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Post by arijana Seychelles on Mar 13, 2013 21:55:03 GMT -5
The wind held a slight chill as it swept across the trees around Cirith, a gentle melody playing through the branches and leaves. One of the few moments that seemed to detached this place from the rest of the world. Just outside of the town, the wind tried to pick up causing a hooded figure to pull her cloak around her a little more. "It always stronger outside," she thought aloud. Looking around, she found a root lifted up. A perfect place to sit, she'd say, and took a seat. 'It's tempting... being so close to home... Arijana, you come up with the worst ideas sometimes.'
How long has it been? Seven... Eight years, maybe? If only she remembered sooner, she could have just ran home and lived normally. Or, she could have died on that battlefield... No, she shouldn't think things like that. Her mother would probably slap her if she said such things aloud. Ari knew she'd want to do the same thing to anyone else. In fact, whenever she found her father, she may as well do that to him. Just leaving her in a random town she didn't know and not even come by to see her? He better have a good reason...
"Afternoon, Miss."
The voice took her off guard, but it seemed to just be a random traveler walking by, heading into town. She smiled, giving a nod in response and making the man nod as well. Really, she should head out herself, but she wondered if there was any places she missed in town. Ari doubted it, but either way, she should stay in one place to long... especially being so close to... the obvious.
Then again, she had been walking for quite a while. Just a few more minutes sitting there shouldn't hurt... |
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Post by Cassiondra Seychelles on Mar 15, 2013 0:27:57 GMT -5
i just want one more chance [atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true]The facts before them completely baffled the General. Here they were, searching for answers, reasons as to how Zoe might have evaded her men so strongly. She had been given leave to search for Zoe and her company, along with Vergil, who was believed to have escaped with her, and it was back in the forest where she would start. She didn't think they would end up coming back here, but even on the off chance that they didn't, searching here wouldn't be a problem. Cass wanted answers, some way which she could use to track Zoe and eventually catch her once more.
Or, perhaps, if she got lucky, it would not be catching, but rather... Speaking. Perhaps she could approach it diplomatically, in the right company. At the moment, she only had Darius accompanying her, but he knew her well enough to know that diplomacy would be the better option. He might have been a troublemaker, but he wasn't a complete idiot. At least he knew when to take a situation seriously... In most cases.
She knelt down briefly, examining a rock with dried blood on it. There was blood on the leaves; she could tell it hadn't rained since Zoe had been chased, and Cass was glad for it. A lack of precipitation meant that evidence wouldn't have been washed away, and while it was possible that this could have been from an animal... No, considering the clear trail it left, and the amount, the way they'd traced it, she doubted it was an animal. If it was, it was a large one, and the chances of that were slim to none. Most animals wouldn't run around injured, after all; their animal predator would always find them.
"I just can't believe she would have been able to evade them so easily. What was described to me back in Azul simply doesn't make any sense. I know they did say she was helped, but... No, she had to have gone some distance on her own. I'm almost certain there's something more to this girl than what I saw, even back on the train." She was musing to herself, but her companion would have heard it. Perking up, she noticed they were near the path that led to Cirith once again. She could see someone, sitting there... They were too short to be masculine, or if they were, then it had to be someone younger.
