nearly ready."

Ooc: Okay. Slightly mature content ahead. >.> What can I say ? Pervert alert.

And good grief! Why am I awake now ...considering the time I went to sleep...? This is YOUR fault, you know!

Ic: Fortunately for both of them, Eve didn't catch Zavimaat looking –or trying to look straight down her towel! Hey, he just wanted to sneak a little peek at the peaks since he couldn't get away with copping a feel. ESPECIALLY with so many people watching them, aware of his every move. Not that he gave a shit what those nosy bastards thought about him , but Eve would have been mortified. He'd just have to satisfy his needs with a look. No? Well, damn!

The moment the old man came into view, Zav instantly looked sheepish. Maybe the old codger hadn't noticed. Old men were supposed to be blind as bats or something. "Yo pops," Zavimaat waved at Roger, " hope ya cooked up a horse cause I'm starvin'." He looked down at the mutt slobbering all over his boots, "Go on ya little runt! Beat it!" He nudged the puppy with the tip of his boot. "Ya ain't invited t' dinner."

The puppy dropped the shoelaces and slunk down on his soft, plump little furry belly , pressing himself down against the cobbles and looking up at the man with its big, sad brown eyes. It made itself look as small and pathetic as it possibly could , wagging it's tail and whimpering softly.

"Naw. Nuh uh! No way! " Zavimaat pointed at the pup, "Don't ya dare start tryin' t' pull that cute crap on me! Cuz I ain't fallin' for it,"

The puppy whined and inched towards him, scooting along on his belly.

Zavimaat turned his back on the animal and crossed his arms."Huh....whaddyah think I am? Some kinda sucker? "

The pup whined again. Zavimaat sighed, "Tch! Fine! Maybe I'll be nice jus' this once and let ya have some scraps , but only if yer a good dog."

The puppy hopped up and barked , seeming to be quite pleased with the man's change of heart.

"Dumb mutt. Don't think this means I like ya or nothin' , because I don't!"

The puppy barked at him and ran gleeful circles around him.

ooc: Feel free to cc him indoors. >.> We don't want poor Eve to stand out there in a towel forever, freezing and getting ogled by them pervos.

Once inside, naturally Eve had disappeared to change, though had lingered near Zavimaat, still clinging near to him and the puppy as it began to run around the place excitedly. Roger only chuckled as Eve bent down in her towel and let the puppy lick her fingers.
"Well, Eve, you should go finish getting ready. Your fiance and I can set the table and he can help me finish preparing this horse," the old man jested.
Eve nodded and disappeared up the steps to her make shift room, slipping into something more modest-
a simply, ivory colored blouse, a few sizes too big, and a simple brown skirt that fell to a length at her calves. She still had the shoes the elves had given her, and slipped those on before returning downstairs..
to where the puppy was running amok and barking like a cute little maniac, it's ears bouncing about with glee.  It kept barking and goading on Zavimaat to play him him, paying at his leg and chewing at the ends of the already fraying shoe laces.

Naturally, Zavimaat stared at Eve's rear when she bent over to pet the puppy. When Roger looked his way, his eyes hastily shifted elsewhere. He casually moved about the house, peering into rooms curiously but polite enough not to enter and start poking his nose around where it didn't belong. "Nice place, pops. How long ya been here?"

He noticed the puppy at his feet, still gnawing and slobbering on his shoelaces. "I thought ya was gonna be good. " He frowned down at the pup and placing his hands on his hips, "Yer startin' t' tread on thin ice, pal."

The puppy ignored him , content to continue ruining the man's shoelaces.

He went to help the old man, "So, whaddyah got for me to do?"

"You could set the table," the old man suggested. "The plates are up there." He pointed to a cupboard.

Eve quietly stepped behind them, and when the puppy noticed her, it barked and rushed her way. She found herself suddenly over whelmed with cute puppy! And bent over and let her fingers gentle ruffle through his soft, puppy fur.

OOC: THERE. SHORT. POST.

XD~

Zavimaat stared at the man as if he was speaking a whole different language, "Set the table?"  He looked at the cupboard and nodded," Er...yeah. Sure." He opened it up and collected three plates, then some silverware. He moved over to the table and placed them down on the table. He didn't know how to set it properly. Where he was from people ate with sticks, not odd shaped wooden utencils.  At least he knew what they were called and what they were for.

He returned to the cupboard and gathered three cups and set them down on the table as well. He forgot the napkins, if the man had any such thing. His people didn't have such a thing.

"Er...I think that should do it."

"Eh?" the old man looked at the table with an amused sigh. He supposed that would have to do.
"Oh, Eve, won't you come to join us for dinner?" he called towards her. Eve raised her head from where she was petting the dog, giving the puppy a moment to start chewing all over her long red hair, before it pushed up and began giving puppy kisses across her face.
It was then, startled, Eve fell back some and gave way to a laugh-
a soft, musical, foreign noise as the puppy kept at it-
A never ending barrage of puppy kisses as it's entire body wiggled along wtih it's tail.

Whether everyone else was ready to eat or not, Zav plopped down in one of the chairs with his back facing a window, "Whaddyah make, pops?" He was reaching across the table to peek inside a covered serving platter when he heard laughter. It was a beautiful, genuine and melodious sound that brought a smile twisting across Zav's lips.

He didn't mind waiting to eat for just awhile longer. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the old man watching him with some weird creepy old man look on his face. Zavimaat's face flushed a dark shade of scarlet and he turned his gaze back to his empy dinner plate. Clearing his throat he inquired, " We gonna eat before this shit turns cold or what?"

Eve was well distracted with the puppy, so Roger simply shrugged.
"Go ahead and start eating." he said, slowly taking a seat himself as he rested his napkin across his lap and began to fill his plate.  He dind't bother calling Eve in. It seemed, well, she needed the distraction and from what he could tell...
Zavimaat thought so too.


Soon Eve was laying on her side, puppy pouncing all about her body, and more laughter came, even as she lay there, hair a mess, and puppy pulling on the end. And she couldn't stop smiling.

Digging into the stewed beets, he began to cut one and inquired, "So..." he cleared his throat. "I guess those men after you two have been thwarted?"

Zavimaat wasted no time loading his plate with food, passing over most things save for fish. He wasn't much of a fruits and veggies enthusiast. Holding only the fork in hand, Zav proceeded to stab a large slab of fish and shovel the entire thing into his mouth . He looked at Roger when the old man asked him about the 'thugs' , the Adder brothers, and Zavimaat nodded, and attempted to speak around a mouthful of fish, "Yeah. I pulled the wool right over the eyes of them dumb sons of bit- er they ain't gonna be botherin' us again. " His cheeks were bulging, practically cram-packed with food. It was a miracle that he could speak coherently with all of that in there. He swallowed it down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Only for a little while... He kept this knowledge to himself for now. He wanted Eve to enjoy this day at least, free from worry. Once they figure out I duped 'em , there ain't no question 'bout whether they're wantin' me dead or not. They'll come after Eve too. Heh. Only if the fuckers can catch me. He smirked and reached for his glass, poured himself some booze and gulped it down, liquid spilling out the corners of his lips and splashing down onto his chest and into his lap.


ooc: So apparently Ha'aheo and Zavimaat are both pigs as well as slobs. >.>

It took Eve sometime to join them, and whens he came in, she had the puppy in her arms, hair about them in a mess.

Roger nearly choked on his water.
"Dear, girl, please, now, put the little doggie down and have something to eat."

Eve cuddled the dog, but nodded, smiling when the puppy licked her cheek, then set him down. The dog pranced off and worked at nibbling at the edges of Zavimaat's boots.

Takin ga seat, Eve stared at the food, not sure where to begin.

Zav looked up , pausing in his ravenous quest to look curiously at Eve whom had now decided to join them at the table. For whatever reason, her closeness made him a little more self-conscious and he was mildly concerned about his appearance. He imagined he had food and drink spillage all over his person.

"Come on pops, be gentle-like. Girl's had it rough. " He told the old man. Maybe Roger didn't suspect as he did.

He imagined the girl's father might not have just been psychologically abusive....

"But, he's got a point Eve. Growin' girl's gotta eat sometime and ya ain't been puttin' much in yer belly lately. Jus' pick somethin' that looks tasty to ya 'an try it. Like this, " He reached across the table, stabbed a piece of pineapple and crammed it into his mouth. "See? Ain't hard." He told her with a grin after finishing it.

Eve let herself only become distracted for another moment longer when the puppy returned to her side with a bark.
She smiled at it, then smiled over at Zavimaat, but then noticed his face and pu ta hand ove rher lips, trying not to smile at the food gracing his features. He looked like one of the pigs out back of Roger's place.
Thoguh she wouldnt' say it.

Nodding,s he took a pineapple and at first, made a face when it entered her mouth, then began to chew it and found herself making a soft noise in surprise. SHe had never tasted something so good in all of her life that she found herself staring at it with wide, awe-filled eyes.

"Good, huh?" Zav chuckled, and still grinning he gestured to the rest of the table. "Knock yourself out. World's yer clam or whatever the hell how the sayin' goes." He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his already full belly. "That was good eatin' , pops. Thanks fer havin' us."

"Heh. Almost forgot," he reached for another piece of fish, made sure it was boneless then tossed it to the puppy. The meat bounced off the mongrel's nose and slapped down on the wood floor in front of his paws. Tentatively , the pup sniffed the fish, nosed it then ,finding its scent quit pleasing, he proceeded to devour it as ravenously as the man whom had given it to him!

"Woah...slow down there, champ. No need to make a slob of yerself in the presence of a girl!" Zavimaat scolded the pup as if he should have been one to talk!

With food and company enjoyed, Roger went to the hearth and tended to an evening fire.  Eve helped clean the dishes, and found herself enjoying the help by the furry, puppy companion at her feet. After a time, she joined the others in the other room and took a seat on the floor and enjoyed herself by playing with the puppy. He seemed to like laces, so she unlaced her own shoes and began playing a small game of tug of war with the pooch on the floor.


OOC: PUPPIES! *_*

After filling his stomach, Zav joined Roger near the hearth. He found a spot on the floor and lay on his back with his arms folded beneath his head. He stared at the ceiling, thinking of the family he'd left at home, thinking of the Adder Brothers who were probably going to figure out they'd been duped very soon, thinking about the storm and the weird island with the giant spiders, thinking of a book and a girl in a box...

He yawned and fought hard against the overpowering need for rest. In the end , however the warmth from the hearth's low burning fire gradually lulled the man to sleep.

The day had come and passed, the sun setting and the moon giving to rise, then the sun came again. It was early when Roger was awake, and Eve heard the noise downstairs and came to inspect, and spotted the old man int he kitchen.
"Good morning, Eve," he said pleasantly, laughing as he looked at her, dressed and ready for the day (little did he know, she just wore the same thing to bed..)

"Do you care to help me with breakfast?"

Eve tilted her head, but slowly nodded.

"We could use a few eggs. Take the basket over there nd gather some from the chicken coop out back, if you would."

Nodding, Eve retrieved the basket as she hugged it within her arms and went outside, walking out into the grasses and towards the back fo the house when she gave a start, gasping as a chicken flew over head, feathers everywhere.
Her heart beat heavily, quickly inside her chest before she calmed and watched the bird strut right past her.  Blinking, she felt herself quiver,a nd wasn't sure she wanted to go on. But then the bird approached her, and she backed away, finding the thing a bit frightening to her, even when it turned to walk away.

Then when she went around back, she found the chicken coop full of noise. Despite her fear of the bird from earlier, she ignored it and let it numb her skin as she slowly moved towards the chicken house...

and that's when birdzilla appeared-
a great, behemoth turkey came gobbling out..
Eve gave a start, a scream and dropped her basket as she rushed out of the chicken coop...
The turkey strutting it's long neck as it peered out from the coop, glaring towards the girl menacingly.

Eve stood beside a tree, feeling scared and defeated.. she could cry.

Try as he might, Roger could not rouse Zavimaat from his slumber. He'd tried shaking him, yelling at him, dumping cold water over his head and , as a last resort, slapping his face repeatedly with a fish. But the efforts were all in vain and the sleeping boy continued to snore loudly, a trail of drool trickling out corner of his gaping mouth and pooling on the rug he'd used as a makeshift bed.

"Boy sleeps like a rock," Roger chuckled as he walked away, leaving Zavimaat to his reprieve, "Must've had an exhausting time dealing with these Adder brothers he's been talking about. " He went over to the door and opened it, checking to see what was taking Eve so long. "Eve? " The old man poked his head out the door, looking for her but she was nowhere in sight. He walked out, moving around the back of the house and across the yard over to the apple tree she'd taken refuge under. The girl appeared to be troubled, "Ah. There you are. Got the eggs? What seems to be the problem, m'dear? "

The turkey thrust it's head out of the chicken coop and gobbled ferociously towards them.
"Land's sakes!" Roger gasped, then turned to Eve. "No wonder." he tried shooing away the bird from the coop, but the old turkey would not have it, it stood it's ground.
"Well now, being a stubborn one today, now are we, Lou?"
The turkey gave a cluck, then gobbled as it's head disappeared inside the coop.

"Get out of there, Lou!" the old man picked up a broom ad proceedd to scared the turkey out of the thing- and just as he inserted the broom inside- a thundering roar of chickens exploded out, feathers falling through the air in leisurely discourse.
But after the chickens were long and gone and the feathers, settled, there stood the proud turkey, cocking it's ornery head towards Roger as it gave a paw of it's foot.

"GOBBLE! GOBBLE!" it threatened.
Roger waved his broom about.
"Git outta there Lou! Git!" and he fwapped the side of the shed, good and hard and suddenly...
the turkey stormed out, wings out stretched and it's beak open and angry.
ANd it was heading straight for Eve!

Gasping, Eve took off, running into the house..
and the bird followed.
Terrified, Eve threw herself behind the couch Zavimaat was upon just as the big nasty bird approached, it's shadow looming over the silly sleeping head, giving him a menacing gaze before...


PECK.

Right to the nose!

"ARGH WHATTHEHELL!?" Zavimaat was awake now! Wide awake! And ticked off! He leapt to his feet, releasing an endless string of colorful swears with his arms pinwheeling all the while and his face tight and flushed bright crimson with early morning look of "how dare you disturb my sleep" dragon-like rage.

However, when he saw the turkey standing there and glaring at him. He , in return, repaid the glare in kind. "The hell? It's an oversized chicken! Well, go on. Outta my face before I roast ya for breakfast, birdbrain!" He swatted at the the thing with a hand. "Move it!"

Mistake! The turkey rushed forward and Zavimaat scrambled to get out of its way though not before exclaiming, "Oh shit!"

And then, it was on! Man vs. turkey in an EPIC battle of manliness.

The turkey proceeded to chase Zav around and around the house, gobbling with such fury and pecking at the man's heels as they went!

Zavimaat tore into the kitchen and armed himself with a frying pan. The turkey halted it's attack and eyed Zav and his new weapon. "Yeah....that's right! Ya better think twice before messin' with me! Cuz Imma gonna bash yer face in wit this pan here. " He started twirling it around by the handle between his fingers, "Where I'm from I got a mean backsw-" the pan hit him in the backside of his head and he dropped it. "Ow...." As it clattered to the kitchen floor, the turkey gave Zavimaat an evil look and  , in that moment, Zavimaat knew that he was doomed.

"Aw crap."

The turkey attacked!

"Help meeeeee!"


ooc: >.> Sad. 

Eve gave a scream. Feathers were everywhere. Gobbles and his feet, running amok as Lou made vicious chase after Zavimaat, nipping towards his butt.
"GOBBLE! GOBBLE!"
Finally Roger showed up, armed with his broom at the door.
"Lou!" the old man hollered, and the turkey turned it's angered head and pierced it's eyes, his eyes, broiling with VENOM, towards the old man.
Roger's eyes narrowed.
"Now, now, Lou.. be a good bird and.."
The turkey rushed the old man and bowl dozed him over, dashing outside, gobbling out it's victory as it began strutting back to the chicken coop, but not before giving Zavimaat and all of the others the old stink eye.

Eve could only peer out from behind the couch to see if the coast was clear.

ooc: Kinda dirty language ahead! Close yer eyes, kiddies ! *points to the M in the subject title*

ic:

"Feathered fucker!" Zavimaat  was up on his feet ,armed with the frying pan once more, and charging for the door. But rather than chasing after the feathery fiend , Zav slammed the door shut and locked it , a little hastily.

"Don't worry , Eve. I'll protect you from that monster." He assured her, but quickly walked over the window to peer out and see where that evil bird had gone off too. Imagine his surprise when he came face to face with the gobbler, it's eye pressed up against the window and glaring at the man most sinister. "GAH!" Zavimaat stumbled back and yanked the curtains shut. "Damn chicken..."

He caught Eve and Roger staring at him and he felt awkward, perhaps a little embarrassed. He put on a brave face and puffed out his chest. Tch! He wasn't scared! He was just looking out for them or that damned chicken-bully would have its way of the place. He strode over to the table with his head held high and his person reeking of denial and arrogance, "Well, I sure showed him, didn't I? I think it's safe to say, " he took his seat at the table, "that he'll think twice before messing with us." 

Roger looked out the window with worry.
"I wonder what has gotten into Lou." he sighed. "This isn't the first time he's acted crazy. I wonder if those coyotes are back from the woods."

Eve, who had been staring at Zavimaat timidly, then turned to Roger and stared at him with a blink.
"Coyote?"
"Yeah, those wild dogs have been doing nothing good for my chickens. They ate two of them when I returned from that village I met you two at." he sighed. "Lou, although fiery, can fend off a wild dog or two, but I sitll don't get him. Its like he thinks he's a chicken." The old man shook his head and I"m afraid to say there's only bread for breakfast if we can't get to those eggs.

Eve dropped her gaze and frowned, feeling guilty for failing at her job.

"But it is a chicken, " Zavimaat informed Roger. Poor, uneducated Zaimaat had never seen or heard of a turkey before. But hearing that they'd have nothing to eat- this didn't sit well with him! He groaned, "You serious, pops?"

Oh man. His stomach protested. "Damn...I could eat a whale. " And that wasn't far from the truth either. "Ya really got nothing else in here?"

Roger smirked at him, amused, "You're afraid of Lou? That's alright, boy. I won't make you get the eggs if you're not feeling up to the task..."

Zavimaat banged his fists down on the table hard, causing the silverware to jump, " The hell I'm NOT!"

The old man quirked a brow, "Oh? So you'll get some then?"

Zavimaat stood up from the table, " I ain't no scaredy cat! I'll get yer damned eggs, ole codger! " He pointed at the man, "Now fire up that stove cuz I'll be back before you can say 'easy as pie' !"

He stormed away and out the door though not before arming himself with the frying pan and a basket .

Outside, Lou was waiting for him.

Zav stood there with the frying pan held lowered causally at his right side, the basket on the left. Man and turkey's eyes met and locked together in such an intense stare that it would have made women cry and men shiver.

"Ya think ya scare me, feather, but I got yer number! Imma be gettin' them eggs for Eve and yer gonna stay put right there like a good chicken. Yer not gonna give ME trouble, understand?" Zavimaat growled softly and began to step around the turkey. Lou simply sat there, staring at him unblinking. Still as a statue. Zav moved around him and headed off for the coop.

Two minutes after Zav had left to gather eggs, Roger and Eve would hear the man's scream from outside . Roger got up quickly from the table and was about to open the door when it exploded open and in ran Zavimaat holding the basket over his head high and laughing triumphantly like a mad man.

Roger shut the door behind him quickly and walked over to the kitchen, shaking his head.

Zav set the basket down on the counter , grinning, "Toldja I'd..." He peered into the basket to see that two of the eggs within were broken. "Damn. Well, there's still three left ,at least..."

Roger shook his head and went to cooking them and when all was done the three of them sat down to eat their breakfast.

 

OOC: Zav and Eve have such special adventures XD

IC:
Soon the kitchen filled with the scent of eggs.  Each was served a hearty portion, eggs and some fried bread in fish oil, then some fish was fried up to compliment and complete the meal, and juiced pressed freshly for all to share.

Eve found herself quite hungry that morning, especially after all of the excitement from last night and.. well, from this morning. Careful not to seem to eager, as she was still uncertain o fherself, at a place to eat at the table, she gave a shy glance towards Zavimaat as she listened to Roger tell some tall tales about the turkey-bird, Lou.

"Yes, he has quite a many reasons to ruffle his feathers, proud..."

ooc: Yeeeeep. And we both know it's only going to get even more ridiculous from this point on.

ic:

Where Eve had manners and was self-conscious about them, Zavimaat did not. He piled his plate high with fish and wolfed it down. As he was finished , he released a long and strident belch. He listened to old Roger talking about the chicken and wrinkled his nose, " Huh...there's the shortest book ever written."

Zavimaat stood up, " I'll clear." He collected the dishes and brought them over to the sink. He looked back over his shoulder at Eve and the old man engrossed in story time. He looked back at the dishes and sighed, "I ain't makin' women's work a habit..." He grumbled as he reached forward to twist the sink water on and wash the dishes!

He didn't mind making an exception for them...but just this once!

OOC: I Have on idea what to reply XD *just tries to post something*

IC:
It had been a long morning already, and when Roger gestured for her to leave, she awkwardly obeyed and turned a glance back to Zavimaat before heading out into the other room. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. the puppy had already gone back to it's home, the wicked turkey, Lou, might be stalking outside....
She gave way to a yawn, and at Roger's suggestion,s he nodded nd headed up towards her room.
But as she got up there, leaning dreamily against the window, she realized, with a start, the wind chimes had fallen to the ground. Despairing, she glanced around but saw no sign of Lou, the turkey.

Slipping downstairs, she went outside and timidly, cautiously, began to make her way over towards the chimes. When she picked them up, they made a light chiming clank before she gripped them together and went back inside..
the turkey ever watching from the shadows...

When his work was done, Zav asked Roger for materials with which to write a letter. With the materials acquired, he retired to the room he'd been given and sat down on the floor with a book in his lap, using that as a writing surface. He spread out the small yellowed parchment and set the inkwell down beside him. He dipped the quill in the ink and pressed it to the parchment and wrote in his native language:

Kazumi,

Met a girl on the way to Serendipity who needs my help. Might be late coming home. Had trouble with my boat. Lost shipment in a storm. Didn't get paid. Sorry. Don't worry. Promise to keep in touch.

Arashi

He set the letter aside to allow the ink to dry and left the room to find Eve. He found her near the door , holding the stupid wind chimes. "I was gonna head out in a few minutes to send a letter to my aunt. Do ya...wanna go with me? Maybe we could just walk or somethin'..."

He still needed to find a job. They couldn't sponge off of old Roger forever.

OOC: Roger could just hire him to tame turkeys.. *Snickers*

IC:

Eve looked up at him with a start.  At his question, she slowly nodding her head, lowering her face as if ashamed as she held onto the windchimes, hugging her arms around her as she waited for Zavimaat to lead the way.  The windchimes, though they might have served as an irritant of her friends, made a calming sound that fascinated Eve and the way it made chaotic sounds into music.
As they walked, she held the windchimes out, the metal clanging together until a shadow loomed over head that made her gasp, hugging the metal to her chest as she peered up at an angry bird....

It looked similar to the one from the island...


It seemed today the birds were agitated...

Zavimaat saw the shadow too and snatched her hand. He wasn't going to let more feathered fiends ruin his day! So, they ran! Bravely. While they were fleeing, however ,their newest bird stalker made off with Zavimaat's letter like a bandit. "Gah!" Zavimaat tried to catch the bird but it pecked him on the head and then flew away with a triumphant sqwuak!

Zav sighed and looked at Eve, "Never a dull moment, huh? I guess I'll just have to write another letter. "

Oh well. He'd throw a tantrum later!

"Er...you wanna go anywhere in particular?"

ooc: Shitty post, but I'm distracted!Will post something better later! For now, I'm off!

Eve remained nearby, terrified by the shadow of the looming bird, and only gasped, clinging to Zavimaat tighter when it made off with the envelope, the wind chimes clanging as they settled from their run.
Frowning, she watched the bird disappear before glancing over towards Zavimaat, then away.
She wasn't sure what to do with herself, but found herself become distracted as she took note of all of the glittering carts in the market.

OOC: It's all good XD
not all posts can be made of magnificence XD
and your post was fine *waves it off*

Following the girl's gaze, Zav noticed the market and their colorful stalls and frowned slightly. He hated shopping. There were noisy crowds, pushy merchants and the prices...

But he wondered if Eve had much experience with such things. Maybe not. Shy as she was, daddy probably never let her get outside much. He squeezed her hand to remind her that he was still there. "Ya wanna go check out what's over there? "

He didn't have much to spend, but they could look anyway.

Eve didn't know how to comment, feeling ashamed that she would want to see such things, her expression wilting a bit, but her eyes were still aglow with wonder. She turned towards the vendors, staring at the colorful tents and carts that were thriving with activity.. She couldn't help herself, and appeared entranced by it, eyes unable to tear away as she clung onto Zavimaat's hand lightly.

OOC: Sorry for the short post, but I wanted to get a few out- despite being overly exhausted *flails*

You can give me an answer, you know? I'm not gonna bite ya either way," but he smirked at the way she looked longingly at the market. It piqued her curiosity, he knew it did. He'd seen the same glow in his cousin's eyes when he'd taken the girl to her first festival. "Well," If she wasn't going to admit what she wanted then he'd just have to give her a little encouraging nudge in that direction, " I think I'd like to take a peek an' see what they got."

He moved forward, but kept his pace casual. Eve was nervous. He could feel her anxiety in the way her clammy hand grasped his. As they neared the crowd , it tightened. "It's alright, " He reassured her.

The market was fairly busy and the people themselves were about as colorful as the merchants and the stalls. "Excuse me, young man!" A tall, dark skinned merchant beckoned to Zav with his long, bony hand outstretched as he was passing by, " Might I have a moment of your time? "




ooc: I've no plans so feel free to control the merchant. x3

As they walked through the glittering market place, Eve found herself transported into some other world. There were so many different types of people, and people, young and old, all mulling about, shouting, carrying on, even laughing as they exchanged words or goods for a sale.

"Lemons! Get your sweet and sour lemons here! Fresh picked from the lemon trees of the south!" one man shouted.

"Arrows! Arrows! We've got the fastest, mightiest arrows in stock! They can take down many a fine stag, and now we sell bronze ones! Hunt like the kings themselves with arrows that shine like gold!"  Eve blushed as the man tried to hold out the gold arrow for her, shaking her head as she pressed nearer against Zav.

"FRESH FISH! We catch 'em, you buy 'em!" another shouted, slapping a massive fish upon the table as an old man crept up to it.
"Just his eyes, this time frank! Well, perhaps the whole head," the old woman said. The fishing merchant nodded, slamming the blade into the fish's neck and the head came clean off. HE dropped the head and wrapped it up in a roll of paper. "Here you go, Charlene." and the old woman nodded with thanks.
"Thank you kindly, Johnathan." Then she was on her way.

There was even a man singing in the street, playing some stringed instrument for coin, and Eve felt herself become entranced by it, watching him singing against a fountain side with wonder.


Eve didn't even notice the merchant when he reached out, beckoning to them, her eyes still well distracted at the fountain.

"You seem to be looking for something in particular," the merchant said, still gesturing for Zavimaat to come forward to inspect his wares.
"I might have just hte thing for you." and he reached into his vendor stand, and pulled out a small necklace, one who's pieces clanked together like chimes.
The noise drew Eve's attention towards it as she found herself staring at the silvered piece.
It had five long extensions that dropped down from the necklace itself, made of silver with white dobs of creamed jewel paste at the end.

"Ah, it seems the lady likes such a thing,"t he merchant said, holding out the piece before his fingers as it dangled before her.  Eve blinked, but did not move any closer, merely staring at it in sheepish curiosity.

ooc: Oh that post...rofl! Curse you, wind chimes!

ic:

"Actually, we're not." Zavimaat told the man flatly, determined to not buy anything some pushy salesman was trying to sell to him. Regardless though, the merchant was determined to advertise his wares and he showed them a necklace. Zavimaat snorted at it, unimpressed. However, he glanced over his shoulder at Eve and noticed that she seemed to be charmed by it. Part of him wished he could afford to spoil her, but deep down he knew that it was extremely unlikely that he could afford something so fancy . He frowned and fished around in his pocket , pulling out the measly amount of coin he had. Now he found himself wishing that Eve was as unimpressed with the jewelry as he was.

"Sorry but I can't afford it. "He said lamely, feeling somewhat ashamed of being poor. He released Eve's hand, turned and walked a little ways away from the merchant , meandering towards the fountain and staring into the water,

Eve almost seemed crest fallen, but only for a short time.  As Zavimaat guided her away, she was easily distracted by the fountain and leaned over it, staring down at her rippling reflection.  She blinked, almost not realizing it was herself she was staring at and gently lifted a finger to touch it, only to have her image turn into another rippling pool of colors. She stared and watched the reflection settle, then blinked and noticed the coins glittering at the bottom of the fountain.

ooc: He let go of her hand. xD He didn't make her come with. Oh well.

Seeing the water ripple, Zavimaat glanced over in Eve's direction. He watched her gaze into the water and curiously poke at her own reflection. A rare smile graced his features, one she did not see when she turned her eyes upon him again. "So," he began quietly," Old Roger treat ya good while I was away?"

Idly he wondered if that damned chicken had been a pain in the ass every day and if making a meal was always so tedious .

Eve moved away from the fountain after having retrieved one of the coins as she stared at it, water dripping onto her skirts.
"There's money at the bottom of the water," she informed him, then took a seat beside him and blinked up at him curiously. "Yes. I was treated fine."
She shuffled her feet, looking down at the cobblestone walk way and idly played with the edge of her skirt.
"Why is there money in the fountain?" she asked after a time staring down at the coin now cradled in the palm of her hand.

Zavimaat shrugged and sat down on the bench beside her (ooc: You didn't specify what she sat on so...I assume!) , seated with their backs to the fountain. From where they sat now, they had a full view of the whole busy market square , but the activities of the people hardly interested him though he did watch. He turned his head to look at her when she asked him about the money at the bottom of the fountain.

He shrugged, "I dunno. Some cultures have weird traditions. Some people think tossing a coin into the fountain is good luck.  Yer supposed to make a wish then toss the money in an' , in  a few days time, yer wish is supposed to come true," He stretched his limbs out and laughed, " Sounds pretty stupid , huh?"

"Good luck?"she stared down curiously at the coin. "So people toss a coin into the fountain, hoping to buy a wish?" Eve blinked curiously at the idea as she peered from the copper coin in her hand up to Zavimaat, and blinked at him again, almost giving him the cutest of pouts to show for her uncertainty.

It was a charming idea, after all.

"Luck is something good that happens to you for seemingly no reason. " He shrugged, "Yeah. I guess you can say some people think they can buy a dream, a wish, whatever. Whether it actually works or not, " He laughed again because he didn't believe in it, " maybe it does. Would be a hell of a shame to waste a coin on something so trivial." He fished in his pocket for a coin. Hell, why not, " Here. Knocker yerself out. Maybe you'll get luckier 'n most. "

He wasn't about to tell her that he'd been one of those stupid, hopeless little dreamers that used to toss his money into fucking wells , fountains whatever. He'd even blown hard-earned money on a damned fortune teller, hoping for some romantic tale. All of it was , of course, bull shit. But he wasn't the type to crush a girl's dreams. He wasn't that much of a jerk!

Eve stared at the coin in hand, then looked to Zavimaat. Then she looked to the coin again.
She felt herself internally swell with excitement, but it soon deflated as her mind began to race-
what sort of thing ought she try to wish for?
She hadn't the slightest clue and found herself pouting a bit, brows furrowed as she studied the coin, holding it out as if it were some peculiar being that, if it got to close, it might lose it's mystical aura.

It was only then she turned to Zavimaat and asked.
"What would you wish for?"
Perhaps she could wish for the same.

Zavimaat looked at her, surprise washing over him. He'd never expected such a question from her. Or , really, from anyone for that matter. "M-me? " His cheeks colored slightly and he looked away, "Huh, never been asked that before." He crossed his arms and considered it. There were so many things a young man his age could have wanted. Money, girls, fame, power...all of these were tempting and all of these things even someone as simple as he had fantasized about , but when he took a few moments to consider what he really wanted, it boiled down to something very simple.

"I guess...I wish I could work a clean job. No more dirty work. Make a decent living so my cousin doesn't have to whore herself out and my aunt doesn't have to slave away for some fat , lecherous pig. S'why I work the shady deals. It pays to keep them out , ya know? If I had a choice though, I'd quit. But, heh, well ...what can I do? Just sellin' fish ain't cuttin' it. Never did. " He looked down at his boots for a moment and then back over to her, " Eh but 'nuff 'bout me. What 'bout you? Whaddya want? " 

Eve only stared at him, blinking as she realized he volleyed the question back to her. She looked down at the coin, embarrassed and frowned.
"I don't know," she said in earnest. "I don't think there is anything I ever wanted."s he said, kicking her feet idly in thought before she paused to consider. "Except to know what I did wrong." she clutched the coin tightly. "I never really understood why my father hated me so,"s he began to say, feeling her eyes grow hot with tears.

"Eve," he said gently and stretched an arm out, putting it around her and pulling her near as if to hug her, " Trust me when I say this : You've done nothing wrong. " In truth, he honestly didn't know, but in the short time he'd known her, he couldn't even imagine her ever doing anything other than what she'd been told to do. She had that submissive, obedient good girl thing going on.

"I told ya before, yer old man's a fuckin' asshole. Forget him." He looked at the coin in her hand thoughtfully," There's gotta be somethin' else. Maybe a new place to live?  Or a job or a boyfriend or , I dunno. Somethin'....maybe ya wanna go travel and see new sights or make friends? Get rich? Be famous? There's a lotta stuff ya could ask for. "

Eve looked up at him, eyes still briming with tears. But his words touched her as she seemed to hug the coin as she pressed it to her chest, then tossed it over her shoulder and into the fountain. It landed with a SPLOOSH, slowly rocking itself until it settled in the bottom of the cool waters, nestled beside two other dreams.

"I wish for you to have a clean job," she said after a moment, then smiled, inspite of herself, and felt good for it, appearing almost to laugh, but the mirth only reached the tears brewing inside her eyes.

It felt awfully good and freeing to wish... to dream..
especially when that dream and wish was given to somebody else.

She'd made a wish for...him? Wasted it on him. She couldn't do that! Could she? Zav had no idea how this silly tradition was supposed to work. Now it was his turn to feel all warm, mushy and fuzzy inside. Oh no! Feelings! Zavimaat stared at her for a moment, blushing as if he couldn't believe what she had just done, but the surprise gave way to a smile, "  That's... real sweet of ya." 

He looked away for a moment to compose his emotions and...he fished his hand again into his pocket, feeling for another coin. "Hell, why not?" He muttered and stood up from the bench and faced the fountain. He stood there for a few moments just looking at the water and then held the coin up, kissed it and flipped it off his fingertips. The coin went spinning high and dropped into the water with a light splash. "And a wish for ya. Now we're even."

