Thieve's Guild
A large clearing, littered with campfires, tents and small, stick shacks. You
have stumbled upon the hidden lair of the thieve's guild. The trees here reach
up higher than anywhere in the woods.
[Exits : To the (W)aterfall, and To the (C)learing ]
[Players : Akio, Utena, and DuskRider(Pup) ]
[Things : None ]
>Utena shoos Akio off. "I'm gonna go IC and do IC stuffs n.n And you're not
here. ^_^"
>Akio runs away. ;_;
>Akio has left.
>Cloud (OOC) managed to scare Akio! Whoo-hoo! Okay, it was OOC, but still..
*** Utena goes IC. ***
>Cloud suddenly wakes up. How long has he been asleep...? "..."
>Utena has been lying here, under a borrowed cloak and little else, for about 48
hours now... so naturally, she's freezing. This is not nearly as much of an
issue as the fact that every part of her body, especially her arms and upper
chest, hurt like HELL. Slowly she sits up, she gazes around herself dully.. not
immediately recognizing her location as night has fallen... Moving very, very
slowly, she swings her legs down from the cot, touching the frosted ground with
her toes, before she manages- somewhat, to get to her feet. She clutches the
cloak against her in the dark... o.O ... . o O ( .. where...? )
>Cloud, being a tad less verbose OOCly then our dear Utena, simply asks, "...
Are you awake?"
>Utena startles (!) at the voice before turning her head toward its source, and
touching a cold hand to her forehead. "... either that, or I'm dead and I don't
know it."
>Cloud sits up, moving to a cross-legged position on the ground. "That doesn't
seem likely..."
>Utena sighs, and regrets it as it gives her a nice pain in her side. "... how
long have we been here...?"
>Cloud ponders that for a moment. Not having a clock makes it difficult to
narrow these things down. "Around two days..."
>Utena nods, wobbling on her feet. "... Xell's gone, obviously... okay.." She
takes a couple of unsteady steps toward where Cloud's voice is coming from.
"... two days. Okay." She wraps the cloak around her body. "... I'm still
really bad off. I need somewhere warm to rest..." she murmurs. "Has he paid you
the rest, yet...?"
>Cloud pauses. "Actually... he hasn't." As for someplace warm to rest, well, he
has a tent, but that's hardly better then this, so he declines to comment.
>Utena groans. This could be from either the pain or the fact that there's
unfinished matters Xell seems to have dropped on her lap (again)... maybe both.
"all right... I'll see that you get paid the rest... if you get me the hell
out of here... somewhere safe.."
>Cloud nods. Just one problem... Cloud has no idea where we are. Well, there has
to be a road around here somewhere, right? Standing up, he asks, "... Can you
walk?"
>Utena nods, moving slowly toward the spiky-headed mack-truck wielder. "...
barely... yeah."
>Cloud nods again. "If you're sure..." He looks around the area, before asking,
"Do you know where we are?"
>Utena nods. "... Sort of. I've been here a few times.. usually manage to find
my way out again... eventually." Okay, that's not encouraging. She looks
around. "... need a torch or something."
>Cloud doesn't seem to have any problem seeing... but as you're the one who
knows where we are, he mentions, "Just a moment..." He gets to work on starting
a small fire.
>Utena waits, drifting over in a ruffle of black cape tiredly.
>Utena . o O ( My prince on a white horse.. right now.. I wouldn't mind the
horse... )
>Cloud gets one started fairly quickly... luckily, the wood is dry. Lighting a
rather large log (it's a bit big to count as a branch), he holds it up. "This
will do, I imagine..."
>Utena agrees, and looks around. "Uhm.."
>Cloud pauses. He doesn't say as much, but his body language suggests,
'something wrong'?
>DuskRider is here, contrary to popular belief. He drifts about the shadows
noiselesly, despite his enourmous size. Perhaps only the sound he makes is the
whooshing of his breaths, which make his nostrils to quiver. Blood-red eyes
have kept watch over the situation, silent and alert.
>l dusk
DuskRider
An enourmous creature is this. The stallion regards you cooly with eyes as red
as blood. He is darker than nightmares, and looms well over seventeen hands.
His muscled ripple impatiently beneath a midnight coat of fur, reflecting in
hues of blue in the light. He tosses his massive head, showing of the muscles
in his arched neck, then snorts, his breath frosting in the air.
Carrying:
>Utena gestures VERY vaguely, not raising her arm too far, toward the clearing.
"I think it's faster that way.."
>Cloud nods to Utena, and lets her lead, though he stays close behind with the
light.
>You take Utena's hand firmly in yours.
>Utena has left.
>Utena takes you along with her, holding your hand.
