[RP]Obake Blade

[JasraLantill]

Aya giggled at Xan's accent. It was nice to see him smile, even though his smile came out as more of a smirk. "Well, then," she said to Xan, "you're the man with the armour... we'll be the scouts, mainly because we both know the terrain and the shortcuts," she explained. "And you can watch our backs, 'cause I daresay either one of us could hide behind you if we run into any monks, or especially, Father Abbot. Deal?"

[Rogue Nine]

"I get it now," Carwyn said, waggling a finger at the elderly monk. "You've been asking all these questions to test me, get a feel for what I'm all about. See if I'm good enough for Aya."

 

"You are quite the sleuth, Master Stormchild," Abbott Carlisle said, a smirk curving the side of his lips.

 

Carwyn sighed mightily. "Well?" he asked. "Do I pass? Am I good enough for her?"

 

The abbott unclasped his hands slowly. "If you truly care for her, that is something you must ask yourself."

 

"I knew you'd say something like that," Carwyn said, half-accusatorily. He sat back in his chair, pensive. Was he good enough for Aya? "She seems to think so," he said after a moment's thought. "And that's really all that matters, isn't it?"

 

Abbott Carlisle drew his hands across his stomach. He cocked his head to the side and observed Carwyn for a few long seconds. "So what now?" he said, finally.

 

Carwyn ran his hand through his hair for what seemed like the umpteenth time. This is like bad deja vu, he thought to himself. "I don't know what now, Father," he said, a touch of exasperation bleeding into his voice. "Aya doesn't either. I don't know." At the abbott's bemused look, he spread his arms out. "Look, I'll tell you what I do know. All I know is that over these past few days, we've been through a lot of crazy things. Crazy, crazy things. And we've gotten through it all together, with all of our friends. And through all that, I came to terms that I would do anything for them." He paused, lowering his voice as he realized he was nearly shouting. "That I would do anything for her. That I love her. That I'm not just attracted to her like some lovestruck puppy, but that I truly and earnestly, one hundred percent, honest-to-Morgan love her."

 

The heavy oak door creaked open and both the abbott and Carwyn turned to look. "Oh, boy," Carwyn whispered as Aya, Maggie and Xan stepped through.

[Master_Archon]

"Well, then," Miss Aya said to Xan, "you're the man with the armour... we'll be the scouts, mainly because we both know the terrain and the shortcuts," she explained. "And you can watch our backs, 'cause I daresay either one of us could hide behind you if we run into any monks, or especially, Father Abbot. Deal?"

 

"Well, that sounds like a sound plan, it's a deal," he said holding his hand out to conclude the deal, but as if some strange thing came upon him, almost as if he had remembered something from the past, he put his hand down.

 

He rung his hand pensively for a moment before motioning for the girls to go on ahead and get moving. As they began to move out Xan followed behind, but he seemed to go back into thought again, which made him look dejected and sad.

 

He perked his head up as they came to a heavy oak door, as they approached he attempted to do the polite thing and open it for them. As he moved closer to the door his accute hearing picked fragments of what he could conclude as a conversation up.

 

"...puppy.....truly and earnestly, one...percent....love her." Xan mulled this over for a short second, cocking an eyebrow he pushed it aside in his mind to be thought over later. At this, he pushed the door open with a light tap, the door creaking open all the way with that simple tap, Xan stepped aside to allow the girls to go in firt, as any civil person would do.

[JasraLantill]

As Aya stepped through the door, she froze in her tracks. Carwyn was there at the table, no surprise to her since there were probably cookies in the vincinity, but so was Father Abbot. And he did not look very pleased to see her or Maggie in the kitchen in the middle of the night. "Erm... Father Abbot," she said with trepidation. "I didn't know you were still up."

 

She looked askance at Xan. "Nice stealthy approach, big guy," she whispered to him out the corner of her mouth. Then she faced Father Abbot once again, grinning nervously.

 

"Erm... Xan here hasn't eaten supper at all, Father, so we thought we'd show him where the kitchen was. It's been a very busy day for all of us." She glanced at Carwyn, and couldn't help but grin. "We were too excited to sleep, I suppose." She nudged Maggie with her elbow. "Right, Mags?"

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Aya hadn't heard his little impassioned speech to the Abbott and part of him was glad for that. It wasn't exactly how he had planned to tell her anyway. He glanced at the abbott and saw that the sly old monk seemed to be chuckling slightly.

 

Taking that as a good sign, he swept his arm back and beckoned the three newcomers forward. "C'mon in, c'mon in," he said. "I had the munchies, so I came down here to scrounge up something to eat. The good Abbott found me with my hand in the cookie jar and we've been swapping manly stories ever since. Come join us."