Eve watched with wonder as he produced a second coin, then flipped it into the air and SPLOOSH. She turned in the bench, pressing her cheeks against the back of the seat as her green eyes watched the coin drop to the bottom. She felt a flutter in her own heart at the mention he'd given her a wish, as she turned to him with a start, only staring at him as if she was about to cry.

Turning on his heel, he faced Eve with a smirk on his face, " Yer not gonna ask me what I wished for?" He sounded as though he wanted her to amuse him and ask. He didn't wait for her to answer and returned to his seat beside her. He couldn't help himself and goaded her, " Aw, c'mon. Ask me. Go ahead. Won't bite. Promise! It's a pretty good wish. I mean if you'd wished it for me, I'd totally wanna know. "

Blinking, Eve turned back to Zavimaat from where she was perched against the bench.
"What did you wish for?" she asked softly, quietly after a time, her green eyes large with curiosity. He didn't have to ask her to ask him; she was curious, but was always too timid to ask.
She studied him carefully, the gentlest blush gracing her cheeks.

A grin split the man's lips , pulling them broadly across his face so that they may have well stretched to his ears if it were possible. There was a mischievous glint in his dark eyes as he reached up and lightly, playfully, pinched her nose betwixt two fingers, " I'm not gonna tell ya!" He hopped off the bench with a laugh and then turned to her , crossing his arms and willing the mirthful expression to die away, replaced by something far more solemn. "Well, I miiiiight be willin' t' part wit a hint or a clue if ya'd join me for dinner. It'll be my treat."

They didn't have much coin left, but who fucking cared? He'd find a job...make enough money to go home and maybe...

Woah. Better not get ahead of himself there!

"Whaddyah say?"

Was he asking her out on a date?

Eh....

Perhaps he was!

Eve only blinked.
He wasn't going to tell her?
She felt a bit deflated by this, even pouted but at his suggestion to it, she slowly raised herself from the bench and nodded.

"If you want to,"s he said softly, her green eyes moving from his while she stood at his side, back at the fountain that was behind them. Her eyes studied it's clear surface and all of the coins within, all of the dreams it held beneath it's glittering waters.

They soon found themselves walking through a square, good smelling foods everywhere. Rabbit stew, potato stew, carrot stew- heck- ANYTHING stew seemed to be hanging in a delicious savory flavor about the air.

There was grilled chicken, ham broiling in an apple glaze, apples rolled and baked in tarts, pies cooling on window sills- everything to delight the senses.
Eve felt her stomach rumble at the prospect of food- not realizing until that moment, that she was even hungry as she clung to Zavimaat's side, staring at all of the foods and vendors and restaurants around them in wonder.

Zav was surprised by the somewhat extravagant selection of food that was available for purchase. The smells were intoxicating and he stumbled through the food court, practically drooling and aching for a bite of, well, everything! But the price of extravagence was steep and Zav could hardly afford a single thing enticing that was offered or he would have asked Eve what she'd like to try.

Ah if only he were a rich guy. Then he could spoil her rotten! (And himself too!)

He paused before stopping before a cart where a man was selling bowls of noodles , rice with bits of fish and shrimp in it. They were small bowls but the price was within reason. He looked at Eve, "This seem good to you?" He asked, gesturing to the food.



ooc: Er...there are no restaurants in this time period. x3 Though taverns do offer meals !

Eve followed him where ever he went, keeping her hand in his and when they paused before the small vendor, her stomach growled at the smells. She stared down at the bowl, then up at Zav and simply nodded. Anything would do.. really. She wasn't picky and after all, she had no means to provide for herself as she idly brushed a hand through her long, red hair.

OOC: SHORT POST OF SHORTNESS

With Eve's conformation nod, Zavimaat turned to the noddle vendor, "How much for a lil bowl of noodles and rice? "

The man held up three fingers, "Tree silva."

Zavimaat surrendered the coins and the man filled both bowels generously. He gave them to Zav who thanked the man and then made his way back to sit near the fountain. He sat down and handed Eve the rice bowl, "Hold this for a sec, will ya? Thanks." When he'd gotten comfortable, he gestured to his bowl, "Er, did ya want noodles instead? "

Eve simply stared at him, saying nothing and appearing to shrug, though her shoulders did not move.
Then, lowering her gaze, she peered down at the bowl of steaming food and heard her stomach growl again. Not wasting much more time, she began to eat the food up, with some haste, as she dipped rich balls after rich balls into her mouth and chewed, peering over at the cascading waters of the fountain, thinking back to the coins at the bottom, and their dreams.

Now it was Zav's turn to stare at her. Was she...? She was! Eating. With her bare hands! Well , the man hadn't given them any utensils but Zav was too cheap to pay for them! Forgetting his own food, he watched her practically inhale her food.

"Woah. Slow down there, Eve, yer gonna end up chokin'. It ain't goin' nowhere. Jus' chew it nice 'n slow. Savor the uh...flavor, ya know? " He started on his noodle dish, noisily slurping up his meal noisily and about as quickly as her. Talk about being hypocritical.

When he was finished, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

ooc: ....Eve with balls in her mouth. >.> My mind is in the gutter!

OOC: 8D

IC:

Eve stared at him for a moment, then began to eat much more slow. It wasn't until he was well finished with his sloppy noodles that she had finished her own and began to look away, slopping popping the last ball of rice into her mouth as she chewed. SLowly, as he put it, and savoring the flavor. But it was another sound that caught her attention and stopped her in midchew.
She turned around to hear it better, staring over across the fountain.

Yes.. that was it...

The tinkling music of wind chimes.

Oddly, the silence felt awkward to him though he was accustomed to spending so much time alone at sea. What he wasn't accustomed to was being in the company of a person who talked even less than he did. Zavimaat set his empty bowl aside and studied her face, watching her eyes and trying to read her facial expression. He could never tell what she was thinking. Fear was her only obvious emotion.

Well, this was supposed to be a 'date' though not really. Not THAT kind of date, anyway. Just an outing between friends.

He thought he'd break the silence.

"So uh..." He fished for something interesting conversational starter piece, but all he could think of was,  " Nice weather , huh?" It was nice. Sunny skies, light breezy coastal wind. Not too cold, not too hot.

But now he felt even more awkward and shifted uncomfortably in his seat on the bench, "It's uh...cool and windy."  He knew he sounded like a fucking moron, but ah well.

Eve turned her gaze away from the sounds of the music of the chimes and stared over at Zavimaat. Peering up, she looked at the blue skies and white dotting of clouds.  Yes, she supposed the weather was fair, lovely even.  A gentle wind swept through her hair, her green eyes still fixated up towards the sun as she raised a hand to shield her eyes. Then she looked back to Zavimaat as they sat, side by side, though she was facing the opposing way, still on her knees before she turned to face forward once again, sitting more proper.


OOC: SHe's the best conversationalist EVAR

It felt awkward. He wished that she'd say something. Anything. He didn't care what. Perhaps it was a little too much to ask. She was a shy girl and he was even lucky he'd been able to get her to talk at all before. "Er...didja enjoy yer meal?" He asked, changing the subject.

Maybe she had nothing to say about the weather. Maybe it didn't interest her. Maybe she'd have a thought about the food? An opinion? The silence between them and the tension he felt...it was drawn so tight that it would have been so easy to lightly slide a dull blade edge against it and cut it. 

Eve swished her feet beneath her and nodded at his question, taking hte time to study his face as she blinked. "THank you." she said after a moment, wondering if that was the correct answer as she stared down at her lap, feeling his anxiety and growing some of her own, keeping her eyes lowered.
"The rice was good."


OOC: XD

Zavimaat met her gaze and smiled, " No problem."And though it made him happy to hear that she like her meal , he wondered if she was just being polite. She always seemed shy about sharing her opinion. But he decided to trust her, nodding, " Eh...it's hardly a good meal for ya. I'm sorry. Wish I coulda got ya somethin' nicer." He felt guilty, but he shrugged. What the hell could he do about that? He'd get a job, maybe...but an honest job....he'd be damned poor.

"But, maybe next time when I got more money, I can treat ya better." He looked down at his hands, calloused and dirty despite the bath he'd had just a few days before.

He went quiet for a long while, "I wished for ya ta have a dream." He told her bluntly. "Y'know...somethin' yer wantin' fer yer own. Somethin' that'll make ya happy. That's what I wished for...for you.  " He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his stomach tighten with nervousness. He wasn't usually openly ....mushy like that. It felt strange. "Cuz uh...I think it's good t' have somethin' t' look forward to and live for. " He didn't look at her as he said it. "Eh...lissen t' me. Sound'n all sentimental like the ole codger. " He stretched his arms above his head. 

Eve tilted her head, frowning uncertainly at what he said. The food did it's job. Why did he think other wise? It wasn't like she could fetch or provide rice on her own, and the idea made her sad. She stared at her hands for a time as they remained on her lap, listening to him speak before she felt a hot tear slip out from her eyes.

"I wish I had a purpose," she said softly. "Or some worth. Then I could buy rice on my own." and her voice was so frail, she felt broken as tears blurred her vision, dripping hotly onto her dress. "Then I wouldn't be such a burden."

She was always a burden.

Always worthless.

"Stop saying that," He growled at her, frustrated with her defeatist attitude.  Though it wasn't her fault and he knew that he shouldn't have sharpened his tone at her like that. He drew her into his arms and hugged her for a brief moment, " Tomorrow morning me an' you will go together. Maybe we'll pick up a job together." Though he wasn't sure what sort of job would be ideal for her. He knew she could do something. Perhaps many things if she'd only let herself try. He pulled away and rested his hands on her shoulders, " I can teach ya some stuff. No prob. Imma pretty good teacher, ya know."

He heard a tiny yapping sound coming from below him. Irritated by the noise, Zav scowled and turned away from Eve to peer down at the puppy that had been terrorizing his shoelaces earlier. "You again? Whaddyah want now, mutt?"

The pup wagged his tail and barked excitedly at him. He looked like he wanted to play.

Zavimaat waved a hand dismissively at the pup, "Go on! Get! We're tryin' t' have an adult conversation here. An' ya ain't no adult!"

The puppy tilted his little head sideways, perplexed.

"Scram!"

Ears drooping and form hunched , belly touching the cobbles, the pup proceeded to give the man a wide-eyed, sorrowful look and proceeded to whine.

Sighing, Zavimaat rose from his seat, "Fine! You win, ya dumb dog! " He looked around, searching for something and moved away from the bench and Eve, walking over to the base of a tree and bending over to scoop up a small, fallen branch. He waved it around, enticing the pup's attention and threw it. "Fetch, boy!"

The puppy ran off after it eagerly and brought it back before Zavimaat could return to the bench and sit down. Sighing again, the man threw the branch even harder but again was unable to get to his seat fast enough. The process kept repeating several times until , gradually, the man didn't seem quite so annoyed. In fact, he seemed to be having fun!

Eve felt her heart lurch inside her throat as he was drawn into his arms, held close against him as she felt his heart beat and words seal her into a moment all of it's own. The feelings tingled, her heart fluttering as her face heated into a blush.  HIs words were so sweet, so tender, she just melted, tears still becoming carried away.

Then at the noise and distraction, she found herself peering down at the little dog ad blinked. As Zavimaat became preoccupied, she worked at wiping away her tears as she studied him, mind still in a whirl.
She still couldn't fathom how he made her, or gave her, worth. But.. as she smiled slightly. It was still nice, even if it was hard to believe. Then, soon her cares were carried away as she watched the two play a game and slowly she approached, and after a time, gently hugged onto Zavimaat's arm and leaned into him and when the dog brought the stick back, this time he offered it to Eve with a yip.

Smiling, she blushed and looked up at Zavimaat,t hen back down at the puppy before reachign ofr it, only to have the dark laugh (well, bark) ad wags it's tail as it hopped away, refusing to let either of them have at it as it ran off.
Blinking, Eve only stared, confused as to why the dog was running off- but the puppy paused, barking, wagging it's tail in attempts to goad them into a chase.

He'd nearly forgotten that Eve was watching them, but when he felt someone leaning on him and hugging his arm, Zav was still surprised to see that it was Eve that would initiate such contact. A broad grin hid the flush in his cheeks quite well. He eyed the pup and then turned his sight to Eve, "I think he wants ya to try and take it from him. Hehe. Y'know, chase 'im. Dogs like t' play like that.  "


~

"Hayward,why don't we just knock, leave it on the door and get the hell outta here?" Alec Adder asked his brother, fighting hard to quell the nervousness in his tone that he knew his elder, tougher brother loathed.

One-Eye, formally known as Hayward Adder, pressed on through the dense wood , hacking down any offending flora that dared to get in his way as he stomped toward the lonely little cabin. His expression was as cold as ice, unreadable, and if there was any fear in the man at all, Alec could never He did not seem to fear the dense eerie fog that clung to the earth in a thick, two inch blanket. Neither did he fear the monstrous shadows that danced between the tall, twisted trees. And the sounding howling wolves? Why, Alec imagined that it must have been a lullaby to his brother!

"Don't go yellow-bellied on me now, brother, " Hayward growled softly, his dark eye sliding back to briefly and coldly glare at his younger and far more cowardly little brother," there's a king's random of gold up ahead with our names on it! After this, we'll be the ones calling all the shots."

Alec grinned. He liked the sound of that! Thirty years of marching to some rich asshole's tune was far too long for his liking. Such a reward was fifteen years past due.  He whistled, " Damn. Didn't realize the job was that big. All this for just a book. What is it? Magic? If that's the case, maybe we-"

"Don't go getting any ideas in that thick head of yours, "Hayward warned him, "Mister Lockwood is a dangerous man." He grunted and cut a thick, low hanging tree branch from their path. The brothers stepped into a clearing and stood before the cabin. The place looked run down with broken  and boarded up windows, rotted and hole-ridden wood walls and spider webs and draped about the foilage that had grown up over it.

Alec chuckled, "Can't be anymore dangerous than we are."

Hayward didn't answer. He sheathed his sword and approached the door. Thrice his big, meaty hand lightly knocked on the door, " Mister Lockwood, sir. We got the package."

The brothers never heard anything on the other side of that door other than the faint clicking sound of the door unlocking. Then, ever-so-slowly , the door creaked open.

Eve blinked, turning to Zav then back to the puppy who was wagging it's tail.  It barked again, dropping the stick in it's mouth at Eve's feet.  Smiling, she picked it up and threw it again, only to gasp when she noticed it clatter into a well. The puppy rushed for it, whining as it pawed at the well's stone side. It continued to whimper, peering back at Eve with those brown puppy eyes of it's before she moved away from Zavimaat to try and help it.

Approaching the well, she peered over the side and find herself becoming swallowed by the darkness below. Her heart fluttered and for a moment, felt herself tense up as a soft, moaning call she thought came resounding from the well's depths.
She gasped, afraid and backed away from the well... the puppy giving a bark in protest, seeing how the stick was still not in hand. It pawed the well again.


Eve was too terrified to look back-

Did the well..

It...

It sounded like it was calling out to her......


------

As the sun swept across her form, revealing red heeled boots and a woman swathed in the same electric color in an ornate duster decorated in belts that fastened tightly to her form, hiding and garnishing weapon against her arms and back, and even many in her inner pockets, stood there, tall and imposing with pale white skin.  Yes, her skin was as deathly white as they come; so white the blue of her veins was easily shown, and she had black pits for eyes and painted red lips set in contrast to the heavy, spiraling curls of her hair- which were black as midnight in color while a few locks were red, like her attire, red as blood... and even a few curls woven inside being white as snow- one such piece hung heavily across her eyes as she peered at the men before her, smirking and exposing just a single sharp fang, the rest of her features almost appeared masked behind a heavy shadow from her wide, red hat.


"Come in gentleman, I was expecting you."

Zav stood back, watching the girl play with the pup. He smirked and shook his head when the duo went over towards a well. Though when he noticed the frightened and confused expression on Eve's face, he went over to see what was bothering her. "Somethin' wrong?" Whatever she heard, he didn't hear it. He looked at the pup, "Where's yer stick, buddy?" The pup barked at him , then whined and looked longingly towards the well. "Haw haw! Ya lost is down there?" He  snorted with laughter, "Ya dumb mutt! Haw haw!"


ooc: What an ass. Hee-haw! Hee-Haw!


~

"You're kiddin' me, "Alec started to say, "Mister Lockwood is a wo-"

Hayward cut him off, " I apologize for the delay, boss. Our delivery boy needed a little persuasion, but we've got the goods outta him." He crossed the room briskly and set the book down reverently at her feet. He backed away and waited for her to inspect and for her approval.




ooc: OMG S &M queen! o.o I'm scared D;

OOC: Ok I had my fun XD *goes to fix*

OOC: Because, Paradox, you are a special friend.
this is the SPECIAL BOLD EDITION of an Eve post.....

Take... ONE

IC:


The magnolias clung in desperation, the morning glories shaking in the wind, even the doves in a nearby tree were trembling; but the moment seemed to come and past, then things were magically cheery again (much like unicorns that fart rainbows!).  But Even still felt it, heavy and cold, like a stone in her breast as she looked back over at Zavimaat and stepped away from the well.
She lowered her gaze shamefully. He had guessed correctly. The well had taken the stick as the puppy pawed and whined at the stone.

"Bark! Bark!'

The sky was cerulean, as blue as blue could be, with clouds, as white as white could be, and no laundry lady may need to douse them in bleach, for the whitest of whites could not out do the perfection of ivory that clung against the bluest of blue skies.  And the grasses, so sweet and green, rustled like emeralds, so fair in contrast to Eve's hair as she tucked it behind her ear.

"How do we go down there to get it?" Eve asked quietly, meekly, weakly as she peered over at the bucket hanging precariously over the open mouth of the well. ANdif the well could be described as a man, or perhaps, even a shouting old woman.. yes.. one could call it that, or perhaps, even, the yawing effects of an old man, gaping his mouth wide open for a grand snore into the night.
But this sort of man, if that the well be, would eternally keep his mouth open and never let his snore crest to the welcoming crescendo of a mighty snore.


But the well reeked of dankness, for water was moist, and made the air, wet; and the stones clung to such wetness and mildew and moss was a bound, even other such evident watery species were running amok, perhaps even algae and mold.  Eve peered down at the well, not realizing it was empty and blinked down. "Do you think we could use the bucket?"

And she was not wanting to use the bucket for pee,but to retrieve the stick that had been captured far down the depths of the deep, deep well.  What sort of hell, had the stick fallen into in that well? Would they ever..tell? only time would surely... n...inform them of this!


OOC: *troll face* <3 I'll fix this later, I could not resist :3


IC:

Her eyes sparkled. It was a normal react for idiots to assume Mr.Lockwood was a man. And that's how she intended it. Quirking a brow, she moved aside to let the men in and let a fang dig into her lower lip at the mention of trouble. She didn't care what action it took to retrieve the book. SHe just wanted it. Blinking, she stared down at the worn leather cover. Her heart welled, rapidly beating inside her chest as she bent over as her dark, pointed fingers curled around it and as she lifted it up to her face and opened it to the pages and began to flip through to inspect, her face began to fall and her eyes became black as poison.


"YOU IDIOTS!" and with such a force, she slammed the open book into Alec's face, then slammed an angry, biting hand and gripped tightly to Hayward's throat, slamming him against the wall so that his feet were no longer touching it as she held him up, eyes feral, pointed teeth bared.
"This isn't the book!"S he hissed, face tightening with anger. 




-----


As Zavimaat laughed, Eve visibly flinched.  The voices she had heard had sent a chill throughout her body, and a pout to her lip.  The dog, on the other hand, as well as apparently her companion, were unphased as the puppy kept barking, pawing at the stone. It wanted it's stick!  However, after sometime, the whispers began to travel, soft and haunting, like drifts of invisible smoke towards her ear.
The language was unknown, the voices ghastly as she gave a jump, looked around..


but nobody was there.

"tl;dr, " Zavimaat lol'd loudly in the loudest voice that was louder than the loudest of loud loud people. His darkly black angst hair blew furiously in the angst-ridden wind as he glared at the puppy with dark angsty eyes.

And to her question he darkly replied in the darkest of dark and angsty loud voices, "Do you want some cheese to go with your whine? " And he pushed her down the well, watching her fall down the dark darkest well that was - aw fuck it. It was dark, okay bitch?

Anyway, Eve tumbled down into the darkness and fucking died. The world rejoiced and there was cake which was not a lie...Until a giant fucking meteor with a creepy face on it fell down and crushed everyone. To Death. Because you were too much of a dipshit , busy chasing chickens and collecting monopoly money instead of collecting masks and also because some forest kid's parents didn't love him and were not very punny people.

The end! And the moral of the story , kids: In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.

(http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/26/17/72f88f2613f7673da4bd0f04d6524763.jpg)

ooc: One fucktastic post deserves another. I'll edit this when you do. Let's not continue this here. That's not what the ic forum is for ;P

ooc: And now for the real deal....


ic:

Hayward gasped. Lockwood's strength was inhuman and she could have easily crushed his windpipe if she had a mind to. He didn't struggle much. He knew it would have been futile. "S-sorry....boss" He gasped between shallow, desparate breaths, "didn't think....he'd dupe us, but ....we-we'll...get it back..."

Alec picked up the phony book and flipped through the pages, " What's so special about this book anyways? " He really didn't understand why their employer was so pissed off over a book. He wasn't half as bright as Hayward either. He always had to open his mouth and ask questions when such nosiness wasn't welcomed.

He sensed his brother in danger and pulled a knife from his belt, "Let him go! He said he'd get it back. We'll get it back. We always get what we want." This was true so far. The Adders were good at what they did. Though they'd slipped...

"There's a girl with him..." Hayward choked, "We'll nab her. And he'll have no choice. Wasn't gonna play dirty , but I know where they are." He had an idea of where they were. "They' aren't far from here. We can still catch them. Just give us...another chance." He wasn't one to beg, usually, but it was rare that his life had been threatened. 
~

Zavimaat stared at Eve and then the dog. He moved over to the well and looked down into it. He looked back over his shoulder at Eve, "It's just a well. There's nothin' scary down there." And as if to prove his point , he leaned over the opening and called down into the impenetrable black below. "Hello? Anyone down there? Any monsters waiting to jump out and eat me? Be a pal and give us back our stick, will ya? "

He waited, cupping a hand to his ear and listening to his own echo. After that? Silence. Nothing. Satisfied her turned back to Eve and the pup , "See? Nothin' there. Kinda weird though. Well's all dried up. Ah well. I guess it happens! Don't worry, "he told the pup, "there are plenty of sticks to ..."

Something light-weight and pointy struck him in the back of the head, bouncing off harmlessly. He turned around to see what had been thrown at him and...there on the cobbles was a twig that looked an awful lot like the one the puppy had been playing with. Zavimaat stared at it , then at the well. "What the..." Could it be...?

"Haw haw...nah. That's not possible. " Zav looked around, "So who the fuck threw it at me?"

Mr. Lockwood's black eyes narrowed. She kept a firm squeeze agains Hayward's neck, baring her teeth.

"You expect me to just let you try again?" she asked, disgusted, and let the man drop from her clutches.  "If that boy you've been hunting was able to dupe you once, what makes you think he won't doe it again?!" she was seething man, blue veins popping out from her neck as she turned around and back handed Alec for even considering pulling a knife.

"Get out of my sight until you have it again! And this time, if you don't bring it back.."s he began, lips baring that slowly transformed into a wide, pointed toothed grin.  "I won't be so generous."
She stepped back, lowering her head so that the wide brim of her hat covered her eyes.  "And, if you don't want me to half the payment you are promised,"s he went on, lips curling even more at the ends. "Then bring me back both that boy... and his girl."
If she wasn't goign to torture the Adder Twins, she might as well settle for the thorn in their side.
She picked up Alec's blade, touching the pointed end to one finger before approaching him.


"Now, play time is over." she started, pressing the dagger to his chest. "Bring me what I want, or I'll have your heads." Then she thrust the blade into his hand and walked off.
"You can see yourselves out"


---

Eve was complacent with the idea to abandon the well when the stick flew out from no where. Freezing into place, she stared, blinking as it hit Zavimaat and she gasped. She too, looked away, and paled when she saw no one about, but the wagging tail of the dog.  Sure, there were children laughing and playing in the distance, but other than that, not a soul was in sight. There was a roofer nearby, pounding his hammer away at a nail in the shingles, but it was evident it hadn't been him. He was too many doors over. It seemedimpossible he might have thrown it.

While Eve was preoccupied , Zavimaat snuck up behind her. He was tempted to smack her ass, but he clapped his hands on her shoulder instead and leaned into a bit so he could rest his chin on her shoulder, "Ooooh. Scary, isn't it? " He said in the corniest scary ghost voice that he could possibly muster. "It's probably haunted down there, "he teased her and he was meaning to lighten the mood, forgetting that he was talking to Eve and that he was probably only causing her to be even MORE frightened. "Maybe the spirit of a dead guy eternally searching for a long lost lover..." He continued on, laughing at his own cheese.

The puppy growled at him and bit his ankle. He demanded attention! "Yeowch! I was jus' kiddin' , sheesh! "

ooc: Can't hurt to post a little. >.> Just remember that I might be vanishing for some time in the next week or two.

Eve was already jumpity- peering around in fear, so when Zavimaat snuck up behind her, she jumped ten feet out of her skin and let out a scream. Then, once he was revealing to her, all she could do was crumple suddenly into Zavimaat as she gave way to a faint.

The pup, who had been chewing on Zavimaat's sock, paused a moment to tilt it's head, making a 'grr-ruu?' noise before whimpering in question.

OOC: HA!
LOOK what he did now looool

Zavimaat caught her and held her. Now they weren't alone. People had heard Eve scream and they had move  toward the sound, their eyes shooting Zav a collection of suspicious and disproving glares. Zavimaat would have liked to tell them all to mind their own damn business, but he blushed hotly with embarrassment with so many eyes upon him. "Heh. It was an innocent spook. I didn't think she was gonna freak out." He offered lamely. At least it was the truth?

No one said a word, but they continued to watch him and stare. It made him feel very uncomfortable and annoyed. He carried her over to the fountain where they'd been sitting earlier and laid her across his lap. He contemplated leaving her unconscious or trying to wake her up but the pup made up his mind for him and hopped up on the bench with them. He clambered over Eve and proceeded to rain a torrent of sloppy puppy kisses down on her face.

Eve awoke with a start, gasping as the puppy tongue went into her mouth. SHe made a noise, then blinking, spat aside a bit and wipe at her slobbery face. The puppy sat on it'sf at butt and seemed please and gave a little yap and nibble at her dress.
Blinking, Eve turned sheepishly from the puppy up to Zav, whom she only realized then was holding her in his arms. A blush graced across her cheeks as she tensed and looked up at him, uncertain just what had happened-
and that's when the puppy slimed her face up again- hot puppy kisses and all.

Their eyes met and then...

they danced the dirty ! Just kidding!

"Give her some space, ya dumb mutt, " Zavimaat growled at the pup and grabbed the little amorous canine up with a free hand. The puppy growled and bit his hand , but his little teeth hardly caused the man trouble.

"Hey, er...you okay , Eve? " He half-expected her to run away from him or cry. Possibly faint. That was all she ever seemed to be capable of doing. "I'm sorry for uh...scarin' ya. It was jus' s'ppossed tah be a joke. I didn't think-"

Well, that was about the gist of it! He never really thought his actions through and here they were. It was all his fault! Though he didn't find this scenario so bad. He had an excuse to hold her at the very least. Still, he did feel kind of horrible. It could have been worse. His aunt had explained to him before that when you scared some people too badly, they didn't wake up ever again. That was a frightening thought and he definitely would never want to do that to someone as sweet as Eve.

"I won't do that again. Promise." 

ooc : We know it'll happen again...lulz.

Eve only stared at Zavimaat with wide eyes. She had no idea what to do when he admitted it was him, and then she recalled that .. yes.. it WAS him and she blushed and slunk down into his arms, feeling ashamed. She couldn't even look at him, her lips turning to a pout. She just...
She was not used to such amorous activities with a young gentle man.
Most of her life had been lived beneath the house , crouched over dirt or sweeping the floors when not sleeping down with old cobwebs and spiders , roaches and occasional rats and snakes.
She didn't know why she was thinking over that as she shivered and clung to Zavimaat suddenly, as she felt afraid. She dind't know why, but she always felt comforted when he was near- more at ease.


OOC: lol amorous...

ooc: Stop stealing my awesome sparkly vocab words, YOU JERK!

ic:

For a moment, he thought he'd said something wrong. He was sure there really wasn't anything better he could have said, but maybe he should abash himself to let her know that he really was sincere, " It was rotten of me to do that I-" She lowered her gaze from him and adopted a pouty look and he felt deflated, worse than before.

Her sudden clinging confused him. First she was afraid of him , then she clung, then she was afraid....she needed to make up her mind! Or was there something he couldn't see , something else that made her fear? Weird and unexpected things seemed to follow her, and drag him into it. He liked this sensation of being depended on, but found himself concerned.

"What's the matter? " She seemed to fear for no visible reason? Something emotional then? She'd told him a little about her father, but not a whole lot. He couldn't imagine how bad she must have been treated but it had to be pretty damn bad considering how she was afraid of even her own damned shadow.

He hugged her to him, " You seemed kinda tense. I was just tryin' to lighten the mood. I didn't mean t' scare ya. Are you okay, now?"

Eve didn't know how to respond, then when he hugged her close, she tensed, felt hot but soon melted against him and appeared nearly in tears.  She knew, somehow, by his words and actions that he had meant what he said- that he had not meant to harm her. And she felt somewhat embarrassed by it-
but then she heard something again, a moan, subtle and low and cold- so cold that it's temperature sunk into her spine and sent a shiver across her skin, chilling her to the bone. She clung to Zavimaat, her eyes staring frightfully towards the well-

Something was down there..
something..
and she felt it calling out to her, and the very idea of it made her skin crawl as she moved uneasily within his arms, and just held onto him tight and fierce.

He too looked at the well, but only because he was trying to figure out why she kept looking at it with such frightened glances. Maybe she'd had a bad experience with one? "It's just a well, Eve. It's not gonna hurt ya. There ain't nothin' down there except maybe bugs since the water's all dried up. " He didn't want to say or do anything to make her stop clinging to him. It was kind of terrible for him to be enjoying this , but he hadn't been this close to a girl in a long time.

Though the guilt that he felt over having caused her such distress drove him to determination to ease her disquiet,"You wanna go somewhere else?"

"I.. I thought I heard something." She pouted, not sure why she felt so distressed, but the voice... whatever it was that moaned from the depths of the well did. It sounded distressed. She shivered and remained still clinging inside his arm, then at his question to leave, she wasn't sure how to answer, her green eyes locked upon the well as if unable to be torn away.

He stared at her, frowning slightly. "Huh? Whaddyah mean ? " There were noises all over town. Or did she mean she was hearing voices inside her head like a crazy? Was Eve a crazy chick? Like the kind that would be sweet and innocent one moment and a psycho stabby McStab killer the next? He shook his head. He had been reading one too many 5 copper novels.

The puppy barked and squirmed out of his grip. The little furball dropped down onto the bench and crawled up into Eve's lap, trying his best to put himself between Eve and Zav because he wanted all the attention. To be more specific, he wanted all of Eve's attention. That Zavimaat was getting any from the girl was making the pup jealous!

"Maybe we should go if you're not feeling very comfortable here. We could go back to old Rodge's." Though he sort of wanted to spend more time alone with the girl without that annoying old man and his assumptions of them being a couple. Sheesh. What was wrong with having a girl that was a friend anyways? Why did pops have to make them an item ? And what was his obsession with wind chimes!? And why did he keep a psycho turkey for a pet!?

Eve pouted.
Did he not hear it, too?  Did he not hear the wall call out, as if in agony? Someone sounded as if they were in pain.. as if they needed someone...
Someone sounded as if they were... dead.
She shivered, growing cold and simply clung to him.

"The well.. the voice.. it.. it came from the well."

Zav stared at her.

And stared...

and stared...

this went on for a full minute without blinking. Now he wasn't quite sure how to respond to this other than with a shake of his head and a simple, "Er. Naw. I didn't hear nothin'." He wondered if she'd really heard something or if...well, she didn't have to be crazy, right? Maybe she was paranoid and thought she heard something. Yeah. It had to be that. He wanted it to be anyway.

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to flat out tell her that she was just paranoid and hearing things. Nor did he want to laugh at how silly she was behaving. He knew it would have hurt her feelings and made her feel incompetent. But his question might already have damaged her esteem.

Now the question was what to do to make her feel more at ease? "You wanna leave? Maybe you're tired?"

Eve felt uncomfortable and squirmed a bit uneasily within his arms. The haunting voice, though it seemed to have vanished, still lingered in her memories; a haunting sound. She turned to Zavimaat, nodding only slightly at his last suggestion, as she had no idea what else she ought to do.

OOC: Wow.. sorry for the special Eve posts 8D I swear I'll post more at some point >>

<<

Zavimaat grinned at her, " So , uh, ya gonna let me stand up or did ya want me to carry you there?" She was still in his arms, drawn into his lap. "Not that I got any protest 'bout that."

Whatever decision she made, he was happy to comply. They left the town market and headed back for Rodger's. When they arrived, Zavimaat looked around for signs of Lou and almost seemed nervous, as if he expected the turkey to ambush them at any given moment. There was no sign of the little gobbler though and a relieved Zavimaat entered the old man's home, "Pops! We're back!" He called out and hastily shut the door behind him and Eve.

Roger smiled as the pair had returned, laughing a bit to himself.
"Eh, heh, heh, glad to see you're both back from your big date. Did you get to look around town? There isn't much but the fountain is always a nice place to fraternize and you can make a wish by dropping pennies into the water."


At the mentioning of the fountain, Eve thought back to their dreams,.. their wishes and peered over at Zavimaat, who's side she was still clinging to, her hand other clutched at her dress.  Roger smiled again to see them so close.
"You sure there's no wedding date set yet?" he had to ask. "You two had been gone an awfully long time..."

Zav stared at the old man and didn't like the grin on his wrinkled visage, " Whaddyah mean?" What DID he mean ? The young man scowled.

"Slow down, pops. We're practically just reaching adulthood here. " Though he was sure that Eve still had a little more time before she was there yet. Neither would he admit it, but she might make it to maturity before he did! "We jus' did some sightseein'. Y'know. Two friends. Lookin' around and..stuff. "

There was no way in hell he was telling the old man about their exchange because the old codger would just eat it all up and keep badgering him about their "relationship" which was just...well, it was...friend status? Right? Sort of? He wasn't even sure what to call this awkward relationship that he had with this girl, but he supposed it was just an awkward friendship.

So what if he might have been attracted to the girl? She was a girl, cute and she was close to his age... wasn't that the way he was supposed to feel? But it didn't mean he had to jump her bones or try to get all smoochy faced with her.

He didn't realize it , but his face had turned bright red with his internal raging. But he did notice Eve's grip on his hand tighten, how close she was to him and how the old man's grin was about to swallow his ears. He didn't know why it pissed him off so much.

"I...gotta take a piss." He growled , pulled his hand from Eve's and stomped out of the room.


ooc: lol...yep. She'll probably grow up before he does. Sad.

