CH. 2The night was clear and silent. Faintly, an owl hooted, clearly heard in the stillness. Something moved, though, emerging from the faint shadows cast by the wall. The door behind them closed with a soft –click-. The full moon emerged, then, bathing the lightly treed yard in front of the forest in moonlight. Elena smiled softly as she pulled her shirt’s sleeves partially over her hands. The whiteness of the cuffs was a shocking contrast to the blackness of her long coat. A tendril of wind played through the fallen leaves, Elena’s coat tails, and her hair. A lock of hair blew over her shoulder and she chuckled at the faint blue glow it seemed to have against her coat. After a couple moments of just taking in the night, she stepped forward into the moonlight and headed towards the forest. Something in there is calling to me. Now that no one is around, I can find out what it is. Her steps were unhurried, though, and she walked without stirring the leaves on the ground. At the outer edge of the forest she paused, then turned to gaze back down the slight hill at the massive shadow that was the only building of the training grounds. A corner of her mouth turned up as she took in its towers and stonewalls. It is so much like an ancient castle. And no matter what any of the guys do, this is now my home. If Shaun couldn’t talk me out of coming here, then Kenji most certainly can’t make me leave. She shook her head slightly, fingering some loose hair back behind her ear. Before she could dwell much more on the past, she turned back to the hidden depths of the forest and entered.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨Sage followed stealthily behind Elena. His dark jeans and jacket blended easily with the shadows, making it easier for him to stay hidden from her. Upon reaching the edge of the forest, he paused, wondering if he should follow. Though she walked quietly, his keen ears picked up the minute sounds of her passage through the forest, fading with each moment he paused. It is her business if she wants to go wandering…yet I feel drawn to her. But why?! I’ve only known her for a couple of hours. No one has ever had this effect on me. There. He had hit the issue right on the head. She was different from all the other people he knew. She even acted different from all the girls he had known. This reaction…it unsettled him. He couldn’t place her into a neat, labeled box. Biting his lip, he pulled his whirling thoughts into a form of order. So, I can’t let her go alone. I must sort this out, and… He paused as he glanced up at the masked full moon. To do that I must talk to her. With that thought, he plunged into the forest. By now it was full night, and even with his superior night vision, Sage was having trouble keeping her trail. So we’ll do this the other way… Setting himself into a light trance, he looked around him, hoping that the little buzz of power he had felt from her would act like a line that he could follow. Sure enough, there it was. Yet the color was like nothing he had ever seen. In fact, it was more like a twirled rope instead of the single strand that most people had. Throughout it there were strands of dark blue, light blue, orange, red, dark green, black, white, and a strange bronze-green color. Opening his eyes slowly and returning his breath to normal, Sage could see a faint residue of Elena’s trail. He set off, following the slight glittery trail, and tried to make as little noise as possible. It probably wouldn’t be a nice experience if he happened to frighten her into attacking him. He didn’t think he could defend himself. And that sent off another train of thought. She’s beautiful. No, that’s not right. She’s got this…bearing, or presence about her that is so exotic, so strange to me. It seems to attract me through my magic, along with my heart. He chuckled softly as he continued to walk. Or maybe I’m just being a romantic fool with mush for brains. Yet, he couldn’t stop hoping that it might mean….something…
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Elena ducked and pushed aside one last branch, stepping into a shadowed clearing. As soon as she reached the center of the roughly circular area, though, the moon burst full shine from the clouds that hid the stars in the night sky. A feeling of welcome and comfort washed over her, filling her mind with a soft song. Raising her face to the moon, Elena smiled and relaxed totally. This is something worth finding and treasuring. Wrapping her arms around herself, she let the wind play with her hair and coat tails, letting the loneliness in her heart be swept away by the clearing’s magic. Sage stopped at the edge of the clearing, his grey eyes settling on the solitary figure of Elena. His thoughts calmed for a moment, letting him gather his courage to step out into the clearing. About to move, his ears picked up the sound of something…something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Without stirring the leaves around him, Sage ducked behind a trunk of a tree, effectively blending into the night shadows. He peered around the trunk to see if Elena had noticed anything, or if he was just being paranoid. Elena had indeed heard something. I wonder who else would