Marketplace Rhapsody

Monience giggled and clamped onto Val's arm happily giving it a hug. "Then can we stop by the infirmary? I haven't been in town long enough to get my wounds healed yet." She asked knowing she had the wounds but otherwise feeling no pain from the many wounds that covered her body. "Other than that I was going to look into finding a mate for my sword. My woodens broke unfortunately while I was training." She laughed nervously.

MELANIE

She returned to her previous position, arms crossed tightly over her torso. She raised one eye at him, not catching what he had mumbled under his breath. Blackmail? She didn't completely like the idea of having to promise to hang out with him, but she didn't want her superiors finding out about another incident.

"Alright, I promise." under a tucked arm and out of sight, she had crossed her fingers. "But it's not like I'm your slave or anything. Treat me like one and I'll make you wish you were never born. And don't get any weird ideas." she began walking now, slowly making her way back to the marketplace. "I come here around this time but it depends on my training." she stopped, turning to him. "You want to hang out, so you figure out what we should do." she finished, sharp eyes on his.

Jeytsu

Jeytsu laughed at Val's last comment. "You bet you will!" he grinned widely, then looked down to Monience, amused at the way she clung to his arm. He was amazed at how someone so small could be training to be a warrior, but then again, it didn't take a brute to become a skilled fighter.

"I can probably get you another sword within the next day or two. You want one like the last one I gave you, right?" he asked. Plucking the girl up from the ground, he sat her on his shoulders and began walking towards the infirmary. "Off to heal the wounded princess! Make way people!" he called out, then grinned up at her, before looking to make sure Val was following.

"I wouldnt treat you like a slave..more like a friend.. " he smiles at her "How are your bandages..are they to tight? or are they alright?" he looked other at her curiously,a smile growing on her face and..about what i said.. would you like to.. be my..uh..." he then gulped deeply and shook his head as if to dismay what he was going to say

Shaking his head in slight incredulousness at the pair as they moved off towards the Infirmary, Val'Thaeiv followed behind, steadying the girl on Jeytsu's shoulders whenever the crowd surged and threatened to topple the pair over. He wondered how the boy would react when he learned of his unwavering faith for the God that he so detested. He seemed reasonable enough...and the Archer knew that he himself would not confront the boy about his lack of faith. He could only hope at this point that th eboy would be more reasonable than some had proven to be.

Monience was shocked at how quickly this boy was willing to treat her nicely. She hadn't been treated this nice since her father passed away. She was truely with friends. She found herself thinking of Xeii as she rode. She was happy to be with such friends, but it would be nice if her group of friends all got together and hung out sometime. "Hey, Val, would you like to come with me to meet Xeii? He should be in town somewhere. Jey you can come too if you want. It's fun being with friends, no?" She asked wondering if that seemed like a good idea.

MELANIE

Listening and then quickly putting the last word onto the fumbling boys question, her eyes widened. "Wait, no. I said no ideas. Besides, I don't even know your name." she spoke quickly, wanting to evade the whole question. "Just friends, alright?" she started to walk again, "Anyway, I'm hungry. Lets get something to eat."

Working her way through the bustling streets, she headed in the direction of a small family owned business she knew charged very little for good meals. She went in, bought two sandwiches to go, and then headed off to her favorite hideout. She had soon located an abandon building - something that was maybe an inn but didn't quiet make it - opened the door and quietly lurked over to the rough, beat down stairs. Once to the top, she pushed open a heavy wooden hatch in the ceiling and climbed out onto the roof, taking a seat near the edge and setting the boys sandwich down.

"I'm Melanie, by the way." she said, unwrapping her sandwich.

JEYTSU

"Sounds good, but infirmary first." he said, protective emotions kicking in. He didn't care if she didn't hurt, it was still top priority. Val was quiet, and he hoped he didn't feel left out or anything. But he doubted that he did. "What do you do Val?" he asked, "I mean, are you a wizard? Assuming because of those runes.." he asked, trailing off quietly. Then he looked back up to the girl, "You know everyone here, don't you?" he asked with a slight laugh. He didn't mind, the more the merrier. It was a good change of pace.

"I am Jaerk.." he said softly,unwrapping his sammich and nibblong it,not really hungry,but didnt want to insult her,looking around at the inn very curiously "So what is..er..was this place..and why is it so beatend down looking?" he tries to keep eye contact to a minimum seeing how she had shot his offer down so easily,he knew it was folly to begin with but did it anyway

Smiling slightly, Val'Thaeiv vaguely recalled having heard the name before, but had not truly met this Xeii...and knew he would be dragged along none-the-less if he didn't receive orders before then.