OOC: That was like.. the perfectest epic post evars XD
maybe after the turky scene.
I mean..
one can not compete against Lou.
HE IS KING


IC:

Eve, who knew very little about what the old man was pressing, only felt embarrassed to be in the spot light more than fully understanding what it meant.  So when Zavimaat left her, she felt suddenly cold and more embarrassed.

"Come on, deary. Why don't you help me finish dinner?"
Eve, not knowing what else to do, merely nodded her head and followed in inside. He had been frying up a bunch of vegetables and some rice. A simple meal, but it smelled really good, and suddenly Eve found her stomach growling.
The old man laughed and reassured her, "Don't you fret.We'll be eating in no time." And he gave her a small wink before mixing the vegetables around in the sizzling pan.  It was then he noticed the commotion outside- it seemed Lou had gotten his feathers ruffled over the puppy that had followed the pair home. ANd it was then Eve noticed it, too and gasped.


The poor puppy! Whatever were they to do!?
But Eve knew she couldn't just stand around as she rushed outside, gasping as she witnesses the terrible turky gobbling after the whimpering pup.

ooc:

(http://www.museumoftheweird.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Evil-Dooms-Day-Turkey.jpg)

Gobble gobble, *censored by 4 Kidz* .

ic:

He stomped outside and went around the back of Roger's house to do his business. Maybe he shouldn't have chose a spot so close to the old man's house , but there was hardly any other private place for him to go so he took his position behind a bush growling close to the house and dropped his trousers. However, just as he had his dick out and taking a whizz , who should happen to come running by but the god damned mutt, followed by a turkey....

Zavimaat raised a curious brow at that, but was content to finish his business but then...
Eve ran by as well. She probably didn't notice , but Zavimaat freaked out anyways, "SHIT!" And he missed the bush, pissing on the old man's window instead.

ooc: You gave me the idea. I took it and made it EVEN WORSE.

OOC: IT'S BIRDZILLA!!!


IC:

THe turkey went this way.
"GOBBLE!"
Then that..
"GOBBLE!"
and the poor little puppy could only run with his tail between his legs and Eve, oh poor, Eve! How she wanted to help and be brave but then when she noticed Zavimaat, she was about to call after him to help but then...


Froze in terror as she watched him piss on the house-
and that's when the puppy went between her legs..
and the turkey came and was heading right for her!


OOC: These posts are so special XD

"Damn it! Fuckin' .... " Zavimaat surveyed the damage. A stream of piss droplets tainting an otherwise very clean window pane.  He wanted to throttle the puppy and cook the god damned turkey for this even though it WAS his fault for choosing such a poor place to take a leak.

"It'll dry, right?" He shook himself dry. He wasn't asking anyone in particular , but then he noticed Eve standing behind him watching. He made the mistake of turning around while his dick was still out...not because he felt uncomfortable with her seeing him . She'd already seen more than enough of what he had, but...because it was Eve and , well, the sight of his nethers was probably going to make things worse.

He noticed now that he was exposed and that she was looking and then came the damned animals....and Lou crashed into Eve who crashed into Zavimaat,knocking him to the earth underneath her.

And NOW he was embarrassed because she was on top of him and he was...

He was only grateful that the old man wasn't present to witness this disaster. 

ooc: And then it went from bad to worse.

OOC: LOL

omgerd, only Zavimaat


IC:


It all happened so fast, but even as the gobbling went off intot he distance, the puppy wailing and whimpering as Lou, the terrible turkey, failed to cease in it's antics-

It could not stop Eve and Zavimaat from sharing a very.. VERY awkward moment.
Somehow she was ontop of him- somehow there was something... against her leg, between her thighs-
and somehow she was experiencing, for the first time, an awakening fire inside her-
that made her feel so dreadfully strange that-
she tensed up, ears almost reaching her eyes- but could not moved.
The awkward sensation froze her into dumbness.



And then the old man came rushing outside, screaming, "LOU!!!" now armed with the broom- seeming not to notice the 'love birds' trying to inadvertently mount one another on the floor to the side ofhis house...
or even the piss still freshly coating his poor window.

"LOU!!!"

Yes, LOU..
LOU WAS TO BLAME.

ooc: So sad :/ . Now this is actually mature. -.-

ic:

Zavimaat stared up at the girl , blinking stupidly. He felt her pressed up against him too and , quite suddenly his body temperature seemed to shoot up by several degrees. He tensed up beneath her and the part of him that had found itself so deviously snuggled betwixt her legs grew hard and erect. He wanted to push Eve off of him and make a run for it before the old man wandered out here and saw them like this...

but too late! Roger came running out yelling at Lou and wielding a broom with a vengeance.

And for the first time in awhile, Zav had no idea what to say or do. His body could 'think' of something though, but those needs went ignored.

If they thought things could not get worse, the turkey turned it's primeval attack on the old man and began to ruffle up it's feathers, strut out it's neck as it ferociously gobbled the old man back into submission, forcing him to run the other way.  And run he did, right pass the pair who lay awkwardly on the floor- witht he puppy at his heels, the turkey at theirs and Eve and Zavimaat just laying there- seemingly ignored but.. in a most.. indecent of states as chaos erupted all around them. And all Eve could do as the terrible turkey ran by, was to suddenly throw herself at Zavimaat, nearly in tears as she clung to him in fear.

"Eve!" Zavimaat cried out, exasperated and embarrassed by their predicament. He knew she couldn't help it , but her clinging onto him while he had an erection was not helping the situation at all. If she kept herself pressed up against him like this, he was afraid of what could happen. It was bad enough that a plethora of dirty thoughts had entered his mind. He could only be thankful that she was probably oblivious when it came to this sort of thing and that the attraction was one-sided.

Or maybe that made it worse.

"Eve, please. Could you ...let me put my pants back on?"

If he face could get any redder, he would have invented a new shade of it.

Eve looked down at him, eyes wide as saucers at his remark, and when she pressed herself off of him suddenly, palms to his chest, the roaring gobble of Lou returned. Eve could only watch in horror as the trio passed them again, but once they did, she found her breath again,t hen her brain and suddenly hopped off of Zavimaat, her face as red as his as she took off to the side of the house where she collapsed and began to sob again, not knowing what more to do with herself than that.

It was a very pathetic predicament, but she had not only embarrassed herself, but her friend as well, and there was a terrifying turkey on the prowl-t he poor puppy was in danger...
What was a girl to do!?

Stuffing himself back into his drawers, Zav took a moment to try and regain his composure. He looked over at the window and sighed. At least the old man hadn't taken notice to any of this. He looked around for signs of the turkey and it's latest victims ,but they seemed to be nowhere in sight. Eve, on the other hand, was easier to find. The red hair made her difficult to miss.

He crossed the yard and found that she had collapsed on the grass, crumpled in a blubbering heap of pathetic. He knelt down beside her and looked down at her. Geeze laweeze was she ever a mess. He cringed at the sound. It made him feel kind of guilty for yelling at her. Naw. It made him feel damn rotten.  He kept screwing up with this girl. Nothing ever seemed to go right. "Oh man, " Zavimaat muttered to himself and then gently put a hand on the girl's shoulder, " I'm sorry I yelled at you.  Don't cry. Please don't."

The chaos went on for a time, but eventually the pair had been brought inside, got to enjoy some dinner (though Eve was having a hard time eating) and had the evening to enjoy themselves. But Eve was feeling exhausted, and had excused herself early to bed. It was here, Roger caught Zavimaat alone and had to question..
"So.. when are you going to kiss that pretty little thing, hrm?" the old man gav ea laugh and lit up his pipe, puffing it away against the fire side. "And how about that turkey? He's got some spunk in him, old Lou. But, I suppose he keeps the riff raffs off of the property." The old man shrugged, then looked over at Zavimaat.


Upstairs, Eve had slipped into her nightshift but found herself unable to sleep.  She kept thinking about earlier that day...
then back to the well and shivered.
It was then, as if on cue, she thought she heard something.
She clutched the blanket tightly on her bed. Was that the same moan she had heard earlier? She shivered at the thought and peered over at the window, holding her breath and hoping not to hear it again.

Eve wasn't the only person who didn't find much stomach to eat. Zavimaat picked at his own food , hardly enjoying a bite.  His thoughts were clearly elsewhere and though the color in his cheeks had faded with time, his feelings had not. He still felt ashamed of himself and worried about what Eve might think of him for being such a damned pervert. She hadn't looked in his direction or spoken a single word to him after the incident. And he thought of his attraction towards her. If he chose to keep her around, these feelings could become a problem. He was worried about hurting her. "But you've already done that, haven't you dipshit?" Zavimaat sighed and set his fork and knife down on the table and hid his face in his hands.

Though he peeked through his fingers when he heard Roger's question, " Wh-what?" Why was this stupid old man so persistent about shoving them together?  He removed his hands, "I dunno what yer talkin' 'bout, pops . I keep tellin' ya. Me an Eve are friends. Just friends, okay!?" He sounded so defensive about it that it could have been perceived as denial.
But there wasn't anything to deny because there was no relationship of that nature.

Sighing, Zav begrudgingly confided in the nosy old man a little, "She's fragile. I don't think she's ever had a friend or someone be nice to her before.  I mighta been the first and she don't even trust me that much. I don't think she knows what to do about anything. Mighta been real sheltered...at least it feels like that. Ugh. Even if I did like her like THAT, and I ain't sayin' that I do, it wouldn't matter because she's not ready for somethin' like that and I ain't that kinda guy. Don't wanna make her cry any more than I already do."

Roger listened intently as he puffed at his pipe.
"Perhaps, but that girl does seem sweet on you, and you on her.  Sometimes, they say, friendship blossoms into the most powerful of love. Who knows." she shrugged and stared over at the fire, contemplating adding another log, then glanced to Zavimaat. "Would you mind bringing in some more logs? THe fire's getting low."


Night had fallen and it had grown darker and darker, the stars sparkling above for the night was clear.  It was beautiful, but Eve could hardly enjoy it, nor the silver moonlight that lit up her room and cast it in eerie shadows that danced against her walls.  And it was as she held her breath, as sweat collected across her brow that she heard the voices again.
This time more haunting, calling out to her, but not by name..
and she found herself intrigued, her bare feet stepping across the wooden floor as she peered out the window, a gentle wind carrying her long red hair as she listened, strained her ears for it again.


Yes.. something was calling her.. but what?  CUriously, she craned her neck out, listening for the noise-
but this time it did not come. And she frowned, then thought hse heard something else, and her eyes went towards the chicken coop. But it was just Lou, and the turkey appeared to be doing his rounds before disappearing inside with the chickens, who made a little bit louder clucks before settling back to more gentler ones.

"Sweet?" Zav wrinkled his nose, " Naw. I'm just- she is..." Eve was a pretty nice girl ,but she was like that with everyone. Not just him. He wasn't that special to her or maybe he'd failed to notice. There was no denying though that he was nicer to her than most people in general , but it was that sad and vulnerable demeanor that got to him. Being mean to Eve was like kicking puppies or kittens. It was criminal.

Zavimaat rolled his eyes at the man when he spoke of love and friendship, " Haw haw...yeah uh huh. Sure, pops. Me 'an Eve'll be hitched in a few years and grow t' be as old 'n sappy as you are someday. Maybe we'll have sappy kids as well..." Him and Eve? He couldn't picture that. She wasn't his type and if Eve had a type, he probably wouldn't have been hers.

He got up from his seat and went outside to claim an armful of logs that were stacked so neatly up against the house. He came back in and slipped a couple into the hungry fire, " Say , pops. Ya don't know where I might be able to find some work around here, wouldja?  I uh...was thinkin' ..." He'd seen the way Eve's eyes lit up when she'd been viewing the jewelry . Maybe if he could afford to get her a nice gift like that, it might help cheer her up. Of course, he wasn't going to tell the old man his intent because then he'd NEVER hear the end of it. " Well, er..I'm broke and we need money, ya know? Can't stay here and leech offa ya forever. I got family, besides. They're probably worried 'bout me but we're stranded here til I got the funds."

The next noise she heard was Zavimaat exiting the house and collecting wood. She studied him from where she was leaning against the window but said nothing, then when things went quiet again- she heard the noise again. Shivering, her green eyes went out across the darkness. the voice had definitely carried by the well. And again, she knew it, felt it was calling for her.  And it was so anxious, so sad that it gripped at her internally, and she found herself almost compelled to follow.
But fear kept her planted where she was, as a gentle breeze fluttered through the trees and dispelled the silver light into the shadows, making it dance.
Then she heard it again, fainter, almost a whisper-
and she felt she wanted to cry.

Slipping out from the window, she moved bare foot across the cool ground. The sound was so subtle, so still, she could not ignore it any longer, and as she approached the town square, to where the well remained a dark blot off on the horizon, she held her breath as another breeze fluttered through her dress and hair-

Then when everything calmed.


The moaning called started again.

"They're always looking for dockworkers, " Roger informed the young man when he returned.

Feeding the logs carefully to the hungry flames, Zav took a step back when the task was finished and stretched his arms high over his head. He yawned, " Think I'm gonna turn in. Night pops. " He left the room and walked to his. On his way there, he paused near Eve's door and considered checking up on her. If she was awake though...

He blushed. He still felt awkward and ashamed. Not only that, but he didn't think she'd want to see him right now. With this in mind, he continued his way onward. Upon arriving at his room, he collapsed into bed and tried to fall asleep.

He kept thinking of Eve though. Of things that he knew should surpress. It kept him up through half the night before he finally grew to exhaustion and fell into deep slumber.

He was roused by something hot and wet tickling his face, " Ugh...what?" Zav opened his eyes and found the puppy seated on his chest, leaning right up in his face. He shoved the pup away from him and sat up , wiping the slobber from his skin with the back of his hand. "Damn mutt. Whaddyah want? I'm tryin' t' sleep, ya know?"

The puppy looked up and whined. then took a step forward and nudged his elbow.

"What?" Zav asked exasperated. He was cranky whenever his sleep was disturbed. Cranky time ten. He went to go lie back down but the pup barked and hopped over him, getting up in his face again and nudging it with his little cold black nose.

"Go away, ya stupid dog!" Zav snapped irritably , but the puppy wouldn't leave him alone.

With a sigh, the young man slipped out of bed, " Ya gotta pee or somethin'? "

With a woof, the pup hopped off the bed and ran out of the room.

"Huh. I guess that's it," Zav muttered to himself and followed after the pup to the front door. He opened it up and the puppy took off rather than doing his business in the grass. Zavimaat blinked, "H-hey! Come back, dummy! Where ya goin'?" He took after the dog without thinking, dressed in little more than his pants.

At least he had THOSE this time.

She was afraid to go any closer, the winds picking up, howling through the trees as tree branches clattered together and smacked against nearby buildings.  One even snapped nearby, causing her to gasp as she peered over at it laying still on the ground.
And then as the winds calmed, she heard the moan again,and her green eyes trailed back over towards the well as a cold sensation rippled up her spine.
She tensed, but after a moment, she heard it again, softer, fainter, lighter and clutching at her breast, she found her bare feet slipping forward, gentle, soft across the stone walks of the town. And within a few measures of breath, she had crept her way ever nearer towards the well, ever closer to the sound but then stopped, just as the noise had ceased and held her breath, uncertain what to make of the deathly odd silence, and the fact even the clouds seemed to pause, even the winds, the trees, the night animals...

Everything seemed to have stopped.

And then something black bubbled in the darkness, gurgling in silence up from the well, before a wicked limb of shadows stretched up, seeping like smoke, curling and drawing and reaching for the skies. Eve could only watch in wonder, half afraid, but more in awe than anything else as her shoulders stiffened, hands open and poised at her sides.
And then the smoke like darkness curled in on itself, seeming to become thicker before lapping out suddenly, lick a tongue against the dark, lapping at the twilight, at the air, the cold night air, then lunging forward suddenly, with sharper means than it had been when leisurely brewing and moving before-

Then struck down, arched in silence, wriggling and splitting into tiny strings of shadows, curling out, reaching for her and slipping around her form.

Eve's eyes widened, not sure what to make of this as the darkness whirled around her- the wind picking up, the noise returning, her hair fluttering about and her skirts lapping at her heels as she began to rise, body numb to the presence of this darkness that called her- as green color floated from her body, slipping out in strands, mixing with the shadows and twisting, curling together and tightening around her-

and then in a mighty roar it had her, tightening it's grip as the green magical light connected with that of the dark- and suddenly she was pulled forth, plucked off the ground and sucked down, deep down inside the well.......

Through the slumbering town streets they raced with the puppy leading and barking like a madman. It only occurred to Zav minutes after he'd blindly stumbled off after the crazy mutt that he was, in fact, equally mad. What had possessed him to run outdoors without a shirt or shoes for that matter?  If the wind wasn't chilly, he wouldn't have been so concerned with that, but he definitely noticed the cold brush up against his bare chest as the puppy's pace slowed to a trot.

Their race had led them to the well and it was here where the puppy stopped.

"You mean you took me ALL the way HERE so you could pee?" Zavimaat inquired ignorantly. Any other person would have picked up on the fact that something was wrong, but because Zavimaat probably wasn't capable of even using at least a quarter fraction of his brain, this was the cleverest thing he could deduce.

The puppy turned away from the man and stared at the well. He sat down on his haunches and whined and whined and whined...

until it got on the man's nerves. Sighing, he moved closer to the well.  "What are ya on about?  "You and Eve both got this stupid fixation on this dumb well and I am tellin' ya that there's nothin' dow-"

The he heard it, a faint sound echoing off the stone from deep within. Zavimaat blinked and peered down, but his eyes couldn't hope to pierce the yawning gloom. He took a step back, " I'm hearin' things." He looked down at the puppy, " Damn mutt. Wakin' me up fer nothin'. Yer gonna pay for this, ya hear me? I ain't sharin' no more food with ya."

Then he heard it again. He froze. It was a low, spine-chilling mournful wail. "Wha-what the... hell? There some sick fucker down there playin' games? Think ya can scare me, do ya? Ya little shit!?"  Zav yelled down into the well. "Well , it ain't gonna work. Ya hear me!?"

He paused and waited. Maybe that'd scare the idiot quiet. However , he heard the noise again and it pissed him off , "That's it! I'm gonna come down there and whoop your stupid ass!" He pulled himself up over the lip of the well and slipped down into the darkness, his hands and feet quickly finding the rickety old ladder that creaked and groaned under his weight.

He descended , hearing the puppy whine and then, growl in the distance above him. 

Inside the well, it was quiet.. haunting, and still.
The darkness was only faintly illuminated by the silver light of the moon that poured down into it's thin, open mouth, so whatever pieces could reach down that far spilled only so far into the darkness before nothing could be seen. though it was evidently dank, a bit of water there, knee deep at best, made light lapping noises around his body and at the sides of the stones that housed it..

Other than that, it seemed nothing more than a riddling darkness, silent and uncaring that there was a man present and angry.

But even still in the darkness, a faint, green light fluttered once, then faded away, like a breath.

When he reached the bottom of the ladder, Zav looked around,standing in cold water that smelled rich of iron. Only his immediate vicinity, a small circular section as wide as the well's mouth was illuminated by the pale moonlight in what he could only describe as "a creepy blueish white glow".  He had expected to find an obnoxious little teenage punk down here and he'd been looking forward to beating the shit out of him, but much to the young man's dismay , he was very much alone.

"Funny, I thought I heard somethin'," He muttered under his breath and shook his head , a soft laughed escaping him, " Her paranoia must be rubbin' off on me." 

Though it had only been a minute or two since he'd descended into the well, his eyes were gradually adjusting to the gloom. He still couldn't see more than perhaps a foot or two in front of him, but as his sight was improving, he realized that there was something very unusual about this well. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a weak glint of pale green briefly flicker off to his left from well beyond what the width of this well should have been. "Huh?"

Zavimaat was hesitant to follow the mysterious light, but as he thought about turning around and going back up, the light flickered again as if to beckon to him and change his mind. He knew he should have turned away, but his curiosity drew him towards the light.

And his steps took him well beyond space that should have been the well. He could hardly make the moss-coated stone walls of the tunnel that he now passed through. The smell in the tunnel was mildly unpleasant to begin with , the air dense with the odor of mold and mildew. However, the deeper he ventured into the unknown, the more unbearable the stench became. It gradually changed from simple mildew to a gut-churning aroma that reminded him of that of the putrescence of rotting flesh.

Again, he thought of turning around because all of the sensations experienced down here told him that nothing good was going to come from his curiosity , but it was then that he heard voices. A chorus of masculine inflections raised in discordant harmony, their foreign words resounding loudly off the stone.

There are people down here? The idea chilled him. The only type of people who went underground , especially in an urban area, were usually the bad kind. Now he drew nearer to the flickering green and could make out the shape of a slender figure dressed in a crimson robe. The flickering green so happened to be the flame of a torch. Zavimaat stared at the oddly dressed figure that had yet to notice him.

Just beyond where the robed one stood, he could hear the mournful , muffled sobs of a woman. Zav strained his ear. No. Make that more than one!

ooc: Pausing here in case I need to make any corrections. Lemme know if this isn't quite the route you'd like to take , okay? Although in messenger you DID say that you didn't care. <3 by the way , I do not expect him to find Eve right away but feel free to add detail to the situation and have fun with it. x3

Even in the dim light, the robe looked as red as blood; the being beneath, still as death and the eerie green light flickering on the torch silent like the shadows.  The noises sounded like many wailing women, mournful women, women almost not of this world, and it was almost as if the lapping of the green torch light's shadows held their faces captive within as they stretched and grew and flickered about in wicked cuts, wicked shapes, wicked faces.

It was only then the figure turned, the dark hole housing a menacing shadow, leading to an unknown face as the roar of a woman's scorn could be heard growling from the pit's of it's blackness as it held a meaty, skeletal, rotting hand outwards towards him and groaned-
then in four tongues it pitched, lower, higher, screaming, desire, pity and rage all climbing into one tone, one voice as the crimson robed figure lunged at Zavimaat, skeletal hands grabbing for his own.

And as the figure moved away, a crude image painted in the glowing green light stood behind him, pulsating- the beat- a figure- most lik ea woman in a white dress with long hair...
a woman, a girl that might have looked strangely like Eve, with red hair painted out of blood...
blood that now oozed down and was drying at the ends of the bones that reached out wickedly for Zavimaat's wrist- and a face he might seen in the darkness as it reached for him, boney teeth, sunken eyes- a skull, ratty hair- and more voices that a dead, robed figure ought to possess.

Beings of nightmare had risen to claim the reality that was life and when the twisted, lady in the dress reached out to him, clawing at the air and reaching to grab at him the man stumbled backward, water splashing in loud protest with his sudden movements.

"FUCK! " He gasped and hastily retreated , desperate to get away from skeletal terror. His mind was racing , competing in a test of speed to match pace or exceed that of his heart. "What the fuck is that thing!?" He turned away, utterly repulsed. Not just by the sight of it but by the smell for when it opened it's mouth and wailed at him, the smell of corpse hit him like ton of bricks. It was powerful enough to stagger him, make him ill and coax him to come close to vomiting.

Panicking, he whirled around and started to flee in the direction he'd come from but his path was blocked off immediately as two more of the foul horrors rose up from the water and shambled towards him.

"Oh great. Just fuckin' fantastic," Zav hastily backpedaled and nearly bumped into the first creature he'd seen. Realizing he was boxed in on both sides with no escape, the man had very little choice but turn around and face the first robed figure. He wrinkled his nose. Gods it was one ugly fucker!  He had no qualms at all when his fist smashed into its body mug. "Get outta my face, bitch!" He snarled, feeling the bones shatter under the force of his knuckles. The undead thing staggered back, tripped over its robes and fell flat on its back with a splash into the water.

"Hahahahaha! Ya like that?! C'mon! Come an' get some more, ya fleshless freaks! " Zav turned around to face his remaining two opponents with a smug look on his face as he brought his fist into the palm of his other hand and cracked his knuckles. The ghastly pair wailed at him and started toward him  "Yer kiddin' me. I bet pops could kick yer ass better tha-"

He heard water splashing behind him and he only threw a quick glance back over his shoulder to see a headless robed figure rise up behind him. He opened his mouth and stared stupidly. How was that even fucking possible? It paused though and bent low to search for something in the water.  Zavimaat blinked,stupified.

"Wh-wha-what the FUCK!?"

The ghoul pulled its grisly head from the water, the one that had gone flying off its neck when the young man had hit it with such force and carefully 'screwed' it back on.

It was hard to believe what he was seeing. "Unreal...no way, " And with its head newly put on the ghoul moved towards him once more. "Shit! " Zavimaat punched at it again and knocked it's head off. As that went spiraling up high and then splashing down into the water , the body was still standing and coming towards him, reaching out soundlessly for him. He made a face and then pushed it, though as it fell he felt cold , bony hands clawing at his back, tearing at his shirt and pulling his backwards.

"FUCK OFF!" He snarled and wrestled himself free. Then  , he ran, splashing through the water and moving deeper into the underground tunnel.

ooc: Never a dull moment. <3 Hopefully that made...sense. lol

OOC: No worries XD It made sense.
You've read my special posts and can (mostly) interpret them lol
This might be another one of my erm.. special posts D:
IC:

It was like a circus, but instead of freaks, the freaks were undead, and all headed by one womanish one who kept getting 'beheaded' by Zav.  However, there were so many of them- and as their boney hands began to reach for him, grabbing at his arm, his leg, on anything they could-

a scream came suddenly from the other room-
the distinctive scream of Eve.
But the undead creatures seemed unaffected, and if anything, they were trying even harder to get their boney hands on Zav, aiming to take him away.  The crimson robbed figure was more determined and seeming dexterous than the rest;

But then the damn man had gotten away, and their moans followed after him as he ran- ran ran ran...

And Eve's screams came again- and when he would round the bend- he'd see, or barely see, Eve's body shackled to a stone slab in the back of a gloomy room.
Her green eyes were wide with fright, her skirts torn, a blaze of light coming from her chest and churning out, reaching towards the sky in a wicked tendril of light.

The light was green, flickering and fluttering and growing and burning until the image of a tree breathed into life.  It was squat, with a short trunk and branches that hung out heavily- like the maketti trees of the Savannah. But this one was drawn in the most beautiful and awesome and purest green lights... and as the tiniest of branches stretched out, the imagine settling into finality. The image sparkled once, even rippled before a gentle moaning wind rustled through the dank well.

Yes, it was just like the tree in the cave..
like the tree in the book....


And beside her was another crimson figure, a blood colored stain cloaked in the dark. And in his hand he held a wicked, crooked dagger that just barely caught the rays of the the green illuminated display blossoming forth from Eve's despairing body...
and he held it up, the pointed end glistening and hungry before he cast it down, ready to strike , aiming for her heart.. for the seed....


OOC: Yea...
D: who knows if that post made sense

ooc: This made a lot more sense than the last post. lol. x3

ic:

Hearing the scream, somehow Zav forced his legs to move even faster than they had before. The tunnel opened up into a wider room that swept out wide in a broad rounded room where the water level was much lower and didn't even reach his ankles. Along the room's perimeter , a row of tall, blood-colored candles had been placed an inch apart from one another. Their pale green flames dully illuminating the area.

At the room's far end there lay a large stone slab that was elevated high, it's surface reaching up to Zavimaat's waistline. 

Seven robed figures in crimson stood in a semi-circle around the slab and the image of the tree that glowed above  , their heads looking down and their forms casting twisted shadows over the young woman shackled to the cold, unforgiving stone. One of the figures stood at the head of the slab with a knife clutched in both hands.  As the man raised the knife and brought it down to plunge it into the helpless girl's heart , he was distracted by Zavimaat's anguished cry of ,"Nooooooo!"

The robed man hesitated and looked over in the direction of the young man, the intruder.

"Let her go!" Zavimaat snarled, "Let her go now or I'll tear each and every one of you sick fucks apart!" He charged at them, not realizing that it could easily be the death of him.

The robed men studied Zavimaat for awhile and then the head of the ring spoke, " How amusing. The little boy fancies himself to play a hero, " He waved his hand , his fingers weaving in the air the intricate  and invisible symbols of a spell. He spoke words of power, dark and forbidden. The power shot forth from him , taking shape and becoming a corporeal black smoke that took shape of a running wolf. It hit Zavimaat, knocking him clear off of his feet and sending him flying away like a rag doll.   Zav hit the floor in a crumpled heap and lie still.

Eve watched in horror as Zavimaat tried to defend her. And when the smokey image of a wolf submerged, she gasped and watched the man get thrown to the ground-
Shrieking out, "Zavimaat!" The tree above her burned more brilliantly with light, enough that the shards blinded the men near to her.
And then the image wavered and morphed as strokes of light reached out for him, calling, stretching, tracing across his figure and binding around him, wrapping around and holding tight.
The green light lapped life and vibrancy into him, pulsating to the soft sound of a beat that echoed across the drank room.
It spilled it's power into him, goading him to wake up, whispering for him to return as the power of paradise electrified his body and rejuvenated his spirits and thrust upon him something so mighty and tremendous, he'd be able to feel the power surge inside his muscle and bone.

The robed figures recoiled, shielding their eyes from the glow that pulsed and filled all corners of the underground with its verdant radiance.

"What!? What's happening!?" The leader of the mysterious robed figures gasped.

Meanwhile, Zav lie very still. While not dead, his breathing was ragged and shallow.

Zavimaat wasn't sure how it was that he'd managed to find strength and warmth in his limbs again, but he didn't pause to wonder. He stood up and , oddly felt...stronger somehow. It gave him a sense of confidence that he'd always boasted, but never truly felt. Perhaps he'd gone mad. He didn't give a fuck.

He glared at the men who held Eve at their mercy and approached them. He wasn't sure if he could stop them if they had abilities that went beyond his comprehension, like Eve. He only knew that he couldn't let these people hurt this girl.

Now the intensity of the light emanating from Eve and the image of the tree faded. Now Zavimaat could see his opponents more clearly and he ran at them with an abnormally increased velocity and ferocity as well.  The robed ones were undaunted. This boy was surely no match to the power that they did possess. Their hands were moving, fingers waving symbols of power in the air.

Zavimaat shrieked , tackling the first robed man that was unfortunate to be near him and knocking into two others. One of them fell. The other two were staggered and the remaining four panicked.

Their leader brandished his ceremonial dagger and ran at the man slashing, blade seeking the young man's throat. Zavimaat dodged with inhuman agility that, if he considered it later, would unnerve him because this kind of speed wasn't within his natural ability. But in the heat of the moment, it was instincts that saved him and instinct that drove his fist to hook under the leader's jaw. The man dropped his weapon and collapsed.

With their leader fallen, some of the robed men lost their nerve and fled, leaving only three men (not including their downed leader) left. " Which one of you bastards is next?!" Zavimaat sneered and gestured , dared them to come at him.

ooc: I posted! omg!

Each time he would swing his fist, rush in to help, charge his spirit in anguish for her-
the green light would follow through, sweeping behind his arm in a punch- following after his legs as he ran, then crashed into a fanfare at his back as Zavimaat stood there, beckoning the cultist forward with a taunt of his hand.

The green light was glowing around him in a spectral aura, and the same faired with Eve.  It was only when Zavimaat goaded them forward that the man with the dagger rose his head, eyes following the green light and it's connection from man... to Eve.
"Wait, hold off.." the man grunted underneath his hood, wincing as he tried to rise to his feet. "He.. he is the other piece we have been looking for. The power, the power of paradise.. it's calling out to him; the one who would protect."
The man's lips curled at the ends, his laughter taking fight as he bellowed out the orders.
"Raise more dead! Do all that you can! But DO NOT LET THAT MAN ESCAPE! I want him... alive! Take him down and bring him to me!"

And the men in robes obeyed, rushing after him while another row of cloaked women began to chant, their bodies dissolving away as they gave up their lives and channeled their life energies into the sleeping dead, calling their bodies into animation to rise again and to take this man down.

Yes, the prophesy would be fulfilled! Paradise would be found!

"C'mon!" Zavimaat growled, eager for a fight and frustrated because they weren't giving him one. He was a little aggressive by nature, but there was something different about him and perhaps the power that was coursing through his veins now had something to do with it. The lust for battle was feral , unsettling. "Whaddayh waitin for!?"

He didn't notice the change in him as much as others would have. To him, he just felt different but he was still himself. Just a man. And being just that, the crazed words of a madman draped in red gave him pause, chilled him to the core at the realization that he was dealing with a group of people who were completely insane. "What the fuck are ya blabberin' on about? Who are you people ? What do ya want with Eve?!" He demanded irately,
determined to remove the veil of mystery that enveloped the girl he'd met trapped in a box.
His questions were to go unanswered , however, as the man with the dagger commanded his lessers to capture him. 

Paradise? What...the...fuck? He had no idea what the pyscho was yammering about, but it didn't sound as though it would be a good thing. He glanced at Eve who was still restrained and helpless. If all they intended to do was kill her, then what was up with all the pomp? Why not just kill her? And he was sure they wanted to do something similar with him. "Guess there ain't no reason in the mind of freaks, "Zavimaat muttered to himself , striking first with his fist at the first ghoul that ventured to get close enough.

Six summoners , raising about twice their number from the dead versus a single man...
The scenario did not weigh in his favor. And he had no clue how to fight the undead. He wasn't even sure if that was a tireless and pointless feat. Could the undead be laid back to rest ? How did it work? He'd heard stories about necromancers before in books his grandpa read to him, but those were all fictional. This was real...
Were the stories real too?

Hot shadows against the green emanating light lurched forward as a small army seemed to emerge of undead, and despite the power granted to him, despite how many undead he'd slay..
They would come back. They always kept coming back.

And it wasn't until the cultist moved towards Eve- dagger in hand that he lifted it up over her head and struck-

and the lights went out.
Cold, undead hands did not pause as they reached for him, grabbed for him.
He'd feel himself snuffed of power, snuffed of light-
and inwardly he'd hear her voice call out to him.. and then away.
The undead noises were terrible,a nd there were so many of them- what could he do?

ANd that was the plan.
They would take the girl,a nd her protector and bring about the next wave of this enchantment, bring to fruition the rules of the universe, the openings to the mind, the unparalleled perfection of paradise through the energies and the seed of life-

Yes, the pair would be perfect...
Together, selected by the twists of fate...
They had their key puzzled pieces in unlocking the ancient secrets of the past, of a knowledge of a power, of a purpose long since forgotten by man.

His world was consumed by darkness. Still, Zavimaat fought with the ferocity of a tsunami. His fists taking down countless horrors that sought to overtake him. It was far more difficult to fight though when he couldn't see what he was fighting blind. His fists shot out in random directions, somtimes connecting with bones, sometimes finding nothing but air.

The fight in the dark lasted little over two minutes with Zavimaat eventually falling to the sheer number of his summoned opponents. The overpowered him, surging forward like a tidal wave with dozens of pairs of hands grabbing him , restraining him.

Zavimaat struggled wildly in their grasp, he snarled and swore, bit and kicked as his arms were twisted brutally behind his back. He was strong even when the power had faded in him, but he was no match for the strength that undeath granted. He couldn't break free. "Lemme go, freaks! Fuckers!" He spat venomously. "Let us, go! If ya lay another finger on the girl I-"

A hard blow to the back of his head silenced him and ended his struggles. He slumped in the grasp of his captors and was carried away...