be wandering in the forest at this hour… Without moving any other part of her body, she peered over her shoulder, a faint smile on her lips. Her violet eyes seemed to be looking almost exactly where Sage was. He caught his breath, trying to make up his mind whether he should step out or fade back into the shadows further. Suddenly, the decision was made for him. To his right, a figure stepped out into the clearing. He was clearly armored, but like nothing Sage had ever seen before. Yet, it didn’t seem to bother Elena at all. Turning around, so that she was backlit, she studied the newcomer. One of her eyebrows arched, yet she remained silent, having the advantage of being able to see him clearly. Hmm…this is something you don’t see every day…I wonder who he is. He looked to be about 20, yet the moonlight could have been deceiving. There was no mistaking any of the characteristics of his armor, though. The underbody was a blood red color, the guards a deep black. Throughout the whole suit, there were a tracing of designs of shiny black. Not readily noticeable, yet they caught the light and played tricks on unsuspecting eyes. On both arms, he had dark silver claws, and they did not look dull. Elena spotted a glitter of dark red over his right shoulder, and she could barely discern a sword hilt from the shadows behind the figure. He had no cloak, yet he didn’t need one. His aura of being sleek, efficient and deadly was enough to make someone less strong of will tremble in their shoes. Without even a flinch, Elena’s eyes moved to study the man in the armor, for he wore no helmet. He was tall; she’d guess 6 feet, yet the armor seemed to make him taller. His dark blonde hair was worn short, only to the tops of his ears, and his deep, black eyes held a sparkle of intelligence. When he shifted, walking forward a couple more steps, he wasted no effort in extra movements. It was all clear, concise. Throughout this examination, both were silent. Elena would barely come up to his shoulders, yet she didn’t seem afraid. The armored figure stopped a few feet from her, at a comfortable distance. Cocking his head to the side, he studied her as best as he could. Nodding slightly, he smirked. That brought a reaction out of Elena. Her own mouth quirked as if suppressing a grin and her voice held no trace of fear. “Who are you?” She uncrossed her arms and spread her feet slightly, shifting her weight imperceptibly to the balls of her feet. She felt…something from this guy, and it wasn’t exactly the comforting feeling that she got from the clearing. The voice that responded sent a shiver down her spine despite her brave front. It was deep and smooth, yet held as many secrets as his eyes. “Hmm…you are the one in the prophecy. Yet, there is something…about you that Drakken is not telling me.” His eyes narrowed slightly, as if scrutinizing her more would bring the answer into the open. “Prophecy?” What was this dude talking about? Elena certainly had no idea what he meant. And how could she be in a prophecy? She’d never done anything super important…or at least she didn’t think so. “Could you possibly explain? And you didn’t answer my first question.” He held up a hand, cutting off anything else she would say. “First, a test. Just because the prophecy says you are worthy, doesn’t mean that you are.” He signaled sharply with his raised hand. Elena felt something expand…and suddenly there was a group of dull-gray armored weirdoes all around her. She didn’t even look around, keeping her eyes on the guy. “What is this?!” A soldier suddenly lunged at her, yet before Sage could even blink from his spectator seat in the forest, she dodged the lunge. With a deft kick, she knocked the sword from the soldier’s hand, and then neatly decapitated the soldier once the hilt resided in her palm. In one moment, they all started converging on her. Sage almost yelled out in protest, yet he kept himself silent. This was her battle, and he would not get involved unless help was needed. His honor kept him out of it. A graceful figure of white and black, Elena cut her way through the soldiers without a single thought. Her world narrowed to being defend, dodge, and attack. Nothing mattered to her except surviving. It seemed there was no end to the soldiers, and Elena’s stolen sword never stopped moving. The last two soldiers seemed to be the most intelligent though. At an unspoken signal, they charged at the same time, both from different directions, effectively trapping Elena in between them. Her eyes widened with a moment of fear, then she bit her lip and made a drastic decision. Reaching back with one hand, she got hold of the blade of the soldier behind her. Parrying the oncoming soldier with her blade, she curved the behind soldier’s blade around her back into the front soldier. Her hand slipped once, yet the line it cut into her palm went unnoticed by Elena. As the first soldier died in a puff of smoke, his armor remaining and falling to the ground, the second jerked his sword free of her hand. Without waiting a moment, the sword was coming back, this time to finish her off. But Elena was a fraction faster, flicking her blade up to slice through the last soldier’s armor. Yet the momentum behind