"It would seem she does. And no, I am not a Wizard, though I am still able to use magic, only that that has been injected into my body though. I am an Archer. I use the magic to make a bow and arrows, so that I am not hindered by tools and a quiver." he explained quietly, understanding why the boy had thought him to be a Wizard when they had met again. He seemed...more open now, though that may only be because Monience was with them.

Monience's face fell into a sad smile. "I don't have as many as you would think. Up untill I met Val, I didn't have a single friend. Nelo is my rival, but I have a hard time telling if she cares or not. I'm more of a hinderence than anything to her it feels like. The people of this city treat me like I don't exist most of the time. It's been that way for a long time. My Dad died when I was young. My mom disappeared not long after, whether to die or to go find the body, I don't know. I never saw her again. Since then, I've been alone. Even those at the academy turned their backs on me. Lies and deceit crept into their minds, they became paranoid and let no one near them except ones they truely trusted wouldn't upstage them. Even those I once called friends turned their backs on me calling me worthless. I turned my concentration into surviving and bettering my self in my studies. My father was a great warrior, and I want to be just like him. If not better." She explained on the way there. She shook her head quickly to get rid of the negative thoughts plagueing her mind. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you with that."

MELANIE

The girl looked over to Jaerk, "I dunno. They probably charged too much and refused to lower their prices so they didn't get enough business. I just come here because nobody else is here." she looked over to the boy, noting that his demeanor had changed. Sighing, she set the sandwich down on her lap. "You gonna mope about that forever now?" she asked. "We just met. I screwed you over, and you chased me down. Not the way people usually kick off a relationship. So you know, you sound kind of desperate." she muttered bluntly, raising a brow at him.

Finishing the rest of her sandwich quickly, she stood and brushed off her pants. "But whatever." she shook the hair out of her face and held an arm out to help him up, looking around the marketplace. "Soo... what do you do all day?" she asked.

JEYTSU

"An archer huh? Pretty neat. But doesn't seem very practical somehow.. I guess for long range it's good but how does close combat play out? Not to mention the equipment must be hard to replace. But then again I'm sure every path has it's pros and cons." he thought out loud, then began to take what Monience said into consideration.

"We're sort of on the same boat in a way. I know it's hard, and wounds like that will never completely heal, but you just gotta keep looking to tomorrow." he smiled. The infirmary wasn't too far now, so he sat Monience down to walk, popping his shoulders and neck.

"You seem to be just as deaf as Monience. I do not use equipment; I create my own bow and arrows from the magic in my body. As for close combat, if you are skilled enough, then you never have to deal with such situations. However, if I am, then I simply resort to melee comat until I can leap away from my opponent." he stated evenly, not saying anything about Monience's past. He could not empathize; he didn't remember his parents, though Jeytsu was right. There was no sense dwelling in the past, since there was nothing you could do to change it. People who did were either seeking attention, or were not strong enough emotionally to move just yet. He wondered which was true for the young Warrior.

~~

Bright laughter rang above the muted chatter of the crowd as they parted to let a small boy through, followed closely by three larger men. Pastel eyes glittering as he cast alook over his shoulder, the teen skidded around a corner and leaped to grab a wooden bar sticking out of the of the buildings, using his momentum to swing himself up on to it, watching two of the three others pass beneath him. As the third was going, he leapt down, covering the man's eyes with his hands and laughing wildly as the large Drow started flailing, trying to get the boy off. Ducking beneath the blows, he moved into a handstand on the man's head, pushing himself off and rushing the other way as the trio charged after him again.

Rushing around another corner, Yanil ran for a ways before skidding to a stop and turning around, running back towards the men chasing him, doing a quick flip over their hands and running back the other way yet again, taking a couple of quick corners before sliding into a rundown looking building and pressing himself against the wall next to the entryway.

Spotting two other people in their with him, he smiled and pressed a finger to his lips, shoulders shaking with laughter and eyes glittering with mirth as he peered out the doorway as the mn rushed by, attempting to catch up with the boy that was no longer on the road.

With them gone, the raven finally burst into laughter, clutching his sides for a moment before moving over to the duo sitting there, eating, and seating himself on the floor.

