Lotsa Parties ( Current location: island ) Edit: Thread 4

Fist said something else, but with the already altered speech cause by her mask, combined with the water, it came out as more gargly bubbles. She finally popped her head back up and let the water drip down off her mask and hair. "heh heh"

"It's a useful skill to have." Chaos pulled the notebook back out and wrote some things down. Then he handed the paper to her. "Those are two different kinds of writing. The one on the left is the kind those of this land use, and the one on the right is my own. The first is useful for getting around Termina and locating different shops and such. The ladder is useful here for things you don't want others to read. It's also effective as secret codes." This became a priority in her training for him. Being able to read is essential for communication and traversing the land when a map is unavailable.

Aero'd sat down only a few feet from Ruul and listened to the chatter made by their companions in the water. She looked at the damp, stone wall of the cave, touched it, and thought. Overhearing snatches of resonating conversation about languages, she smiled a little, remembering that she and Calcifer had their own language. Their own secrets kept to themselves that no one else could know... except that man Kairo. Oh! It just struck her. He was also Gieru. Everything happened so quickly and oddly that few hours ago, she and her friend had completely forgotten to ask about the country or their people.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach. "Shh!" Her hands lept for her abdomen. It was actually a bit comical. "Hmm..." She figured she should get something to eat-- share it, too! No one could fight properly that evening with such hollow stomachs.
She scratched herself up from the cold cave floor, and noticed Ruul was asleep. Quietly, she left for the mouth of the cave, stopping for a moment as her petite feet met white sand and the sound of the sloshing, foamy-mouthed waves hit her ears. She pulled her hair down and thought about the voyage. Those two little worlds-- the sand and the salty water-- so close, but so different. What a stark contrast. She couldn't even see land on the other side. She wondered how vast the ocean was, and if crossing over that threshold would be like when she took those first steps out of her homeland. Unknown. Frightening. How far away from home was she now, anyway? How much further would this water take her?
She shrugged it aside, determined to face it with bravery. She went off to find a market.

As Kairo wandered around the beach, a feeling he couldn't quite name had settled itself in the pit of his stomach. He glanced back up to the sky and noticed that the dragon had flown away; landed maybe, or was just out of sight. As he continued walking, he found himself at a dead end. He didn't want to go back and risk running into everyone again but on the other hand he also had nothing else to do on this side of the beach. Slowly and without really thinking, he turned and made his way back.

That was when he saw the Wolfos sneaking around the curve of the beach, making it's way towards the group he'd left behind.

"It's important to learn both then right?" Reina said looking enthusiastically at the page. She couldn't understand the symbols but was excited about the prospect of being able to soon.

Jillian laughed. "Oh after a long night of walking in the cold I needed this." She sunk herself up to her chin in the water and let her body relax. "And it's going to be so good to be back on the ocean again soon. Feels like home already."

Nyakk thought about what the masked man told him and decided to stay on the beach untill sunset so that he could study the wolfos and maybe steal a boat before sunset. He planted his shield in the ground in such a way that he could easily pick it up incase he needed to. He saw a wolfos coming towards him, the best thing to do would be to fight it, but since he had no attacking power or weapon aside from his shield he wouldn't have much of a chance. He used his shield to hide himself from the wolfos hoping it wouldn't pick up his smell. 'I knew I had to save some magic inside me incase I needed it'. The only thing that could make this situation worse would be that the wolfos would howl, thus alarming the ones guarding the docks. If Fenrir found out he tried to flee the country he would probally throw him in a dungeon, letting him rot untill he agreed to help him again.

"It's an important skill. I'll add it on to our current training. You'll find it useful in the future." Soon the two were by the cave. As Chaos walked he felt pinching on his arm and made a low grunt. He still hadn't gotten used to the way the markings effected him. If he thought about it he could feel the energy flowing through the markings in his skin. As he felt another pinch, he wondered why it was giving him that feeling. 'what are you telling me...' he thought.

Aero half-jogged through the seaside city's streets, carrying a hot, metal pot roughly half her size. It had two chambers-- the bottom containing some type of noodles, the top, a sea-food based stew. The whole thing was proving progressively heavier for her as time went on, so she tried to find a pace that got her to her destination in a timely manner, yet kept her from splashing food the entire way there. She burnt her thumb at one point, nearly dropping the pot.
Turning a corner, her body lurched as she slammed into something-- someone, rather. "Oh, I'm so sorry!!" The exclamation came with a bit of relief, noticing she'd barely spilled only a few drops of the stew. She showed nothing less than shock to see she'd managed to-- literally-- run into Kairo.

Kairo smiled at the sight of the small girl; a smile that quickly turned to a frown when he realised the reason she'd bumped into him was because she was carrying a rather large pot of food (of course for the size of the party it had to feed he was surprised it wasn't bigger).
Letting out a deep breath (or a small sigh) Kairo lifted the pot out of her hands and grimaced slightly at the weight of it.

"C'mon, kid," he said as he turned around, careful not to spill any of the surprisingly delicious smelling food. "I'll help you take this back to everyone."

"Oh, uhh--..." She stammered as he took the pot from her and relieved her of the encumbering weight. She waited a moment as he spoke, and then thought aloud, "Does that mean you've decided to come with us?" Her eyes grew wider as she skipped a little to catch up alongside him. She spoke quickly, clipping off the end of the previous inquiry, "I've got loads of questions I didn't remember to ask you! We haven't met another Gieru in--... well, forever!"