the sword kept it coming. Elena twisted, in vain trying to get out of the sword’s way. The sword neatly sliced through her left sleeve and into her arm, finally dropping to the ground once it marked her. The cut was deep, bleeding freely, and hurting…a lot. Biting her lip, she turned to face the armored figure, tying to ignore the pain and the trickle of blood down her arm and from her hand. Her blade remained pointing down, though, trying to deceive him with how she looked if he was going to attack. He had not moved except to drop his smile and watch with concealed surprise in his eyes. She was good, no, very good. To have defeated all those soldiers without armor, without the magic that he could very easily sense within her, and with an unknown sword was simply astounding. So, here at last was a worthy adversary. He smiled again, although this time, there was a touch of satisfaction in it. Elena’s expression showed a small bit of confusion, yet she tried to hide it, and the pain, behind a mask of blankness. Taking advantage of her slight hesitation, he bowed elegantly, his armor hampering none of his movements. “I’m honored to finally meet someone proficient with the sword. I am called Harbinger, young one, and I shall see you again.” Before Elena could even speak, he melted into the shadows, the soldiers’ remains and the sword in her hand disappearing in a fast cloud of dust, carried away in the wind. She looked down at her hand in surprise, the red of her blood jerking her back into reality. Wincing, she clenched her bloody left hand. Tears sprang to her eyes, yet she bit her lip harder, trying to stop them before they flowed. One tears escaped her iron will and she gasped as the salty water encountered a gash on her cheek. Why? She thought furiously, partly in anger and partly in pain. I asked for none of this! Entreatingly, she turned her eyes back to the fullness of the moon, hoping for answers, or at least comfort. Sage had watched in surprise as Elena fought. It was simply amazing what she had done. Obviously something in her life had made her rely on her sword for survival. As he watched Harbinger fade, Sage felt a difference into the clearing’s feeling. It seemed almost trying to apologize for what had happened, trying to console Elena. The things, though, that finally pulled Sage out from the shadows was a single tear glittering on her cheek. Moving silently, he came up behind her, not quite sure what he should do. Then she moved, bringing her right hand to close over the wound in her left arm. Reaching out, Sage touched Elena’s right shoulder, causing her to hastily drop her hand, yet she turned slowly to face him. Something seemed familiar about him, but with what had just happened and the shadows the moon cast, it was hard for her to recognize who now stood in front of her. Sighing inaudibly, she looked up into his shadowed eyes. Without any warning, Sage suddenly pressed her up against his chest; wrapping one arm around her as his other hand cupped her injured cheek. She gasped and stiffened. However, a moment later, Elena felt a comforting energy about her. If she could taste or see it, she’d call it green. Closing her eyes, she relaxed against whoever it was holding her. Something about the feel of him and the magic was so familiar… Sage sighed softly, amazed at how well Elena fit against him, how good she felt in his arms. While his healing magic surrounded her, he rested his cheek against her hair, lightly breathing in her scent. If only this could be happening under different circumstances… He tightened his hold on her slightly, partially supporting her as she relaxed after some wounds healed. After a few moments, though, Sage reluctantly loosened his grip on Elena, physically and magically. Her wounds were now all healed, and Sage hoped she wouldn’t be upset at him for taking this liberty with her. Yet now Sage couldn’t remember what he had followed her for and what he had wanted to talk to her about.
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Something stirred, awakening for the first time in 200 years. The presence looked around, taking stock of where it now resided. .:So this is the new Sage. That green energy must have had something to do with why I am now “awake.” Hmm...lessee if I can introduce myself. :.
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Elena picked her head up, her skin seeming to tingle slightly from the magic residue. Titling her face, she finally recognized the deep grey eyes as the moon emerged from the clouds. She gasped and a hand flew to her once wounded cheek. She felt no wetness and when she looked down at her fingers, they were clean. She looked back up into Sage’s face in surprise, her violet eyes wide.