"Hiya! I'm Yanil! Thanks so much for not calling out to those men, I really appreciate it! Who are you? What are your names? Why are you here? What are you eating? What's in the sandwiches? Why are you alone? Are you on a date? Are you boyfriend and girlfriend? Am I intruding? Can I stay? Can I be your friend? Can I hang out with you guys? What rank are you? What path did you guys choose? Did you choose the same one? Why are you eating in such a rundown place? Why aren't you out with other friends? Do you have other friends? Do you only have each other? Is that why you're alone? Am I interrupting? Oh I really hope I'm not. Am I? I am, aren't I? Don't be mad, oh please don't be mad! I'm sorry! Please forgive me? You don't do you? Or do you? Do you accept my apology? Oh please do, it was ever so nice to meet you both!" he cried, leaning forward on his hands, knees pressed against the dirt since he had left them crossed since when he had sat down. He really hoped he hadn't accidentally intruded on anything, but they both seemed so nice and intriguing, he just couldn't help himself.

Monience looked over at Val. "Hey! I'm not deaf!" Looking over at Jey she nodded. "Just please forget I mentioned it. I can't be a warrior if I'm sad over my parents right? And I don't need my friends being sad or empathizing over me. I'm gonna be strong and thats all there is to it!" she shouted confidently. She saw the infirmiry insight and took off in a run. "Be right back!" she shouted as she rushed inside to be healed.

Keldrin walked around aimlessly in the market place, he hated to admit it but with his teacher away so often it got lonely. Of course he would rather cut his own hand off than to admit it to someone. He heard a familiar voice stand out against the crowd of people and against his better judgement followed it to its owner. Keldrin wasn't sure why Jaerk was in an abandoned store out of all places but who was he to judge. "Jaerk?" He called out to the male. Keldrin walked around a corner and almost ran into another person. "Dang it, don't stand in the way." He grumbled as he walked around the male and stood in front of Jaerk. "So... Did you get any better with your sword?" Keldrin refrained from adding in a rude comment or two since he remembered that most people didn't appreciate it. He turned around to face the female and male. "Who the hell are you two?" Perhaps not the best way to greet people Keldrin decided but he didn't particularly care.

JEYTSU

He laughed slightly, then shook his head. "No, I meant for myself or archers who have no experience with magic. I imagine it can add up quickly, I've seen the prices high quality arrows go for!" he whistled to emphasize his amazement. "Anyway, thanks for the information." he crossed his arms over his chest, watching as the girl ran off, standing near Val and looking to the infirmary.

"What are we fighting for, really?" he asked, the old speech he made at the marketplace coming to mind. "We have twelve year olds training, fighting to become warriors but what for?" he asked. The only real threats, he figured, were the occasional marketplace brawls and the screwed up people that liked to hurt others.

MELANIE

The girls eyes widened significantly, her expression bewildered. How could this guy talk so fast? She tried to think of answers to all of his questions but he asked more before she could reply to one. Before she knew it, he was hands and knees on the ground before them. She looked around, wondering if this guys parents were anywhere near by. Or maybe a guardian, or teacher, or preferably the guys that were supposed to make sure he took his medication.

"It's not a date." was the one question she replied too, then tried to look at his face. "Are you gonna cry?" she asked, lowering one brow now but keeping the other arched. 'This guy is cracked...' she thought, then turned her attention to another man that had shown up, her expression turning blank, if not, slightly cynical. "I'm his friend." she responded sharply, jerking her thumb towards Jaerk. "And you are...?" she asked, crossing her arms loosely.

.

Yanil laughed gleefully at the boy's question. "Hiya! I'm Yanil! It's super nice to meet you all! I'm here because I got some men angry at me with a little joke, so then they were chasing me, and I had to run away, and then they were threatening me, and I just laughed and laughed and ran and ran, and then they were still angry, so I had to try and get away from them, so I led them in a different direction then doubled back and here I am!" he explained, throwing his hands in the air like it was a celebration as he tilted backwards back into a siting position. "They're going to be sooooooo mad when they figure out I gave them the slip." he giggled incessantly, jumping up to run to the edge of the building's roof and peering out over the edge to see if the men were coming back before moving back to his place. "So, do you guys come here often? How do you know them? Do you usually come up here? Do you eat with them? Are you friends? Or only friends with one? Which one? Or both? Can I be your friend too?" he asked, switching most of his questions to the new arrival.