OOC: MATURE gorey ish themes ahead! *flails*
IC:

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Her eyes slowly opened.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The air still smelled dank, but now her tongue held the district taste of copper.. of blood.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Making a soft noise, she felt something warm and wet on her face and when she glanced up, she was horrified.

Blood...
There was so much blood.
His clothes had been torn away, his body bond and hung from the ceiling, and thousands of wounds ripped across his flesh while metal trinkets hung down from each one, each one threaded into his wounds and hanging over her, glinting off the faint candle lights that littered the stone chamber.
And she was beneath him, still chained, but seemingly on another stone bed, her body stained with his blood.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

A fat droplet smashed onto her cheek, causing her to finally crying out as she began to sob.
Was he dead!? Was Zavimaat dead!? He sure looked like it in the way he hung from the ceiling, arms slightly back, head wilted forward, form lean and exposed and gnarled in wicked shadows while his strained muscles and blood were capped and glowing in the light from the candles.
She was so terrified she could barely speak, was barely able to utter his name.
"Z-Zavimaat!" she sobbed, then heard a noise and gasped, sucking in her breath as the murmurs came from a dark corner.

But then beside her, liek a whisper, a cloaked figure came. Gasping, her eyes turned to him- plastering across the form that now hoovered over her, chanting as the woman in the cloak began to shake an item in her hand- or was she even holding anything at all? her mind was in a spiral, unable to comprehend-
what was going on!? What was happening!?
And then the cloaked woman moved forward and ran a finger against the blood...


Yes.. so much blood..
And it all seemd to have come from Zavimaat..
And slowly, the woman took a knife, raised it over Eve's body, then thrust it forward and began to cut at her dress- tearing off the white garment and throwing it open- exposing her to the same naked fate as her friend-
and although it spared her from the sticky residue of his blood, more droplets continued to fall, splattering across her naked flesh.

The woman kept moaning, her cloak rustling against her in the dark, and her hands moved forward again, this time pressing at the luke warm droplets of blood across her flesh. And Eve stiffened, squirmed beneath the woman's touch as she began to use her old, wrinkled finger to paint an image across her body...

and image of an eye in the middle of a tree..
then as more blood fell, the painting grew more extravagant and around the corers of this illusion was a gate...

Pulling back, the woman smiled, satisfied with her drawing then turned around, and seeming to have no care for the man hanging above, she thrust the dagger across his bare flesh, splattering more ripe, red blood across Eve, splattering the image, her face, her hair, her own naked flesh, and probably piercing the man awake...

Dizzy and weak from the blood loss, Zavimaat sagged in chains that held him fast, dangling him high above Eve with his limbs spread out in a ridiculous pose. He felt like a puppet, powerless to control his own body and helpless for the only thing he could do was watch through half-lidded eyes as a robed female stood over his friend with a dagger in her hand.

His writs and ankles were numb and rubbed raw from the shackles that clasped to him so tight and cut off his circulation. He felt like passing out...

Hearing his name being called, he stirred just a bit, his dark eyes widening a bit. He hardly noticed the fact that he was naked or bleeding. He almost couldn't feel anything at all now except for the pain he felt seeing Eve suffer.

Now the woman approached him with her knife and cut him. He tried to put on a brave face, but he was just a mortal man and the viciousness of the blade rending his soft flesh was enough to cause an agonized cry to be torn from his throat. The sound resounded off the walls and caused the woman to smile. She patted his cheek and moved away from him.

The pain jolted him to full awareness and he found his voice, "Get the hell away from her, you crazy bitch!" He snarled and then spat, hoping that the glob of spit would fall on the robed woman. The spit was hot, sticky and mixed with the blood from his busted lip.

As Zavimaat moved, the charms dangling off from his body seemed to make a noise- though unheard to the others, they ripped through the darkness and tore at Eve's ears as she let out a gasp, then another, choking almost on her breath as Zavimaat continued to move and struggle, the metal chimes hanging off of his flesh, whirling about and catching the wicked orange light of the candles.

The old woman smiled and ignored the spit from Zavimaat and moved over to Eve, relishing int he sight of the blood spattered across her flesh.  Then, moving forward, she smeared the blood until it coated Eve's entire naked in a thin layer of red.
And Eve could do nothing, tears welling up inside her eyes, uncertain what the sounds were that rang inside her head, and squirming beneath the woman's touch as she painted blood against her naked body...


Then the old woman began to chant again, circling around the girl and shaking the item in her hand again-
but what did she hold? Whatever it was hissed within the woman's fist each time seh shook it. And Eve felt her eyes glazing over, falling into a deep trance, her body slowly becoming paralyzed before the woman stopped and turned again, this time burying the knife into Eve and that's when Eve's eyes widened- but she could not scream-

The knife i t fellt..
it was odd to feel something so sharp meet, press into and sink into your flesh-
and then hte woman pressed again, and Eve could feel the bubbling of hot blood coem to the surface.
The woman took this blood and cupped it into her hand, then turned to Zavimaat and offered the blood to his lips as she continued to chant and pressed..
"Drink.. drink.. drink.. drink.."

Every movement he made caused the objects that hung from him in twisted decoration , tore his flesh open just a bit more and deepened his wounds, spilling ever more of his life fluid onto the girl below.

"Don't you fuckin' ignore me, hag!" Zavimaat's rage flared up to beyond a murderous level. He struggled now like a mad beast ensnared, his thrashing increasing as the woman drew near Eve and started touching her. "Get your fucking hands offa her, damn you!" 

He watched Eve go rigid suddenly and the look in her eyes seemed to glaze over, replaced by a cold lifelessness. He thought she was really dead and he shrieked like a wounded beast . He wanted , more than anything, to be free. To be loose among those sick , soulless bastards , slaughtering each and every one of them. Never had he entertained such dark , bloodthirsty thoughts...well, not in a long while. Not since some creeps had come around harassing his cousin...

But this kind of anger was animalistic and far more depraved. He wanted these robed freaks to suffer when he murdered them. He could only imagine what they might have been doing to the girl before he'd met her...

If this was but a mild taste of what she'd endured, it was little wonder why she was the way she was.

He watched the woman knife Eve and gather her blood into her cupped hands. When the crone brought it over to Zavimaat and insisted on him drinking it , he turned his head away from her and snarled, "Go fuck yourself!"

There was no way in hell that he'd play this sick game willingly. 

"Yes, drink for your anger. Rage to protect her, drink for our sins!" the woman cackled, grabbing onto his face and forcing his mouth open, pouring the blood into his mouth as she sighed in almost ectasy.
"THE DEMON WILL DRINK IT! HE SHALL! AND HE SHALL RISE TO PROTECT OUR PARADISE! TO OPEN THE VOID! THE WALL! THE DREAM!"s he shouted, her bloodied hands going to the air- then pressing htem hotly to Zavimaat's pierced chest, imprinting two bloodied hands on his breast.
Then she pulled away, spiraling as if in a dance, then went about humming her chant, dancing and raising her hands about Eve.

Eve could only cry, tears rolling hotly down her cheeks as the pair of them were left exposed to the elements and the cruelty and the blood.
The had wondered off, pulling back with her a lewd clothe covering something in her hand. She cackled wickedly as she approached, hoovering over Eve, admriing her face as if she was her child, cupping it even affectionately so that Zav's blood would stain her lovely cheeks.

Then she turned to Zavimaat, seemign to leer at him with a glow of madness to her eyes before stepping forward.
"For your, protector, champion, animal.."s he began, pulling off the clothe and holding some rotted, gnarled stone like object in her hand.

"The seeed.." she told him, eyes blazing.  "The seed to connect.. the seed..."s he pressed, moving forward, ever so slowly, the peculiar rock in her hand.
"the seed.."
ANd hse bent down before him on one knee, clutchign the 'seed' as she bowed before Zavimaat in prayer.

Zavimaat struggled every moment , but feebly because his strength was so low. He snarled at the crone when she lowered her cupped hands , offering the blood to him. Sensing his refusal, another robed figure stepped forward to assist the crone. The soft hands of a younger woman cruelly seized him by the jaw and forced his mouth open so that the wretched hag could pour the contents down their victim's unwilling throat. Togther, the women forced his mouth closed, plugged his nose so he couldn't breathe and he struggled to resist until his face turned purple and he finally swallowed. Once he had, they let him breathe again and he spent a moment regaining breath before he twisted in his restraints and vomited.

These sick bitches had forced him to consume his friend's blood. He felt so disgusted with himself. He should have held his breath longer. Shouldn't have given in.

He grit his teeth and tried to expel the taste....of his vomit and of her blood. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get it out. He wanted to scream and break free...

Gods he wanted to destroy these people...

No, these weren't people. They were monsters.

"I'm not the animal here, lady," He spat venomously at the crone, " take a good look in the fucking mirror, you sick bitch!"

His eyes fell upon the object she held in her hand. She was calling it a seed? What the fuck? It was a fucking rock? "You're insane! All of you!" Zav thrashed in his chains once more, ignoring the pain that the dangling charms hooked to his flesh brought. "Let me go and fight me, damn it! Fucking cowards! I'm gonna get outta these fucking chains and murder you all! "

OOC: Crazy post is crazy, but we've been rping for how many years? XP
you come to expect these weird things with me :U


Zavimaat's words would go on def ears. The woman was so consumed in her prayers that as she opened her fist, she seemed unaware that nothing was happening. But she was so fervent in her prayers that she began to shake and sweat. THen, lifting up the seed, she took the dagger in her own hand and slid it across her wrist..
and the blood seeped over the item in her hand, the 'seed', the gnarled rock..
and slowly.. slowly the blood that oozed onto it began to fade away.

Tearing back her hood, the cloaked figure was revealed to be a woman with striking red hair that had long streaks of grey throughout, dry and frizzy, and aged skin, but a once pretty face and rich green eyes..
revealing a terrifyingly similar person to Eve.. as if this woman could be...

"Blood of the mother, soul of the protector, and the child chosen by fate, awaken seed of the tree of the keeper, the tree that will grow us into paradise."
And at her words, the seed cracked open, and soft tendrils of life began to grow, small roots stretching out, birthing from the cracks, slowly at first, then growing fast.  The green, tender lengths began to reach upwards towards the hanging charms, then gripped onto them, holding fast and continued to inch their way towards Zav...

"Yes, take root inside the keeper, the protector!" the woman called out, eyes flashing with madness and passion. "Take root into his very soul!" and as she spoke, the roots kept coming, vining their way up his body and latching onto his skin, digging inside, creeping crawling, towards anything they could-
and then began to nestle, to make a nesting around his breast, over his beating heard in steady growth-
and the vines.. the roots..
they began to pulsate, softly at first, like the beating of his blood, like the pounding of his heart-
then shock would rack through him as the vines struck- taking root inside, piercing, grabbing, groping at his heart-

Then electrifying him, clinging to him with such a shock that his own heart beat would pound out into the roots, connect and pour through, and rock the very vines, thump the little seed into life as it was pulled towards him, growing ever closer to his pained breast- reaching towards the calling.. seeking out his very soul in which to connect.

"...the fuck?" Zavimaat didn't have a whole lot of experience with crazies so when he witnessed the mad woman slit her wrist, WILLINGLY, all he could do was stare at her with his mouth hanging slightly open. He blinked several times. His surprise was greater still when the woman removed the hood of crimson. That hair...it reminded him an awful lot of...
No. No fucking way. It couldn't be. Could it? It seemed too cruel to be true, but the hag's resemblance to Eve was uncanny , unsettling. It sent a cold shiver thrill through his spine , and twist his gut. He hoped it was just coincidence.

But her words disturbed him further. Blood of the mother...

Though she was insane...

Still...

It was possible. Sick, but very possible. Shit. And he thought his mother was a heartless bitch. This broad made his own mother look like a damned Saint.

He cringed when the spell was 'complete' and the 'seed' opened, and ethereal tendrils that wound their way towards him. Zavimaat's eyes widened a bit and he squirmed, but it was all in vain. He was powerless to stop what was about to happen. The tendrils , as they drew within a few feet of him suddenly shot forward and pierced his flesh. Or, at least it felt that way...they bore no physical shape but when they passed through him he screamed, an intense pain searing through his chest and stabbing his heart. He could feel something inside his chest, moving around, searching...and wrapping tightly around his heart, crushing it tightly in its hold like a vice.

Zavimaat's body went rigid, the constricting of his heart was robbing him of breath. He struggled at first wildly but as time passed and the tendrils wrapped around his heart kept squeezing tighter, tighter , he grew so feeble that he felt as though he might pass out.
And his blood was on fire...it hurt so much . Everywhere. He would have cried had he the energy but all he could do was hang there and accept the torment...

He was almost sure that it was going to kill him but then, quite suddenly, the pain went away and his heart was released ...he saw the ethereal vines suddenly snap back and away from him, turning solid but withering to a cold, lifeless black and crumbling to ash.
And he had no idea what was going on until the woman screamed with rage, "Nooo!"

Zav managed a weak smirk. Apparently something had gone awry. He managed a soft laugh, "What's the matter, hag? Missin' an eye of newt or somethin'? " 

The woman's face twisted in confusion, then wrinkled into rage.
"The book!" she stammered, turning around. "If only we had thebook!" her rage bellowed, then watched in fascination as the dark ash blew away, falling cross Eve's form and settlign like charred snow. but Anger soon heated her blood.
"If only we had not lost the book!"

Eve was crying, but she had been crying the entire time, too scared to do much else as she had to witness all of the great horrors befalling her friend-
but as the seed's vines withered away, falling onto her body she began to wince, feeling htem burn as she let out a cry of pain, steam seeming to rise from the pieces.

OOC: I Dunno- but hey- look! Something is happening to Eve! XD

Book?  Zav blinked. She wasn't talking about that decrepit old thing that Eve toted around, was she? Regardless, Zavimaat was relieved that whatever it was the crazy bitch had been planning, had failed. "Damn shame. I'm heartbroken, really. " He would have laughed his ass off had he the energy, but he was grinning. He shrugged, charms and chains clinking softly with the movements. "Oh well, what can ya do? Say, I got an idea. Since the party's over an' all, maybe ya could, y'know, be a nice psychopath for a change and let us go?"

The woman stormed over to where Zavimaat was and grabbed his face in one hand, sharply squeezing his cheeks together, her grip crushing them like a vice. Her cold green eyes bore into his, burning with such intense rage that he'd never seen or known. "Where is it!?" She hissed venomously at him.

"Where's what?" Zavimaat chose to play dumb, tickled that now she was somewhat at their mercy.

She let go of his face and snarled, grabbing one of the charms hooked into his flesh and ripping it free. A fresh stream of Zav's blood splashed down onto Eve and Zav half laughed, half cried out in anguish. The laughter continued on even after though the pain never went away , "The turkey has it. "

She grabbed another charm and tore it out, much harder than the last. "Stop playing games , boy. You will tell me where it is."

Zavimaat cried out and then started laughing again, " Why? You're gonna kill us both either way. I ain't tellin' ya shit."

Eve's pained cries immediately drew his attention away from the hag. The old woman watched him and smirked , "You will if you don't want the girl to suffer any further. "

Zavimaat's head snapped back around to glare dangerously at her.

The smoke from the black ashes began to rise, at small, steam like wisps at first in a haunting effect into the air. And despite her crying, Eve felt a chill on her skina nd began to suck in her sobs, catching them within her throat as her eyes went wide-
a vision, pushing against the air like steam- a face, a terrifying face, angry, mad ad full of malice stared back at her, pressing into the air as if it could wear the air like skin...

Fear gripped her. She could sense whatever presence this was, it wanted out and it wanted her-

but then the beastily image faded, tearing across the way and slammed into the stone pillar she lay upon. Eve's eyes went wide as the entire stone bed jumped, again and again. When it finally stopped, Eve held her breath, tears returnign to her eyes and streaming down her cheeks...

and then a haunting voice fluttered around her, the image pooling across the air like a bubbly stream-
a face.. almost a person.. perhaps a neck and horns and faint, burning eyes within the pressed invisible image that melted into the air like a figure of steam...

"The keeeeper.." it hissed, it's voice coarse and unimaginable as it stalked around above Eve.


The cultist, the one who 'seemed' to be Eve's mother, stepped back with a start.
"It can't be!" she stammered, fear evident in her eyes.  "The swallower of darkness, the killer of paradise.. here!?"
Her brain raced over the ritual - had they done something wrong!?
THE BOOK! If only they had the patience to wait for the dbook- the book whcih they knew was lost, and had thought, like the girl, that she was too
and they thought htey had it mesmerized..
but why was the demon showing up now!?
The woman visibly shivered and continued to slowly back away from Eve as the foggy image of the demon kept creeping around Eve, more and more of it's body growing and appearing as it moved about, like a waiting predatory, a waiting ghost.

It was only through good fortunate and reasonable deduction that Hayward Adder had discovered where Zavimaat's next destination was. All he had to do was mention the girl with the bright red hair and the foreign looking young man and the occasional villager was able to point the thug in the right direction. He was only a day behind the man and he and Alec had spent the entire day, combing the port town for clues and asking everyone for information.

They hadn't uncovered where the pair were staying, but they had learned that Zav was still in town. And so they waited patiently through the night , hoping they'd catch sight of either the girl or the boy...

Their patience was rewarded. Alec had seen the girl go down a well and had wandered off to inform his brother of the news. Several mintues later, they followed her not sure of what they were getting themselves into or why the girl had gone down there...

Seeing the cultists, the brothers had taken to shadow and silent observation. They would wait for the right moment to stike...

And their luck turned when Zavimaat showed up a couple hours later! Still, Hayward insisted that they waited for the right moment. He had a feeling that it would come though he was risking a lot...

In the end , he was right and the ritual failed! Grinning, Hayward elbowed his brother and muttered, "That's our cue."

~


Hearing the girl's distress, Zavimaat wanted to go to her and comfort her. He wanted to take her away from this nightmare, from the dead creatures that stalked the tunnels and from the spine-chilling voice that now spoke to her. He noticed the woman who may have been Eve's mother slowly backing away, looking shocked, frightened even. Now he had a really bad feeling about this. He thrashed about in his chains and snarled, " Where the hell do you think you're going!? Let us outta here!"

Now the Adder brothers stalked out of the shadows, shoving the cultist woman roughly aside and moving towards Eve. "We'll be taking over from this point on. " Hayward announced, smirking at the cultists whom all seemed suddenly disoriented. They didn't even move to stop him and he didn't pause to think of what might have been wrong. He drew his blade and  started hacking away at the chains that restrained Eve.

"Adder brothers? What the hell ....? " How had those morons found them!? Zavimaat blinked, at a loss for words but somewhat grateful that they'd shown up even if they were enemies.

Alec moved over to Zavimaat and cut him loose from his bonds. Zavimaat fell  and Alec caught him in his strong arms before the man could hit the stone. "You owe us, you little shit." Alec growled at him meanacingly.

"Bite me, " Zav spat weakly.

"Can you move, girl?" Hayward asked as the last of Eve's chains fell away free.

ooc: Sometimes craptastic posts occur!

OOC: LOOK I R POSTED

-----

When the Adder's had arrived, it was almost as if she hadn't noticed them. She was in a trance, completely and utterly transfixed upon the ghosted image of the demon that hung enchantingly dark before her.  It's red eyes burned like twin candles, keeping her green eyes to his in a dark cull of drawn magic.

It was then Hayward noticed the spirit above Eve and drew back with a start. "A spirit!?" he went to draw his weapon, but kept his hand on the hilt. He turned to Alec, who was now fascinated by the little metal charms that were hanging off of Zavimaat's bleeding body. He held one in his hand, none too tender as it slipped out from his flesh-

and the spirit did not seem to like that.
It hissed back, form collapsing and swirling in on itself before it turned around, reforming and lashing out towards Zavimaat- roaring as it passed through his form- the force literally slamming an unforeseen energy that rocked clean through Zav and sent the medallions hanging off of him into a clattering fury.

It was then Eve let out a large sob as the beast began to form behind Zavimaat, a growing shadow rising in the dark. But the reflection of the black mass, thoug hit might have seemed mere like a shadow, a phantom, a ghost-

int he shine of the metal medallions- it showed its true form-
a wicked demon with blood red skin and eyes that burned like the fires from hell.

What he felt when the ethereal form of the unknown spirit passing through him, he couldn't describe. It felt like something cold was prowling around in his mind, clawing at the walls of his psyche and tearing them down, assaulting his memories, his identity and devouring it slowly only to regurgitate pure malice in its place. An odd change washed over the young man, and though he wanted to resist it...he felt as though he'd lost control and something else governed him now. Something feral, something ancient and something malevolent.

The demon's form fell into his shadow, clung to his aura and fed off of his emotions, feeding him pure wrath in return. It whispered to his mind dark thoughts, it coaxed his inner monsters, encouraged and cultivated his fears and his rage. It made promises to help him protect what he cared about the most...

All he had to do was kill the fools whom had awakened him.

"The hell are you smirking about?" Alec noticed the change in the man's demeanor first and wasn't so sure he liked it. It didn't appear human.

Zavimaat ignored the man and walked past him, moving back to approach the cultists and Eve's mother.

"Poor , lost souls, " He purred darkly , smiling wickedly at the fools whom had dared to think that they had the right to paradise, " you seek redemption , yet you try to cut corners. You ought to be ashamed," The voice was Zavimaat's , but the tone wasn't one he normally used. It was an inflection of cruel amusement , "You thought you could escape me, did you? Thought you could bind me and claim what is mine? You will suffer for your mistake,"He was among them before they could respond , ripping into their summoned masses with brutal, devastating force and dispatching them within a matter of minutes.

"You are unworthy, " He growled, " But there's a nice place in hell waiting for you. Let me show you the way!" Two summoners were smashed to a bloody pulp by the man's fists, the others had enough sense to flee. They were stunned by this new display of power, unable to form a proper counter to what they thought had been a defenseless man.

They fled for their lives with the red haired woman being the last to follow, down the tunnels and out of sight.

And when Zavimaat turned around, Eve and the Adder brothers were gone!

~

While the possessed Zavimaat was distracted with his killing spree, Hayward had seized Eve by the arm and dragged her away. Alec followed quickly behind him. Niether of them wanted to stick around for when the cultists had been dealt with.

Lockwood wasn't going to be very happy about it, but this girl must know where the book was . With the girl and the book, they'd have Zavimaat too.  Sooner or later.

And they had him sooner than they'd planned for they found him blocking their path. Hayward stopped and blinked. "How...?"

"Leaving so soon?" Zavimaat stood there with his arms crossed and a cruel, very uncharacteristic smirk on an unusually cruel face. He was naked, dripping red with more than just his own blood. " I'm still hungry," His dark eyes seemed to change color, shifting from their usual dark brown to a deep crimson. He uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, " You're not trying to take my girl away from me, are you? "

Hayward drew his sword and pointed it at the man's chest, the tip of the blade pressing into the flesh and drawing blood. "Stay the fuck back, freak."

Zavimaat laughed and grabbed the blade with his hand, not so much as flinching though it cut his flesh and and made him bleed anew. He forced the weapon out of the man's hand and grabbed him by the throat. "Eager to die, are you? " He tightened his grip on the man's throat, squeezing it so tightly that the man's face turned blue. " So weak. Yes, struggle...I like it."

ooc: I don't even....lol

Eve was snatched off and away, too weak and afraid to fight back. Her arm was hurting from where she had been bound, but fear made her numb to almost anything, including the fact she was barely clothed, her dress having been torn down the middle and her body was now painted in blood. But as they ran, she felt something cold pass by- and then before them Zavimaat appeared.
he was enraged, appearing more beast than man in his demeanor and had blood soaked hands and cuts still all over his flesh. But the medallions seemed to remain, hanging from the cuts in his skin.
She trembled, terrified to see him in such a state, when suddenly Hayward stepped back, removing the blade from Zavimaat and placing it up against Eve as he continued to back away.


"You want the girl? Take one more step closer and I'll slit her throat!" hte man warned.
Eve's eyes went wide, tears stinging them as she clung on separately to the man's arm as he pressed her against his body.  "Back down now or else!"

Alec appeared now at his brother's side, his own weapons drawn and ready.
"And any funny moves and you both get it." he warned.


Eve trembled, not knowing what else to do She feared for her life. She feared Zavimaat and she feared these men. She was sadly thankful the man ws holding her so rough, if only because it meant she wouldn't fall through the ground, for at this moment, she surely thought she would.
But then she felt the blade cut at her throat ad she whimpered, hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she clung onto Hayward's hand.

"WHat's it going to be, foreigner? " another step back. "Do I cut her head off now so no one gets her? Or is there still sense left in that brain of yours for a compromise. After all, who's to know if you wouldn't kill her anyway?"

"Yeah, we saw what you did to those men back there." Alec chimed in, glaring.  "If you give yourself over now, perhaps Mr. Lockwood would be more kind after we hand you over. Now step back or else."

Zavimaat titled his head to the side, grinning like the devil and his blood-colored eyes alight with madness. "You're threatening me?" He laughed at them, " Go ahead, boys. Slit her throat. Taster her blood, whet your souls with sin. I'll slaughter you both afterwards and fuck your corpses-" He paused suddenly, and put a hand over his face, masking a new expression that twisted his features: pain .

"No, shut up! Get OUT!" He seemed to be snarling at himself. "Get outta my head, fuckin'...bastard."  For a moment, he sounded like his usual old irritable self , but the mood quickly shifted as he fought for control over his own body.

He shook his head again, the demon seizing hold once more, "Do not resist me, "

Alec stared at the man, "Shit. This guy is insane. "

"Fuck off! I ain't yer puppet!" Zavimaat had returned for the moment. He blinked , uncovered his face and stared at the Adders. When he saw Eve in their possession he bristled, "You guys again? Whaddyah want now? I gave you-"

"A phony book, " Alec interrupted him, "now cut the bullshit and show us where it is or she dies."

Zav looked at Eve and then the men, " Alright. Just don't...hurt her." He wasn't one to beg though there was a hint of desperation in his tone and his now dark eyes.

Hayward grinned darkly and gestured to his brother to detain Zav.

"We knew you'd see things our way," Alec spat, keeping his weapon level to Zavimaat before gesturing forward. "Ladies first," he told the man, snickering as he prodded him through the dank, well halls. "And be quick about it."

"Yeah, lest I slit her throat while your back is turned," Hayward warned.

So out of the well they went and into the moonlight. And here, the town was silent. Eerily silent. Not a single night owl hooted or cricket chirped and the moonlight was shrouded behind a veil of clouds.
Eve shivered, but remained, sobbing and whimpering in Hayward's clutches. It was only hwen they were in the moonlight that he realized Eve was barely dressed and took a moment to take her in. His brother turned around when Hayward had slowed, and his gaze followed the other's and he grinned darkly. There wans't much fo a view to the girl, but it still made him smile.

However, they had other business to attend to as he prodded his sword at Zavimaat's back.
"Now, tell us where the book is or we'll consider doing more than kill your friend." Alec warned.


OOC: They only notice now Eve is naked but don't care Zavimaat is, too
(they must not swing that way haha)

You care about her that much, do you? Interesting. He could still feel the intruder, whatever it was, in ever in his thoughts. Zavimaat shook his head and bristled. You go through so much trouble for her. She's just one woman. There are plenty more fish in the sea, as your kind would say.

"Shut the fuck up!" Zavimaat snarled aloud as he walked, seeming to be talking to no one in particular. Alec prodded him sharply in the back with his knife.

"Put a lid on it, shitface!"

Once outdoors, Zav shivered as he was exposed to the chill night air. He noted the silence of the village and felt as though he were in a dream. A really shitty one. He couldn't ignore Eve's distress nor the way the men were now eyeing her up like a juicy piece of meat. The way they lewdly let their eyes fall over her so laciviously pissed him off and sickened him at the same time.

He turned around and glared defiantly at his captors. Dare he tell them? Dare he put old Roger in danger for Eve's sake? Would the Adders even keep their word? Who the hell was Lockwood? A million questions and concerns raced through his mind.

What if he told them and they hurt Eve anyway?

"I think it's still at the old man's. I can take ya there , but ya gotta promise yer jus' gonna take the book and be on yer way. "

Forget the bitch. Just kill them. Snap their bones. Drink their blood. Feast on their flesh. Delicious....

Zav shook his head, hoping to throw the demon out of his mind.


ooc: You mean they're gay...haha.

The brother's looked to one another and sneered, but not angrily- it was wicked. SO they prodded him forward and demanded.
"We make the rules. Let's just get that book, to see if it's real, before we talk about any negotiations. Besides, seeing that little display inside the well, how do we know to trust you? Freak." Alec scoffed. He gestured to Hayward. "Keep that blade on her." Then he turned to Zavimaat with a sneer. "Come on, pretty boy." he snickered at Zavimaat's completely naked form that was still covered with blood and trinkets. "And what the fuck are these?" he had to ask- grabbing a hold of one of them, and.. sort of accidently ripping it out...

Teach the fools a lesson. You're not going to let them order you around like that like a pussy, are you? In front of the girl?


Zavimaat spat, " I didn't make unreasonable demands, asshole, and I ain't changin' my mind. If you hurt any innocent people, I'm wastin' both of yer asses. " He had no idea what he'd done back in the there in the well. No clue what sort of power had possessed him. He thought that the threats he made were empty ones, but that did not mean he wouldn't fight as hard as could against these pricks to protect Eve and Roger.

He only wished he had the strength, and the demon sensed this wish....and was willing to grant it. For a price...

All the boy had to do was cease resisting...

And surrender his soul.

Zavimaat lead the way to Roger's place without a fuss. He felt rotten for bringing the thug duo there , but  he was sure the old man would understand. Maybe. They got to the house and Zav went inside, trying his best to be quiet. To his dismay the thugs followed him all the way to Eve's room. He found the book tucked under her pillow, but didn't give it to them right away. Alec snatched it from him and hit him over the head with it.

Zavimaat black out and when he came to he was lying on Eve's bed. He could hear noise beyond the door . Hayward was talking. He sat up painfully, metal charms clinking off one another softly and peered over his shoulder bleary-eyed at the silhouette of Alec in the doorway.

Hayward had Eve and Roger in the front room, seated in chairs while he scrutinized the book. It seemed like the real deal and he was pleased. Now, the question was what to do with his captives...

"We could bring Lockwood here," Hayward suggested, rubbing his chin in thought.

Alec gave a snort. "As much as this is her concern, we should present these fools on a silver platter."

At that, Hayward grinned towards his brother. "I saw a wagon out back and a mule."

Alec nodded. "Then let's be done with it then. Go fetch and prepare them for travel, I'll handle the civilians." And without much more than that, the two Adder brothers went to work.

Eve had been tossed inside into a room, water doused over her and another dress tossed at her face. "Clean up girl. We've go to travel. YOu've got five minutes to make yourself decent."
Eve trembled, too fearful to resist, and almost to obey. But she found enough strength to use the wash clothe to clean herself off of blood, crying allt he while, but happy to be erasing these stains.
Soon the towel as blood read and seemed tobe only smoothing pink, watered down blood against her form. It was here she toweled herself off and slipped into te dress.
Then Alec yanked her along, catching a glimpse at the naked man on the girls bed with a snort. He was awake.  Turning to eve, he cuffed her ot the door ad moved inside.
" We need you to clean upa nd get decent as well. Try anything funny and i"ll gut you." the man promised, knife already ready and pointed at him, then he moved to unbid him, tossing another rag and water at the boy.
"Hurry up." he said, then stood in the doorway, arms folded ove rhis chest as he remained talla nd imposing at Eve's side where the girl cowered beside him, staring over at Zavimaat in fear.

Zavimaat stared at his captor coldly, letting the wet rag him his shoulder and fall. He sat there , wasting a good minute thinking of nothing but resisting the whispers of his inner intruder. It would have been easy to give into these feral desires, but they frightened him. He knew nothing of demons and had no idea that these thoughts that teased him into such dark avenues of depravity were not part of him. That his soul was being invaded, consumed by a foreign being , a wicked beast with power beyond his understanding. And if he had any concept of how possession worked or how powerful this demon was, he might have been impressed by his own spiritual tenacity, a formidable resilience that was rare in most men.

But Zav was ignorant of such things and assumed that something in his mind must have snapped. Perhaps the torture had gotten to him more than he realized...

Finally coming to his senses, he reached for the wash cloth and the pail of water at his feet and drew them closer. One by one , he unhooked the charms from his flesh. It hurt every time he removed one and it caused him to spill blood on the bed each time he removed one. The pain made him want to cry out, but he forced himself to bite down on his tongue and swallow it back. He didn't want those bastard Adders to take much more delight in his vulnerable predicament. Those fuckers. They'd always had his balls in a vice he couldn't escape. If only....

No. He wasn't going to listen to the voice inside his head. He wasn't going to cross that line. Men who crossed lines like that...they couldn't go back.

With the charms removed, he dipped the wash cloth in the water bucket and scrubbed the blood free from his skin. It was a quick effort. He didn't remove all of it ,but just enough to make himself feel better. He found some of Roger's clothing in the dresser near his bed and put them on. It was a tight squeeze though. Roger was a slender and short old man and the shirt and pants Zav borrowed fit him tightly, the sleeves and pant legs being an inches too short for his lanky figure.

His hair while short, was still an unruly mess and he'd missed a patch of bloody from the cut on his forehead. He still looked pretty beaten up when he left the room and joined Eve and the Adders but he didn't give a damn.

Hayward nodded at Zav the moment the man joined them quietly. Alec grabbed him roughly by the collar and shoved him out the door. "Move it!" Zavimaat didn't resist, but stumbled forward in compliance.

The captives were shoved into the back of Roger's cart and Alec sat there with them , watching them both but Eve in particular, his eyes lewdly on her. Zavimaat glared at the man , his dark eyes promising murder, but his gaze wandered towards Eve, pondering how she was holding up despite all of this . He reached across the space between them to comfort her, just to set a reassuring hand over hers but Alec's knife kept him away. "Stay put, lover boy. " He smirked. Zavimaat bristled at that but backed off, afraid of what the man might do to the girl if he didn't do as he was told.

The cart rolled out of the village and passed through hours of forest. The trip seemed to take an eternity and Zav found himself feeling exhausted, slipping into slumber but each time his eyes drooped he would shake his head and force them open again because the demon threatened him with images of the Adders raping the girl while he slept....

He wasn't sure how much longer he'd last , but then the cart finally rolled to a stop and Alec was pushing both him and Eve out of the cart towards a lone wood cabin.

"Here we are, " Hayward smirked, "home sweet home. Remember to mind your manners. Mister Lockwood doesn't tolerate impolite guests. " Without further ado, he knocked on the cabin door and called out , "Boss, we got everything here. "

The door swung open and Zavimaat and Eve were pushed stumbling inside first....

Her eyes sparkled in the dark, as did her fangs as she stepped forward into the moonlight.
"Get in side, and quick."she hissed, slamming the door behind them all after they were all present, her tail twitching irritably beneath her red skirt jacket.
Her eyes narrowed upon the pair that looked worse for ware and had to smirk, assuming the Adder brother riled them up.
"I see you've put your talents to use."she said, but then something caught her eye as she stepped towards zavimaat, something metal that had fallen from his shirt and landed on the floor.
Blinking, she picked it up and held it to the moonlight.