“How…?” Sage’s breath caught in his throat as he met Elena’s eyes and saw recognition flicker in them. With a massive effort, her stilled his now rushing thoughts and smiled, absently noting that she did not move from the circle of his arms. “With magic.” This was said so softly and without any hint of joking in his voice that Elena couldn’t help but believe him. She nodded, a small smile forming on her lips, then she stepped out of his arms. “Thank you. I owe you for that.” She almost asked him if he knew Harbinger, or at least recognized him, yet she wasn’t sure if Sage had even seen him. Besides, it was bad enough that she could probably beat everyone here with a sword, but to give them the impression that she was crazy would take the cake. Sage was going through something similar. He wasn’t sure how she would react if she knew that he had been there and not offered any help. Elena knew that she had to talk to Sage, yet she wasn’t quite sure what exactly needed to be said. As the slightly uncomfortable silence lengthened, she looked down at her hands, noticing in surprise that the blood, along with her wound, had vanished. Seems that Sage’s magic is more than simple healing. She grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head. Having relaxed and with the comforting feeling the clearing was giving her, her mood seemed to do a big flip: she felt cheerful again. Her eyes laughed silently as she rested her hands on her hips, pushing her coat back and feeling the tails flare out and flap in the breeze. “So...” She tilted her head to the side and did an almost wink. “Whatcha doing out here at this time of night? I thought I would be the only weird one to stumble around forests in the middle of the night.” Her sudden change in expression and feeling made Sage blink for a few moments in confusion. He absently ran a hand through his hair, revealing his eye usually covered. The grey eyes gave her and the area a quick scan and he smiled. I do a good job when healing people, he had to admit to himself. Enough patting yourself on the back, are you going to answer her or not? He smiled and tucked his hands into his jacket’s pockets. “Actually, if you stumbled in the forest no matter what time of day, I’d be very surprised. You have an amazing amount of grace. Either that or you just hide your faults real well.” He grinned, hoping she would see this as teasing and not get offended. Elena laughed softly and shrugged enigmatically. “I have been called one big mystery. Yet, I am content with who I am right now and what I can accomplish. Now, you on the other hand, seem to be a bigger mystery than even I am.” Her voice lowered. “A mystery that’s been wrought from having something very important to never reveal.” She smiled and half closed her eyes. “Which is not a bad thing. Everyone should have secrets...it’s just whether or not they need to remain secrets between people.” Sage gaped at her. She’d been able to read him almost as if he had just told her. This had never happened before, he was sure. Does she know about my armor? It’s not a huge big deal, but it’s not something that you go around proclaiming to everyone. Maybe she is a threat to- “Sage. You don’t need to tell me anything, or look so worried.” Her voice matched the kind smile she was giving him. Within a few soft steps, she was once again close enough to be in his arms again, yet he remained motionless. “I’m not here to find out everyone’s secrets and to exploit them. And if at least one person here trusts me on that, I’ll be happy.” She brushed his face free of a few strands of hair, and then walked past him towards the dorms, leaving him with even more questions and only the moon to give him answers.
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The shadows were empty, so Elena was undisturbed as she made her way back towards her room. She wondered absently what kind of havoc the boys had tried to wreak on her room. Try being the operative word. She might be a thief and a fighter, but she knew a few tricks to keep people out. She slid around a corner, her thoughts being the only things moving freely. If anything, I needed to learn how to keep from being tormented by Shaun. I mean really, I was just learning and I DO value my privacy. At least I could always exact revenge on him with weapons practice. She grinned and paused in a deep shadow, looking around for anyone just itching to tackle her or something. Yet all seemed clear so she laid her hand on the door, whispering a word. The energy shield sighed and shifted to clear the doorway, allowing her slip in and shut the door before sliding back into place.If anything was going to keep her here, it would be the room she was given. Elena knew that it was better than the guys because even the Sensei’s would have a fit if she were to bathe with the rest of the guys in the bathrooms. So, they made an exception and put her here. Seemed like an old classroom, yet with an adjacent bathroom. It held the basics of a shower/bath, a closet, toilet and sink with a mirror. There was a small window that let in enough light in the morning that Elena didn’t think she’d need a lamp. In the room itself, there was a dresser with a mirror, a bed, a desk and chair, and two shelves. One reached from the ceiling to the floor, the other was only about 4 feet tall. It was the window that had made Elena fall in love with the place, though. It was big, with a nicely cushioned window seat under it. The view, in the day, offered up gloriously colored trees and in the distance, faint blue mountains always covered by a cool mist. And best of all, there was a nice ledge outside of the window for, hmm…her other activities. Spying and slipping around this place would be so much fun! She flicked on the light switch, getting soft light from the lamps that she had decided to use instead of the main light. That thing was just too icky. Besides, once she unpacked her candles, the place would be even better. Shaking her head, she slid out of her coat, deftly feeling the slit in the sleeve. She sighed and smiled, plopping down on the edge of her bed. Good, that will be easily mended. Nice and clean. She’d fix it tomorrow though. Tossing her coat onto the window seat, she glanced at her watch. 