::She looks out over the water and stifels a yawn,She opens her journal and finds a blank page. She sighs softly then begins to write::

Well I haven't written in this blasted thing for a while, so decided to do so. Though not much has happened, but that can be a good thing at times.

I have the egg once more... After I saw Lorax yesterday, I could not let him continue to look after the egg by himself. He was so exausted... Ah well he should be feeling better next time I see him...which I hope will be soon...Ah well I don't really have much to say...so..

until Next Time

--Journal entry 6 August, Lina Metallium

:::She sits on the shore, weeks of independent travel having made her fit, tan and bleached her hair to a near-white, a sprinkling of light freckles peppering her nose and cheeks despite her efforts to shield her face from the ever-present sun...and takes out her journal:::

This heat is making me insane!

I swear I'm seeing things...it's clouding my vision, my thoughts, my head altogether! Does it never rain around here? What I would give to feel the cool water splash against my face...the gentle fingers of the rain caressing my shoulders and the swell of my breasts...feel the moisture between my toes. I know I will shortly begin to miss the seasons...the brisk air of the fall, even the harsh cold of the winter...that having always cleared my head and my senses. I can't deny that it's beautiful here...but am I really long for this island?

:::She stops to rake her fingers through her hair as she looks out to the water, the gentle rift of the waves hypnotizing her for a long moment...she sighs heavily and continues:::

So...I finally mustered up the courage to go back to the 'dome yesterday, after some days of trying to remain unobtrusive after joining civilization again. Gods, it was hard! I knew Claude would be there somehow...I could feel it. And I needed to see him again, if only to end it finally...though that isn't what happened. I tried to return his ring...he wouldn't take it...how did I know that would happen? Anyway, I ended up running...as always. Why is it that I do that? Part of my shield, I suppose. I'd be lying to myself if I said seeing him didn't affect me at all...it has to! We had something very intense, powerful, consuming at one time...and that will never go away completely. I'd be stupid to think it might. We can't change history.

In any case, I ran...only to turn shortly afterwards, a feeling of dread having washed through me. So, I returned...only to find something horrific taking place...Sansa was killing Claude. The spirit of his sister was murdering him! I shudder now just thinking of it...I can't...

:::Her hand begins to quiver and she stops to shake it off...and shake off thoughts of the entire incident, too ghastly to recite:::

We managed to save Claude...no small thanks to Taeliesyn and someone else I do not know. Bah! And I never even found out who he was. I suppose my head was reeling...my wits had left me by that time.

:::Stops again with a heavy sigh:::

Claude...yes, Claude...I guess I will always love him in some way...so I did not lie to Sansa when I told her that in my effort to appease the woman. And I can't push him from my thoughts completely...I can't be expected to. But how do I love him? I don't know...I still care, of course...I always will. One of my faults, however...one of my many flaws...is that I will easily forgive, which I have. Forgetting is the problem. I can never seem to do that once wounded. I should work on that...but can I? It's part of who I am and I fear I can never change that. So I resign myself to being alone once more...which isn't so bad really...I'm quite used to it in fact.

:::Taps at her chin thoughtfully with the end of her quill, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth:::

I was talking to a merchant the other day...and he told me the most peculiar thing. Not only that, others mentioned the same, which I find even more odd. Apparently, someone has been asking about me...making inquiries. I wonder what that's about. No one was actually very forthcoming with details, so it's all very strange. And perhaps it's not me they seek in any case...who knows.

:::She shrugs, blowing lightly on the wet lettering before closing her journal, then looks to the water briefly once more before standing, dusting off and turning to head into the woods:::

--Journal entry 6 August, Rowsy Sinclair

::Sits back down, glancing about as she opens her journal to her last entry. She never does this but some of her feelings are overwhelming and has no one to talk to about it::

Ech...I hate to do this...makes my journal look so messy, but I need to...need to deal in some way. No one I can talk to would understand, except for one person, but I don't see him very much as of late...

The egg is broken...broken right before my eyes. The surpreme Serpent tripped and fell on it. All of my hard diligant work wated. I have failed...I was supposed to keep it safe...from anything and everything, but I didn't...I have failed myself, Lorax and further more, the entire Island. And because of this my friends were hurt. thirlia goes in and out of conciousness, but everyone else is ok. So I blame myself for this all, and anything else the serpent will do out of his rage and anger. I know people will say I shouldn't...but I do none the less. And I also grieve for the life that may have been...squashed upon the beach. As I have said a few times, I was quite attached to the little fella... So it hurt me to see everything happen the way it did. Oh yes, and Alterio is back, for which I am glad, and happy for Ali to have her brother back, never mind Vix and the children. I suppose I have went on long enough...

--Journal entry 6 August, Lina Metallium

I am not sure what just happened. I know that I saw a side of myself...one that is dark when I absently awoke at the beach. Then everything went blank. It's kinda scary seeing myself as a woman now...

I saw someone chase me... tonight... that is the next thing I remember.. Damn memory lapses...and how come I am a woman!? did I died and came back to appear as the witch that was to be hanged!... is she haunting me...

wait oh gods... I am a man now.....I can't take this anymore..

Duke of The Northen District
Sir Wesley

--Journal entry 6 August, Juggler

Haha... little they knew my plans... until that Claude decided to give chase. What little he know I had him fooled...again. It's a time to take back from such an evil society there is. And evil ways will be the only way to take down the evil society. Burn them all... slay them all...