And in that moment, she temporarily forgotten about the book and turned to Zavimaat with a growl.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS!?" It was a symbol, a symbol from the book.
Then to she moved away, holding it to a lamp light, twisting the wick as the light burned brighter.
"This symboL!"s he gasped, then turned to glance over at the Adder's.
"give me the book! Fetch it to me, now!" she commanded, her voice feral and fierce and causing Eve to flinch.  The Adder's did not hesitate to oblige, and upon seeing the symbol, her heart went into her throat.
Takign the book, she cradled it in her arm like a child- and at the very idea her book was being given away, Eve let out a whimper- which annoyed Lockwood as she smacked a hand quickly across her face. "Keep it down girl,"s he growled, lips curling back. Eve flinched back, cowering beside Zav, but Alec still kept the two apart.  Now, Lockwood strolled forward, purring almost as she stroked the book and approached the lamp again that rested upon the wall over looking her desk in the back corner of the room.
She took to pacing beside it, hands smoothing over the leather bindings before opening it up.
Then her eyes really began to sparkle.

"This is it. This is the real thing."  And the little medal medallion she held within her palm was icing on the cake!

 
Zavimaat stared at Lockwood. Though he could hardly see her in the dark, he could make out just enough to tell that she wasn't human. "What the hell is that?" He blurted out and Alec smacked him upside the head, "Shut up!"

The young man growled at his captors but complied, not making another peep until Lockwood held up the metal charm before his eye and hissed in his face, demanding to know where he'd gotten the thing. Zav shrugged , "Eh. From some crazy old bat. She kept yammering on about Paradise." Zavimaat had no trouble divulging what he knew because he didn't believe in any of it. It was stupid. Crazy. Everyone could hear the skepticism in his tone. He wasn't a believer.

He watched the cat woman or whatever she was move away, seemingly entranced by the symbol she held and the book that was now in her possession. Eve made a noise and when the woman hit the girl, Zavimaat reacted aggressively, " What the hell was that for?!"
But his anger went ignored as Lockwood cuddled with the book like a giddy little girl whom had just received the best birthday present ever.

"What are you talkin' 'bout? It's just a dumb book. Can we go now? You got what you wanted."

When Zavimaat answered her question, Lockwood thumped her tail against the floor in irritation before curling it between her legs. Her fangs were still bared as she looked from Zavimaat, to the girl, back to her book, and the charm. However, at his last question, her lips stretched into a wicked grin.
"Now why would I just let you go? YOu've cost me a lot of money," Lockwood said, her voice purring and growling all the same as she cast the pair a dangerous stare. She gestured to the Adder brother. "Lock them up for now, for good measure." she said. "There's some rope nad a chair!" she snapped, before either pair could question anything. "I don't wnat to be disturbed, and you won't get any of your promised money until I examine the piece to ensure it's still intact. Now," she gestured with a sweep-sweep of her hand- "Off with you and them. THe girl's sniveling is making me irritated."

"Y-yes, Mr. Lockwood," Hayward replied, shrugging to his brother before the pair turned on Zavimaat and Eve.
"You heard the woman," Alec snapped, pushing Eve forward. "Get into the room."
As if the pair had a choice, and soon they were bound, back to back, chair to chair, in a thick layer of ropes.

"Get yer fuckin' hands offa me you assclown," Zavimaat snarled and smacked Alec's hand away viciously. He moved toward Lockwood and got right in her face , sneering at her.

"I cost YOU money," Defiantly Zavimaat spat at her, " The hell I did! YOU cost ME , lady! My god damned ship was demolished no thanks to you.  Ya fuckin' omitted the fact that some crazed lunatics are after that precious book of yours. You fuckin' knew, didn't you?  I risked my neck for this shit and I brought it , didn't I? Only reason I didn't fork the goods over pronto was because you sent your fuckin' thugs to rough me up without pay. Not very business-like , if ya ask me. Had I known what I was getting into, I would upped my fee triple. " Crossing his arms over his bare chest he added, " And if you wanna unlock the secrets to that book, I suggest that ya stop bein' such a domineering bitch, " he paused for effect and then added, " And you owe Eve an apology for hittin' her. She ain't done nothin' wrong and ya got no right t' be smackin' her 'round like that. Try it again and I promise I'll fuckin' skin you alive and force feed ya yer own hair. "

Ooc: lol

"You'd better get out of Mr. Lockwood's face or we'll cut your girl's throat," Alec warned, grabbing Eve by her hair and pressed his knife to her throat. Eve let out a whimper, unable to do much else.

But it seemed Lockwood was hardly deterred. Infact, she was fascinated by Zavimaat's gumption and took him in with a purr, admiring him.
"You've got balls,"s he told the man, smirking as she exposed a single fang. "But I think you forget who you are dealing with. I only hire the best. If you were so clever, you wouldn't have had to suffer such loses."

"Yeah, now you and your girlfriend are gonna pay," Alec said, but Lockwood held up a hand to silence him, her cat like eyes still glued to Zavimaat.

"Tell you what, we can make a deal. Being as you think you're so clever and all, I'd like you to bring me more information about these cultists you claimed attacked you." Her eyes wondered to the scars ont he man's body, then to the fact he wasn't really... wearing any clothes as her tail swished from side to side. "I'm interested in what they tried to perform. This book is only myth and it seems they thoroughly believe in it." She gave a laugh, a sharp noise that struck the air like a whip. "I don't care about their beliefs.I'm just interested in whatever treasure they may have unlocked that pertains to this legend. It could prove to be.." she purred. "Very valuable and very much worth your time." Her eyes drank Zavimaat in as clawed fingers tip toed lightly up his chest.
"All you have to do is agree to a contract and if you succeed, well.. perhaps we won't hurt your girl?"

Zavimaat tilted his head and puffed out his chest, " Huh. I ain't claimin' to be a fuckin' genius, lady, but  given the circumstances, I think I fared better than most. I didn't see Tweedle Dumb and Twiddle Dumber comin' to our rescue til I'd taken care of them robed freaks on my own. The book, as you can see, is perfectly intact and it's now yours. I think I did  pretty god damned fuckin' well for not knowin' what the hell I'd gotten myself into. "
When Alec spoke up Zavimaat rolled his eyes and flipped him off, "Do yourself and mankind a fuckin' favor and shut your idiotic mouth!"

Alec snarled and started to reply but Lockwood's intimidating glare silenced him and Hayward's hand restrained him.

Zavimaat knew he was taking a risk here, but he didn't back down. He wasn't about to show these people that he was afraid and he wasn't going to cower like a dog, roll over and let them take advantage of him or Eve. His gall had typically served him well in the criminal realm. No one with money worth seeking wanted to hire a wuss. They wanted men who could get the job done and Zav had a pretty good record for delivering whatever his clients wanted promptly and without much fuss. Until now...but the circumstances were special.

He shook his head, " Not good enough. I'm not stupid. I don't make deals with words like 'maybe'. I...don't give a shit 'bout money. You promise me that no harm will come to Eve and that you'll treat her with decency and respect if I cooperate. Otherwise I might as well tell ya t' go fuck yourself.  "

He needed the money, sure, but he wasn't going to get too greedy. He wanted to do the right thing here and that was to keep Eve protected from these thieves.

Lockwood afforded him a toothy grin.
"So you'd risk it all for no money? Just the girl's safety?" She was amused. But then again, love made humans so very foolish. She purred silently as she studied him, then turned her gaze to the scrawny girl. She wrinkled her nose. She didn't see what was so special about her. She was cute, perhaps, but still just a child. Her eyes went back to Zavimaat as she lifted her head.

"Those cultists did not posses the book you had. This book was meant to contain all of the secrets about the tree of Paradise, the myth." her tail wagged anxiously at the ground. "Though it begs the question if they did not have the book... how did they become so clever as to make up this silly sort of spell?" she observed Zavimaat a moment. "And if they were so clever.. they might have other valuable pieces that I want." her tail thumped a few times on the floor. "So if you don't want payment, at least find out what other information you could get for me. It seems that you can.. well.. "She chuckled. "handle this enough yourself, but if youd' like, I could hire the Adder's to assist you."s he grinned wickedly towards them, and both Alec and Hayward knew not how to respond to that.


But it was Eve's voice that broke out.
"Please.. please don't make him do this."

Blinking, Lockwood turned to look over at the pathetic girl. was she crying? She growled, irritated byt he scene.
"One of you two shut her up before I do. Her tears irritate me!" she growled, and Alec slapped a hand over her mouth and nodded.

"You can't be serious. You want us to pair up with him?" Hayward said, blinking stupidly before turning to Zav and furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, Id on't think I could oblige that request," Alec agreed.


But Lockwood only purred out a growl, her tail swishing.
"Oh, I don't think any of you really have much of a choice. I always get what I want. And what I want are those relics and any information you can gather." She turned to Zavimaat, staring at him upa nd down.
"Though if you refuse, I might have to force you with my own methods of persuasion. And I'm not sure if a man such as yourself would be ready for such a treat." Lockwood said, batting her eyes roguishly at the young man before waiting expectantly for his reply.

Zav looked her square in the eye, " Yeah. Any decent human bein' would." He shrugged. He wasn't in love with the girl or anything dramatic like that. He wasn't fueled by any selfish motivations like love. "I want a little more than safety for her though. Life hasn't treated her good and safety ain't worth shit if she ain't feelin' comfortable in it. So I want ya to treat her royal-like. She's not to be hurt in any way or the deal is off. " 


"They must have had it at some point and lost it," Zavimaat interjected, " because they seemed to know where to find it and what it does. I don't believe in coincidences that often. " He believed that meeting Eve had been a coincidence but the chain of events that unfolded afterwards around him...there was a reason for why all of this was happening now and the only two keys to this puzzle were Eve herself and the book. Perhaps working with Lockwood might help them figure out more about Eve's power or more about this threat- these cultists who wanted her so badly. Let Lockwood think he knew more than he really did...because he knew the consequences if he wasn't.

"They know something that we don't. Maybe there's more than one tome? Maybe that's how they came by knowledge of this one and how they were able to set up a ritual..." He had no idea how these things actually worked though. He'd only read about them in fictional stories. He shrugged. "The only way we could find out is if we had inside intelligence. "

Zavimaat bristled at them when Eve was silenced but he'd wait. He needed to talk to Eve, needed to make her understand that ,for this situation, she was going to have to put on a brave face for herself. For them both.

Zav scrunched up his face as well at mention of working with the Adders. "Those idiots? Are you sure that's a good idea? " He wasn't going to protest if she insisted. Though he was sure that they'd find a way to fuck shit up. "I mean, no offense lady but they're not exactly equipped for any kind of task that requires half a brain if ya know what I mean."

He tilted her head curiously at her mention of 'persuasion' and 'treat'...then she winked at him. Was she...? Was she flirting with him? Oh no...this could be bad. Unless she was just messing with him.

"Uh...it shouldn't be a problem as long as you take good care of the girl and I mean more than keepin' her safe. Ya gotta play nice. If ya can do that then I'm in. "

"Are you bargaining with me?" Lockwood asked, amused as she thumped her tail. "Child, I could crush your skull in like an egg." She purred. "But your style needs work to go along with that naive bravery." Her eyes were sparkling then as her mouth returned to her normal, felinish grin.
"Suppose I keep her here with me, treat her as if she were my own?" Lockwood inquired, almost sweetly, but it was painfully obvious it was just talk as the mischief quickly returned to her eyes.

"Very well, I shall watch the girl." she began, keeping her eyes locked on Zavimaat's form, tail curling against his leg as she advanced upon him. "But I want something useful to come out of your philandering, not just some false lead." she purred. "Because I will know if you cheat me. And I do not take to being tricked so kindly." Her tail flickered angrily. "You have one shot to find me something useful,a nd you'd better do it tonight or else." her eyes went to Eve, a dark stare boring into her. THen her eyes returned more dangerously to Zav's.
"So I suppose we have a deal?" she asked, leaning into him, face but inches away.

"But you won't because I'm the only link you have to these cultists other than her and...heh...good luck getting her to talk if you do away with me. " He couldn't be too sure if what he said was true but if the cultists couldn't get a peep out of the girl aside from the whimpering and crying with their methods of torture, then he was sure that this woman's worst couldn't make the girl respond any different. "and, really...my request isn't much. It's probably the easiest deal you've ever had to make. "

He nodded, " Just treat her civil like. Not expectin' no ass kissin' cause I know askin' that much from a proud broad like you is askin' too much. "

She wanted something tonight? He blinked, looking surprised. Was she insane? He didn't know where to begin looking, but he had a couple ideas. These relics she was ranting about...there were more back at Roger's. He could also go back to the well, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to. What if the cultists had regrouped and were still down there? Shit. He didn't have much choice now did he?

He didn't trust this woman one damn bit, but he knew that this was the best that he was going to get out of her.  Sighing, he nodded, "Yeah. Ya got a deal.But lemme talk to the girl before I go. "

Lockwood grinned. So they had a deal. Taking his hand, she gripped it tightly as she shook it.
"Then it's a deal." she purred darkly. But at his request, her eyes followed to the girl.
"Tch- if you insist."s he said, gesturing with a nonchalant shrug. "Go ahead and talk to her." But it seemed Lockwood just assumed he'd talk to Eve in the open, and didn't bother disbanding the Adder brother that still had her within his clutches. But then again, Zavimaat hadn't asked for that.

Zavimaat elbowed Alec in the ribs , forcing him to release Eve.  " Like I said , she ain't to be treated like a prisoner. " He growled. Alec started to retaliate but Hayward held him back and shook his head. They'd teach the son of a bitch a lesson later when Lockwood wasn't present. For now, they'd let the little punk have his way of things just a bit.

Zavimaat didn't need privacy to speak with Eve. He hadn't expected it either. He didn't trust them, they didn't trust him. Whatever. He pulled Eve into his arms and hugged her tightly to him and , resting his head on her shoulder lightly he whispered in her ear, " I need ya to be strong, okay? Try not to worry too much or nothin'. Jus' keep quiet an' take care of yerself. Don't let her bully ya. I'll try t' make this quick, alright?"

Eve had remained quiet this whole time. Fear had made her nearly immobile. She feared to speak. Feared to move. Feared to even breath. Though when Zavimaat drew near her, holding her tight, she melted against him, clinging to him tightly as she buried her face into his shoulder.
"You shouldn't go."S he whimpered into him. She trembled. "It's too dangerous."  Peering up at him, tears pooled within her eyes. She still held onto him, afraid to let go. Afraid to be alone. "What if you don't come back?"

Zavimaat wrinkled his nose, " Hey, I found ya the last time we split up, didn't I? Don't gimme that face. It's gonna be fine. Trust me. " He grinned at her, not feeling nearly as confident as he sounded though he was still mostly sure that this venture wasn't going to be too much of a hassle. Even if it was, he'd figure something out. He always did. He squeezed her tighter, "  I know it's a risk, but it'll be worse if I don't take it. S' jus' how life goes, ya know?"

He didn't want to leave her here, but he didn't want to take her either. Not if he went back to the well and not with these creep Adders with him. No. She stood a better chance with Lockwood. Lockwood might have been inhuman, scary even....but she was only one person. If the shit hit the fan, Eve had a better chance of escaping from her than trying to outrun the Adder twins.

"If anything goes wrong, try to get away and find Roger. Okay?" He told her quietly so the others wouldn't hear. "Promise me." 

More tears welled up in Eve's eyes.
"But.." she began, her lower lip trembling. Though it seemed there was nothing more to say. They hardly had a choice. Lowering her gaze, she gave a defeated nod before peering back up at him, the same tears still threatening within her eyes. It was then she leaned forward, kissing him softly against the cheek before lowering her gaze again to hide the freshly falling tears.


Lockwood would be the one to break their little moment as she gave a dark purr.
"Come now, you've had your time. My patience is wearing thin,"s he pressed, tail flicking behind her. "You can be off and back again before the sunrises if you'd stop wasting your time over the girl. She'll be fine." And with that, she snatched onto Eve's wrist and yanked her away, glaring defiantly back at Zav.
"Return before sunrise or else. And get me what I want."

ooc: Sorry this took awhile.

ic: Though innocent and brief, the peck on the cheek wasn't expected. Especially coming from Eve. Zav blinked and gave the girl a curious look as he drew away, surprised that she was familiar with such an action though wondering if she understood its implication. She must have though, but he'd have to ponder where she'd learned it because he doubted that her parents had shown her any love or kindness at all. Perhaps she'd learned the gesture through observing other people interact?

He tilted his head now, frowning. Why was she crying now? It irritated him sometimes how fragile she was. He knew she couldn't help it, but he wanted her to stop because it made him feel terrible. Was she really that worried about him? He could only imagine that after what they'd been through that she was left in such a terrified state. Maybe it would have been better to take her with him... ? No. If his search took them back down the well, who knew what waited down there? He'd rather die than let that crazy woman catch her again and do only the Gods knew what to her.

Drawing away from the girl, Zav stared scowled at Lockwood's impatience. He doubted that this woman would be satisfied if he obliged her demands. She might try to continuously use Eve as a bargaining chip, forcing him to do her bidding just to keep the girl from harm. And there was absolutely no guarantee that Lockwood was ever going to let them go...or ,if she did, that she was going to let them go without incident.

He had a bad feeling about this arrangement , but he knew he had no choice for now. He'd have to play along .  He smirked at the irritated Lockwood, " Huh...you an' me both, lady.  Yeah, yeah. I'm goin' now. Don't get yer panties in a twist. "  Did cat women even need to wear panties? Not really an important question....or one he wanted to know the answer to.

With one last look in Eve's direction, he turned away and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, he paused and tossed a fleeting cold glance over his shoulder at the Adders, " You boneheads comin' or what? " Not waiting for their reply, he yanked the door open and walked out.

The Adders weren't far behind him.

~

The trip back to Roger's was largely uneventful until they reached Roger's place. When he answered the door to Zav's pounding on it, the old man appeared relieved, " Zavimaat! Thank goodness you're back! I was worried about y-" He stopped suddenly seeing that while Zavimaat wasn't alone , it wasn't Eve this time who accompanied him. Those two big thugs that had roughed him up and taken the youngsters away were back. "What's going on now? Where's Eve?"

Zavimaat looked Roger in the eye and replied somberly, " She's safe for now, but not for long if I don't get something for these bastards. "

Nodding slowly, Roger stepped aside and allowed Zavimaat and Adders entrance.

Without a word, Zav made his way back to the room he'd been staying in and gathered up as many of the bloody charms he'd removed from his flesh as he could , only leaving a couple behind. He grabbed a pillow, stripped it of its casing and stuffed the charms into the case and returned to the front room with the Adders following behind him with every step.

"I'm really sorry, pops. I'll make it up to ya-" Zavimaat started to say, but the old man shook his head and clapped a withered hand over the young man's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. The only thing that matters here now is savin' the girl. Do what you have to. "

Zavimaat nodded touched by the old man's willingness to forgive him for all of this trouble, " Thanks. I will. "

The trio left Roger and made their way back to the well now but when they got there and started to climb down, Zav noticed that the Adders hadn't follow him. He was already halfway down the ladder, but paused to yell up at them. "You guys coming or what?"   

The brothers exchanged glances. "No fuckin' way I'm going down there again. Let the freak handle it, " Alec told his brother.

Hayward nodded in agreement. There was something inhuman about the boy now that he feared might reveal itself down in those sewers again. Better to let that monster mess with any threat that was down there than to become a target himself. "We'll wait here and guard the entrance. Make sure no one comes down. " The one-eyed thug called back down to Zavimaat.

"Bullshit! You two are just a couple of fucking cowards, that's what!" Zavimaat spat up at them.

Hayward grinned and cupped a hand over his ear , leaning over the edge of the well and pretending to strain to hear, " What's that? I'm afraid you're gonna have to speak up! "

"FUCK YOU!" Zav snapped and continued his way down the well. It ought to have occurred to him how dark it was down in those tunnels, but Zavimmat did not once think about the fact that he'd somehow gained the ability to see in the dark. His only thoughts as he sloshed though the cold, murky, waist-deep water, were on finding something that might interest Lockwood and might increase his chances of winning Eve's freedom.Assuming that Lockwood had any sense of honor about her and would be true to her word...

He found that the tunnels were empty and nearly silent. He saw no traces of undead or cultists and he heard little more than the echo of his boot steps and water sloshing about him. Eventually , he came to the place where the he and Eve had been displayed for the ritual.

He noted the blood, his blood that stained the stone altar that Eve had been shackled to. He saw bits of torn, bloodied dress lying about haphazardly strewn over the bare stone slab. He combed the area, looking for clues and found a ceremonial dagger and a strip of crimson cloth that seemed to be a face cove with the pattern of a black widow embroidered upon it. Further searching yielded nothing more.

Search seemingly concluded, Zavimaat returned to the ladder where the Adders were waiting and started up it . As soon as he reached the top, he tossed his findings up over the lip of the well. However, as he was pulling himself out Alec shoved him back down.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Zav demanded.

"We owe you for making a fool out of us, " Alec reminded him with a smirk as his brother moved in and bashed the man's face with the pommel of his sword.

Unconscious, Zav lost his grip on the ladder and plummeted back down to the bottom. And the Adders took what he'd found back to Lockwood. They'd give her some bullshit story. She wouldn't care about him so long as she had her trinkets. 


ooc: lol still 19 pages.

CRACK!

"You impotent fools!" spat Lockwood. She was fuming mad, her tail in a tense curl between her legs. "You just left that fool behind?"

"We told you," Hayward began, but Alec growled and chimed in-
"It was an accident. The location was still very dangerous."

CRACK! She struck them again, a feral heat to her eyes. Her tail gave an angered swish between her legs.
"FOOLS! The both of you! Did you honestly think I was done with the boy after just one incident?" she growled, gripping her hands into fists. "What if there were more clues he was holding out on?"

"It's not like we couldn't-"

CRACK!

Alec's face was getting pretty red and he finally grabbed at her hand when she moved to hit him again and narrowed his gaze upon her.  Lockwood only narrowed her's back, but withdrew, her tail moving impatiently between her legs.

"Well, why don't you two go back there and check on him?" she snarled.

Hayward laughed. "But the boy is as good as dead."

CRACK!

Hayward snarled, but didn't let his impatience get the better of him like Alec's as he nursed his cheek.

"Fools, the both of you!" she tossed the money at them roughly then pointed at the door. "Just get out of my sight. The rest of the money will be sent to you by the month's end- so long as that fool doesn't come bcak from the dead." She growled.

The Adder's looked to one another, Alec weighing the pouch in hand.
"So in a month?"

"YES! IN A MONTH! Now get out!"she roared. They didn't need to be told twice as both of them moved and were out the door.  Sighing, Mr. Lockwood found herself angrily pacing about.  Eve, who had been silent most of this time, was sobbing behind a blind fold. The woman didn't trust the girl, despite how weak and pathetic she seemed, though after a time, Lockwood suddenly turned her attentions on Eve.
Her brow twitched angrily.
"Your friend is dead," she told her coldly, and Eve only shivered in fear at the claim, more tears burning beneath the blind fold. Lockwood's tail twitched some more before she moved to crouch beside her, eyes glaring at her and her impotence. What a foolish and useless girl. What did that black haired weirdo see in her anyways? She grabbed on roughly to Eve's facea nd turned it this way and that, while studying her then roughly letting her go. There wasn't much damage Eve could do as she ws, but she kept her tied up for the rest of the night, if for anything, out of her frustration and anger towards the Adder's impotence. She was surrounded by fools! But at least she had the book...

It was a comfort, at least, to know that she had it,a nd found herself staying up late with wine and reading as she looked through the pages. Though as she did, she couldn't help but noticed something peculiar in the text..
something about a small girl as some gatekeeper, someone weak who was also powerful, someone that understood...

SHe tapped her fingers against the page she had been reading, her eyes drifting over towards the other room. Did those cultist believe this girl was connected to the book?  How unfortunately stupid. She weighed one of the charms in her hands, staring at it's metallic surface with a sigh.
Well, the girl was more of an annoyance than a help. Moving up, she entered the room and began to untie her.

"You will sleep here for the night, then tomorrow, you're on your own," Mr.Lockwood growled before gesturing hastily towards a bed of straw. "You can sleep there." And with that, she angrily slammed the door shut behind her, locking the door.
After a time, Eve slowly lifted her hands up, shakingly so and began to remove he blind fold from her eyes.  It was dark, with only a slight line of light come in from beneath the door. Eve stared at it for a time, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting as she lookd around the room, hugging her arms around herself. It was chilly, but since the room was small, but the door was thick enough to keep out the heat from the hearth.

Eve had heard everything, and feared what the Adder's said were true- that Zavimaat had been killed, but something inside her gut was warning her otherwise.  After a time, she worked up the strenght to check underneath the door, managing to catch a glimpse of Locwood on the other side. She was at her desk, reading the book. Eve held her breath and picked herself up off the ground and peered hopelessly around the room. It seemed there was little hope, as there was little hse could do. THe door was lock. But another cold breeze had her shivering, and after a time, her eyes slowly slid over towards an open window on the other side ofthe room.

Tilting her head to one side, the window seemed small, but Eve was not a large girl, and after mulling over the possibilties, and fearing for Zavimaat's life that something awful must have happened, she pushed a chair over toward the window, an with some wriggling, managed to sneak out.


Out across the open road she went, moving swiftly across the cobblestone. Her heart was beating heavily within her chest. It took some time, but soon the familiar town square and well cam einto view beneath the moonlight. The place was deathly silent and she feared the worse, approaching the well swiftly and without hesitation, she peered over the side. Down below, something stirred, but she wasn't sure what.  The moon had been veiled behind clouds, but as her eyes strained,t he clouds parted, and a few rays of moonlight feathered across the well, illuminating a form below.  Gasping, Eve noticed the familiar shape crumpled below and made swift work to climb into the well.
Once she was at the bottom, she dropped to her knees, pushing Zavimaat ont his back and staring at him in fright-
he was bleeding..
There was so much blood-
and before she knew what she was doing, something over came her, something that numbed her skin and made it burn with a ghostly radiation as she leaned forward, a  powerful, a life force seeming to creep out from her lips, from her body, and flowed into his, all the while thick tree roots began to crawl out from the cracks in the well and began to bind themselves aroun dher, sinking into her skin, crawling around her arms and securing themselves firmly around her, all the while something otherworldly was guiding Zavimaat back to life.

Lockwood was right about one thing: the Adder's were fools for Zavimmat was not dead. The young man was very much alive, though his fall hadn't been a kind one and it had left his body broken and bleeding. He had been unconscious when Eve had come upon him and as her peculiar abilities soothed the damage that had left him in such a terrible state , he opened a dark eye and caught a glimpse of her familiar face.  The shock registered easily even on his bruised and bloodied visage even before he gasped her name, " E-eve?! "

So the sniveling child has other uses. An unfamiliar voice echoed in the back of his mind. It was the same voice he'd heard before he'd slaughtered a frightening number of cultists though he seemed to have forgotten about that because he hadn't been himself.

"Whaddayah doin' here!? That bitch make ya come here on yer own or what?" He remained lying on the ground, but lifted an arm to reach out to her. His hand found one of her arms and her gripped it " ...though I'm kinda glad t' see ya. Yer face is more welcome a sight then one of them Adder boys's ugly mugs. Heh." He winced , but only now was noticing that something was happening to him  and that Eve appeared different. Whatever it was, his pain was fading as though it never were. "Huh? What...?"


ooc: lol still 19 pages. Hrrrghn! If my estimation is correct, my next post should have us at page 20. If not, we are so being trolled by the forum pixies. loool

When Zavimaat had come around, Eve was still restrained to her meditative state, her body's colors almost ghost like in apperance. Her eyes had become hollow, her body merely a shell as it was numbed away and reaching and calling and speaking with the very world around her.  Life- nature... it was doing her bidding, granting Zavimaat the energy he would seek, he would need and the moment his voice came to- it began to cut into her numbed shell, cracking it at the surface and melting it away.

And as he continued to speak, it turned into a tingling, her entire body rattled and exhausted by the experience so when reality returned to her, she could have fainted. Instead, she felt her heart beating heavily, her body clammy with sweat and was over whelmed by the dankness of the well. But he was ok- and before she knew what she was doing,s he threw her arms away from him, toppling over top of his half laying form and gripped onto him tightly, afraid to let go while burying hot tears into his shoulder. For now, she seemed ignorant to what she had done, even as she lay on top of the vines that were entwined around his body, his skin, having found their way beneath his clothing and even around it. And she shook from her tears, just happy he was alive. Happy he was ok.

All he could do was watch, the expression on his face absolutely stupefied.  At this point in time, he knew he should have been accustomed to strange things happening around her, but up until a few days ago his life had been what he considered to be normal- a world devoid of magic,of demons,creepy cults and crazy cat ladies that obsessed over stupid historical mumbo jumbo.

Fear gripped the young man and , more than that, concern did. He didn't understand what she was or what was happening.Did it hurt her? And oh...? Something was happening to him...?!

Her touch sent a thrill through him, like a wildfire spreading through his veins. It burned ,not in a good way, but the pain was sharp and brief - ending the moment that the spectral aura died away.

Whatever presence shared his mind now was clearly not prepared for what had happened either for when Eve touched its human host, the demon recoiled and snarled in protest. It vanished to the recesses of the man's mind, leaving the human in full control of himself entirely for the moment.

Zav recovered and awkwardly hugged the girl when she flung her arms around him and clung to him like a wet rag. He might have enjoyed her neediness were it not for the odd sensation of those serpentine vines wrapped tightly around his limbs and he thought how they were somehow part of her...

That was...kind of creepy though he tried not to stare , knowing well that Eve was extremely self-conscious and if she caught him looking at her oddly, she'd cry or run - and , well, that'd make him feel rotten.

"What was - how did you- do ...that?" He asked, blinking stupidly with an equally stupid tone.

ooc: OMG 20 pages!? *dies*

At his words, she lifted her head. Hot tears wavered her vision, and as she looked down at her body, noticing the vines, she gasped. Alarm rang throughout her head, fear gripping her as she clung to Zavimaat, not able to do anything but stare at the roots that now clung to her body, reaching out from the walls of the well and had sunk into her skin. It didn't hurt, but it was evident something was very wrong with her, (or this well); and suddenly she began to shake with fear and fresh tears streamed down from her green eyes.

"I.. I don't know.." she whispered, trembling, her voice as delicate as glass.

OOC: Yaaaaaay finally 8D

Frowning at her reaction, Zav put his arms around her again and hugged her tightly, "Don't worry 'bout it. I'm sure it's not bad. I mean- I think ya jus' saved my life." It seemed like a crazy thing to say, but he didn't know how else to explain the miracle that had occurred. "Magic IS real then? Ain't just no story." He still sounded incredulous, but it was a fact now that he knew that he could no longer denied. Too many incredible and impossible things happened around this girl.

But there were still questions that he had and possibly even more that she had that needed answering. He had a thought though he wasn't sure how much she'd approve of it, " So I was thinkin'... er, we don't know much about what's happening to ya or who them robed freaks were or nothin', right? So, ah...it seems to be kinda clear here now and I thought maybe we could search for some clues. Somethin' to help us prepare for whatever comes next cause I got a feeling that we ain't seen the last of them."

Eve remained with her face pressed against him, trembling as she cried. She listened to his words, though at his last suggestion, she didn't know what to say. She simply remained frowning, leaning against him as more tears threatened to fall. But after several minutes or staying quiet, she kept her eyes cast away, head lowered and simply  nodded her head.

They returned to a place of nightmares, to the stone slab where Eve had been restrained and Zavimaat had hung above her, bleeding. The blood had dried up hours ago , but it left behind crimson stains as a reminder of the man's previous torture. 

There wasn't much to find. Most of it had been collected and given to the Adders for Lockwood. "She has the book now." He lamented and glanced over at Eve who stood across from him near the stone slab. "Maybe those red robed freaks will bother her instead and we can hightail it outta here and be done with this bullshit. "

Now he became aware of the carnage , taking note of the multiple bodies of dead cultists whose corpses seemed to have been beaten bloody and beyond recognition. The look on his face as he walked past them was one of subtle fear, " Who – what the hell did this?" He couldn't remember beating these zealots to death. Even if he could have remembered the point of losing his mind to rage, he wouldn't have realized or understood that there was something wicked inside of him now. Something that coaxed the darkest ambitions of his soul to emerge.

Zav crouched down beside one of the corpses and tilted his head, noticing something he hadn't before. He gestured for Eve to come join his side and removed something from around one of the slain zealot's necks. He held it up for Eve to see. It was an amulet of sorts with a medallion made of what appeared to be gold, shaped to look like a spider dangling from a tree. A tree that very much looked like the one that had recurred in the book.   All of the cultists wore such an amulet , in fact.

"This can't be a coincidence. It means something, " Zav looked up at Eve, "Is this symbol  familiar to you? Was anything here...familiar to you? Like that woman...with the red hair?" He hated bringing it up now. Especially RIGHT after they'd been tortured...actually this probably wasn't the appropriate time to talk about it. Too late though. He'd already brought that painful topic up...

At the very sight of the carnage, Eve's heart froze within her chest. Her eyes widened, her breath hitched in her throat, and she felt her legs no longer working. All she could do was stare at the piles of corpses, the stains of blood, and begin to tremble at the recollection of torture the pair endured. It was only after a time that she returned to the present, and she released her held breath through a tremble. She was shaking, and her legs gave way as she fell onto the ground amongst the dead bodies, only able to cry hot, salted tears.

There was so much to take in...
the blood.. the words.... the people...
Her mind was in a whirl, but when he mentioned the woman with red hair, her eyes went wide and her skin turned white as a ghost.

She had seen her picture, in a dusty picture frame, with cobwebs clinging to it's side. It was the last and only memory she had of her mother before she had left both her and her father so long ago. It was so long she had never really met her, but the more hse thought on it, she recalled how similar the two looked. And despite herself,s he managed to choke out through sobs, "She looks like the woman in the picture frame. The woman my father hated for so many years.." She was still shaking as she recalled it in vivid detail. "He had called her my mother."

Zavimaat walked around the stone slab that stood between them and knelt down beside her. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder, only noting now the dried blood that caked his dirty hands.Was it his? Part of him dreaded to know the answer , but he forced the thoughts from his mind.

"She...sort of looks like you." He admitted with a degree of reluctance, not wishing to further upset her but it was already too late for that. He bowed his head for  a moment and sighed, "Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't wanna bring it up ,but I thought...it might help ya remember somethin' useful to you." He wasn't accustomed to having many serious conversations like this. There had been a few among family members  ,but this was something different. "Er...well, d'ya wanna talk 'bout it? That is, if there's somthin' ya gotta say that's on your mind? "

Eve wrapped an arm around herself as she shivered, then continued to tremble as she kept her eyes lowered, staring down at her tattered clothing in the dim lighting of the well. THough there were candles, by now, almost all of them were burned out. She wasn't sure where to start or even where to begin, so she simply shook her head.