"Is there anything I can perhaps help you with? An escort to Cirith to avoid the monsters, perhaps?" Her voice was raised, as she was some distance away from that particular person, but she was far from hostile. In fact, even the people of Cirith knew her, even if some of them gave her looks of disgrace in the process. They preferred to stay out of anyone's affairs, and frankly, the general didn't blame them. She tried to stay on as best of terms as she could while she searched around their forests for clues, rather than demanding they reveal each and every tidbit to her. They had rights as living beings, after all. to put my arms in fragile hands |
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Post by DARIUS EISENBERG on Mar 17, 2013 1:12:04 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 387px,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top]  | [atrb=valign,top] THEY CALL HIM AN OUTLAW! THEY CALL HIM FEAR! FROM SMOKE AND FIRE HE APPEARS! Darius yawned as he lumbered through the Cirith forest with both of his arms hunched over. Ever since he had hurled himself back into the Navy with the empire, his sleep schedule had been out of whack. To make things even worse, he was enlisted into Cassiondra’s personal units, which required him to escort her in several tasks that she was assigned to. The man was used to working with all this stress, but this was all too much. Honestly, wasn’t it enough that this woman always terrorized him just for having a little fun? In a way, he kind of regretted the fact that he signed himself back with the Empire, but a contract was a contract. Until he fulfilled it, which in his case to help with this woman’s rebellion, he was not going to be pulling out of this any time soon. He gave his word, after all, especially after she fed him such delicious dinner back in Gladiolus a while back. Oh man, he would kill to have some of those again. Darius wondered if she would permit him to stay in her mansion for a night again to have some dinner. “More importantly….” Darius thought as he yawned once again, “I want to go back to the bunks and take a nice, long nap without anyone having to wake me up. Well, then again, this is a pretty big investigation. I wonder what the Empire wants with those brats? What a drag. Also, I'm hungry, ain't it lunch time yet?”Unfortunately, the man was not exactly attuned to the whole situation as well as others. Only things he knew so far was that the girl that they knew absolutely nothing about, a delinquent from Cirith caused some serious injuries on soldiers performing their duties, going as far as cutting both of the man’s arms off, and a crowned prince from the royal family helped them escape out from the prison that they were once detained in. Sheesh, talk about a gang of misfits. As the both companions walked along, Cassiondra expressed just how astonished she was about their evasion. In a way, it surprised Darius as well; evading the navy shouldn’t have been easy, especially when the lead-general was under their command. “Who knows, the brats were probably just lucky enough to get away from them.” Darius replied, “I mean, I’m just sayin’ things like these don’t usually JUST happen every day. Nothin’ happens on accident, girlie, no matter how coincidental it may seem. Speakin' of 'happenin's', I'm hungry, let's get somethin' to eat later.” Eventually, the two came across a suspicious hooded figure resting on a roadside. Before he said anything, his companion was the first one to ask whether that person needed help or not. Darius’ experiences with hooded figures during his mercenary work weren’t exactly pleasant, because usually they involved some sort of an assassination attempt. For that reason, the male stood next to his old friend and kept a close watch on the figure for any sudden movements. ------- Notes;; Srs thread is srs. BGM;; Gaur PlainsWords;; bleeeeeh |
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Post by arijana Seychelles on Mar 19, 2013 10:18:27 GMT -5
Ari closed her eyes after a bit, just listening to everything around her. In fact, after a while, she felt herself start to doze off, but she forced herself awake before that could happen. No, she couldn't sleep here. Far too early for that. Besides, she needed to--
"Is there anything I can perhaps help you with? An escort to Cirith to avoid the monsters, perhaps?"
Again, another voice, another moment off guard. Honestly, that was starting to get old. First glance, she noticed the owner of the voice. A soldier it seemed, according to her attire and choice of wording. Standing up, she started to speak. "No, I'm fine. I was actually--" She cut herself off as she took a better look a the woman before her. That face... Was it? To the side, once again, another familiar face, though Ari was more certain of him. There was no mistaking it...
'Cassiondra... and Darius...' Arijana reached for her hood, pulling it down as casually as she could. No, she couldn't have been found out right now. Not now! "Uh... I was just leaving, actually. Please, don't mind me. I don't want to be of any trouble." She started walking to the main road... but the clearest path to get there was walking by the two. Yet, taking a more rough route would've made her look even more suspicious. If there was any example of being between a rock and a hard place, this would surely classify as one. |
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Post by Cassiondra Seychelles on Mar 20, 2013 23:09:22 GMT -5
i just want one more chance [atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true]This particular traveller they'd come across seemed somewhat... Strange, to say the least. Cassiondra knew what hooded figures usually involved, and even she could tell by the serious look on Darius' face that he wasn't playing this time, either. She could tell his eyes were being watchful, and hers were no less watchful, either. Granted, this particular male or female could simply have their hood up to defend against the winds, something that Cass was hardly even taking notice of. She was too used to the elements to really care in the slightest.
The stranger looked towards them, but quickly turned away, leaving only a glance of their face. "No, I'm fine. I was actually--" No, more precisely, her face. That voice, though... It sounded strangely familiar, as if it were completely alien to the world, and yet Cassiondra was so drawn to it... The familiarity was almost unbearable. But why? Who could it possibly be, whose name would have escaped her, that she would be able to recognize the voice so crisp and clear in her mind?