11:45. Too late for stargazing on the roof. She shook her head, running both hands through her hair. Turning her head, she gazed out at the darkness right outside her window. After a few silent moments, Elena groaned and sat up, kicking off her sneakers. They landed under a stray chair with a couple clunks and she sighed. She’d better unpack soon or she’d go nuts with all this emptiness. With that thought, she stood up and walked to her second duffel bag, which arrived after she’d been placed here. Rummaging around, she pulled out the first of five stuffed dragons. All were different colors and all differed slightly in forms. There was no way she’d leave anyplace without them. One was a deep red, its wings a dark black and shiny blue glass eyes. It was a common western dragon, yet, as with all dragons, there was nothing common about it. Grinning, she placed it on the bureau that had been moved in there, probably by the last female occupant. The next was a light blue water dragon. Its body was made with a shiny kind of material, yet it was still fuzzy. Its turquoise eyes seemed to laugh and its fins were a kind of coppery color. That one she twined around itself to sit next to the red one. Then was one of her favorites. It was a dark blue with flecks of white like stars through its body. Its wings were silver, and to Elena it seemed content just to kind of curl up in her arms and go to sleep. Its body wasn’t long like an Eastern dragon, yet it wasn’t really fat either. She gave it a hug before turning and tossing it onto her bed. Turning back, she pulled out a dark green one. This one was the prettiest one of the bunch. Its dark green fur and gold highlights were just perfect together. If noble needed a picture, it would be this dragon. The wings were tucked away on its back and its tail was up, kept out of the way. The plushy seemed to have a hidden grace. She kissed its nose and set it next to the light blue one. And lastly, she pulled out the most impressive one. It was…chunky. The bronze fabric used seemed just like something from the earth. This one even had fake claws on the ends of its feet, and was over all just powerful looking. Chuckling, she set that one down and stood up, stepping back a bit to see how they looked. Already, the room felt better just because her friends were now here. Elena shook her head. Really, at my age and still loving plushy dragons. But, they were a gift and I wouldn’t forget them for anything. However, they do add something to my new home. I like it. She sighed and started unpacking the rest of that duffel bag. She chuckled as she stowed her clothes in the dresser, remembering the armor she wore early. Snagging a jogger’s sleeveless shirt and her flame PJ pants, she quickly changed out of her slit shirt and jeans. These got tossed onto her coat, which lay on the window seat, since the shirt also needed mending. Rummaging in the very corners of the bag, and finding nothing more, she slid it under her bed. Hope there are no nasty bugs under there. Turning, she spotted her black bag, which she carried here with her earlier. Sighing, she laid a hand on it, then slid it onto the bottom shelf of the shorter shelf. It settled with a rustle of fabric and clink of metal on metal. She walked over to her bed and sat down, gathering the blue dragon into her arms. The only thing left to unpack was her backpack, yet her eyes remained on the black bag. Memories of her past, the training, Shaun, and the mock-missions washed over her. Without breaking out of her reverie, she switched off the lights and laid down. All she saw was the darkened shadow where the bag lay and her memories before sleep claimed her.
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It was black. There was nothing: no sound, no scents, and nothing at all to see. Elena blinked, or at least thought she did, then stared down at herself. She was glowing…or else something else made her visible. She wasn’t a ghost or spirit, as a touch on the back of her hand assured her. This is….WHAT THE?!?! Her clothes were different! She wasn’t wearing her PJ’s or any article of clothing in her current wardrobe. The shirt was black, with a body and collar like those of a stereotypical Chinese shirt. The sleeves were black lace and hung loosely all the way to the second knuckle of her hands. The body was snug with a fine design of black-on-black embroidery. About an inch below the end of shirt a pure white skirt trailed from her hips to the “floor.” There were slits up both sides to mid-thigh and Elena was glad to see that all the dancing had paid off. She shook her head, smiling, then noticed that something had been done with her hair. From