"I don't even know what to say," she said softly. Then she went quiet again before admitting. "I'm frightened for what is to come." And she shivered, and did not stop shaking after that as she hugged onto herself.

'I don't know what to say either. ' Fortunately for her, perhaps, he didn't voice his thoughts. He couldn't compare his own situation to hers. He was the lucky one. His deadbeat parents were out of his life. Well, mostly.

Mother was still around though he hadn't noticed her since he'd been young enough to still care when she'd have her little drunken hallucinations and start screaming at him for no logical reason he could think of...and his aunt had rescued him from that nightmare. Then life had been pretty good. Not that it still wasn't even with this dark cloud looming over him.

She was scared and, he wouldn't openly admit it but so was he. He licked his lips, " Well, uh...don't gotta talk if ya want or say nothin' in particular, but first..." He offered her his hand, "Let's get outta here. I think we both could stand to use some fresh air. There ain't much more I can find here that'll be any use anyway."

Ooc: Move us forward, biotch.   

Eve nodded her head, taking his hand and standing near him a moment. It was cold in the well and his body was warm. She also felt comforted with him being near. Then, after a time, the pair departed the well and stepped back onto the streets. It was a still night, so the streets were vacant except the moonlight that bathed the cobblestone. Eve kept near to Zavimaat, her hands clutching around herself, almost as if she were holding the book that was no longer there. Her eyes kept to her feet, seeming to carry her towards Roger's place, but not really knowing what direction she ought to go.

He followed her steps for a time, allowing himself to be guided. When she wavered, however, he took the lead and brought her before Roger's place again. Zav approached the door and knocked a few times, "Hey, pops! Ya there?"

There was an oppressive silence for a couple of minutes where he wished he could hear more than the distant chirruping of crickets and his heavy , nervous breathing.

No answer. Zav frowned and pounded his fist on the door again then waited.

Still nothing. He turned to face Eve , " Maybe he's sleepin'." With a shrug and a sigh, he turned away and started to walk. The door creaked open then and there stood a bedraggled Roger with a candle lit in his trembling hand.

"Miss Eve! You're okay!" The old man's weary face brightened , the relief eveident on his wrinkled features. He stepped forward to embrace her with his free arm and then noticed Zavimaat, "I thought those thugs had done you in for sure, boy!"

He took Eve gently by the arm , "Light above! Look at the pair of you! What did those monsters do to you?!"

Zav followed them indoors and closed the door behind them, " I dunno, pops. It's a long story and I don't think we got much time to tell it. "

Roger released Eve's arm as soon as they were inside and hobbled into the kitchen. "I'll put a kettle on the fire. You two make yourselves comfortable while I find my old medical kit."

Zav found a seat by the hearth and collapsed into the chair. As soon as he was settled, he only then realized how tired he really was. The moment his back found the cushion he felt temped to let his head roll back and his eyes close. He didn't though. His thoughts wouldn't allow it. Instead, he watched Eve.

Once they were guided inside, some of her anxiety subsided, but not all. Eve now found herself standing near the hearth, the gentle crackle of fire keeping half her mind here, in the present, while the rest of her mind wandered inside her own mind. So much had happened, so much needed to be taken in, but it was just too much to swallow. She had her hands clenched together, pressed against her chest. She couldn't even comprehend to sit. Eve was just too high strung to do that.

Then when Roger came back in, he had some tea in hand.
"Eve,why don't you have a seat and enjoy some tea and why don't the pair of you tell me what's going on? Perhaps I can help. If you're in trouble, we could go to the authorities. I'm sure someone there could help."

Eve, only then realizing she had been standing, lowered her gaze shamefully and looked at a nearby chair.She hesitated at first, but then took a seat and took the offered drink from Roger, but remained quiet all the while.

"I dunno, pops," Zavimaat frowned at Roger's suggestion as he accepted a cup of piping hot tea from the old man, "I don't think the situation is somethin' they'd believe. It's real crazy."

Roger sat down across from him, " What do you mean, boy?"

Zavimaat shrugged and raised the cup halfway up, but paused with a thoughtful expression on his face , as if he were contemplating something, " Because I find it all hard to believe , myself. I mean, ah shit...I dunno where to start. I already told ya how me and Eve met."

Roger nodded and cast a sideways glance at the girl, "Said you found her in a shipwreck. "

Zav nodded, "Yeah. Well, there's stuff I didn't say because I ain't so sure you'd – well, the truth is I didn't want ya to think I was a fuckin' nutcase."
Roger leaned forward in his chair , resting his elbows on his knees and chin in hands. "Go on, "

Zavimaat explained as much as he could to the old man and when he was finished , Roger sat back in his seat digesting it all. "Light above...that's quite a story." He scratched his grey maned head, " Just what do you intend to do now? "

Zavimaat glanced over in Eve's direction briefly then  met Roger's gaze, " We're leaving as soon as we can."

OOC: ANd then Roger will suggest they take Lou with them.. XD

-----------

Eve had remained quiet, staring at her tea and only beginning to drink it when it had nearly gone cold. Roger, on the other hand, stared off as he contemplated how he might be able to help.

"Well, it seems to me that Eve is still in danger. Perhaps I can assist you getting out of this place, but they might know to tail me. I have a friend, on the other side of town..." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He might be able to smuggle the pair of you onto his ship."

ooc: Haha. HE WOULD.

ic:

"R-really?" Zav was surprised though he shouldn't have been. His face flushed slightly at his own outburst and he rubbed the back of his neck, adopting a sheepish look. "Er...gee. I dunno, pops. Ya already helped us loads. I don't wanna impose or nothin'. I mean we've already been enough trouble-"

"Trouble?" Roger laughed and waved his wrinkled hand dismissively at the pair, " If you're referring to those two brutes from earlier, think nothing of it boy. It was no trouble at all. Besides that, your company has been nothing but a joy to have if even for brief. I don't know if old Lars has been to this Kouhei of yours though. I've heard some old sailor's tales about that place though. They say the waters are cursed. Sommat about demons inhabiting them."

Zavimatt rolled his eyes, "It's a buncha superstitious bullshit is what it is. There ain't no such thing as demons." He finished draining his cup of tea and set it down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Don't be so sure boy. There have been some pretty strange and dark things happening. Dead rising, men acting funny, and disappearances."

Zav gave Roger a funny look, " Disappearances? What do ya mean?"

Roger looked uneasy as he set his own cup down on the table and looked the younger man in the eye, " Mostly women and children. They seem to just vanish at night sometimes without so much as a trace. And some folks say they can hear some strange noises coming from the water. People are saying it's the work of demons."

"More than likely it's the work of a psychopath." Zavimaat scoffed. Demons. How dumb!

Eve digested the stories. She herself, was not much of a believer on things. She saw the world as it was, and whatever hope had ever gathered within her was a frail strain indeed. She hadn't touched most of her tea, however, knowing full well the consequences of their actions if they tried to run away. But it seemed their only solution.

Though at the mention of waters..s he thought back to their time in the well, and the horror they had faced. It had been a terrible time, and she peered over at Zavimaat, pouting, but said nothing. She knew she'd go where ever he'd lead, for she had no real direction or will in life. Except to keep moving, and even then she had no real idea where to go. She was on her own, except for him, and would cling to him for all it was worth, for she had nothing else in life to hang onto.

Roger looked over at Zavimaat and smiled.
"So I guess you're keen on the idea? Shall I contact my friend? I think it would be wise for the pair of you to be going soon. Here.. it is not safe."

Zav nodded eagerly and collapsed back into his chair, "Hell yeah on all accounts. "

"Alright. He's probably sleeping right now, but I'll have a word with him first thing tomorrow morning."

Zav closed his eyes, comfortable and ready for a good long snooze. "Thank, pops. Yer a lifesaver."

If anything else had been said after that, Zav didn't catch it. He'd already fallen asleep.

~

He heard voices in the dark, whispering to him. Promises of murder and defilement. The voices grew progressively louder, becoming a chant and more and more violent and sadistic as it went.

He could hear a girl crying in the background.

There's nothing you can do, weakling.

His dream was filled with disturbing images which ended with a tree  committing unspeakable acts upon Eve.

Zavimaat woke up screaming.

It took him a few moments to realize where he was. He wasn't in the bowels of town. He wasn't chained and bleeding. There were no creepy cult people lurking around in the dark. He sat in the chair he'd been in when he'd drifted off before , staring ahead at the low burning hearth in Roger's living room. Zavimaat clapped a hand over his face.

Roger came stumbling into the living room dressed in nothing but his robe which was hastily tied closed to give him just enough modesty, "Boy! What's wrong?"

"Nothin', " Zav uncovered his face and looked over at the old man, "Sorry. I just had a  uh....scary dream. That's all. I'm fine."

Roger eyed the lad critically, looking uncertain. "You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. Geeze, pops. People got dreams, ya know?"

Roger frowned , but nodded, "Well don't do that again! Your hollerin' nearly made me jump out of my skin!" And with that, the old man shuffled off back to bed.

Zavimaat waited until the man's back was turned before he covered his face again with his hands.

Another door elsewhere in the house creaked open and Eve had crept out of her room. At the edge of the staircase, she peered curiously around the bend, noting Zavimaat laying by himself, a hand over his face as she frowned worriedly over towards him, but said nothing and did not approach.

OOC: Short Eve posts are short 8D
SORRY D:
She all be stalker like and WATCHING HIM
maybe Lou could be doing the same? loool

ooc: And now , my short post. xD I've done enough long-winded stuff. FOR NOW.

ic:

Hearing the creaking of a door, Zavimaat sat upright and uncovered his face after sighing into his hands. He turned his head to glance over his shoulder, "Pops, I toldja I was fi-"

It wasn't the old man. Zavimaat's face flushed, "Oh. Er. Eve. Did I wake ya up? Sorry. I was er..." He didn't want to admit to what he was feeling , to the dreams or his fear. He was supposed to be the strong one. "Sorry. I jus'...it won't happen again. " He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Eve continued to stare out from the hallway. She still felt and looked timid, one had curled against the wall. She seemed to be pouting, looking back at Zavimaat as if she had done something wrong. But when he asked if he had waken her up, her eyes went to the floor, just staring at the wooden boards. Though when he mentioned he wouldn't do it again,s he peered over at him again, bust still remained quiet, too hesitant to come out from the hall. The house was dark and cast in long shadows. What if something terrifying had awoken him. She did not want to step inside a room where there might be some sort of an animal.. or ghost.
ANd her green eye searched hesitantly around as she tucked back some of her long red hair from her face.

Zav felt uncomfortable. Why was she staring at him like that? Why wouldn't she say something? He frowned slightly, "What's wrong? " He didn't think he'd said anything wrong. Was it his tone? Did he sound mad? Cranky? What!?

"It's okay, Eve. Really. I just ...ugh." He sighed, "Forget it. Just go- no argh. I had one of them uh...nightmares okay? " He explained,flustered but then he turned all the way around in his seat to look at her, "But I AIN'T 'fraid of nothin' , okay? I made that sound because uh...well, to scare the monster in my dream. Yeah. Hah. Bastard ran off, cryin' like a baby. " He lied , rather proud of how not scared he sounded.

Eve stared at him as he spoke, still uncertain if she ought to move from where she stood. At his mention of a dream, she flinched back. Sometimes, nightmares could be worse than the waking world. She understood why he would have been afraid. But at least it was just a dream. Even still, she hesitated from where she stood. She didn't want to go back to bed. The scream had put her on edge, but then something caught her eye in the window, and her eyes widened in fear. For there, looming in the darkness, was the gnarled head of menacing bird.

Zavimaat turned his head in the direction that her eyes went and...

he fell back, rolled over his chair and tumbled away, flopping unceremoniously onto the floor with a, "Gah!"

The sight of Lou was almost more terrifying than his nightmares. Almost. He leapt up to his feet then and shook his fist at the turkey glaring at him evilly through the window, "Stupid chicken! " He fumed. "Yer lucky I ain't stayin' fer the holidays or I'd have pops roastin' ya on a spit! Feathered fuck!"

Lou narrowed his eyes dangerously at Zavimaat through the glass and Zav, for all his bravado, took a step back nervously as though he might have been afraid that the bird would somehow break through and peck him to death.

He shook his head and went over to Eve. "Maybe I was wrong? You can't sleep either?" Though it was kind of selfish to hope that he wasn't alone in that. "I couldn't blame ya if ya did. " He didn't need to tell her why. "Ya can sit with me if ya want. I mean, y'know. Til ya can sleep. If them monsters in yer head try tah come out, they'll probably sense me and chicken out . Heh." He stopped walking and stood before her now. "C'mon. Say somethin'? All that starin' and silent treatment is kinda startin' t' givin' me the creeps."

Eve looked up at Zavimaat when he approached. At his questions, she hesitated, but slowly nodded her head, moving to stand next to him and slowly wrapped her arms around his, leaning in close. She was startled by the turkey as much as he was, but one look away then glance back, and the turkey was gone. She peered back up at Zavimaat.
"Yes." She hesitated, the added in a soft tongue. "I was having trouble sleeping." And she cast her eyes back down to the ground.

Zav too saw that the turkey was gone and snorted, "Huh. Good riddance!"

He felt a little anxious when Eve drew near to him and touched his arm. He told himself to ignore that anxiety, but he felt a strong temptation to...

He was leaning forward a little to close to her as though he'd been about to...

Hell! He didn't know! He pulled back, looking confused for a moment and then he pulled her into fierce hug. "None of it woulda happened if I wasn't such a fuckin' weakling. I talk big, but them big words nothin'. Shit! Ain't like I don't try , but none of it was good 'nuff. I jus' wanted to keep ya from all the bad shit and I fucked up big time. I'm sorry..." He sounded choked up. But he wasn't crying. There might have just been a little water in his eyes because they were kinda itchy. Yeah. He had allergies, you know? Allergic to that fucking chicken.

Stupid chicken!

Eve stiffened the moment she was drawn into his embrace. She hadn't expected it, but felt her own eyes prickle with tears at the sound of his words, at the sound of his voice. Why was he apologizing? Wasn't this...

"N-no.." she said, her voice coming out weakly beside him. "It was my fault." and she felt hot tears slipping out from her eyes. "Those people... they were after me." And it wasn't hi fault he found himself caught up into her mess. "If you hadn't have found me int he ocean... you would have been safe from everything."

It was her fault. It was always her fault. It had always been that way, and it always will.

ooc: AHAHAH two crybabies!

ic:

Listening to her say that, blaming herself ...it pissed him off. So much. And then he had to laugh at himself for his own hypocrisy. "Fuck me. Will ya lissen' t' me all blubberin' like a pathetic slob? Huh..." He hugged the girl tighter. " Ah man, it really burns t' hear ya say that. Ya lissen t' me. Ya got nothin' t' be blamed for. It just is what it is. Only ones done wrong are them weirdoes that are harassin' ya. Ain't yer fault they're all fucked up in the head anymore than it's my fault that I ain't knowin' how t' beat somethin' that I ain't sure how t' beat. But, it don't matter now."

He pulled back and held her out so he could look at her better. "Me an' you is a good team, yea? We work shit out fair nuff. We uh...survive. That's gotta count for somethin'. I was jus' thinkin'....y'know. Jus' wishin' I was better at this stuff...I ain't meanin' t' make ya feel rotten. Guess the day's just made me all uh...like...my nerves are all wound up and shit. Makes me act funny. That's why I was eager t' leave. I jus' wanna get away from this shit. I hate t' leave pops , but we can't stay here. There ain't no knowin' how much worse it could get and the old codger don't deserve it. He's been real good , ya know? Was thinkin' maybe if I took ya home with me, we might be able to lose these guys."

Surely, they couldn't be tracked across the ocean THAT easily.

Right?

Roger woke up with the sunrise, while Eve barely slept. She had nestled in beside Zavimaat, being too scared to return to her own bed, so when Roger had come in and was making tea, toast and eggs, she awoke to the smells. Though she didn't move for a time from where she was perched beside Zavimaat, for it was warm, safe and comfortable, but found herself nestling in even closer, somehow comforted by his loud snores.  Though Roger knew better than to wake him up.. at least not yet. They'd have to leave soon, especially if they were trying to out run those thugs from earlier.

Noticing Eve was awake, he crept over beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you want to come help me with the bacon?" he said, noticing the look in her eyes. Eve only stared back, then sat up, staring over at Zavimaat for a time before moving into the kitchen and helping him with the bacon. And it smelled heavenly. Hopefully it was enough to wake the dead...
or in this case, Zavimaat.

Though Roger tapped his shoe against Zavimaat's foot.
"Hey, it's time to get up." he whispered. "You need to eat. You've got a long journey ahead. You'll want to be out of town before the vendor's int he market arrive."

And once they had all eaten, they were well on their way, back inside the same cart as before as it rolled down the road. Eve kept close, becoming lulled by the sway of the wagon after a time, and when she woke up, she was near the ocean again. The smell of salt was clear in the air, and the day was hot, and the wagon was beginning to slow.
"See those cliffs over there?" Roger told Zavimaat. "My friend Nanick lives up on the slopes and does his fishing in port. He takes a vessel out from time to time. I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking the pair of you on one of his charters. Though we'll have to see where he is. Hopefully we didn't miss him. Come on." And he parked the wagon and gestured for the pair of them to follow him as he made his way towards the shore.

Eve had only begun to awaken, and stretched once she planted her feet upon the floor. Staring out at the world around them, she remained silent and studied the deep blueness of the sky. It was really pretty here. Though her thoughts were cut off when she noticed Roger walking away, then peered up shyly at Zavimaat to see if he were to follow. As always, she would follow his lead.

Of COURSE he woke for breakfast! The smell of bacon woke him up immediately and he eagerly wolfed down his food while staring out the window into the malicious , beady eyes of a certain feathered fiend.

And with his morning meal concluded, they were off! On the most BORING wagon ride imaginable. Zav sat next to Eve- well, more like was crammed into that tiny, uncomfortable little wagon with her. There was hardly room for the both of them and so they had little choice but to be smooshed up against one another like little tightly packed sardines. Zav didn't mind it except for the fact that his legs cramped up and he kept nodding off only to be jolted awake each time the cart rolled over a dip in the road.

Hours went by and when the cart finally rolled to a stop, he was only too happy to climb out and stretch his limbs which had gone numb.

He looked up the cliffs , however , with a sense of dread. "Aw...you mean we gotta climb that? Can't we just send up a smoke signal? "

Talk about lazy.

Roger chuckled and shook his head,"Don't be absurd. We're not going to climb up that." He pointed to a cliff that was even HIGHER than the one Zav indicated to.

Zavimaat groaned in protest...

All the way on the trip up.

And when they reached the top and approached the little cottage, Roger knocked on the door. Once. Twice. Several more times for minutes before he turned and shrugged at Zav and Eve. " I guess he's not home. "

"Well, that's just great..." Zavimaat growled.

And then, from across the way on the original cliff Zav had pointed to they saw a shape of a man waving at them and heard a voice carry across the gap that separated them. "HEY THERE, ROGER!"

Roger waved back and called out  , "NANICK! HELLO!" He turned to Zav and Eve, "Let's go meet him over there."

Zavimaat stared at the old man  as though he were insane, "You have got to be fucking kidding me."

ooc: lulz

"Come on, there's a bridge over this way. It'll take us to the other side," Roger urged, reassuring the pair and speaking as if the bridge were nothing. But when they approached, the bridge looked flimsy at best. It was obvious only one person could cross it, and it was constructed of worn ropes and wooden planks. And definitely wood that could give you splinters. Roger was already a few feet across when he tunre dback to the pair and waved, "Are you coming?"

Eve stood at the edge, staring down at the chasm and the length of the bridge, which seemed endless. She leaned in a bit closer to Zavimaat, too fearful to take the first step.

"A bridge ? Up? Here?"

He didn't like the sound of that.

Roger led the way and as they paused before it and the old man gestured for him to take the first step, Zav took one look at the rickety roped bridge and then let his eyes fall down to the gap...hundreds , maybe thousands of feet below...

He could barely make out the ground. Was there water down there? Alligators? Sharks? Aquatic spiders?

One thing was for sure. That bridge did NOT look sturdy . It would probably break the moment he took one step on it and then...SPLAT. He'd be a human pancake.

Nervously, the man took a step back.

"Fuck. That. SHIT."

Roger stared at the pair of them from where he stood, and realized their hesitation and smirked.
"The two of you aren't afraid of heights now are you?" and his voice echoed across the chasm. With a shake of his head he waved it off. "You both stay there then, I'll go tell Nanick what's up. Just don't get into any more trouble while I'm gone!" and he turned to move to the other side.

Eve slipped closer to Zavimaat, her hand having become threaded with his as she held onto it tight. She was relieved the pair of them wouldn't have to go across. If they had to.. she might faint, or worse... fall.

The expression on Zav's face wrinkled with indignation , "Afraid!? The hell I am! " He fumed. "I'm just not dumb enough to cross a STUPID bridge that's- that looks like it's 'bout t' fall apart , you crazy old bastard!" Zavimaat shouted after Roger, positively fuming.

Afraid? AFRAID!? He wasn't afraid of ANYTHING!

He looked at Eve. "Well, I ain't!" He asserted , blushing slightly. He couldn't act chicken in front of a GIRL! "I just ain't dumb. And you ain't either. We're the smart ones."

"Sure you are,ehehehe!" Roger called back, teasing.

"ARGH! THAT DOES IT ! I'll show YOU!" He started for the bridge and took his first few steps forward...but hesitated. "I ain't no chicken. Stupid old man... " He grumbled and proceeded to cross the bridge, very very slowly and cautiously. It was a wonder when he'd actually be finished crossing. How long was it taking him? Two minutes? Three? Five?

And he was halfway across when the wind picked up and caused the bridge to sway slightly. "AW SHIT! IT'S GONNA FALL!" Zavimaat clung to ropes suspending the thing.  He clung to it , too afraid to move.

ooc: lool

Eve had remained back when Zavimaat decided to brave forth on the rope bridge. ANd as he moved along (at a snail's pace) she couldn't help but wring her hands, feeling them clenched together, knuckles going white when the wind caught the bridge and took it for a swing. Roger had nearly passed to the other side when he turned around and shook his head.
"It's a rope bridge. They swing all the time!" he shouted over to him. "You'll be fine. Come on over if you want! But someone might want to stay on the other side to keep Miss Eve company!"

Zavimaat gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, "Yeah? Well, whoever's bright idea it was to make 'em like THIS outta be drug out into the street t' have the shit kicked outta 'em!"

Who the hell made such dangerous shit? This bridge was SHIT . What was the point if it was going to swing around so precariously? It was as if the inventor of the rope bridge WANTED people to fall to their doom. What a sick bastard...

"Might as well throw my fuckin' body off the damned cliff and get it over with...aw fuck." He tilted his head back, staring upwards. "Jus' don't look down...and walk straight like. An' it'll be over soon..."

He tried that. Took three steps and turned right back around. "Fuck it!"

Heeding Roger's words, Zavimaat made his way back to Eve. He took even longer than the initial crossing to reach her and when he was finally there, he seemed to feel more confident again, "Don't worry, Eve. I'll keep ya safe."

Eve was relieved when Zavimaat had turned around and came back to her. And once he was nearby, she clung to his side, peering timidly over his shoulder to the other side of the chasm to where Roger now was. He waved and Eve blinked.

"I shouldn't be gone long!" he called over to them, then began making his wait to meet up with Nanick.
Eve pressed in a little bit closer to Zavimaat, able to hear the frantic beating from his panicked heart. It soothed her to know he was close by. Someone there to protect her...

She never had that before.

"Thank you," she spoke, in barely a whisper.

"Just so we're clear 'bout this, " Zavimaat said after she thanked him, "I wasn't scared. I just...thought it would be kinda messed up t' leave ya behind, y'know. I was uh...all bent over cause of them guilt pains."

So much BS, but he thought he was the clever one.

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, grinning down at her. "'Sides. I like stayin' with ya better. Er...not that I mean anything weird by that. I jus' , y'know. If ya ever been in a room with two old farts - man, they take forever. Talkin' 'bout ...stuff that old people talk about. Puts me t' sleep..." He looked into her eyes, " Er ...I jus' been thinkin' of somethin'. " He looked a little uncomfortable, "Yer not mad at me or nothin' , are ya? " He blushed, "I never asked ya if ya wanted t' go wit me ...to my home. I jus' kinda assumed it'd be okay...cause yer so...quiet. An' it ain't too uh...polite of me not t' let ya have yer say or nothin'. So erm...? Are ya okay with that? I mean...cause if yer not wantin' t' go , I s'ppose I could find somewhere else for you...t' be. I jus'.... my family's probably worried. I was s'pposed t' be back a week ago and then I met ya..."

He shook his head and looked down, " I ain't blamin' ya fer none of it though. Shit happens. But, well, see...I gotta let 'em know I'm okay at least. Gotta make some arrangements."

Eve stared at him for the longest time, listening to his story as it carefully registered what he meant. It was odd to think.. he had a family. One that cared. She felt guilty over it and cast her eyes down to the dirt. She never hd a family that cared. Not really. Just her father who worked her to the bone and made her sleep on the dirt floored basement, even when it would flood in the rain.

Thinking back over his questions, she shook her head.
"No, I don't mind going." Then she paused. "I have no where else to go."

ooc: Would have been funny were she the type to blurt out , "YOU have a FAMILY?" Haha...yeah. With manners like his, it's a wonder!

ic:

"Right," Zavimaat felt a little stupid now. How could he so easily forget that she was alone? "Well, you do now. I mean, I think you'll probably like it there. My aunt and cousin are good people. My mother...will probably be too drunk to even realize we're there."

If they were lucky.

Worst case scenario? She'd start screaming at him again for leaving her and being worthless like the father he didn't even know. Stupid bitch.

"You can all uh...do girl stuff." Whatever that entailed. "Er...I dunno. Plant flowers and cook. " He tried to imagine Eve doing that and wasn't sure why that image struck him as werid. He'd never seen her do much of, well, anything. She had professed she didn't know how to do very much before.

"And me an' you can go fishin'. Ya can help me out , I guess. Can always use some help with debonin' and skinnin' fer the eatin' an' stuff. "

Didn't that sound appealing?

Well, it did to him. "Me and my gramps used t' spend all day jus' out on the water fishin'...but I ain't too sure if that'd be yer kinda thing. Heh. Took some girls out on the water. Wasn't much they were interested in short of..er. Well, nevermind. " Talking about his escapades with girls would probably make Eve uncomfortable or ...it'd go right over her head.

"Maybe we'll get back in time fer the cherry dragon festival. It's really neat. The Emperor throws this big celebration on the final eve of the third month of every year, yeah. It's huge! Everyone can go fer free and there's lots of food and drink. And music ....er dancin' and all kinds of stuff. Then they light the sky with fireworks at night. Really cool. Ya would probably like it. Unless ya hate cherries. " He frowned. "Cause most all them foods they serve got cherries in it. "

ooc: Meant to make this longer but OH WELL. 

Eve lifted her head up, taking in carefully all that he said. It was hard to imagine such a life. He had so much family. The most she had ever known that had been kind to her.. were Zavimaat.
And Roger.
She stared down at her feet, the boots she was wearing, awkward, but manageable. She had never owned shoes. Nor any real clothing except her tattered worn dress. She smoothed a hand down the skirts she now wore, then rubbed at one eye before peering up at Zavimaat again. A cherry dragon festival? She wasn't sure what to expect at a place, but it certainly sounded interesting. Tucking back some of her hair, she peered away from him, keeping an eye on Roger, who seemed to still be preoccupied with Nanick. So idly, she remained at Zavimaat's side, still silent, and still near.

She said nothing, as usual. Zav crossed his arms and frowned. He went quiet until Roger returned with Nanick accompanying him.  "Yo, pops! Took ya long 'nuff. Thought I was gonna have t' come over there myself and drag ya back."

Because he totally wasn't afraid to cross that bridge. He'd only gone back for Eve. She was the scared one, after all. Needed comforting.

Roger grinned and gestured to the shorter and even older gentleman standing beside him, "Zavimaat, Miss Eve, this is my old buddy , Nanick. " He introduced them.

Nanick held out a bony arm, leathery old hand offered in greeting, " 'Ello, young 'uns . Pleasure t' meetcha."

Zav took the man's hand and shook it firmly, "Thanks for agreeing to help us."

Nanick shrugged, "Think nothin' of it , kiddo.  " He stared at Eve for a long moment and whistled. "Well, shave my whiskers and call me guppy! You're right , Roger. She DOES look a lot like your granddaughter. " 

Roger nodded, but said nothing.

Nanick chuckled and slapped Eve on the back so hard (or as hard as a scrawny old codger could) that it might have given the poor girl a fright and laughed, "Well, no time like the present! C'mon, kids! Let's get down to the water and  I'll show ya my baby. "

~

"Ta daah!" Nanick gestured proudly to his ship proudly, "Isn't she a beauty?"

Zavimaat nodded, "I'll say. She's twice the size of mine and those sails...she's gorgeous. What'd ya name her?"

"I call her The Cold Turkey!" The old man declared.

Zavimaat stared at Nanick as though he'd lost his marbles. All of them.  "I seriously hope that was a joke. A really bad one."

Nanick looked hurt, "What's wrong with the name? I named the ship after –"

"Let me guess. Lou? " Zav asked flatly.

Nanick laughed, "How'd you know? "

Zavimaat face palmed.


ooc:

Decent ship names elude me. Suffer the lameness!

Eve stared up at the ship. It was constructed of very fine wood, and to go along with it's name, it had a bowspirit carved into the neck of a bird, and a face of one, too, one that looked cleverly similar to Lou, the infamous turky that prowled Roger's home. Even a few wing like shaeps had been added to the side to give the extra illusion, the only thing missing was the tail.

"Yeah, and she lost her tail in that storm we had a while past." he gave a whistle. "It sure was something, nearly capsized my boat!"

The last bad storm happened to be the one Eve had fallen prey to.. one that changed the events of her life; the course, which seh was finding, was for the better, but now she was in a world she still did not comprehend, but was thankful to have found a friend out of it as she pressed near to Zavimaat, gripping onto his hand a little tighter while giving the ship a timid once over with her eyes.

"So.. you both ready for our journey? We can leave in the morning, at first light. I just have a few errands to run before hand."

Eve stared up curiously at Zavimaat through a curtain of her red hair that had fallen over her left eye.

Zavimaat looked over at Eve, "Well, that's reassuring. "

Nanick shrugged, " I hear you're quite a sailor yourself, son. Y'know how the weather works! But don't ya worry, we'll be fine. This old bird's been through a lot! Anyway, I'm gonna get goin'. Meet me back here in a couple hours,  "

Zavimaat felt Eve draw closer and grip his hand tighter around his. He gave her hand a light squeeze and then nodded ,replying, "Heh. Alright. Sounds good t' me. "

And with that, Nanick left the trio standing before the MAGNIFICENCE that was The Cold Turkey.

Zav was honestly just glad to be on the ground. Not high above the water. He turned to Eve and Roger, " So, I guess this it. Er...I ain't too good with goodbyes so uh...I jus' wanna say thanks again , pops. Take care of yerself and kill that stupid chicken. "

"Turkey. " Roger corrected.

"Whatever. It's a giant chicken. "

Roger wasn't about to try to explain. He chuckled and walked back to his wagon. "It's been a pleasure, Zavimaat, Miss Eve. You both take good care of each other and you'll be fine." He grabbed the reigns and with a "Get! , the two mules pulling the cart trotted forward and carried the old man away down the road and back where he'd come from.

Zavimaat watched him go until he was well out of sight. "There he goes. " He looked back down at Eve, "Guess now we wait, huh?"   

"The two of you can help me prepare for the journey. I hadn't expected to leave on this shipping mission so early, so if you two wouldn't mind.. I could use the extra pair of hands," Nanick said with a chuckle.
Eve pressed closer against Zavimaat's side, her eyes still upon 'The Turkey' before she peered once again, back up at him, then timidly to Nanick.
"So the pair of you hungry at all? I bet the journey must have you both starving. Come, follow me, my house is just over the way."

And he began to lead them onwards, to his little place, which was more like a shack than anything else, positioned against a few flimsy looking barns, wood since turned grey and warped, due to the winds whipping off of the ocean.

"So how long have the two of you been sweet on one another?" Nanick asked, as he began to broil a pot of water, for stew. His shack was only one room- so there was just a make shift couch, a bed, a place for a fire, and a place to cook. And it was cluttered as hell, and a trio of small crabs when scurrying past as Eve stepped into the room, and startled by the little claw handedt hings, found herself gasping and clinging onto Zavimaat's side.

"Relax, Eve! It's just a crab," Zavimaat laughed until the crab scuttled over to him and clamped it's claw down on his boot, pinching his toe. "Yeowch! Why you-!" Zavimaat lifted his leg and tried shaking the ornery crustacean free but it held on for dear life and narrowed it's beady little dark eyes at him angrily.

"C'mon! Get off or I'm tossin' ya in that there boilin' pot ya dumb crab!"

Just like that, the crab released hold of Zav's foot and glared at him one last time before scuttling off sideways to rejoin its two friends.

He looked up at Nanick's question and made a funny face, wrinkling his nose, " Why does everyone we meet gotta assume me an' her is a couple? We're jus' friends. Men and women can be friends , ya know?"

He looked around for a place to sit and found the makeshift couch that didn't feel all that comfortable when he sat on it. He looked over at Eve and, "Have a seat. " He patted the spot next to him . There was just enough room for her.

Eve grew more uneasy when the crab actually attacked, and it wasn't until the trio of crabs had actually disappeared from sight did she finally brave sitting beside Zavimaat. ANd with a curious glance, her green eyes began to take the rest of the place in. It was definitely small, and smelled of the sea; a much nicer place than what she was used to. Though her house had been larger, the basement she had been forced to dwell, was not.

Nanick chuckled at Zavimaat's words.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Just the way she clings to you.. and beg my pardon on that one, little one," he said, looking to Eve, who blinked and looked up at him, uncertain what he was going on with to begin with, though she somewhat got the gist and her eyes averted down to her bare toes. "It just makes me think of the other sweet hearts in this fishing town." And he gave a laugh and went back to cooking the meal.

Zavimaat's face burned a dark shade of scarlet, " Well, no...I guess not. " Eve was a sweet girl and attractive and he'd probably be all over her like a drooling idiot if it weren't for her fragile personality. And he didn't feel comfortable explaining this. He wasn't sure if other guys thought that way. Most didn't seem to care. They'd try to tap any hot pair of tits. But anytime Zav entertained any sort of perverted thoughts, he'd look at the girl and see how scared she was of everything and think twice. He didn't want to scare the poor girl even more and make her cry. She trusted him and that was important to him.

Zav shook his head and scratched behind his ear, "Oh. Well, she's jus' shy and don't know anybody, I guess. Well, other than me." He glanced over his shoulder at Eve, frowning a bit, " I guess ya could say we've been through a couple of rough times. Ya know, met some weirdoes who uh...tried to rob us and stuff." He wasn't going to blurt his crazy adventures to every soul they encountered.