She knew she'd heard that voice before. But where?
Try as the girl may to seem casual, Cass didn't miss the girl pulling the hood further down. An attempt to hide her face, obviously. Clearly, the girl must have known just whose presence she was within; if she didn't recognize Darius, then the Lead General herself would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Uh... I was just leaving, actually. Please, don't mind me. I don't want to be of any trouble."
...That voice again. But why was it so familiar? Who possibly could it belong to, that seemed so suspicious around them? Cass remained at a standstill as the girl stood up, her face hidden, hair not visible underneath the hood, and contemplated. That voice belonged to someone, and her curiosity simply couldn't allow her to let it slide. It was like a nagging bother, a gut feeling of sorts, that was drawing her to that voice. An answer was what she wanted.
She felt like she should recognize the source of the voice. And yet, she didn't.
And it wasn't as if she were about to let it slide, either. As the girl pushed past them, Cass turned to follow, a determined look upon her face. Her companion would have recognized it; that stubborn look that meant she wasn't going to stop until she was either rationally talked out of whatever she wanted, or until she got whatever it was she wanted, or accomplished something. Whatever the case, there would be no stopping her as easily as one might have hoped.
"You tell us not to mind you, and yet you hide your face from us? You're dealing with soldiers from the Empire, girl. And not just any soldiers." She was bent and determined on finding the source of that voice, no matter the cost. to put my arms in fragile hands |
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Post by DARIUS EISENBERG on Mar 25, 2013 2:26:51 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 387px,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top] | [atrb=valign,top] THEY CALL HIM AN OUTLAW! THEY CALL HIM FEAR! FROM SMOKE AND FIRE HE APPEARS! The moment the woman cut her speech off, Darius noticed something awfully odd with her. She seemed to freeze for a moment, retracting her statement as if she saw a ghost behind them before she quickly pulled the hood down on her face. Was she a wanted convict, or something? Maybe it was the girl that escaped out from the prison, but more importantly… that voice sounded god awfully familiar. Just where did he hear that voice from? Somewhere back in his head, he felt like he just knew this woman; at the same time she was a complete stranger, and a mysterious one at that considering that she was avoiding the two companion’s gazes.
“… Something is off ‘bout this girl. Do I know her from somewhere, or is it just my imagination runnin’ wild on somethin'? … I honestly hope I ain’t touched in the head like what girlie said to me last time, otherwise I’d have some damn serious problems."
She then quickly said that she was simply leaving, not wanting to be of any trouble. Oh, she caught their attention now. Darius was really starting to get suspicious about this cloaked figure sitting in front of them who was now pushing past them to leave. Just as he was about to grab her, his friend, Cassiondra stepped forward out to speak. She was probably trying to solve this in a more diplomatic manner. He knew her; she was the type who would offer a chance for her enemies to surrender before devouring them whole. Those were one of the things that made his friend so scary in contrary to Darius when he would just simply crush anything that stands in his path with little to no warnings.
"You tell us not to mind you, and yet you hide your face from us? You're dealing with soldiers from the Empire, girl. And not just any soldiers."
Darius huffed and scratched the back of his head as he grinned. Sheesh, did she always try to sound so cool like this? His smile then quickly faded and turned serious for once. There were times to play games and times to get down to dirty business. The male stepped in front of the cloaked woman, blocking her path with his massive figure to keep her from going any further. “Girlie, ya better do as yer told if ya wanna get out of this in one piece. It ain’t gonna do ya no good if ya keep hidin’ yer pretty face like that, and I hate wreckin' other women's faces when it's completely unnecessary.” He suggested, “So make it easier for both of us, and show us yer face. If ya ain’t anyone suspicious, we let ya go on yer merry way, right? I hate to be all Mr. Serious Guy, but this is kinda our job, y’know. Also, I wanna eat lunch soon, sooo... why don'tcha be a good gal and cooperate?” |
[/color] ------- Notes;; Srs thread is srs. BGM;; Gaur PlainsWords;; bleeeeeh [/div][/td][/tr][/table] [/center] |
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Post by arijana Seychelles on Mar 27, 2013 20:07:10 GMT -5
"You tell us not to mind you, and yet you hide your face from us? You're dealing with soldiers from the Empire, girl. And not just any soldiers."