Kairo's step faltered slightly. "Well, I'm not a full Gieru. I didn't even know there were any others left. I thought my brother and I were the last ones; there certainly weren't any more in my village." He looked down at the girl looking up at him, her eyes bright with excitement and he couldn't help but grin slightly. "But I'll try to answer what ever questions you have."

"Well, first, I'll tell you a little more about me so you won't be confused! I actually am full Gieru, even though I've got my light hair and eyes. No one knows why-- I'm just different. Oh, and I can't use fire abilities, either. But I can control air just a little." She paused. "But-- wait! It'd be best if I asked you when we see Calcifer again." Her cheery demeanor diminished, realizing that mentioning the other probably wasn't a good idea.
"Sorry, I've been shooting out words and didn't even give you the opportunity to answer my first question."

"Well," Kairo started. "If nobody has a problem with me tagging along I suppose I could come with you. It's been so long since I last spent time with people that I've only just realised how much fun it can be." Once again, Kairo smiled. "And I can't use fire abilities either; or rather, I wont. It's one of the reasons I became so proficient with weaponry. If I try, it just seems to go out of control and I end up hurting myself more than the enemy. Maybe your friend Calcifer could teach me how to use it properly."

He smiled again, this time more for himself. He had always thought there was something wrong with him when his mother told him and his brother stories about how their race excelled at fire magic, and even more so when Chris seemed to pick up the ability quickly.

"Maybe. He's tried to help me with my magical abilities, but apparently it's unique with all of the different types-- and to individuals, I think, too." She didn't want to discourage him, "You two are so alike, though, you both just might find it works!" She couldn't help but giggle a little. She hadn't been this open with someone she'd known for such a small amount of time in a very long time, but he seemed like a very trustworthy person.
She put on a more determined face, like that of a stubborn child. "And if anyone has a problem with you, I'll make sure to rough 'em up with my all-powerful breezes!!"

Kairo looked at the child questioningly. He didn't think he was like Calcifer. In fact, he thought he was the complete opposite of the Fire Mage. Kairo tried to be a happy person at all times, even if he was in turmoil on the inside.

"Hey, kid," he said, almost desperate to change the subject. "I didn't catch your name earlier, and I'm not sure if you caught mine. I'm Kairo."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry-- I didn't tell you my name. It's Aero." She guided him to turn another corner and they could easily see the beach. "We're at that cave over there." She pointed. "Thanks for carrying that, by the way. It's really nice of you."

"Don't mention it," Kairo replied, a smirk creeping onto his face. "I could hardly let the poor little damsel cause herself distress now, could I?"

His jesting sarcasm came out before he'd thought about it. And now he had thought about it, he reminded himself that this group had been through a lot and probably wouldn't appreciate his light-hearted humour as much. On the other hand though, it could be just what they needed.

Aero blushed a little and allowed herself to laugh.

Glad that the reaction wasn't a negative one, the smile that crossed Kairo's face was slightly truer than the usual one, and as the pair walked down the beach and headed into the cave, Kairo felt a small sense of welcoming and comfort.

Once they got to the mouth of the cave, Aero asked Kairo to set the pot down. She removed the top chamber and got the bowls and spoons out where the noodles were as well and sat them down on a cloth next to the large metal container. "I'll go get the guys that are still out on the beach." She turned on her heel, but then paused a moment. "You can take credit for the food if you're worried about the not-so-warm welcome." She winked at him and ran off to wake the others up.

Fist floated around on her back. "So are you excited to get back to the sea? I've never been on such a large body of water before." She asked Jillian while splashing with her feet.

chaos looked away from his arm and saw Aero and Kairo walking down the beach their way and going up to the campsite at the cave entrance. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of bringing strangers to this hideout, but it wouldn't matter once they went back in time anyway. He looked back down at the water and watched some fish swim in the shallow water. He'd been thinking of strategies to take out the wolfos best, and soon enough they'd be exercising them.

"More than excited," Jillian smiled, "I feel like I'm coming home after a long trip. You're going to love being out on the open waters. There's nothing but horizon out there and its all yours for the taking!" She was practically glowing with enthusiasm as she described the open waters.

"Something bothering you?" Reina asked Chaos. His mood had changed so suddenly. She saw Aero leading the stranger from earlier. "Oh, him." She sighed. "He better not pick me up again."

The Wolfos that Nyakk had spotted picked up his scent. It padded slowly towards the shield, stared at it for a moment, then moved on, not giving a second glance in his direction.

"He won't get the chance next time." Chaos said as he continued to watch the waves.

Fist thought about the trip. "I bet the scenery is nice." She said, imagining the view. Then her thoughts changed. "The only problem with a boat is that you're confined. When there's danger it's like a prison with walls of water, unless you're ready to swim for a lengthy amount of time."

"Do you think there will be a battle?" Jillian asked excitedly. "The last time I was in the middle of a high seas battle I was just a little girl."

Reina smiled, "Don't worry about me. He doesn't seem like a dangerous guy. I guess you never know though. I just don't want to be taken away again, I feel safer with you around."

As Kairo and Aero walked into the cave, Kairo looked around. The air was humid but it was still comfortable. He set the pot down with a clang and continued looking around. He could hear female voices coming from around a corner, accompanied by splashes that made him think of his village's hot springs and without realising, he let out a deep moan of longing. His gaze finally landed on the far corner at the back of the cave where he saw a somewhat familiar blue head resting on a rock.

Walking over, he lay a hand on Ruul's shoulder. "Hey, buddy," Kairo said softly while shaking Ruul's shoulder. "Time to wake up, food's here."