~~

Looking over to the boy standing next to him, Val'Thaeiv turned his eyes back to the Infirmary archway as he answered. "So that they can protect themselves and their loved ones. There are creatures that live here, that attack us on a regular basis. Civilians are unable to do anything during these times of attack, even unable to defend themselves or help their loved ones. We need Warriors, each of the Paths, in order to help those who cannot help themselves. Or perhaps it is simply a need to follow in a hero's footsteps, like a father or beloved mentor. Or maybe it is a need to prove oneself, to prove that they are not useless, that they can be every bit as important as those that have already attained a top ranking. Rarely is it ever for nothing. Without a purpose, we would not do what we do." he stated blandly, hoping that the boy would understand what he was saying.

Monience sat and waited with what seemed like forever for a cleric to finally clean her up and heal her of her wounds. They all wondered how a student got so badly hurt with out a Watcher's notice, but she said the same thing every time. She was out training. When they finally gave up and let her go she headed back out to meet up with Val and Jey. 'I hope I didn't take too long.' She thought as she exited. Happy to see them still where she left them she ran back over to them. "Sorry it took so long! We ready to go?" She asked with a smile looking up at the boys.

Vorac' stumbled through the hustle and bustle of the busy crowds,not really knowing where he was going. just aimlessly wandering,looking for something to do. he walked over to a bench,sitting down and making the air lightly swirl around himself,trying to make it as unnoticeable as he possibly could,trying not to show off to anyone,just wanting a nice breeze around himself

Keldrin took a step back from Yanil, he had never met anyone so....hyperactive before. Just hearing the reason of why he was here made Keldrin cringe, he had a feeling that it was never going to be quiet about this guy. He might seem like an idiot but it seemed that he was actually quite cunning and smart. Keldrin wondered if the male even breathed, he just seemed to keep going on and on nonstop. "Do you ever just stay still?" He wondered out loud. Keldrin contemplated whether he should sit down or not but the thought was interrupted with Yanil's questions. "I can't speak for the other two but I for one don't usually come here often." His hands gestured to the store, "but if you mean the market place.... still no. I don't remember how I met Jaerk probably had to heal him or something a while back before. I wouldn't say we were really friends, acquaintances perhaps. That being said it can be assumed that we don't spend much time in each other's company." Keldrin had no idea why he was even answering the male but something in his mind told him that it'd be better that way. "I don't believe in having friends." Keldrin shrugged, it was true but his opinion has been starting to change lately.

Jaerk looked up as he heard his name being called out from afar,looking up and spotting Keldrin,he smiled,telling melanie he'd be right back as he went over to the group of them "Yea?,did you need something Keldrin? he asked him curiously,as no one usually ever talked about him before

Yanil pouted slightly when he heard that the Moon Elf didn't believe in having friends. How could someone not believe in having friends? They were one of the great things in life!!

"But Mr. Bat, Mr. Bat, you have to believe in having friends! Having friends is so absolutely fantastic that if you don't have them then you have no life at all and that's just no fun!" he whined, swivelling his head around to peer at the boy standing behind him, before he got up and moved back towards Melanie when it sounded like the pair may or may not need to talk about something. "So you're Munch's friend? It doesn't really seem like it, I mean, you seem kind of annoyed with him, I mean, you don't seem to be very happy when hanging out with him, so I don't think you're really his friend or if you were than you're not very good friends but if you're not then you really shouldn't hang out with him if you don't like him cause that doesn't make any sense, yeah?" he quipped, smiling brightly at the girl as he lay down on his stomach and began kicking his legs back and forth in the air, chin propped up on his hands.

MELANIE

Melanie watched the hyper boy ramble about. Then it dawned on her; she was supposed to be back at the training camp right now. She hissed a curse and began away from the group, "I'm gonna be in so much trouble! Bye!" she blurted, running back into the hotel and out, scrambling through the marketplace streets and in the direction of Camp Rimlek. She hardly felt bad for leaving so randomly, they seemed occupied. This new guy would probably keep them busy for the rest of the day.

JEYTSU

"That's not.." he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I have to go back to my house and get tomorrows stock ready. You guys enjoy, I'll see you around!" he called, grinning slightly as he waved and walked off.

Watching Jeytsu leave just as Monience returned, he wondered what it was the boy had meant by his question if not exactly what it had implied. Blinking slowly, the Archer turned his attention back to the young Warrior and opened his mouth to say something when he was approached by a Watcher.

"I must apologize, it seems I am needed elsewhere. Keep practicing, and you will surely become strong." he stated quietly after his orders had been relayed, before making his way off through the crowd.

Monience sighed sadly as they both walked off. Turning off, she decided to go find something to do, she wondered if Xeii was somewhere in town.