The Dark Crusader
-name is written in some forgotten language-

--Journal entry 6 August, Juggler

She killed me...I poured my heart to her in one night...I comforted her, I tried to make her happy, and I did..But Warlock said one thing..And it hit her hard..She angered herself over it, went crazy..screamed and yelled...said such...such things.. I felt as if wounded, but the stronger I tried to be the more she struck..My heart felt destroyed..Gods...Lina..If only you knew what I was trying to do..If only you knew, how you redeemed me..made me new..happy..loving..all the warm fuzzy adjectives..Yet, you threw me away, just like the others. Claude..the handsome vagabond..Used...abused..and discarded..And people will wonder..Claude..Why are you side..Your handsome, your deft with your blade, Your rich..And I will say...Because i'm broken. Lina...you broke me...You used me...And though you have taken my heart...from Row's solid ownership...I've found..I can never forgive you. Damn you Lina...If you only knew what you did.. Nemesio, was right...in this paradise all are happy...or claims to be. Yet when happiness is truly found, it is all a illusion, and just like true sorrow, it is gone within 12 hours. Alright, so in the case...3.

--Journal entry 6 August, Claude Torrent

::She staers at the waves, debris still washing up and sighs heavily as she opens her journal to the next empty page and begins to write slowly, thinking as she does so::

It is the wee hours of the morning. Sleep is hard to come by now, I close my eyes and I see those final scenes by the Plesuredome. What have I done? Have I completely lost it? Someone professes their love for me time and again and I treat him like that? He is right...he comforted me when no one else would...but... I was so scared of hurting him, and then what Warlock said, rang true in my ears. I would apologise, but I know he would not want to hear it. I find myself wondering what Claude is doing. Is he awake looking at the same things I am? I was so scared, of hurting him, hurting Lorax, I never want to hurt anyone like that. Did I lead him on? was I wrong? Was this the biggest mistake I could make? I did not want him to see me cry once more, so I left him there, begging me to stop and hear him out. I acted foolishly, but in what way is still unclear to me. I will never be forgiven, taht much I know...he has too bad a temper, and is too hot headed and such to. And really, I don't blame him.

::she stops writing temperarily to wipe away the tears that had started to flow again.::

Was this the right thing to do? I am so confused...he always confuses me. Does he understand that I hate to be confused? That I always know what I am doing, but lately I haven't and that scares me? I feel like I am losing my mind....like last eve was just some bad dream, all of it, not just this episode with Claude. Gods, I really could use some guidence now...but from where? Where does one turn that needs advice? Some turn to someone good with words and advice, but what do you do when you are that person? Who do I turn to? Ah if I ask friends, they will eithercall me foolish for doing that to him, or call me foolish for even thinking of being close with Claude. No one knows, aside from him...but then again...I doubt he does. I want him to I really do. But even now if I tried to explain he wouldn't listen. So I suppose I should o by what I said last eve and not even talk to him. I will have a comforting shoulder, or two, if I really need it...though now I do..I really do. Or is it that I want Claude's comforting shoulder? I really don't know, adn wish I did...I really wish I did... I really wish I knew what in the hell I was doing! I lost it to say the least. But I do believe everything happens for the best, and as I have after I lost my family, I will keep telling myself that, my mother's words. I feel so lost right now...I just hope I find myself, before I lose anyone else that may love me or care for me.

I am so Sorry, Claude. I wish i could tell you what I was feeling.

~Lina

::She gets up and walks off towards the Pleasuredome, absently forgetting her journal behind her, in the sand. Though she really hasn't noticed anything for hours now::

--Journal entry 7 August, Lina Metallium

:::::: He sits, back against a large tree outside of a small cottage... her cottage. Once again he finds himself at her door and yet without the courage to make his presence known to her. She may know by now that he or at least someone has been making inquiries about her to the local merchants and vendors as well as innocent seeming questions about her to the people he occasionally speaks to in the Dome. He stares at her door wondering if she is even home. He tells himself that if she were that this would be the day that he confroned his feelings by introducing himself. Movement. He sees movement inside. She is home! But alas he as simply lied to himself once more for instead of making his way to the door of the small cottage he simply moves further back into the brush and takes out his journal and begins writing. ::::::

Do you hear the soft whistling of the breeze? Do you hear the wild torment of the oceans? Do you hear the harmonic laughter of a child, the clamor of the city, the silence of the night?

I do.

Do you smell the perfume of the jasmine? Do you smell the sultry scent of love? Do you smell the aroma of a candle aflame, the rain on pavement, the snow in the air?

I do.

Do you taste the crispness of a mountain stream? Do you taste the bursting flavor of a sun-ripe berry? Do you taste the salt of the wild sea spray, the sweet silk of a kiss, the bitterness of loss?

I do.

Do you feel the cool wet mud of a river's bed? Do you feel the morning dew on your fingers? Do you feel the sun's touch on a lifted face, the dampened-velvet moss, the rough age-old stone?

I do.

Do you see the red-gold hues of sunset fires? Do you see the emerald green of a tropic sea? Do you see the silvered moonbeams on windows, Your beloved's eyes, your child's face?

I don't.

:::::: He lets out a soft sigh as he leans back against the large oak tree. It's shade offering little coolness against the heat from his blushing face as he thinks once more of this woman... this vision. For that is what she truly was, a vision. He has still seen her just once and even that was fleeting. Yet somehow the image of her honey-blonde hair and soft milky skin has emblazoned itself onto his soul. How can he call himself a Knight when he has not the courage to confront his own feelings and how can he call himself a Bard when is unwilling to share his works with the very muse who inspired them? Perhaps that is the answer. Perhaps he should share some of his feelings through his words. He quickly pulls a blank page from his journal and begins to write furiously, the words coming to him as if they had been waiting for just this moment to break free of the confines of his heart.

--Journal entry, 7 August, Lord of Masks