 

As Aya slid into the seat next to him, Carwyn surreptitiously reached under the table and gave her leg a squeeze. "Thank the gods you're here," he whispered in her hear as she sat, an utterly relieved look on his face.

[Quist]

Maggie was surprised when they had found Carwyn and Abbott Carlisle in the kitchen, moreso for the latter than the former. She didn't know of the ranger's feeding predilections, but she knew that the Abbott usually liked to put in for early nights and very rarely paid late night visits anywhere, especially in the kitchen. Then again, with the arrival of Kyo, Aya and their companions, she supposed she couldn't fault him for staying up and getting to know them.

 

As they approached the table, she couldn't help but notice that Carwyn had the strangest expression on his face, something that looked like a mix between relief and bemusement. She glanced over at the Abbott, who had something of a smug look on his own face. What did we just walk into...? she wondered idly. She shook it off, then looked at Xan. "I'll go see what we have available to eat, m'lord. Just take a seat at the table, please."

 

===== ===== ===== ===== =====

 

Brother Kitanga watched carefully as Toa stirred, then got up, a groggy expression on his face. "Umm... Hello?" the pyromancer asked, his voice somewhat slurred.

 

"Good morning, lad," Brother Kitanga greeted him. "Technically it's evening, but I figured in your state, time is all relative, isn't it?" He scooted a bit closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

[Rexraptor2000]

"Good morning, lad," Brother Kitanga greeted him. "Technically it's evening, but I figured in your state, time is all relative, isn't it?" He scooted a bit closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Like my head was a punching bag for a PyroTitan," Toa replied with a pained laugh. "And also incredibly stupid for opening that black scroll. Note to self: Anything that looks evil is evil. Of course, not all evil looks like it, but I'm not a psychic, so I'm done for on that part. Oh, who are you again? I'm Toa Firespitter, and I could really use a drink of hot water right now for this headache."

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn was quite glad for the surprise company; he didn't think he could've lasted much more on his own under the good Abbott's scrutiny. Abbott Carlisle still hadn't said anything on what he thought of Carwyn and Aya, so the ranger played it cool, sitting discreetly apart from the young merchant so as not to cause any trouble.

 

"I still haven't found any cookies around here," Carwyn said as he watched Maggie ladle out some soup for Xan.

 

"That's because we hide them, just in case a traveler such as yourself comes along, Master Stormchild," the Abbott responded, his voice filled with mirth.

 

"How...proactive of you," Carwyn said, a little crestfallen.

 

Abbott Carlisle chuckled. "They're over there on the counter, behind the sugar bin," he said, gesturing behind him.

 

Carwyn brightened. "Knew you'd come 'round," he said as he made his way to the counter.

 

-----

 

The next hour proved to be an entertaining one, as everyone had their fill of both food and laughs. The Abbott was not only the top monk, but an expert storyteller as well, and soon they all had smiles on their faces.

 

"...And that is why you never look a horney toad straight in the eye," Abbott Carlisle finished with a flourish.

 

Carwyn joined Maggie and Aya in clapping. "I don't think looking a horny anything in the eye is advisible."

 

"You catch on fast, dear boy," the Abbott said. Dropping himself out of his seat, he yawned. "Well children, I think it is all way past our bedtimes, so I will bid you all a good night. Don't stay up too late," he said, catching Carwyn's gaze purposefully.

 

"Yes Father," Carwyn said, thankfully a bit more at ease as the elderly monk left the kitchen. The ranger rubbed an eye sleepily. "I think we should take his advice. I'm bushed."

 

Maggie nodded as she cleared up the dishes. "You go on ahead and get some sleep. I'll see you all in the morning," she said with a wink.

 

-----

 

Aya led Carwyn by the hand back through the darkened passageways back to the dormitory. "So what did you and Father Carlisle talk about before we came and interrupted you?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

 

"Oh, you know, manly things," Carwyn replied. He wasn't going to tell her about the Abbott's third degree interrogation, at least not yet. "Things like lumberjacking, rangering, trapping, that sorta stuff. Oh and card games too." He rubbed his chin. "Tellis was playing a card game with him when I got there. Looks like he was beating her pretty soundly too."

 

"Was it rin gummy?" Aya asked as she stopped in front of her door. At Carwyn's nodding, she said, "Yeah, he's quite good at that one. Poor Tellis probably didn't have a chance."

 

Carwyn chuckled. "She looked so beat that I was tempted to offer her my lucky pants. Unfortunately, they're back in my room."