'I'm fully aware,' was the thought screaming in Arijana's mind. However, it wasn't due to Cass' rank that she was thinking that... She needed to get away, but should she run? She was already in a hood, which made her look suspicious enough, and her choice of words were taken more seriously than she had hoped. Running would only make things more complicated. So, she decided to keep walking and to try not to communicate any further.
But that was futile. Darius stepped in front of her, leaving her between the two of them with thick forest on either side. Ari looked up slightly, her eyes barely showing as she caught a glimpse of Darius' face. It was a rather serious expression. One she didn't see from him that often in the past unless he meant business. No... There was no easy way out of this...
“Girlie, ya better do as yer told if ya wanna get out of this in one piece. It ain’t gonna do ya no good if ya keep hidin’ yer pretty face like that, and I hate wreckin' other women's faces when it's completely unnecessary.”
His manner of speaking hasn't changed much, it seemed. It would have been comforting, were it not for the current circumstances. She listened to him as he stated what would potentially happen if she would cooperate, and the added comment about lunch made her smile slightly. Ari lowered her head, a few strands of her blond hair falling and showing themselves. If only he knew...
But neither of them could. Not yet. "... I'm sorry." With those words, she made a quick dash to her right and jumped over some overgrowth with surprising ease. "Stone Blast!" She casted a spell directly behind her as she moved, a small portion of the ground shooting up dozens of rocks. However, she didn't bother looking back to see how close her pursuers. She just wanted so slow them down so she could make her escape. |
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Post by Cassiondra Seychelles on Apr 6, 2013 1:15:09 GMT -5
i just want one more chance [atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true]It was certainly a good thing that both Cass and Darius were on the same page regarding what should be done about the girl who seemed... Compelled to hide her face from them. But for what particular reason? Surely she knew who she was dealing with, considering they'd just made it quite obvious that they were high-ranking members. Darius himself was part of her personal unit, and with Cass being the Lead General, this girl was getting herself into a lot more trouble than it was probably worth. Perhaps she was associated with the guilds and didn't want the well-known hater of them to find that out. If she was trying to be sneaky about it, then she'd done a pretty poor job of it.
“Girlie, ya better do as yer told if ya wanna get out of this in one piece. It ain’t gonna do ya no good if ya keep hidin’ yer pretty face like that, and I hate wreckin' other women's faces when it's completely unnecessary.” Luckily, Darius certainly was on the same page, considering his serious tone of voice and the fact that he was now blocking the girl's path. She had Cass behind her, Darius in front of her, and wooded area on either side. There was arguably nowhere for her to go, unless she wanted to go ploughing through the undergrowth and trees. Nevertheless, even if she tried that, she doubted the girl would get too far.
“So make it easier for both of us, and show us yer face. If ya ain’t anyone suspicious, we let ya go on yer merry way, right? I hate to be all Mr. Serious Guy, but this is kinda our job, y’know. Also, I wanna eat lunch soon, sooo... why don'tcha be a good gal and cooperate?” Was food all Darius ever thought about? Cass wondered if that was the case, briefly. He wanted lunch, and they hadn't even been out searching for very long. She swore this guy had to eat five or six meals a day just to keep up. Nevertheless, the general expected no less of her right-hand man, though she did quite hope he would be able to keep his own on a slightly unsatisfied stomach.
The girl moved fast, uttering an apology to both of them before leaping to the side over some of the undergrowth. She was a lot quicker than what Cass had expected, even as the general whirled in the girl's direction, ready to chase.
Except for the fact that there were soon rocks and dirt flying in her face in front of her. Damn, so the girl was a mage, too. Once it had cleared, with Cass using her arms to shield her face from the dust, she turned to Darius, issuing a single order.
"Go around the side and cut her off." With nothing more to say, Cass darted through the undergrowth, chasing the girl. As if she would get away so easily! Cass was careful to watch her footing, her feet moving from open spot to open spot, avoiding tree roots and logs as she moved. It was extremely difficult to move, considering one wrong move meant she might slip and fall on her rear, or even trip and fall on her face, but being a skilled warrior meant that she would have to deal with such circumstances.