" An' I look out for her some since she uh...really ain't got nowhere to go. Dunno what them couples act like, but I'm jus' tryin' t' be a nice guy. I mean, if I don't do it, who knows? Some creep mighta found her and I hate t' think how that woulda been like. " His eyes wandered over toward the wall, where he spied a few pictures of Roger , Nanick and...turkies. Lots of them.

"So, what are ya haulin' ,pops? Er, I mean, what kinda shipment are ya transportin'? Giant chicken meat? "He laughed at his own...was that a joke? It wasn't very funny, but Zavimaat sure did think so.

Nanick gave a large smile.
"That'd admirable of you. So you two have been friends ever since?" he looked to Eve, smiling at her, and Eve only slightly shrunk back beneath his gaze.
"Well, she's lucky to have you, adn I'm sure she tells you that everyday."
But then he cleared his throat, smiling at Zavimaat's inquiry about the cargo.

"Ah, we're taking crate of Turkies to the western islands. They sell at a good profit there. Roger used to own a farm, but an old lady he's sweet on out this way had bought them from him, well, all but old Lou." And he grinned. "Though she has her own turkey thorns, that's for sure. YOu want to meet them? They're an interesting bunch, they are. Though I suppose you'll get pretty acquainted wiht the ones we're taking as cargo!"

And he LAUGHED.. and laughed.

"Turkies?"

Was he...

fucking serious!?

Zavimaat stared at the old man incredulously, "Oh, hah hah. Real funny, pops. No, seriously. What are ya haulin'?"

Nanick just laughed even louder.

Zavimaat turned to Eve, "You don't think he means that either, right?"

Then he turned back to Nanick, "It's not THAT funny! "

Despite Zavimaat's protests that it wasn't funny, Nanick was still chuckling.
"No, really, I am being serious. And the chickens are quite docile. They're nothing like Lou ever was, except maybe the Queen Turkey herself, but even she is quite tame." Nanick's smile grew and he gestured over towards the back door. "You sure you don't want to meet them first? I mean.. they will be traveling with us and all..."

Zavimaat wasn't convinced and he elevated a brow at the name, "Queen Turkey? What kind of name is that?" He looked at Nanick, then Eve and then back to Nanick.

He sighed and threw up his hands dramatically in defeat , "Fine. I guess we don't got much choice. Gonna have to see 'em sooner or later."

Nanick seemed pleased by his answer. He grinned, "Alright. Follow me, kids!" The old man gestured for them to follow him out of the shack and around back to a fenced area where the turkeys were being held.

Zavimaat's jaw hung open as he stood there ,counting all the feathered fiends. "What does this broad need with fifteen chickens!?"

"Turkeys..."Nanick corrected , amused.

Zav waved a hand, "Bah! Potato , tomato!"

".... anyways, "Nanick cleared his throat and pointed to each and every turkey as he called them by name, "Okay so starting from the left there we got Big Red, Skinny Jo , Earl, Billy-Boy, Billy-Jeane, Miss Margret, Pecker, Sir Gobble-Gobble, Gobble Jr., Carl, Nancy, Feather,Angel, Charlie, and Queen Turkey. "

....

....

....

Zavimaat snorted, "Haw, haw! Dumbest names I've ever heard!"

One of the turkies seemed to comprehend that its name had just been insulted and it ran up to the fence, puffed up gobbling its rage at the man. Zavimaat jumped back. "Gah! Damn crazy chicken! "

"No, Queen Turkey! Git! Shoo! Down!" Nanick swept the wide-brimmed straw hat off his bald head and swatted it at the enraged turkey. "That ain't nice what you said there, boy. I think you got her plenty steamed."

Zavimaat looked at Eve and then back at Nanick, "Do we really have to take those with us? "

"Fraid so, boy. I made a promise, y'know."

Well , shit.   

Eve had taken in the turkeys with wonder. It was a wonder to see so many of those peculiar birds all in one place, let alone locked up in a cage ready for transport. And the way they were all gobbling together, they almost seemed docile and harmless. Though even Eve knew better, so when the names were called out, a faint smile might have appeared upon her lips, though whatever smile was there was quickly replaced with a gasp when the Queen herself appeared and thrust her pecking beak towards the edge of the cage.

Now standing at Zavimaat's side, she clung onto his arm and half buried her face against him. She couldn't help it. Though Eve was afraid of everything, she was beginning to acquire a fear of turkeys.

He totally wasn't scared. He was just , you know, hugging Eve tightly to him to comfort HER and stuff! Yeah. And it wasn't his intent , but he could feel the softness of her body pressed up against his and there was no denying that he kind of liked it. Naturally , like the typically naughty adolescent male that he was, he entertained a perverted fantasy or two that shall not be repeated here even though this thread is rated M for Mature! Such things can be left up to the reader's interpretation.

Pervert moment concluded, Zav patted Eve on the back (though he was awfully tempted to 'accidentally' let his hand slip down and pat ...something else!) "Hey, it's okay, Eve. They ain't gonna getcha," he nodded to the pen, "them barbed wires'll keep th' feathered fuckers away."

Nanick smirked at Zavimaat before disappearing into his shack again.

"C'mon, " Zav told Eve gently and followed the old man.

The men talked while Nanick finished making dinner. The conversation was, predictably, about the turkeys. The vegetable and shrimp stew was ready and served nearly fifteen to twenty minutes later. Zav made a pig of himself. He had more than one bowl and broth dribbled down his chin and throat. When he noticed Eve looking at him he scowled, "What ? I uh...s'good stuff, ya know?"

They finished dinner and Eve was left to wash the dishes while the men loaded the cargo (namely , the turkeys onto the ship). It took about an hour or two to get everything packed up and the ship itself prepared to sail.Eve was done long before them and though she might have offered to help, Zav wouldn't let her. He didn't say it, of course, but he didn't want her to have to work. After all the shit she'd been through, she deserved a nice long vacation.

Task complete, Nanick left the pair on the main deck towards the front of the ship. Zavimaat was going to follow, but hung back for a moment to have a word with Eve, "You sure ya wanna do this? I mean, I been callin' all the shots so far and ya ain't really said much. I jus' don't wanna make all yer choices fer ya an' ya think that's what ya gotta be doin', y'know?" He looked down at her, searching her expression for signs of what she might have been thinking or feeling. "Me an ' you is pals , yeah? Ain't no secrets- w-woah!"

They felt the ship violently shudder beneath them. Accompanying that was the loud roar of something unatural. An engine, perhaps. Zav nearly lost his balance and stumbled into Eve, "What the HELL was THAT!?"

And then they heard a loud hissing, a deafening sound of air being released (ooc: no, not a fart...lol)and Zav looked up as an enormous shadow fell over them. Something slowly rose above The Cold Turkey , floating up high into the sky and expanding. "The HELL is THAT?!"He pointed up, trying his best not to sound like he was freaking out. Unfortunately, he was.

It was a ... balloon. And this was no ordinary ship.

Zavimaat left Eve's side and ran over to the guard railing to peer down, "Shit! We're not touchin' the water!? We're...."

The ship was hovering about three feet clear of the waves and ever-so-slowly lifting higher with each second!

"It's floatin' in the air? It's FUCKIN' floatin'!? What kind of ship is this!?" NOW he was freaking out.

Oh god...it was one of those damned flying type air ships, wasn't it!? WASN'T IT!? "Get back in the water, bitch!" Zavimaat snarled over the railing, watching the water become ever more further away from them with wide eyes. " Damn it!"

He was pissed now! How DARE that stupid old man trick him into thinking that this was going to be a NORMAL trip! Well , he was gonna have some WORDS with that sneaky bastard as soon as...

as soon as....

He clutched onto the railing and found that he didn't feel comfortable with letting go. If he let go, he might fall. And ....he really needed to stop looking down as the ship lifted higher and higher into the sky. A couple hundred feet up and he was starting to feel queasy.

"Why does it have to fly?" He groaned.

I fucking HATE heights!

Nanick studied Zavimaat, a light bit of mirth sparkling with his eyes as he chuckled and approached the pair.
"Didn't Roger tell ya?" and he gestured towards the floating balloon above them. "This is a dirigible. A flying ship." And he shrugged nad looked over at Eve, who was staring up at the massive balloon in wonder. "This town is famous for it. Fishing and flying ships!"

Though she didn't seem nearly as terrified as Zavimaat, she too, after a time, found herself clutching onto Zavimaat's side a lot tighter than usual as she peered over the side, her eyes going wide a the world below them grew smaller and smaller as they went up, up and away!


"Flying is the only way to go!" Nanick informed the pair of them as he slapped Zavimaat friendly-ish upon the shoulder. "You'll see we'll get to our destination in no time at all. Just enjoy the view in the mean time." And then as he passed the turkeys he gave a playful clucking of his tongue, and the entire entourage of turkeys seemed to respond back by doing the same clucking gobbles themselves.

Zav released hold of the guard railing and , on wobbly legs, he hurried over towards the center of the main deck to cling to one of the masts. He shook his head, "No one told me shit! You said...you...sailed! What kinda fisherman has a fuckin' flyin' ship!?"

He shook his head, "Enjoy the view!? The hell I will! I'm stayin' right here!"

He closed his eyes , but it wasn't helping. The motion of feeling somewhat weightless was causing him to feel extremely nauseous. He opened an eye and looked at Eve. He'd felt her nearby, knew she was sticking close to him. His eye focused on her and he blushed furiously and turned his head away from her. He didn't want her to see him like this. "You okay? " He managed to ask her before a sudden wave of illness washed over his senses and he doubled over, feeling the urge to vomit. "Urk..."

"Hey! Don't puke on my deck!" Nanick exclaimed, alarmed (and possibly a little grossed out) . "Do it over the side, boy!"

Zavimaat wasn't so sure he could make it back over to the railing before that happened. "Ugh...I'm gonna lose my breakfast."

As Zavimaat was becoming green at the gills, the turkeys all continued to stare at him in wide eyed wonder. And Nanick frowned, "I don't need that sort of thing stinking up this ship. Please, if you're feeling ill..." THough he was hard pressed to force the issue as Eve's doe eyes peered his way. She was pouting and remaining stead fast at his side. He sighed through his nose.

"Fine, I'll go get a bucket."

"Fine! I'm goin'! I'm goin'!" Zavimaat snapped irritably, "But if I fall off , I'm comin' back t' fucking haunt you, pops!"  He stumbled slowly over towards the front of the ship , leaning over the guard railing near the bowsprit. "Urk...Eve, I don't think I'm gonna make it." And then he groaned and expelled vomit over the edge of the ship.

Lovely.

By the time Nannick came back with a bucket, it looked as if the poor kid had been on his third round of vomiting.
"Er.. they say pinching your nose helps sometime to get rid of the airsickness," the man suggested, then handed the bucket to Eve. "Here, since it seems the pair of you are glued at the hip, perhaps you ought to hold this for him for when he feel comfortable enough to get his 'sea legs'a nd come away from that rail."
Eve looked over at the bucket nad took it, and remained nearby to Zavimaat, evne as he was being ill. She seemed to be fairing alright, as noted by Nannick as his gaze scrutinized her.

"Seems your girl got some 'sea legs'," the man chuckled. "I'll be at hte wheel if the pair of you nee dme. We should be at the island before morning."

Eve watched as Nannick left, clutching ontot he bucket before she timidly turned back towards Zavimaat, and then.. finally, curiously peered over the side of the ship. Her green eyes went wide and she clutched onto the bucket, knuckles going white.

They were so far up in the air!

"Urk..." Green-faced, Zav lifted his head from his third round of puking , "r-really? Tha-that's ...th-the dumbest thing I ever..." He slapped a hand over his mouth, feeling the urge to vomit again. It didn't come, thank the Gods.

He narrowed his eyes at Nanick and his 'sea legs' talk, "I GOT a stomach for the SEA. But we're not on the fucking water, we're in the FUCKING SKY!" The irritated but very sickly Zav snarled as the man left to steer the ship.

Knowing not what else to do, the man tried pinching his nose. He felt another wave of illness hit him though and he vomited over the side of The Cold Turkey again.

When he was finished , he looked over at her, "What's the matter? ...is this your...first time flyin'?"

Eve's eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared down at the world below. Though terrified of the height, she was also fascinated by it. So was only drawn back to reality at his question. She blinked and peered over at him, simply nodded while she clutched onto the bucket before offering it over towards him timidly, incase he needed to use it.

Zav took the bucket and chuckled, " Thanks. " He didn't need it. Yet. He shook his head, " I wish I had your stomach for this...urk. " He slid down to his knees,still holding onto the railing ." Gods...wish we were there already. "

He looked up at Eve thoughtfully and then he appeared to look as though he might have been nervous or regretting something , "Shit. I never told you..." He half-laughed and shook his head, " My name ," he sighed, "my real name isn't...Zavimaat. That's a name I use when I...at my work. " He lowered his gaze , ashamed . He'd already told her what he did for a living and he was glad that she didn't judge him for it, "My name , my real name is Arashi . Arashi Hirota. I figure it's better that you learn that now from me instead of my aunt. You can't tell her about...what I do or call me Zavimaat anymore because...I don't want her to know. She wouldn't ....she wouldn't understand and it'd make her worry about me."   

He looked up at her again, " Okay? I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I...I just...everything was happening so fast before and crazy. It just slipped my mind. I'm sorry. Please, promise me you won't tell my aunt or my cousin.  "

Eve remained silent as always, taking in his words before eventually kneeling on the floor beside him. She never felt strong or brave, even now, as the winds fluttered through their hair in great salty gusts, they were so far off of the ground her stomach was doing flops. But she knew a friend when she saw one and she looked timidly into his eyes and simply nodded her head.
"Ok, Arashi."
The name sounded odd. To her, he would always be Zavimaat. And to her, she would never judge where he had been or done. He would always be the man that saved her. The man that was her only friend.

At her words and reached out for her hand, taking it in one of his and giving it a light squeeze. Offering her a weak smile he simply said, "Thank you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, "Do you think you could...help me up? Walk me  to the lower deck...so I ...can ...lie down? Maybe if I...sleep through the trip, I won't...feel so bad."

ooc: I'm thinking that maybe in the next post or two they could be closer to Kouhei and this is where they get attacked.  Zav will be sleeping in one of the spare cabin rooms in the lower deck but the attack will wake him.

I don't see a whole lot happening on this ship with him for now because he's not just going to get over his airsickness anymore than my multiple flights on an airplane did. lol....

Eve nodded and helped him below deck. It would be a long flight, at least by the way things were looking, but at least down here things felt calmer. There was no evidence of them being up against the clouds, or how far away they truly were from the ground beneath them. No, in here, it was all but silent, except for the noise of the heat to power the balloon and the air blowing aginst the ship as it sailed forward and onward.

Eve remained quiet and steadfast at his side for a long while. She thought back to Mr. Lockwood, the oddly-dressed woman with cat like features and a tail. She had been an awfully rude sort, short with them and still, she had their book. But hten it dawned on her, and she mvoed to their bag, and slowly opened it up with a gasp.

Somehow, maybe she had forgotten... but inside was her book. She drew out the leather bound book, gracing her fingers across the embellished image of a tree pressed into the leather before turning it around and holding it against herself nice and tight. It brought her a sense of peace, a sense of serenity, and was the only thing that connected her to the answers of what was going on. She still knew not what to make of herself, or these peculiar powers, or these dreams. Or the fact so many memories had been stolen from her.
What was the purpose of this book? And why had it awakened? ANd what would it mean for her and for this world? ANd it was then, as she was hugging it close, that she began to hear a drumming within her ears.. growing closer and closer and closer...

They reached the guest cabins below the main deck with little incident. Despite the occasional rock of turbulence, Zav would double over prepared to retch and Eve was kind enough to hold the bucket up for him just in case. Apparently, she didn't want his puke on her dress either!

He lay down in the rickety bed of the small guest room and rolled over on his side. Eve had placed the bucket on the floor beside the bed nearest to his head. Zav closed his eyes and tried to will himself to fall asleep, but that wouldn't come easily so he lay there staring at the wall.

"You still there?" He asked. His back was to her and he didn't feel like moving to see . "I...er. Jus' wanted t' say...thanks."

Silence.

"Y'know, it'd be nice if ya could say somethin' at least so I know yer there. " He rolled over and saw her sitting beside the bed on the floor with something cradled to her breasts- which he stared at for awhile. Only a shame she was still kind of young and they weren't fully developed. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and his eyes wandered to what she was holding.

"FUCK!" He did a backwards somersault out of bed , tangling himself up in his sheets and bringing them crashing to the floor with him.

"You still have IT!?" He hissed, leaping up to his feet with a wild expression on his face that said 'Oh my GODS we are SO FUCKED"

"Eve!  What the hell!? Did you steal that from Lockwood!? Oh...fuck! FUCK! Do you have any IDEA how PISSED off she's gonna be!? She's gonna come after us, y'know! Why'd ya go and do that?!"   

Ooc: lol

OOC: I have the most ridiculous picture inside my head of him somersaulting inside the sheets before falling out of bed.
*amused*
-----------

Eve sat up with a start, her eyes going wide as she looked over at the blubbering mess that was Zavimaat. She clutched onto the book, trembling at his words before she glanced down at it, squeezing it more tightly to herself before looking shamefully away. Part of her long red hair now lay across the leather surface, but it was too late to actually hide it. And she felt embarrassed as her cheeks flared with a heated blush.

ooc: Don't lol. xD Sadly, I HAVE done this before. >>;

ic: Zav went over to her, " Eve! I'm serious! That chick is an obsessive bitch! She'll chase us to the ends of the earth until she has what she wants and she-" He grabbed Eve's wrists, " Tell me why at least. You're not mute. C'mon. WHY did ya bring it. I won't be mad. I jus' wanna know what made it so important to risk-" The ship rocked and felt a wave of nausea hit him. He buckled to his knees before her, "Urk...."

At his sudden out burst, Eve recoiled back, fearful as her eye widened and tears glossed across the surface. She didn't know what to say to him, and felt ashamed and quickly down cast her gaze, feeling her lips tremble as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It's all I have left,"s he whispered, and felt her entire body begin to shake with sobs.

He looked up at her for a moment and studied her tear-streaked face, "Ah...right. I'm a fuckin' fool. How could I forget? I'm sorry I just..." He reached up touched her arm gently, still on his knees and still feeling about ready to puke, "Don't cry. I'm sorry for gettin' all stern-like. I ain't really mad at ya...I'm just worried... urk..." He doubled over and vomited. Right on her feet.

Hopefully, she was wearing shoes.

OOC: I think she walks around in bare feet unless Zavimaat got her a pair of shoes >_> or Roger did (I can't really recall XD )
-----------

Eve tensed when the vomit was expelled onto her feet, her eyes going wide. She didn't know what to do or say, but found her grip on the book slipping as it fell off and landed not only on her foot (in which caused her to yelp) but rested in the puke as well.

How embarrassing! Zav tried to straighten up and wipe his mouth clean with his sleeve. "hit. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." He doubled over and vomited on her feet again, chunks of puke splattering on the book's cover. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth clean again and bent to pluck the book free of vomit. He held it aloft with a frown and then looked down at her feet, "Er..." he knelt down and wiped the puke away with his hand from her feet. Well, he tried to, anyway. He was doing a horrible job though, smearing it on her skin and the floor. "Maybe ya should get a wet rag..." 

It was only then Nannick appeared, and the stench hit his nose. Then he saw the floor.
"Goodness. I'll get the mop."
And he returned a moment later, helping them to clean.
"There, now I'll go draw the pair of you a bath, but you'll have to take turns. Hopefully it'll help cool those sea legs down, eh?"

Zavimaat made a face, "And how the hell is that gonna make me feel better!? Shit. Just cut me open and rip out my stomach. That might do it. Ugh..."

Nanick left the cabin without a word in reply to the agitated young man. About five minutes later, he had returned with a hot kettle which he poured into the wooden washtub on the opposite wall from where the bed was. "I'm afraid it'll be a shallow bath. Don't got much water. Might go up to the waist just above the naughty bits."

"Whatever. " Zav groaned and went back to bed.

"Miss Eve should probably go first. No tellin' if you'll lose your stomach in there. "

Zavimaat said nothing.

"Right, " Nanick finished pouring the water and turned to Eve , "Now, I'm going to get a towel. Miss Eve, I'd advise waiting about five minutes before you get in, okay? Water's real hot right now. Might burn ya. " He left and returned again with a towel in short time and then left again but not before telling Zav not to take a peek while Eve was bathing.

"I'm too sick to be perverted!" Zavimaat groaned.

He really was!

ooc: Not what I wanted to post , but need to at least keep things moving. I WILL move shit ahead. I 'll be thinking about what to do within the next couple posts.   

Eve's large green eyes remained fixated upon the bath tub, staring at it timidly before looking up at Nannick and nodding. Though as she over heard Nannick talking to Zavimaat, she blushed lightly, but frowned at his condition. Feeling sorry for him, she grabbed a nearby clothe and soaked it in the water before approaching.
"Here. Would this help?" she asked softly, hesitating before offering out the steaming rag.

Zav looked at her thoughtfully but then smirked at the wet rag that she offered to him,  "Thanks, but it would be better if it was cold water."

I'd feel better if she'd let me wash her. Heh heh heh...

So much for being too ill to be a pervert.

He shook his head and took her hand in one of his and squeezed it, " Don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine. You clean up and I'll try to rest. I won't watch . Promise. Just let me know when you're done. I should probably get cleaned up too. My aunt'll think I was up to no good if she sees me covered in vomit."

While she bathed, he lie in bed with his back to her. When she was done, it was his turn and ,due to his condition, he took a lot longer. With his bath concluded, Zav went back to sleep.

~

The airship landed at the Kouhei port city without incident. Flying ships , while rare, were not something unknown to its people for they had seen much stranger.

Nanick paid the dockmaster and then went to rouse Zavimaat from his slumber. The old man entered the cabin the pair were sharing, "Well, we made it in one piece!" He announced.

Zavimaat sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "We're in Kouhei already?"

Nanick nodded, "Yep! Paid the docking fee so we're good to go."

Eve had gone out to the deck many hours before Zavimaat had awakened. With the winds blowing at her skirts and red hair, she stood in lovely contrast to the vibrant colors of the morning that bled over the horizon. The clouds were a rich, peach color, capped in hot oranges and pinks, while the rest of hte world remained in a cool, violet shadow.

And it was then the clouds parted and she saw the land below them,and stared in awe. To see the world at such a height was a wonder, and it was as she was admiring the world that Nannick had approached.

"The world looks much different up here don't it?"

Eve turned, startled by the man's appearance, but he only chuckled. She stared at him a moment before sheepishly dropping her gaze with a nod. Nannick stared at her before nodding himself.

"We'll be in port soon. It might be wise to gather your things.And it might also be wise to awaken your friend," he said witha  wink. "I'll go tend to the chickens."

Eve stared, rosey cheeked as the man left. Then, after glancing just once back to the island that Zavimaat had called his home, she noted something acrosst he sky. It was quick, and disapeared into a morning haze, but she thought hse had seen something....
something like a flying dragon.

For a good long while she stared, but once hse realzied the figure was gone, she moved below deck, fumbling to retrieve her book when the air ship began to descend. It caught her off guard as she gasped, falling ontop of Zavimaat in an awkward situation. But even as the young girl lay splayed across his, legs apart and one strap of her dress falling off and her red hair a mess about her face and shoulders....
The boy beneath her kept dreaming away, slobbering all over his fcae with a wide open mouthed snore.

Blinking, Eve stared at him a while before the ship moved away. She lightly clung to him before gingerly removing herself from his form. Blinking, she turned to observe him again, fixing her dress strap,t hen her hair as she blinked.

It was then the ship settled, and about twenty minutes later, Nannick appeared. Peering over her shoulder, she nodded silently to him and clung to her book, remaining near to Zavimaat's side as she waited, timidly, for him to lead the way.

ooc: It's pretty hilarious that he slept through that. Good thing for her though. >>

ic:

The docks were bustling with activity, but the people were so very different from the sorts they'd seen in Serendipity. They were a shorter folk, most of them slender and supple like bamboo. Most of them had dark hair and golden yellow complexion. Most wore brightly colored robes with intricate patterns sewn carefully into cloth. Most people wore cottons, but the wealthier merchants boasted the most beautiful clothing made of fine silk. Some men wore wide-brimmed conical straw hats, many a lady wore white or pink blossoms in their hair.

Zavimaat stepped off the Cold Turkey and waited for Eve to join him. A couple of boys ran past them, grasping brightly painted wooden carvings that looked like dragons. Off to their left a man and a woman were speaking in a language that Eve was probably unfamiliar with.

A couple men carrying boxes of goods in their arms rushed by, nearly knocking into Zav and Eve as they moved. "Sorry!" One of the men said in an attempt at the common trade tongue. He didn't stop moving though and he was well out of sight before the pair could respond.

Taking Eve's hand, Zavimaat led the way. They wound through the noisy crowd. There were so many people. So much noise and activity that it was a wonder that they even managed to leave the docks without knocking into people. They moved through town, passing one home after another until they came to a humble place with a little garden. A woman who didn't look much older than her late thirties stood there in the garden with a watering can, tending to her flowers.

"Hey, aunt Saki!" Zav called to her from the other side of a little fence that he could have easily hopped over.

The woman dropped her watering can and looked up over at the pair, seeming startled. She spoke in her native tongue at first, unaware that Zav had brought foreign company, "Arashi?! Arashi you're alive!" She ran over to meet the pair and crushed Zav in a hug and held him for a long while. She said nothing, shedding tears of joy into his shoulder.

"Er...you're kinda crushing my ribs." Zav commented in the trade tongue.

Saki released her nephew and stepped back to regard Eve now. Now she spoke in trade as well so the girl would understand her words, "Oh I'm sorry. I was just SO worried about you. I haven't heard from you in months! I thought something horrible had happened to you."

Zav shook his head , "Sorry. I meant to write you but I got kinda busy. Anyway, Aunt Saki . I want ya t' meet someone. This is my friend, Eve. Eve, this is Aunt Saki. "

Saki smiled kindly at Eve and bowed, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Eve. "

Zav looked around , expecting his cousin to pop out of the house and tackle him at any moment, "So where's Kei?" 

Saki shook her head , "She'll be here soon before dark. She's helping to get the city market ready for the Cherry -Dragon Festival. If you two would like to come inside , I'd be happy to make us some tea and we can catch up."

"Sure. We'd like that, right?" Zavimaat looked down at Eve and nodded.

~

Once they were inside and comfortably seated on floor cushions around a small, low square table.  Saki made tea. Zav sat between the two women.

Saki's home was small, but comfortable enough

"So how have you been?"

"Oh, aside from being worried sick about you, things are no different than they were when you left. But come, you must tell me how the two of you met!"

Zav looked at Eve, "Er...we sorta bumped into each other in Cerenis. I was just making a delivery there. Some people have been giving her a hard time so I offered to help her out. She doesn't really have a place to go so I was wondering maybe if she could stay with us for a bit. "

Saki nodded and smiled , "You know I don't mind when you bring a nice girl home."

"Don't give me that look. It's not like that."

Saki chuckled, "If you say so." She turned to Eve, " So, Eve, is this your first visit to Kouhei?" 

ooc: What a shitty post, but I moved us forward. Woo!

OOC: Yay for things XD
and the post was fine XP
-------------

Eve stuck out like a sore thumb in this world of people with dark hair and colorful robes. Where as most had black hair, her hair was as red as blood, and were it not for the robes colors,s he might very well have been the most colorful thing there.

Then there were the wooden dragons wiht children guiding through in the streets, and flower petals falling from the skies like rain. It was like a whole other world here, with unique architecture Eve had never seen. So taken by this she had found herself bumping into a few people, and stumbled in closer to Zavimaat, hugging onto his arm until they had made it to his Aunt's home. She was mostly hidden behind him so when he stepped aside and Eve was revealed, the girl stared shyly back and leaned in closely to his side.

The language here was strange, but it had a lovely ring to it that fascinated Eve as she watched the exchange in wander. Once they were brought inside the house, she stared around at the way the housing was furnished, then down to where her knees were sinking inside the pillows upon the floor.

Staring at the tea for a good long moment, she lifted it up fo ra drink, pausing at the question as she simply stared at the woman before blinking and answering simply, "Yes."

Saki's dark eyes lit up with her rosy smile. This girl , she could sense, was different from her nephew's usual flings. Arashi didn't bring many girls home with him , but when he did they were of the sweet and sour variety. Sweet to her nephew, sour to his family. And Saki was Kouheijin through and through. Disrespect shown to one's elders was a direct slap in the face to her ancestors, the greatest of insults! Saki knew what to look for when picking out a sweet girl from sour. This one didn't have that familiar cleverness in her eyes. No. Those large, green eyes were wide with genuine curiosity , naivete and fear.

She reached across the table and rested her hand over Eve's lightly, "You've picked quite a rare blossom, my nephew. You'd better take good care of her. "

"I am!" Zavimaat said after helping himself to a sip of tea.

"Not like the other girls."

The man blushed, " I told ya, we're not like THAT. "

Saki ignored him and her expression brightened, " It must be pretty exciting for you. Kouhei is a very different place than Le'raana. How very fortunate that you've made it just in time for the Cherry Dragon Festival! It's one of the largest and most celebrated events in the history of our people you know. Do you know why that is? " Of course Saki wouldn't have been surprised if the foreign girl had not the slightest clue.

"Nobody here wants a history lesson, " Zavimaat grumbled.

"Hush, Arashi. You do your ancestors great injury by feigning disinterest!"

Zavimaat rolled his eyes. 

"The Cherry Dragon Festival is a celebration of our nation's liberation from the demon Lord-"

At that moment the front door burst open and a young lady slightly older than Eve dressed in a bright flowery robe colored in pinks, purples and yellows stepped through the door and announced loudly and quite cheerfully, "I'm hoooome!" The woman removed a pair of chopsticks from her hair and shook her head , letting her long silky black hair cascade over her shoulders.

"Kei!" Arashi waved at the woman.

"Arashi!?"  The girl, Kei, did a double-take, " When did you get here? Why didn't you stop by the restaurant and tell me? Oh-!" The woman who was nearly a spitting image of her mother now noticed that the family had a guest, "New girlfriend, cousin?" She smirked.

"No!" Zavimaat snapped defensively, "A friend. Kei, this is Eve. Eve , that's my cousin, Kei. "

Kei shut the door and crossed the room. She sat down right next to Eve. Rather close, actually . "You're dating this loser? You better quit now before it's too late." She told Eve quite seriously, not realizing what kind of person the new girl was.

Saki's touch made Eve visibly flinch by the contact, but after a moment, she calmed as her green eyes raised to look up at the older woman in wonder. It seemed there was a lot to learn here in this kingdom, this new place that existed far out within the sea. But she couldn't help but wonder what portion of the story had been cut off by the younger girl's interruption, and by Kei's close proximity, Eve's eyes went even wider as her cheeks flushed and her entire body tensed.

The girl was talking so fast, Eve had no idea what to say or what to response, so instead, she said nothing, and remained sitting there looking confused, uncertain, and uncomfortable.

Kei wrinkled her nose at Eve and her reluctance to be social, " Not very chatty , are you?"

"She's shy and she's had it rough. Just give her some time to get used to stuff." Zavimaat explained.

The explanation seemed to satisfy Kei, "Ah." She scooted away a bit to give Eve just a little bit more space, "Sorry about that. I  don't mean to make you uncomfortable, Eve. I just get so excited when we have pleasant company over. So, what you were you guys talking about before I interrupted. "

Saki had resumed drinking her tea while her daughter and nephew had been rattling on as they always did. She was a patient woman and only set her tea down to speak once more when there was a break in the conversation , " Since Eve is unfamiliar with our land, I was telling her about the Cherry Dragon Festival. "

"Ohhh. I LOVE the festival!" Kei forgot Eve's personal space and grabbed the girl's arm. She gasped, "You MUST let me show you around! I know what you can wear too! I have this cute outfit I wore last year that would probably look better on you than it did me. We can go to the theater and you can listen to me play. You do like music, right? There's dancing too , but you don't have to do that . Arashi can't dance and..." she rambled on about all of the things they could do , but was talking so fast that she was likely the only one who understood what she was saying. 

Well, Zav thought, at least it wasn't difficult for his family to warm up to the idea of Eve staying here. He was concerned about Eve though . Poor Eve. She was looking a bit intimidated and out of sorts. 

ooc: These are npcs so you can use them (if it helps you when you're not sure what to write).

Sorry for these half-assed posts. Bad day. In pain , but can't rest. ><; Writing sorta helps take my mind off things a bit. S:

Eve's eyes were large as Kei went on and on about all of the glittering details about this land and the festival. Though it was hard for her to exactly follow along, she had gotten the gist of it and was feeling over whelmed by the time Kei had finished speaking. The conversation eventually came around to Kei prompting Eve to follow her to try on her dress, and Eve stole a single glance towards Zavimaat before his Aunt agreed; which appeared to seal her fate.

And again, she was over whelmed by Kei's enthusiasm, as the girl kept talking and talking as she lead the girl away into her room, and once inside, Eve paused at the door way, where the wooden doors slid instead of swung and found herself just as equally fascinated by some of the simple decore int he place as well.

Kei had explained that it was some sort of dragon, not one related to this festival, but the entire eisland had many dragons it worshipped and by the end of it, Eve's head was spinning and she had a blue dress presented before her. Kei left her alone, and in silence, Eve changed and found herself staring down at the blue dress that fit her just perfectly,...
though to be honest, she had the dress wrapped up all wrong so when Kei saw her, she began to laugh and laugh. And unfortunately for Eve, everyone in the house would have seen her all wrapped up wrong since she had approached the living room after she was finished getting dressed, since that's where Kei had vanished off to to 'give her some time to get ready'.

Seeing Eve tangled up in a kimono so awkwardly made Zavimaat laugh for a long while and so hard that his face turned bright as a cherry and he was crying man-tears. "Arashi!" His aunt scolded him sharply whilst casting Eve a sympathetic glance. "Don't be so rude! Poor girl. She doesn't know any better!"

"I-I can't help it! HAHAHAHA!"

Shaking her head at her nephew and expressing clear disappointment, Saki rose from the table and went over to Eve. "Come with me, child. I'll help you get this kimono dilemma settled." She put a hand gently on Eve's shoulder and led her away back to the changing room.

ooc: What an ass. xD

Eve blushed as all eyes were upon her, and even more so did she.shrink back when Zavimaat laughed and laughed. She was thankful when his Aunt Sami helped her in the back, rewrapping her more tightly in the dress. The woman smiled and took a single white flower from a nearby vase and tucked it into Eve's hair beside her ear.
"There now. Now we'll show Arashi how good you can look." And once again, Eve was presented back to the others.

Ooc: lol he is

Zavimaat was still laughing when Eve returned. However, when he saw her all fixed up the laughter ceased and he stared. Eve was a pretty girl. He knew that , but it amazed him sometimes what a little change of wardrobe and some cleaning up could do to make him even more aware of that. He blinked, not sure what to say for a moment and then he nodded, "Huh. Looks better on her than it does on Kei."

Unfortunately for him, Kei was just coming into the room when he said it. She marched right over to Zav and hit him upside the head with the empty teapot, "Asshole!"

"Ow! "

She hit him again. "Serves you right!"