what she felt beneath her fingers, it was a bun. Oi…what’s up with this? Where am I? I don’t have time to stand in random…dark...places? A breeze had come up, spinning around her before drifting off, leaving the area the same as it was before. Then within a few moments, it was back, carrying something like words. Elena blinked and cocked her head to the side, trying to make sense of it, but it was of a musical and ancient language that she didn’t know. .:Elvish?! I haven’t heard that in a long time…oh, hey, do you want me to translate?:. Elena yipped and looked around her, trying to pierce the nothingness that surrounded her. The breeze continued to twine about her, swirling her skirt and sleeves. The soft melody of words remained, as if the breeze gave them life. She however remained silent, her ears and eyes straining to find the new voice. .: Not out there, young lady. Search inside your mind. Its quite comfortable here, too.:. The breeze suddenly picked up, blowing her skirt around her legs. She squinted her eyes although no debris flew. Words she now understood came to her ears. “I apologize. For some reason, I thought that you knew the Elshian tongue. I think part of it was your facial features.” Now Elena knew what that first wind was. Whoever was using the breeze to speak could also observe her the same way. “Ummm…it sounds like a lovely language, the…Elshhh..ian? However, I’m curious to how you know it too. It is the language of elves, yes?” She didn’t think that her tired mind could conjure all this up. An elfin language, blackness, a new outfit, a freak in her head… .:I am not a freak. I was the Sage. And I told you that those words were Elvish. Don’t you---:. “You are a voice in my head and I am pretty sure that this is a dream. So, no, I don’t believe you. And how do YOU know about the Sage of the Ronins?” The wind had faded…then something stirred. It was like Elena had stepped into space. There were stars, nebulae…all the things in the perpetual night sky. Elena looked about her in wonder, turning in a circle, yet for every circle she made, the view changed. The voice in her head seemed just as awed. .: Oh my…My dream was always to walk among the stars…and here I am. Lady, if this is a dream, you have quite an imagination. :. Elena laughed and stretched out a hand, as if she could touch the stars. Behind her, a figure emerged from the heart of a nebula. “What, did you used to own the Strata armor?” Her tone was quite clearly joking. .: Actually, yes. It’s only been a few times when one of the evi…when a non-Ronin is the Sage. :. “Wait. One of the what?” “He meant to say one of the evil, didn’t you, Trystan?” Elena whirled around, her skirt flaring about her legs when she stopped. Her violet eyes caught the silhouette of someone, a guy judging from the build. His voice was middle range, yet had sweet musical undertones. She had heard these tones before… “Are you the one that spoke in that wind?” The light behind the man faded and he looked surprised. “You can tell? But how?” Elena smiled and gave him a quick once-over as she crossed her arms. He had dark red hair, like a ruby or garnet, which fell a bit past his shoulders. There were a few braids in it, very well done with a white and silver beads at the end. He had high cheekbones and pure green eyes. His build was actually somewhat thinner than most guys, yet it was well proportioned and well muscled. He wore a long tunic of dark blue with an undershirt of white. The only thing that ruined his archaic ambiance was the used pair of jeans he wore. Elena grinned and was hard put not to chuckle. The guy seemed to know what amused her and he grinned back. “Your voice. It sounds almost exactly the same. I’m guessing that the wind and the different language changed it.” She tilted her head to the side and looked around. “Am I in a dream? If not, I’m tripping on something…” The guy chuckles and walked closer, stopping a few feet in front of her. “No, this is a dream. However, you, Trystan, and me are actual people. Well Trystan’s more of a spirit, but –” .: I’m real enough, thank you very much. And I don’t appreciate you telling her that bit of the prophecy. I am her guardian, not you, and it can only -- :. “Lead to her understanding the situation she finds herself in. I, at least, think she is intelligent enough not to let it have a major effect.” The banter continued for a while, and during it Elena sighed, then shifted her weight, rolled her eyes, and started tapping her foot impatiently. It still seemed kind of strange to listen to Trystan from her head, yet it didn’t bother her that much anymore. “You know, this prophecy might not have a major effect, but if I killed one or both of you out of annoyance…” She paused significantly and arched an eyebrow. The guy was at least good enough to look embarrassed. She didn’t really have an idea how she could kill Trystan, yet her remark got her point across. “And besides, you know his name,” she made a gesture towards her head,” yet I don’t know yours and you don’t know mine.” Well, there was an opening for him to take. Besides, she was getting tired of only half understanding things. Under her gaze, the guy shifted his weight from foot to foot, then sighed