"Stop! In the name of the Azurine Battalion of the Gladiolan Empire, I order you to cease immediately!" Her words rang through the trees as she continued to chase the girl. Hopefully, if the girl chose to cast another spell, Cass would be ready for anything to be thrown at her. to put my arms in fragile hands |
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Post by DARIUS EISENBERG on Apr 12, 2013 2:07:28 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 387px,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top]  | [atrb=valign,top] THEY CALL HIM AN OUTLAW! THEY CALL HIM FEAR! FROM SMOKE AND FIRE HE APPEARS! With an utter of apology, the cloaked woman zipped past them and into the overgrowth before Darius was able to get a grasp of her. “Sonofa-, she’s gonna get away!” With his friend, he chased after their potential target and he had no trouble of keeping up with Cassiondra despite the massive weight of the sword that he had strapped behind his back. Then, to provide a distraction, the girl cast a spell which peppered stones and dirt at their faces. Before any of the large stones could hit Darius, he quickly put up both of his arms to shield his vulnerable head from being peppered by shrapnel of rocks and dirt. As the spell ended, he saw a moderately large rock being flown right at him. A chance! If he could grab and throw that thing back at her, then it should knock her down in one fell swoop. The male quickly grabbed the incoming missile, used its momentum to spin around and throw it aimed right at one of her legs. He threw it a little higher to compensate for the speed she was running in, but it was most likely going to only end up tripping her for a moment at most. So what did he have to do? Flank her from the side. Even so, at situations like these an instant meant everything. "Go around the side and cut her off." “Yeah, you don’t have to tell me!” Darius sped off to the side to cut the girl off from her path. He did he best to keep up with the girl, but her speed gave him an extremely difficult time to catch up. If he wanted to go at her at full force, then it meant that he had to abandon his weapon in middle of the woods and as a warrior, it was a very foolish thing to do. At times like these, he had a trick up his sleeves, an arte he had come up with a long time ago to help him close his distance with one of those speedsters. By focusing the mana into his body, Darius supercharged his body with his own element and shot himself at a straight line at unspeakable speeds for a human while ignoring all laws of inertia that the world had set for him. The obstacles that the terrain were in front of him proved to be a little to no challenge, in fact his feet was not even touching the ground – he was flying like a bullet. Unless wasn’t human, she was most likely going to be tackled down and held in such a position that she won’t be able to move. Darius would easily overpower her even if she resisted. ------- Notes;; Srs thread is srs. BGM;; GekkoWords;; bleeeeeh |
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Post by arijana Seychelles on Apr 12, 2013 2:48:21 GMT -5
Hearing a couple of grunts behind her, Ari knew they were caught up in the spell, but she didn't expect to have something hit her leg. It was right before her foot hit the ground, forcing if forward and making her lose balance to the point where she started to fall. However, her training came to mind as she let herself fall and rolled on the ground until her feat was back on the ground and jumped back up. It was basic, but she was able to keep moving... though it slowed her down for a moment. Not to mention that with each stride now her left leg was burning in pain, but she kept going.
"Stop! In the name of the Azurine Battalion of the Gladiolan Empire, I order you to cease immediately!"
"That's not something I can do," she said under her breath. As much as she would want to stop this charade and turn around, she couldn't. After all, what would Cass think? No, if she had any chance of escape, she needed to take it. Now wasn't the best time to reveal herself. She just needed a bit longer...
But she didn't have the chance. She heard a small sound, like an arrow or bullet being shot at her, but as soon as she heard it, she was grabbed and tackled, falling to the ground on her side. She yelped and, out of reflex, tried to fight back, but the grip was too strong. Looking down, she noticed Darius' arms and then instinctively looked back to see how close Cass was... little did she know her hood inched its way back far enough during the chase that the moment she did, it fell down.
"Crap..." She then looked down, her hair, now unobstructed by the hood, falling around her face as if it was her last bit of cover to keep either of them from seeing her face. Not that it would help at this point. |
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Post by Cassiondra Seychelles on Apr 18, 2013 13:08:55 GMT -5
i just want one more chance [atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true]Each step through the forest brush was more than just a little treacherous. One wrong step and Cass could find herself ploughing into a tree, facedown in the dirt, or falling on her rear by losing her footing. Either that, or she would find herself in a position where the momentum she was moving at became slowed, and she lost their target. She was actually quite close to the girl, no more than ten feet away at the most; she had, after all, been trained to do this sort of thing. Her eyes moved quickly, looking for the next foothold, then to her target, then for a foothold, then to her target once more. She knew Darius had to be coming around the side soon, but when?