"Aunt Saki! Make her stop!"

Saki chose to ignore them for a moment. She usually let the two of them settle things themselves. They were adults now. Er. Sort of. Not really. Truth be told she was just too old for this shit.

"Mercy!" Zavimaat gasped and held up his hands in surrender.

Kei grinned triumphantly down at him , but then took notice to Eve and smiled, "Oh! That looks great on you, Eve! Doesn't it Arashi?"

Zavimaat rubbed the back of his head, "Better than..."

Kei whipped around to face him, holding up the teapot threateningly , "What was that!?"

Zavimaat shrunk back, " Yeah, yeah. Looks great!" He coughed nervously.
"I think you should get dressed up too. "

"WHAT!?" Zavimaat get dressed up? For what? "Hell no! I'm not wearing a dress."

"It's not a dress , idiot. It's a robe."

"Whatever.It's a dress and I ain't wearin' one."

Five minutes later, Zavimaat stepped out of the dressing area adorned in a deep blue robe with intricate patterns of gold , red and white dragons.His hair was still wild but he refused to comb it. He'd only go so far with this dress up shit.

"Awwww...you two will look so cute together!" Kei gushed.

"Shut the fuck up." Zavimaat growled. He HATED being called cute. HATED it.   

Ooc: darn auto correct on my phone XD anyway, yeah.. awwwwww how cute!



-------

Eve remained standing stiffly as the group observed her.... Then the tea pot thing occured and she found herself only able to stare. Eventually, Zavimaat was dressed in a matching blue robe and she found herself staring at him with a petite blush. But as.usual, she was silent and said nothing.

Auto-correct is annoying. Period. xD

ic:

"Arashi!" His aunt chided, "You really shouldn't talk like that in front of a nice girl."

"What? Why the hell not? Her ears aren't exactly virginal so it's not a big deal..."

"Arashi!"

"Okay, okay! I'll try to keep it clean." Zavimaat walked over to Eve and held out his arm for her to take, "Well, shall we go? What do ya wanna see first? The theater? The noodle-eating contest? There's the market and the art exhibits and uh...oh yeah. They even got some fish races which are kinda dumb if you ask me , but a lotta people like 'em. "

Eve only stared, not certain by the gesture of his 'arm' offered to her;a nd she only frowned at his suggestions as what they ought to do. She wasn't familiar with this festival, or even these lands, so seeing anything would be a wonder to her as she peered back at Zavimaat, looking lost.

OOC: SHort morning posts are short XD
But Eve totally looks like a deer caught in head lights |8*

Zavimaat made a face and the disappointment in his inflection was apparent, "What's the matter? Ya don't wanna go?" She'd better! He hadn't gotten himself all done up for her to go and get cold feet! 

"C'mon, Eve. Be a trooper an' jus' give it a shot, will ya? Ain't gonna kill ya. " He still held out his arm and sighed, "Sheesh. Jus' take my arm an' uh...hmm. Well,why don't we go check out the docks first? There's fishin' over there too. Or we could hit the market first. Whatever. I'll figure shit out as we go. "

ooc: That's fine. One short post deserves another. :P

Eve continued to stare at him with uncertain eyes, but seeing his impatience only made her flinch,a nd she down cast her gaze as she timidly hooked arms with him, only nodding at his suggestions, and nodding again when even he couldn't make up his mind what to suggest. In all honesty, where ever he'd take her to, Eve would be in a state of wonder...
This place was just so different, and so she felt more outside of her element than before. Not that she spoke much to begin with as she peered up curiously at Zavimaat through her red hair. She was as ready as she going to be, and as he lead her onward, she took in every bit of the land in great detail.

The air smelled different,t he people looked different, and so did the mountains and the trees. The architecture, that had stolen her attention earlier, was something she found herself gaping with as Zavimaat lead her towards the small town. Chldren were playing int he streets, colorful streamings fluttering behind them as they laughed nad ran and cheered. Cherry blossoms filled the air, and when a wind would blow, would cast the world beneath it in delicate petals that fell like snow, and brought with it it's sweet fragrances.

Eve's eyes were so large, it was a wonder they might not fall clean out of her head, as she stared all around her, clinging closely against Zavimaat's side as a wagon decorated like a dragon rolled past, terrifying Eve, but also making her curious as she pressed herself up real close to Zavimaat's side and watched as the wagon bumped and rolled past.

Zav walked at an unhurried pace, letting Eve soak in the sights, smells and sounds at a speed that was comfortable for her. He knew she was out of her element, but this seemed to be the case no matter where she went. Zav smirked every time she drew close to him and shook his head. Idly, he wondered how long it would take her to get used to every day things like this. Would she ever get used to it or would she always need someone with her? "Pretty noisy , huh?" He grinned as several kids ran past them , giggling and shouting at each other as they played their make believe games."Dumb brats, " Zav grumbled as the kids ran right in front of the pair of them, startling them both as well as a few other older people.

Something small , brown and furry hopped out of the wagon and landed in front of Eve. A puppy that looked an awful lot like the one on Roger's farm looked up at Eve an barked, wagging it's little tail excitedly.  "How the hell did ya get here , ya damned mutt?"

The puppy turned its head and barked at Zavimaat then it padded over to Eve and licked her feet.

It was only now that Zavimaat realized that Eve wasn't wearing any shoes. "What the...? Kei didn't give you a pair of sandals? " He slapped a hand across his forehead and sighed, "Okay. I know where we're goin' now. C'mon," He led her to a small shop at the far end of the town market.

"Good morning," the shoemaker greeted the pair cheerfully as they walked in.

"Mornin' Tatsu. Uh...we got a shoe emergency. " Zavimaat gestured to Eve's shoeless feet.

"Oh my! You poor soul! " The old shoemaker held up a hand, "Just a moment , please. I'll get my measuring tools." He disappeared behind the counter and then returned. He signaled to Zavimaat and Eve , pointing to a pair of chairs positioned with their backs to the wall. "Have a seat and we'll fix this problem right away. "

Zavimaat slipped his arm out of Eve's and nodded towards one seat and then took the one beside it.

"Alright then, " the shoemaker said as soon as Eve had been seated," I assume the lady would like a pair of sandals? Yes?"

"Yea. I guess so. Would be kinda dumb to wear heels or somethin'. " Zav snorted.

The shoemaker nodded and set his foot measuring tool down on the floor next to Eve's foot. "Alright, my dear. I need to put your left foot in this contraption and stand still so I can figure out what size sandal we're looking for here."

Eve was embarrassed when Zavimaat made a fuss over her shoeless feet, and through a blush, stumbled along behind him as he guided her towards a store, the puppy in toe as it yipped happily and followed after, but once they were inside the store, it sat on it's little puppy bottom and stared in at the pair through the window, whimpering sadly.

Eve, momentarily distracted by the pup, glanced at him from over her shoulder and through the window, until the shoemaker showed up and asked her to stand and put her foot in some weird looking plate. Hesitantly, Eve obeyed, and flinched at how cold the thing was on her feet, and the man went about, pushing a nob this way,t hen that,a nd went about scribbling down the numbers.

"Ok, let me see what sort of sandals we got. She's got just average size feet, so I wouldn't be surprised if we had a few premade sandals in stock. Just wait here while I go get them."

And as he did so, Eve looked curiously around, before hse felt something warm and wet on her feet as she gasped and looked down,a nd was taken by surprise when the young pup was standing before her feet, wagging his little puppy tail with a yip.

"Zav nudged the puppy away from Eve with his foot, "Go on, ya damned dog! It ain't nice to slobber on a woman's foot!" The puppy woofed at him and then proceeded to lick his nudging foot. Zavimaat retracted his wet foot hastily and pulled a face of disgust, "Ugh! Nasty! Thanks a lot! "

The puppy barked happily and wagged his tail all the more furiously.

"Here we are, " the shoemaker announced, returning with a couple pairs of sandals which he held out to Eve, "I found two pairs here that might interest you. Take you pick, miss! "

When the pair of shoes was produced before her, Eve simply stared at the selection, uncertain what she was to do- but the puppy did, and with a 'woof!', it chomped onto one of the sandals and took off out of the store, pausing just in the middle of a walk way to shake his head furiously in attempts to kill the shoe!

"Well , I guess he made your decision for you," Zavimaat laughed.

The shoemaker , on the other hand, was not amused."Aya! Your dog is stealing ! You better be able to pay for it!" He pointed accusingly at Zavimaat and fumed.

"Yeah sure. No problem." Zavimaat untied the coin pouch from the sash about his waist, "How much?"

"A hundred and fifty-three imperial dragon coins."

Zavimaat nearly dropped his coin pouch, "Say what!? For ONE shoe?"

"No, you foolish boy! You're buying both sandals! What good is one sandal to me without its mate!?" The old man held out his hand expectantly, "Now pay up!"

"I don't...but that's ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" The man snorted, "Nonsense! I am giving you special celebration discount!"

"The hell you are!"

"Don't make me call for the town guards!"

Zavimaat sighed and emptied the majority of his coin purse onto the counter, "Fuckin' robbery. That's what this is!"

Eve flinched when Zavimaat's mood changed at the mention of price, and she was afraid to get near to him, lest that anger come back on her,.. so she remained quiet at his side, stealing a glance towards the pup and as it noted her, it gave a yip, and bark, and another furiously happy shake of it's head.

Money paid in full, the shoemaker handed the other sandal to Zavimaat with a smile and cheerfully declared, "Thank you for your patronage!"

"Whatever. Fuck you." Zavimaat snarled nastily and snatched the sandal then stormed after the puppy, "Come back ya , ya damned mutt! I didn't pay out the nose to have you ruin it!"

Treating it like a game the puppy turned around and ran away from Zavimaat. "DAMN IT! GET YOUR HAIRY ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" And ...the chase was on down the street. The puppy didn't get far on his short little legs and Zavimaat caught up in seconds. He reached down and grabbed on to the sandal that the puppy had in it's mouth and gave it a tug. "Gimme that, you annoying little fucker!"

People stood back and watched the man 'play' with the pup with amusement. It only pissed Zav off more. "Drop it, I said! "But the puppy only wagged his tail, growled and refused to let go, tugging on the  sandal as hard as he could. 

Eve stood inside the store, terrified (and perhaps a bit mortified) as she placed a hand to her lips and raced out the store, only seconds after Zavimaat had already left, but as he began to make chase, she clung to the store's door frame out of fear and watched as a crowd gathered around him, uncertain if she ought to approach or help.. or what...

But it appeared as if she might not have to do a thing as the little puppy gave a happy yell and raced back towards Eve, showing off his new found 'toy' to Eve as he gave a furious wag of his tail.

"When I get my hands on that hairy little fucker, I'm gonna murder it!" Zavimaat stormed back over to Eve and lunged forward , seizing the sandal and ripping it free from the pup. He now held out the sandals to Eve, one dry and pristine looking while the other was all wet with puppy slobber and chewed up.

"Er. Might wanna put these on. Ain't a good idea to walk barefoot in the street, ya know. Could hurt real bad if ya step on a nail or some glass. "

He then realized his error and did his best to dry off the wet slobber-drenched sandal with the material from his robe. He held it out to her again, "There. That's a little better. Now, go ahead and put 'em on. Er...ya know how right? "

Maybe she had never owned any shoes before. Her father was a real fucking bastard. He wouldn't have been surprised if this were to be the first pair she'd ever own. 

Ooc: an attempt at a crappy phone post.D;

Eve looked down at.the shoes. It wasn't that she had never seen a pair of shoes before,  but as Zavimaat thought of it- Eve's hesitation would confirm, as would the sheepish way she stole.glances at other people's sandalled.feet.

Ooc: this took so long to type *cries* so.sad. oh well, back to.bed with me.

He stared at her, and she at him. They had a bit of a staring contest and just stood there for a good three minutes until the puppy barked at him and startled him. Then it clicked. "Oh. Er... well, it's nothin' to be worried 'bout. Here. I'll show ya how it goes."

He knelt down in front of her and tapped her left foot with a finger , "Okay, this is pretty easy. Lemme see yer foot. Gonna lift it up so try t' keep yer balance or lean on me, okay?  " He took her left foot gently and slipped the sandal on and drew the straps tight though not so much as to cut off the circulation. 

"These here are called sandals. Some of them come without straps , "he guided her foot back to the ground and tapped the strap, "that would be this here. Anyway, straps help keep yer sandals on and ya wear 'em basically to keep yer feet kinda protected from stuff that might hurt it like uh...broken glass or - well, they don't always protect from steppin' on nails but trust me, better to have a little somethin' between yer foot and a nail..." He shrugged, "Gimme the other foot and -" he stopped and looked up at her, "Actually, you wanna try to put this one on yerself? "

Eve was relieved for the pointers and at first, was too uncertain and shy to want to attempt to wrap up her other foot in the last sandal. But after studying the one Zavimaat had secured to her foot, she hesitantly moved to try it herself. It.was awkward at first, but after giving it a second go, Eve was able to lace the ties up her leg and secure it as snuggly as the thother one she now wore.

"There you go. Very good." He grinned up at her and nodded as if approving of her attempt. He stood up and put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a couple gentle pats, still grinning he said, "See? Ain't so hard once ya know how, eh? Trust me, s'bit of work but you'll be thankful for it the long run. Maybe we'll find ya somethin' more comfortable later on , but it's tradition to wear sandals at the festival. How do they feel?"

It probably felt weird to her , he imagined, if she'd never worn any kind of footwear before.

Shoe dilemma solved, he considered what to do now. He looked over his shoulder towards the market. "I just thought of somethin'. Uh...wait here."

He returned a couple minutes later with a colorful dragon-shaped. "Ya ever flown a kite before? " 

Remaining in place, Eve shuffled uneasily as she waited for Zavimaat to return. Her eyes timidly took in the fluttering decore, so when he had returned with a kite, it startled her momentarily. Studying the kite, she shook her head. She hadn't a clue what a kite even was but it certainly looked strange.

"No?" He had a feeling that she hadn't. She seemed to be new to a lot of things and by now he shouldn't have been surprised. Oh well. At least they had something they could do now to keep them preoccupied for a bit, "Well, this should be interestin' for ya then. Wind's pretty good for kite flyin'. C'mon, let's go down over to the docks and I'll show ya how to use this thing. "

They found a secluded area at the farthest end of the docks and Zavimaat handed the kite to Eve and backed away, unwinding the string attatched to it. "Okay, don't let go of that til I tell ya too." He kept backing away and once he'd done enough, he waved at Eve, "Alright! Let 'er go, stand back an' be amazed!"

Afraid she'd mess up, Eve was doing precisely as Zacimaat ordered, and kept a death grip on the kite that, when.it was.time to let.it.go, she almost didn't hear him and when she did let it go, the part of the kite she was holding onto was crumpled, and the moment she let it go, it did a nose.dive and crumpled by her feet.
Hardly amazed, Eve stared down at the kite with uncertainty. Was this what he was expecting it to do? Remain in a crumpled heap at her feet?

((Of course you had to go and make it fail. ))

The wind decided to screw with them then and die; the kite crashed down nose first. Zav smacked a hand over his forehead and sighed. "You gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me. C'mon , just gimme a good breeze for a couple minutes, ya fuckin' ..." He grumbled to himself and was half-tempted to abandon the thing and go find something else to do when the wind came back, a bit stronger this time.

He nodded over at Eve, "Alright. Bad luck first time. Pick up the kite and we'll try again. "

Ooc: hopefully you weren't too surprised :P

-----

Eve stared at Zavimaat as he chewed over his cuss words and their luck, though by the time the winds returned, and much stronger, the pull on the little kite frightened her and she released the kite a bit early and it flared to life, smacking her in the face.before fluttering up and out of.her fingers as it caught the air. Startled, Eve had been reaching out to catch the poor thing when it took flight and it was then the girl became frozen in awe.

((Complete plot twist. Never saw it coming.))

"There we go. The son of a bitch is flyin'. I told ya it would," he triumphantly declared. He looked over at Eve and her awed expression and couldn't help but smile. "Hey, you wanna try flyin' it yerself?" Freeing one hand from commandeering the kite, he gestured for her to come over to him. "C'mon, give it a whirl. It's real easy. Ya just gotta stand where I am , hold it and let the wind do all the work. "

((Short post is short.I woke up feeling ill this morning and still feel kinda like I'm gonna puke. So I puked up a post for you! Aw! How sweet of me!))

Uncertain what to do, Eve held onto the string so tight her knuckles were turning white. And her eyes never left the kite, especially when a fluke wind forced the kite downwards towards her, and it swooped closely over her head. Freaked out, Eve let out a yelp and took off running, the kite making chase behind her.

OOC: I would have posted this last night but the very idea of Eve being terrified of a kite that is now chasing her since she's holding onto it's string, amused me greatly that i hurt myself laughing last night ;_;

XD

The puppy barked excitedly and chased after her.

Zav stared at first and then, despite knowing that he shouldn't , he doubled over laughing so hard for a good minute until his sides ached and tears streamed down his crimson-flushed face.  He regained some composure and ran after her, "Eve! Eve! Calm down! It's okay! It's just a kite!" He couldn't help force the humor out of his tone as he called out to her. Oh Gods was it hilarious and yet he felt terrible at the same time because he knew she was probably frightened and confused. She couldn't help herself because she didn't know better. "Hey! C'mon stop runnin' away! You're gonna trip and hurt yerself. Come back over here! Nothin' bad is gonna happen. Promise!"

But she didn't listen, for.fear blinded her as.she.ran. And when the dog was close enough to bark at her heels, she freaked out and tripped over her own two feet and landed in the grass.

Zavimaat slapped a hand over his eyes and sighed. With a rueful shake of his head, he walked over to her and knelt down beside her on the grass.The kite had fallen with her and lay in the grass beside her ,moving slightly but mostly lifeless. Somehow , and Zavimaat couldn't think of a reason, the girl had managed to get her legs tangled up in the string.

He picked up the kite and held it before her. "See? It's hardly moving now, huh? It's an inanimate object, Eve. It ain't gonna get ya no more than the grass is. " He set the kite down and started on untangling the string from her legs, " If anything was gonna get ya, I'd protect ya from it. Didn't I tell ya before once?" He freed her legs and gathered up the string, looking her squarely in the eyes now with a smirk on his face, "I said ya don't gotta be scared with me around, ya know. "

A group of laughing children ran by chasing an older girl who was flying a kite. He nodded towards them, "See? They ain't scared so you don't got no reason to be. It's okay though for the first time, I guess. Ya didn't know. People get scared when they ain't sure what's gonna happen . It's natural, but now ya know, eh? "

He stood up and held out his hand to her, "Ya want help up?"

Eve's heart was racing so heavily within her chest that her tears hadn't stopped until after Zavimaat had talked to her. She blinked, looking up at him as two remaining tears clung to the corners of her eyes before she glanced over to study the children at play.

A wind blew by, tussling her hair, and the pup's ears, and the ruffles of the dragon kite (that of which made her flinch) but now that her legs were free, she heldo nto one of her bare feet as her legs were tucked to her side, and kept her gaze upon it before glancing back towards the kids.

"They do seem to be having fun.." she said after a time, her eyes still wavering with uncertainty. But Zavimaat had been right, and so far.. hadn't he protected her? At the thought, she peered up at him, and as she looked into his face, she felt herself begin to cry.

The look on Zav's face was one of alarm.

Aw shit. She's gonna cry again!? Now what did I say wrong!? Why are girls so damned difficult? Ugh...not good. Aunt Saki'll be steamed if she finds out and I'll get the lecture about acting like a proper man.

Zavimaat found her sandals and helped her to slip them back on again, "No , no. Don't cry. Please, it's alright. "

Was it? He thought so. "Or wait...is somethin' wrong?" He had no idea what. "Is it my tone? Am I yelling? I don't think I am..." He had to admit he DID have a loud voice , but wasn't she used to that now?

Or had his eyes missed something? "Did you hurt yourself?" He inspected her legs but he didn't see much of anything wrong. She had kinda nice legs. Soft skin.

Shit. He couldn't let his mind wander in that direction.

"C'mon . We're friends. You can tell me, right? I'll make it better. "

Please tell me. Saki will murder me.

As Zavimaat was floundering for an answer, Eve couldn't understand it. Or, at least not why, this time, she cried. She simply shook her head.
"I'm not hurt," she informed him between sniffles. "I... I don't know why I cry." she admitted, which only brought more tears bubbling to the surface.

Zav stared at her incredulously. Was she fucking serious? How could she not know why? Was she even trying to understand? Women! They just made no fucking sense at all!

"Every girl says that! There has to be a reason!" He almost lost his temper with her , but he moved closer to her and put his arms around her awkwardly and hugged her. "Maybe you just need a hug. Sometimes people need hugs when they get all emotional and shi- er stuff. Mostly girls do, but it's a girl thing so that don't make you a freak or nothin'. You're just , you know, a chick. Girl.  "

((way to comfort her, Zav. So suave. ))

As Zavimaat put his arms around her, she felt more hot tears bubbling out from her eyes and streaming down her face. ANd it was then she realized the reason for her tears as she whispered, "I think I'm crying because I feel a burden to you..." and then even softer, she added, "I've always been a burden."
For it had been beaten into her for almost every day of her life that she was.

Zav blinked at her confession,"Burden? Well yeah ya-" He started to say and then immediately snapped his mouth shut when he realized how fucking moronic and callous that could have sounded had he finished the thought. With kinder words now in mind, he sighed and shook his head, " Yeah, I guess I could see how ya might feel that way." He amended, thinking he'd just saved himself from saying possibly the dumbest thing he'd ever said. And he'd said a lot of pretty dumb things. Like pretty much all the time.

"But uh...y' know somethin'?  A burden is somethin' yer stuck with and don't really want around . Ain't got no choice, yeah? " He shook his head at her, "I was never stuck with ya. I coulda left ya plenty of times , but I didn't , and ya wanna know why? It's cause I like ya ."

He considered what he could say that might have made her feel less hopeless, " And don't be ridiculous! You pull yer weight plenty! I mean...yer pretty good at er...cookin' an' cleanin' and uh...ya even took care of me when I wasn't feelin' good. I appreciate that a lot."

Even as he spoke she continued to cry, but moment after he finished, her sniveling seemed to calm and she was brushing at her tears with the back of her hand. Not knowing what to say to that, she just stared down at the ground, tears frozen at the corners of her eyes.

Zav let her go and moved away as soon as she had calmed. "Feel better now?" He watched her with an uncertain expression on his face , however. She still seemed to be tearing . As he pulled away he looked down at the front of his robe and tried not to look grossed out for the front of it was covered with her tears and mucous. He now noticed the little trickle of snot running down from her nose and shook his head. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a kerchief which he used to clean her face with it.

Jealous that everyone seemed to have forgotten him, the puppy woofed and clambered up into Eve's lap, hopping up into it and trying to lick her face.
Zav gasped in exasperation,"Gross! Don't lick her boogers ya stupid mutt! That's what a snot rag is for!" Zavimaat tried to pull the dog away and clean it himself but the puppy was quicker and barked excitedly at him , wagging his little stub tail furiously and hopping out of Eve's lap and just out of reach.  The pup then proceeded to run circles around Eve and pause every now and then to bark at him, trying to entice someone to give chase.

Zav held out his kerchief. "It's clean on one side at least. "

Despite the situation and the way she had.been feeling, Eve found herself suddenly laughing at the puppy as he gave happy kisses then began to run around like an idiot. She thought it was cute, and even as she laughed a few more tears escaped that she brushed away on her sleeves.

As Zav offered the kerchief to her, the puppy woofed and leaped for it , snatching it right out of the man's hand.

"Hey! That ain't for you! "

Seeming quite pleased with himself , the puppy trotted around with his head held high, chest puffed out and his tail wagging furiously . He made a circle around Eve and then dropped the kerchief in her lap and looked at her with his big brown eyes and barked at her. He lowered his body down, his belly just a hair shy of the grass and looked as if he were about to pounce. He leaped forward but landed just short of her and barked again, his little stub tail ever wagging.  He then sat down on his haunches and stared at her , panting excitedly , his little pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth .

It was infectious,a nd despite her laughter fading, a smile clung to her lips as tears still clung to her eyes. And as the puppy wagged his tail furiously, she dared to attempt to pet him, and found herself surprised when the puppy playfully licked at her hands. Eventually the dog wanted someone to notice his prize, and he picked up the kerchief again, then turned to Zavimaat and tried cramming it into his hand with his little puppy snout. And while doing it, he gave a playful, puppy growl.

Mildly exasperated , Zav threw his hands up in the air and sighed ,"I give up!"
He was tired of trying so hard to figure her out every time she turned on the waterworks.

Maybe it would have been better to just take her home. His little internal tantrum was interrupted , however, by a laugh. He looked around. Alright. Which asshole was laughing at them now? But he couldn't see any mirthful face other than...

No, no . Wait. What? WHAT?! He gawked.

EVE?! Laughing? She was laughing? He pinched himself because he couldn't believe it. And then she smiled and suddenly she almost looked like a completely different person. He found himself staring stupidly at her because it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He recovered from the initial shock and shook his head and smiled.

"Huh. He must like ya. He followed us all the way here.  Damned mutt."He waved the kerchief, " This what ya want?"

The puppy hopped up and barked at him.

Zav tossed it . It didn't go far, but the pup bolted after it and caught it in his teeth then brought it back to Eve and deposited it in her lap.

Smiling again, Eve enjoyed petting the playful puppies head and ruffling it's ears. The puppy enjoyed it, but wanted to play, and was soon nipping her fingers and the hem of her dress. This, of course, startled Eve as she gasped, and then the puppy got his teeth o the sleeve real good and YANKED it so hard, the front of Eve's dress nearly came open as he fell forward, barely catching herself with a gasp.

The puppy eventually stumbled off and landed on it's little puppy bum, and then shook it off a moment later and barked up at Eve, it's rear waggling happily as it wanted to continued to play.
Eve had barely managed to clutch her shirt back close from where she remained doubled over, blinking wit wide eyes down at the puppy befre it suddenly slurped a warm kiss across her face.

Zav stood back and watched her interact with the puppy , content to quietly stand by and simply observe. Eve wasn't the only one who was caught off guard when the pup tried to get her to play. His inner pervert didn't even wish for a wardrobe malfunction here in public because even the pervert understood that a mortified Eve took FOREVER to calm down.

He breathed a sigh of relief , "That's his way of trying to get you to play with him. He won't hurt ya . Hrm. Ain't good to let him tear yer clothes though . " He laughed, "Don't wanna give people a show , if ya know what I mean."

Well, shit . She didn't. He shrugged, " So, Eve. Maybe we should go to the market and uh...get him a toy or somethin' so ya can play with him more proper like. Whaddya think?"

The puppy woofed at him. Zav looked at the mutt, wondering sometimes if it was a lot more intelligent than he gave it credit for.   

Eve blinked and looked up at Zavimaat as he gave his suggestion, but only nodded before rising off the floor, and then promptly gasping as the puppy went to grab at her long sleeve again, and Eve- inher defense, could only do one thing- Cling to Zavimaat's arm as she nearly fell over.
The puppy got a hold of it, gave a little growl, then barked through his puppyily chews as he waggged his tail WITH FURY.

((Bad puppy!))

Zav caught her just in time to avoid falling down face-flat in the grass.  "Hey! No! Bad dog! " He scolded the pup sternly. "Drop it!"

The puppy whined in protest but released his hold on Eve's sleeve and sat down on his haunches. He looked up at the pair of humans with his big ,sad , brown eyes and whined again, trying to appear as small and cute as possible so they would change their minds and play with him.

"That's better. Good boy." Zav made sure Eve was steady on her feet before he let her go and collected his kite and held it tucked under one arm. With his free hand, he snatched Eve's up and gently pulled her away from the docks and towards the bustling town market , "C'mon. Let's go get the lil runt a bone or somethin'."

Even this early in the morning the streets were packed with people selling all manner of things. Fish, jewelry , baskets, fine silks, exotic pets,and so many dragons.

One stall in particular stood out because of the man running it. He was a tall, skinny man with pale skin and thick circular glasses. "Hello, my friends! What a coincidence to see you again! Have you changed your mind about evading your literary pursuits? Don't look so surprised! Do you not recognize me? It's Gregory, the seller of knowledge , the pioneer of enlightenment!"

"No, not him again." Zavimaat groaned and was half tempted to just pass the persistent book seller 's stall.  Why the hell was that weirdo here in Kouhei? It was kind of a creepy coincidence, really.

((He's back.))

Eve, liking the idea to do something for the puppy but.not knowing how to voice it, followed silently at Zavimaat's side. The market was so big that as.they approached she.shrunk back against Zav in a timid manner. The dragons still scared her, even though they were not real. But when the book merchant spoke to them, Eve's eyes went large in wonder at the.selection.  There were so many books that curiously, she wondered if any were like hers.

Gregory didn't miss the curiosity in the timid girl's eyes either. He clapped his hands together and laughed with delight, "I think I see a hint of intrigue in the lovely lady's eye! " He gestured for to come to the stall, "Miss, do come closer and help yourself to my library."

Zav folded his arms over his chest and snorted, "Huh...she ain't interested. "

"Nonsense! Look at her face! She's wondering if I have something, yes? " Gregory smiled at Eve in a friendly manner, "Tell me, Miss. What sort of book are you looking for? I bet you anything that I probably have it. I'm quite a collector!"

Zav looked at Eve and shrugged, "It's okay. That guy is harmless. Just kinda nutty about books. Don't tell him you hate reading cause then he ain't never gonna shut up. "

"You just wait, young man. I'll make an avid reader yet!"

Zav nudged her lightly with his elbow, "Don't be shy. If ya wanna a book or somethin' I can swing it. Books don't cost too much. An' if anybody tries somethin' weird, I'll beat 'em black 'n blue." 

It was a lot to take in.. from the over exuberant book merchant to the enormity of his wares. But, Eve's curiosity persisted, and her rigidness laxed a little as she stepped forward and began to take in his collection. BUt there was just too many things to look at, and soon a frown formed on her lips.

"Do.. you have any books with trees?"
She didn't know what else to ask or say on it, for that's all she really knew about her own book.

At the mention of books, Gregory's eyes lit up. "Trees? Oh, yes! Yes I do. I have quite a multitude of , " he turned his back on her and proceeded to skim the shelves, " now let's see here. Let me think. Trees...trees...where did I put them?" He ran his finger along a book case that was crammed full of books of all shapes and sizes. His finger stopped, "Ah yes. Right. I filed them under D for Dendrology. " He pulled several books from the shelf and set them down on the table before her.  " I have a couple more , but feel free to look through them and let me know if any of these interest you, okay?"

Zavimaat knelt down and patted the puppy on the head to get the dumb mutt to stop biting at his ankles.

Eve's eyes went wide at the choices, but even with the selection, as narrowed down as it were, seemed rather large for her to take in. After the initial shock had passed, she took a step forward and began to look through the books before her.
Trees, trees everywhere, but none quite like the one on her cover. And just when she was about to give up her search, a small book fell open, and an the pages fluttered over her shoe, revealing the very same tree image that was pressed into the leather cover of the book.

Please tell me that she isn't a nerd or we'll be here for hours.

Zav played with the puppy some more, letting the mutt grab onto his sleeve and pull. The two proceeded to play tug-of-war while Eve did her reading thing with the book guy.

When the book fell at her feet though, Zav turned away from the pup and picked the book up. He held it up to her and pointed to the picture, "Is it just me or does that kinda look like the same image we saw on that creepy door that yer mom was ranting like a loon 'bout? "

Gregory gave him the strangest look, but decided not to ask what that was about.

Below, the puppy barked and bit Zavimaat's ankles. How DARE they ignore him!

"Ow! Stupid mutt!"

At his statement, Eve gasped and grabbed for the book, hugging it closely as she stared down, her hair hiding her shame.

The book vendor rubbed his chin as he studied the two.
"You know.. I've got more books like that if she likes trees!"

OOC: >_>

It had to be short.
Cause of lols

Her expression told him more than words would. He'd definitely said something wrong. Shit. Zavimaat's expression twisted with a rare kind of remorse and he reached out to touch her shoulder. That's when the book boy had to go and open his big fat mouth.

"Give us a minute, huh? Don't be so damned pushy!"

Nerds. Zav rolled his eyes and sighed then turned to look at Eve, remorse painting his features once more . "Eve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that. " That was a lie, he knew. He'd just said the very first thing that came to his mind, but he wasn't sure that he could explain to her that by doing so he meant her no insult at all. He squeezed her shoulder, "Don't be like that. I'm sorry."

Eve continued to hug onto the book, her hair having fallen over her shoulder as she hunched over. She was trembling,a nd tears were streaming down her cheeks-
and just at the most inopportune moment, the shop keep perked up, "Oh, that book is also on sale.." he began. "Only 5 coppers! Quite the steal!"

The look on Zav's face at Gregory's ill-timed comment was positively livid. Growling, he reached down for his coin purse and fished out the incorrect amount of coppers and threw two coppers too many at the book vendor, "Shut up and keep the change!"

He turned back to Eve and snapped, his mood still a bit sour from being interrupted by  Gregory, "Look, I said I was sorry. What more do ya want!?"

And Zavimaat's tone TERRIFIED her like no other. Paling, her eyes instantly flooded with tears, and before she knew it, she collapsed to her knees and began to sob.

Shit. He'd screwed up again. Every time he opened his mouth around her, he only seemed to make things worse. Zav looked around, keenly aware of how some people had stopped to look at them, most of those looks settled accusingly on Zavimaat. Feeling as though he'd been suddenly shoved into a spotlight, the young man's face flushed scarlet and he knelt down , determined to try to calm the crying woman.

"Sorry, " he said lamely as he put a hand on one of her shoulder, "I'm real sorry. I didn't- I didn't mean to talk like that. I was just annoyed by someone else ,okay?"

The puppy whined and padded over to Eve, nudging her hand with his little wet nose.

"I've got a book about mending broken relationships..."Gregory offered.

The look Zav gave the man over his shoulder promised a black eye if the book vendor opened his mouth again.

It seemed Zavimaat's words went through her as they did not register. She was shaking so badly, she could hardly think or move. The tone was too similar, and the memories of her father..
the basement, the belt.. the long cold nights.. and his berating tone...
It scared her senseless to the point she might have soiled herself from fear.

She hadn't mean to...
She never did, and as Zavimaat drew closer, despite her fear of him, her fear of everything, she suddenly collapsed against his shoulder and clung onto him, sobbing her life away.

((So many crying posts! Now it feels like an Eve thread!))

The more she cried, the more terrible he felt. He knew he deserved it too because he had been so damned thoughtless. Every sob felt like a needle jabbing at his heart,  "Eve..."

He really had no idea what she was thinking. He only understood he had caused this and he was at a loss for what to do to make it right. She had cried before, but not quite like this. He tried to put his arms around her and pulled back a bit, surprised. Holy shit. Was she shaking? Now he truly felt like the most rotten bastard in all of Kouhei. Had he scared her so badly? Thinking that he had that kind of power over her unnerved him and made him feel even worse.

He hugged her again and reassured her gently as he used to do with his cousin when she was just a brat whom was afraid of the dark, "Sssh. It's okay. It's okay."