 

Aya grinned. "Too bad, I'm sure having your pants would have helped her. They have served you quite well in the past." She sighed. "Makes me wish I could have your pants too."

 

Carwyn smirked at her.

 

"Oh, wait, not like that..." Aya said quickly, reddening as she realized what she had just said.

 

The ranger laughed heartily and hugged her close. "Aya, you do have a way with words. Frood would be proud." Pulling his head back, he looked into her eyes for a moment, then kissed her softly on the lips. "But that's quite enough for one night," he told her quietly. "We all need our rest; it's been a long day."

 

(( Thanks to Quist for letting me use Maggie for a little bit :3 ))

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo didn't sleep much that night - he often didn't. It had become an ingrained characteristic to him, to the point where it was nearly impossible for him to sleep longer than a few hours. In fact, he found that he functioned better on two hours of sleep rather than a full six to eight hours, unlike most people. But...then again, Kyo wasn't like most people.

 

As the sun rose fully over the horizon, the warrior could be found walking the paths of the garden, the leather chest armor he usually wore entirely removed, leaving just the worn, off-white under robes that he wore beneath. His hair was still a bit damp - he had taken full use of the monestary's baths minutes before - and hung spike-ish about his head.

 

Silence...he hadn't had enough of the nerve-settling, mind-easing silence for the past few days, even the beginning legs of their journey having had quite a bit of adventure in store for them. He drank the silence in as if it were the finest of spirits, smiling ever so faintly to himself as he paused at the edge of the reflecting pool, the sight of the still water returning his thoughts to those of the night before.

[JasraLantill]

Aya awoke to a gentle stream of sunlight filtering in through her window. After having her midnight snack and finding out that the Abbot seemed to approve of Carwyn, she had slept easy between the clean linen sheets. She stretched, feeling energised and well-rested.

 

“Sweet cream and raisin bread,” she said quietly to herself, remembering her promise to Maggie, and a conspiratorial smile graced her lips. She whipped off the bedcovers, quickly got herself dressed, then, quietly as not to alert or wake anyone, she exited the room and tiptoed down the corridor in the direction of the kitchen.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo looked up as he heard the soft tip toe of sneaking feet, peering through the door he had left open a few feet away to catch a flash of dark hair as the young merchant slipped round a corner. With a devious grin, the swordsman drifted silently inside to follow her.

 

Would it be terribly evil of him to play a trick on the young woman?

 

He slipped silently along the hallways behind her, leaving enough evidence - a louder footfall here, a flash of a limb there - to make her believe that someone was down here with her.

[JasraLantill]

Hearing what sounded like a double footfall, Aya paused in her tracks and then looked down at her own feet. Her boots were made of soft leather, so there shouldn't have been any echo from hard heels against the stone floor. Cautiously, she took another couple of steps forward. They sounded normal to her now, so, satisfied, she continued slowly down the corridor.

 

She peeked around the next corner, but as she did so, she thought she caught a glimpse of something moving slightly behind her. But when she turned to look, there was no one there. She frowned slightly. She had never know the monestary to be 'haunted' as such, but with all the strange things that had happened of late, that option certainly wasn't out of bounds.

 

"Hullo?" she whispered quietly, and then she listened. Nothing. Only the muted sounds of early morning bird song drifting in through open windows. Shrugging she continued on.

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn woke up in pretty much the same state he always did: limbs akimbo, sheets wrapped around his leg, hair completely disheveled. Truth be told, he'd not slept in such a nice bed since the stay in Ryuu-Tokai and the soft mattress, sheets and pillows had spoiled him. He was too used to sleeping on hard ground and as a result, his back felt all stiff.

 

Groaning slightly, he pulled his lanky frame out of bed, clad in only his trousers, having changed into them in place of the sleeping shift from the night before. They were indeed his lucky pants, and it didn't feel right without them on. They had some nasty-looking smudges from the fall in the reflection pool and Carwyn made up his mind to get them washed before they left the monastery.

 

Yawning, he slung his tunic over his shoulder and slipped into his boots, then stepped out into the quiet hallway and started downstairs.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo couldn't help but smirk a bit. He hadn't used stealth like this in a while - and although Aya wasn't the most witting specimin as she wasn't trained in such stealth and so her ability to find him would be quite diminished - it was quiet entertaining enough.

 

He followed her into the kitchen, waiting for her to open the door to the pantry and step inside before slidding from his hidding place. She had left the pantry door open, and so he decided to take advantage of it.

 

While her back was turned, her thoughts concentrated on selecting from the vast amounts of food available before her. He came quietly to stand in the door frame, leaning against one side of it as he folded his arms over his chest. As she reached for some food, he spoke up.