A recognizable sound came from beside her. She knew what her companion was capable of, and the faintest of smiles touched her lips. It was for that reason she'd sent him off to the side to flank the girl. It was more effective to stop her momentum from the side as opposed to trying to get her from behind. Cutting her off meant she would have to rethink her route in a split second, and that amount of time meant they would have the means to capture her. She watched as Darius shot out from the trees, tackling the girl and pinning her down.
The General skidded to a halt, her chest heaving slightly from the chase. Beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead, but she was hardly tired. In fact, the adrenaline coursing through her veins would have allowed her to go far longer than they had. Despite that, she had no desire to tucker herself out trying to chase this girl. Just what was her issue, and why was she hiding her face from them?
Cassiondra was about to get her answer. As the girl's hood slipped off from the impact, it revealed a set of blonde curls... Curls that were all too familiar. Cassiondra felt the dread welling up in her, but she wasn't entirely sure why. It wasn't until Arijana turned around, however, that Cass felt her blood run cold. She wasn't sure what this feeling was; shock? Fear? She was frozen in place, a look of pure shock upon her face. No... No, this wasn't possible. How could this girl before them share that same face? Anybody with half a brain would have been able to figure it out...
The bangs, framing the face. Bright eyes, Cassiondra's more green-tinged, while Arijana's settled to a blue, like their mother. She could feel her heart rate increasing as she stared, blankly. How could this be possible? This couldn't be Arijana who was in front of her, after all. Arijana had died... Right? The look on the General's face could only convey two things: shock, and the fact that she was nearly on the verge of tears, though for what reason, she wasn't entirely sure. Her soldier mentality was fighting with her, keeping her from breaking down, yet sending her into a sense of cold shock. It felt as if the world around her was separate, as if she were in some sort of bubble keeping the event before her from truly reaching her deep inside. It was a strange, detached feeling, and although Cassiondra knew this was happening, at the same time, it wasn't.
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There was a knock on the door. Cassiondra and Eldryn had both taken to resting for a short while, enjoying tea with a very cheerful Airiyel. News was supposed to come of the skirmish along the border, and Cassiondra certainly wanted to hear the details straight from Arijana. Supposedly, the word they'd received early meant there were little losses in terms of men. Besides, Arijana was just a standard-bearer; it was unlikely she would have been easily caught up in the front lines. Perhaps a few scratches and scrapes there, but the girl had been trained by both her sister and father; surely, she knew how to handle a sword well.
"Cassiondra dear, would you get that please?" That was from Airiyel, to which the young blonde smiled, standing up to answer the door. Before her stood a young man... A man who she recognized. It was none other than Darius Eisenberg, of the Rouge battalion, a man she'd trained well to use a sword. She certainly remembered him, all right. One hell of a troublemaker, and she'd made sure to whip him in shape. She greeted him with a smile at first, extending a hand in a handshake.
"Afternoon Commodore. Might I come in for a few? I bring news of the skirmish." Polite as always. Seeing the look on his face, Cass was less than surprised. It would have been a grim battle. Pouring him some tea in the most ladylike manner she could manage -- she was more the soldier-type, after all -- she sat down across from him, next to her mother. If they had arrived already, then... Just where was Arijana?
"I regret to inform you that while the casualties were limited... Unfortunately, Arijana was amongst them. Both her and the General were killed in a blitz attack by a member of the Rogue's guild. They cut right through our defenses..." Cassiondra couldn't believe this. No. It wasn't possible. Arijana, dead? But... Arijana had only been a standard-bearer. Surprised and shocked, Cassiondra looked to her father. He was deep in thought, though for what reason she was entirely unsure... Comprehending it, perhaps? But why... Why Arijana? She was...
She was just a standard-bearer. An innocent. Not killed in the skirmish. Murdered by the Guilds.
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Cassiondra felt as if she were reliving that same moment, the moment the news had been brought to her. A very strange sense of deja-vu... And to think how ironic it was, considering Darius was once again part of it. Was it fate? Some will of a higher power, perhaps the Goddesss Maxwell? Not that Cassiondra believed in the Goddess, but... Still. She felt as if the emotional turmoil was creeping on the surface of her psyche, and yet something was keeping it at bay. A wall, fighting so desperately to keep it away, to keep it from coming after her, chasing her down and tearing her limb from limb. She felt her knees go weak, sinking down as her entire body shook. Her mouth had been half-open for a long period of time, trying to utter a name she never thought she'd say again.