and ran his hand through his hair. I have no wish to alienate her…but I did not want to reveal to her who I was…yet her name- .: Just tell her, you elfin fruitcake. If you don’t soon, you probably won’t ever get to dream share with her again, no matter your power…Drakken. :. He could almost head the sly grin in Trystan’s “voice” with the final word. Drakken hmph’d and crossed his arms, looking slightly annoyed. Elena blinked, then grinned. “Is he giving you a hard time, too?” Obviously, she had to be talking about Trystan, yet he hadn’t known that the little guy could talk to other people without her knowing. .: I’m special that way. :. Drakken smiled and rolled his eyes. Elena snorted and set her hands on her hips. “About as special as my butt.” .: And it’s a very nice butt. :. “Hey now! It’s bad enough that you’re still in my head, but don’t be nasty.” Drakken laughed, and she chuckled with him. He offered his hand as he stepped forward. “My name’s…Drakken.” Elena accepted his hand, yet wondered about that slight hesitation. In a flash she gave him an once-over with her violet eyes and noted his body language. With a smile, she looked back up into his eyes. “Pleasure to meet you. However, I don’t think Drakken is your actual name.” She smiles as her eyes laughed at his startled expression, and took her hand back. She continued. “Trystan didn’t tell me, if you’re wondering. I don’t need him to once I had seen your body language and heard that slight pause.” Dear gods, he’d never expected her to be this sharp. Drakken could only stare at her while she laughed silently at him. Notice his body language? And even hearing that miniscule pause? What was she that had made her so observant in small lapses of time? .: A full trained assassin. :. That was going too far. Drakken’s eyes narrowed and he crosses his arms. < For a start, stay out of my thoughts and head, Trystan. I will do things as I like. I’m not your pawn like she is. > His mind voice was pure venom, and he felt Trystan’s shock through their tentative link. He must have projected further than he though, or else having Trystan in her mind had made her more sensitive, but Elena’s own eyes narrowed, no longer laughing. “I am no one’s pawn. If there happens to be any similarities between my actions and this ‘oh-so-wonderful’ prophecy of yours, then it’s just a coincidence. I choose what jobs I take.” Well, crap. I get pissed off and do something dumb like this. I’m screwed. Drakken sighed and ran his hand over his face. Anything to get away from those eyes. He hadn’t wanted to do this but now he didn’t want this whole scheme to crash and burn… as it seemed to be doing now. “You’re right. You didn’t have a choice in the matter…” He trailed off and looked around, uncomfortable. Dear gods, he had just met her and was seriously thinking about giving away the whole thing, story, plot, and characters. He finally met her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry I made you mad, but I can’t reveal anything about the current situation.” Elena figured that he probably wasn’t talking about this dream world they were in. His gaze and his posture still remained uncomfortable as he continued. “If you trust me…” Something in her look made him hastily rephrase. “Sorry, if you’ll believe in me, I can promise that I will explain things to you later.” Elena sighed silently and cocked her head to the side as she considered. Will be, eh? Someone’s not in control of their own life. I wonder what the real purpose of this dream was… Was being the case, since it was obvious that he had to amend his actions when he met her. Her thoughts continued on for a while before she realized that Trystan hadn’t said anything. .: Well, you’re right that he probably isn’t the leader of the group. But I kind of pissed him off, so I’ll just let you make your own decisions.:. “Alright. I’ll stick around for this trippy ride.” She set her hands on her hips, tapping a bare foot lightly on the floor. “Show me what you can, though I can’t guarantee to tone down my sarcasm.” Her smile turned a bit smug and she shifted her weight. So she has self-confidence… Drakken smiled broadly and walked up to her side, stuffing his hands into his pockets to keep from touching her. He wasn’t quite sure that he was in control of the situation enough to deal with what he might do… “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Even though that spook in your head is highly inconvenient.” His eyes strayed to her forehead, and she shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t do anything about him. He’s got a mind of his own…” She winked and reached out a hand to barely touch his hair as she brushed it out of his face. “Guess that means you can’t take advantage of me.” She snickered again, probably at some comment of Trystan’s as Drakken laughed. .:Being demoted to chaperone, and then having my knowledge insulted. I see how loved I am… :. He continued, totally unaware of the faces that Drakken was making. Elena was hard put not to laugh. When he offered her his arm, she grinned and rested her hand on it. They moved off, letting the “night” close around them…and Trystan still rambled on until he was told, not so politely, to can it. |