 

"Looking for an early morning snack, Miss Aya?"

[JasraLantill]

"Ack!"

 

A loaf of raisin bread shot up into the air... launched like a cannon ball by the jittery hands of a merchant girl with brown doe-eyes wide with surprise.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo stepped forward and caught the loaf before it fell to the ground, smiling at her. Offering it back to her, he spoke.

 

"I apologize," he said, a mischeavious look in his eye, "Did I frighten you?"

[Quist]

Maggie had almost overslept, given how late she had stayed up the night before. Clambering out of bed groggily, she looked outside her window to see the early morning rays of sunlight just first peeking out over the horizon. She rubbed her eyes, then remembered she was to meet Aya in the pantry. Dressing quickly and not bothering to straighten her flyaway hair, she exited her room quickly and quietly and made her way to the kitchen.

 

Approaching the door, she heard a voice from inside. She stopped short, as the voice was most definitely not Aya's. It wasn't even feminine at all. Grasping the handle cautiously, she pushed the heavy door open and let herself in, sidling over to the pantry area. As she approached, she heard a surprised "Ack!" and she knew this to be Aya for sure. Was she in trouble? Maggie quickly hurried her pace, intent on helping her friend.

[JasraLantill]

"Yes," she said a bit crossly as she snatched the loaf from his hands. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak around so early in the morning?" She paused, realising that's exactly what she'd been doing. "Well...," she backpedaled, "not to sneak up on other people when they're trying to sneak around early in the morning. What are you doing here anyway?" She eyed him suspiciously. "Surely not after raisin bread and sweet cream."

[Quist]

Rounding the corner, Maggie prepared herself for anything when she ran headlong into something very broad and solid for the second time in half a day. And for the second time in half a day, she ended up on her backside, staring up at another warrior, only this time the warrior had his back to her.

 

"Ouch," she muttered, rubbing her bottom.

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo stumbled a bit in surprise as he was hit in the back with something solid. Turning around, he blinked in confusion as he found Maggie on her backside, sitting on the ground. Smiling faintly and shaking his head, he extended his hands to her.

 

"Not at all, Miss Aya." he said, "Simply out for a walk."

 

As he helped Maggie to her feet, he said, "Good morning to you as well, Miss Roche."

[Quist]

"Good mornin' m'lord," Maggie replied, straightening out her dress and smoothing her hair back a bit. "Sorry for running into you, I wasn't watching where I was going." She glanced over at Aya and gave her friend a little wave. "I heard Aya cry out and thought she might be in trouble." She looked down at her feet as she realized where she was. "You know, from pantry ghosts," she finished meekly.

[JasraLantill]

As much as she tried, Aya couldn't supress the grin starting on her lips. "Well, since we're all here...." She looked down at the loaf of raisin bread in her hands, then looked over to the shelf where a pot of sweet clotted cream sat. "Shall we have some breakfast?"

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn scratched his head as he turned in place, trying to figure out at what point exactly had he gotten lost. He was sure he'd gone down the right stairwell for the kitchen, but apparently, he thought wrong as it had spit him out into a completely unfamiliar hallway. His senses as a ranger of the woods were totally useless in these halls of stone and mortar and that frustrated him just a little bit. He had picked one at random and followed it down, only to have it lead him to another spot which branched off into several passageways.

 

Sighing in slight annoyance, he started down the hallway to his right and came upon a door. "Finally," he muttered as he pushed it open and stepped into a place vaguely familiar. He squinted into the new morning sunlight, trying to get his bearings. Spotting a nearby stone bench, he realized where he was. He slouched over to the bench and plopped himself down on it, leaning back and propping his arms against the cool stone backrest to stare into the reflection pool behind him.

[Quist]

Maggie quickly retrived small plates and butter knives from a nearby cupboard and set them on the table as Aya readied the bread and sweet cream. It had been a while since Maggie had allowed herself to indulge in such little pleasures and she was glad to have Aya along to share. Kyo was a surprise, but a welcome one.

 

"Do y'think all warriors are so darn sturdy?" she whispered to Aya as they brought out pitchers of water to the table. "I mean, I was going at top speed and he didn't even flinch. It was like running to a wall!"

[JasraLantill]

"Try trying to change his mind," Aya whispered back. "Did you know he was still reading in the library when we came down for our midnight snack raid? He's as firm in thought as he is in body." She looked at Kyo from the corner of her eye as she sliced the raisin bread. She had to admit, Kyo was not bad to look at--from any angle. "He's firm all over."