"Ari... Arijana?"
to put my arms in fragile hands |
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Post by DARIUS EISENBERG on Apr 19, 2013 14:29:35 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width: 387px,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=valign,top] | [atrb=valign,top] THEY CALL HIM AN OUTLAW! THEY CALL HIM FEAR! FROM SMOKE AND FIRE HE APPEARS! The more this girl tried to fight back, the more Darius tightened his grip on her in his hold. It was kind of his way of saying: ‘Hey, you ain’t gonna be gettin’ away any time soon, so stop tryin’, yeah?’ If she somehow slipped away from his grip like an eel, then he’ll just pull out one the wrestling moves that he saw during one of his travels and it was quite effective, to be honest. Just because she was a woman didn’t mean that he would be easy on her. If they were targets, then everyone no matter the gender was a fair game to him. At any rate, it seemed like she stopped resisting at this point and uttered a word as the hood fell from her head. She then tried to cover her features with her bangs, but it was already too late. Darius’ eyes widened, his mouth gaped open and his whole face turned pale as if he had saw a ghost. “N-no freakin' way…” Darius muttered in disbelief at the same time as his friend standing in front of him. Arijana was the girl’s name. There was no mistaking it. Those pair of pure blue-tinted eyes, curly blonde hair and a beautiful complexion that rivaled Cassiondra’s… it was definitely her. The last time he saw her was during the time of that blood skirmish when the men and women from the Rouge guild attacked them. They took them by surprise, and the defensive line they’ve formed had fallen to their seemingly well-coordinated attack. At that time, the girl was a standard bearer, and Darius promised that he would protect her no matter what. Perhaps this was the very first woman that he had fallen in love within during that time. He was never good at confessions, so he never managed to tell her how he felt or even so take her out to a nice dinner. When he found her amongst piles of corpses that he had ferociously slain with his sword, he found her dead amongst them. He wasn’t the only heart-broken one on that scene. The girl was well-liked by her comrades, they mourned for her death as well, but perhaps no one mourned for her more than Cassiondra and Darius. In her memory, he tore off the blood-colored banner that she had held to her bitter end and wrapped it around his forehead as a constant reminder of his sin since that day. Right now, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel. Happy? Sad? Dread? Darius forged his body and mind through battles like a sharp sword, but… this emotion that he was feeling was far beyond his comprehension. It was a rollercoaster ride going up and down constantly at the same time. Right now, he was too damn shocked to break down. “A-Arijana?” --- Hey, mind if I tell you a story? Don’t worry, it won’t take too long. I just like to get this off of my shoulder every once in a while rather than keeping it down. Name’s Darius by the way, Darius Eisenberg. Maybe you’ve heard of me, you know… as that one pissed-off guy who slaughtered monsters with his bare hands before passing out where he stood from an excessive blood loss? I’m kind of famous with the guys and gals back at Rouge battalion. Believe it or not, I was one of those skinny, nerdy kids who joined the military without knowing what was in store for him. I had difficult time in the training than most, but I’ve powered through it with sheer amounts of effort like any true man would. There, I met Cassiondra and at that time, she trained me and my platoon. She was harsh, but… was one of those fair kinds if you know what I’m talking about.
She was never afraid to get down and dirty with other soldiers, always leading by example. Though most guys underestimated her for being a woman, she quickly proved that she was more than a match for all of us. She rose through the ranks within the military and was the rising star. She not only gained my comrades’ respect, but as well as mine. Eventually, we became friends and I liked to pull pranks on her from time to time simply to get her attention. There was no harm from it, really, but I remember the time when I set firecrackers in her locker and set it to explode when she opened it. Heh, she was pissed beyond all reason because I set fire to the uniform she wore all the time. It was amusing, really. Still, it would’ve been more fun if she was able to play along with my practical jokes. Until I met Arijana, I started to think entirety of Cassiondra’s family was a boring, no-fun to be around kinds of people.
Unlike my old friend, she was accepting of my troublesome behavior. To some extent, at the very least and actually knew how to take jokes from time to time. She was the person I managed to fall in love with. She was one hell of a looker, not to mention she was quite lady-like. I never confessed my feelings for her though, because – well, hell if I know? Probably I was too much of a pussy back then, but I’ll admit that I was never good at these kinds of things to begin with. I regret even to this day that I never told Arijana about how I felt, but what I regret the most is the fact that I couldn’t protect her on that certain day when my world became blood stained red.
The fighting was fierce. Bad guys to my left, bad guys to my right… ugh, I couldn’t keep count of how many I’ve killed. Casualty was minimal despite the fact that they’ve broke through out defenses, but when I saw them going for the inner ranks I killed anyone in my path. I promised that I would keep her from all forms of harm. I’ve killed so many to protect her that my entire body from head to toe was caked in blood of those I had slain. Among the pile of corpses, I hoped that Arijana would be alright, but she was amongst them, fallen while holding the banner. At that moment, I felt all strength leaving me as I held her in my arms crying ‘Why’? I couldn’t help but blame myself. I was responsible for her death. If I had paid a little more attention, then she still would’ve been alive to this day. I had to report everything, and the most difficult thing to do of all was to look Cassiondra directly in the face. I didn’t have the courage to do so. For the entire time, my eyes were on the floor, looking at none of the members of her family.
But in the end, no one blamed me.
Why?
Even to this day… I don’t know. I just carried on with my life, moved on from it, or at least… I hope I did. --- “How...."------- Notes;; Srs thread is srs. BGM;; Altar - BlazblueWords;; omgwut |
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Post by arijana Seychelles on May 3, 2013 23:26:01 GMT -5
IT KINDA FEELS LIKE IT, LIKE I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN | [atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#dddddd; padding:10px]
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This wasn't the way she wanted to be found out, and the way they both responded was proof of why. Well... at least partly. Both said her name, though only Darius voiced the question they likely was both wondering, thought it didn't help Arijana's nerves.
"How..."
Part of her wanted to explain it all at that moment. To put any and all doubts to rest, but that would be too soon. Another part of her just wanted to put on a smile and say hello, but what would that say to them? After all, she was considered dead, and they both likely believed it. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if Darius found her on the ground that day so many years ago. If so, she could imagine the look on his face since he made her that promise before the battle started...
"Hey!" Arijana glanced over to the voice calling for her, one she knew very well.
"Hello, Darius," she said with a smile smile, though her voice was slightly more shaky than usual. She hoped he wouldn't notice, but he did.
"Gettin' nervous?" Ari looked away, not wanting to lie, but couldn't really bring herself to admit it. Unfortunately, she wasn't good at hiding such things. "Hey, don't worry about it. So long as we do our jobs up front, ya won't even have to worry about them. 'Sides, even if they did break through, I'll make sure to rush on back and protect ya."
Just hearing him say that, Ari felt a little more calm. It was reassuring to have a friend like him by her side. Still, she gave a little smirk. "Are you saying I can't take care of myself?"
That smile of his vanished for a second, looking to be caught off guard to a moment. But it came back almost as quickly as it went away. "Huh? No! No, I just, uh... I mean, I wouldn't want a pretty girl like yourself gettin' hurt or nothin'. Plus, your sis would probably have my head on a platter if I let something happen to ya." The girl couldn't help but laugh. That sounded about what Ari expected to hear from him. "Oh, by the way. Your armor's on backwards."
"It is?" Ari looked down, actually wondering if she put something on wrong, but before she could even look, a finger came up and hit her nose unexpectedly, making her cover it. Darius, though, just gave a laugh. "Oh, very funny!" she tried to make it sound scolding, but the laugh of her own didn't make it the least bit believable.
"But seriously, I promise, I'll keep you out of harms way." No more laughing on his part, which just meant he was being completely frank with her. She nodded, smiling with renewed confidence.
"Very well. I'll be counting on you, Darius Eisenberg."
She shouldn't have said that. Not if she knew what was going to happen. She felt Darius's grip loosen, but the grip was still there. Best not to struggle out of his grip, even if there wasn't much of a point to do so. She was found out, so there was nothing left to hide. "Could I be let go... Please?" She kept her voice up in volume, but it still contained that softness to not agitate the situation at the moment. Besides, she would rather sit up and talk rather than be held down on the ground.
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