Clearing
Here, the path widens into a clearing. Above, the trees allow a glimpse of
the sky. Again, the ground is speckled with a jigsaw of light and dark. The
grass drinks the light, and has grown green and lush, with the occassional
burst of colorful flowers. Such an inviting atmosphere has lured many
travellers to rest their feet or horses.
The sound of water tripping over stones is heard from the east. To the west,
the path continues, leading torwards the main crossroads. Faintly, another
path barely cuts the dense forest northward. This one is not large enough to
warrant the passing of coaches, however, and one must continue by foot if they
wish to follow that direction.
[Exits : (T)ake the little path north, Wander (W)estward, and (E)ast toward
the sound of water ]
[Players : Utena, and Rei ]
[Things : None ]
>Cloud follows closely behind Utena, carrying a lit branch that serves as a
makeshift torch.
>Utena picks her way slowly through the trees, very... very... very slowly. This
may in fact become quite irritating, but she can't move any faster than that.
She pauses often, leaning against a convenient nearby tree to catch her breath,
before finally continuing westward.
>Utena has left.
>Utena takes you along with her, holding your hand.
** Walk cut **
Crossroads
One way or the other, travellers find their way to these crossroads. Your own
journey, wether through destiny or coincidence, has brought you to where these
roads meet.. or perhaps to where the roads begin. These well-worn roads lead
off in four prominent directions.. The northward path is perhaps the most
promising and most used. The dark silhouette of a town can be seen on the
horizon, standing out against the sky. The eastern path can hardly be called a
road; it is a path cutting through a dense woods, and disappearing between the
trees. Few travellers take this route for fear of the thieves rumored to live
within the forest. To the west, a lonely highway wears a trail through the
grasslands vanishing into the dark shadows of the mountains. Like the
northward path, the way south is much used. It leads to the harbour town at
the edge of the ocean, a busy center of trade and business. There can be no
guarantee of where exactly the path you choose will lead, but one should not
wait for fate to guide them through but journey out to boldly meet it.
[Exits : (W)estward path, (E)ast into the woods, (N)orth toward Darra
Village, and (S)outh toward Matherion ]
[Players : Utena ]
[Sleepers: Slayn ]
[Things : WANTED: The Black Hood, and Notice Board ]
>Cloud asks, again, "... ... Are you sure you are healthy enough to be doing
this?"
>Utena steps into the crossroads with a heavy sigh of relief which brings on a
solid burst of coughing... after she finally gets her breath back, she grits
her teeth and nods wordlessly..
>Suu has arrived.
>Suu walks down the path, looking around absently.
>Utena is very slowly picking her way along the crossroad, wrapped entirely in a
black cloak and wheezing very unpleasantly.
>Cloud sets the 'torch' down on the beaten path. You might wonder why he did
this, but it quickly becomes obvious; he steps over, and tries to gently lift
you up. "..."
>Utena blinks, and makes a little 'glrk!' sound when you pick her up, but
doesn't fight you. She's quite light, really. Scrawny little girl.
>Suu looks at Utena, then trots over to the two.
>Cloud says, in his usual quiet tone, "... You can barely walk... I shouldn't
have let you do this." Cloud's a bit stronger then he looks; perhaps it comes
from throwing that claymore around. Regardless, he looks over at Suu as she
approaches.
>l suu
Suu
Before you stands a slight young girl, perhaps between 10 and 12 years of age.
Her eyes are large and green, and her hair is very pale, so pale it is almost
white. She is wearing a white dress that falls just below her knees, and
matching white leather boots that look very sturdy. She has white gloves on her
small hands, and a lined white coat that matches her dress. She is, under her
winter clothing, a very thin child, but she appears healthy enough, despite her
paleness of skin. Her eyes are bright and intelligent, and when she speaks, it
is in a soft but confident voice.
Carrying:
>Suu looks up at Utena... "I beg your pardon, but... are you all right?" How
polite.
>Suu looks ar Cloud a little worriedly, obviously not sure if he's helping Utena
or trying to harm her.
>Cloud doesn't look like he's trying to hurt her, though Cloud himself is a
rather menacing figure, despite his slight features.
>Utena turns her neck slowly and smiles down at the girl wanly. "... I'm not
okay, but it's..." she coughs again, nastily. "... nothing a warm place to rest
won't.. cure.. and time..." She doesn't seem afraid of Cloud, either, for that
matter.. in fact she looks downright RELIEVED to be off her feet.
>Suu nods... "Are you going someplace warm? Can you find your way if he can't
carry that?" She motions to the torch.
>Cloud tries to decide between Darra and Matherion... both are hours away. "...
I know my way from here. And the sky's clear..."
>Suu says, "If you want... um..."
>Suu says, "You could come to my house... it's not far, Utena-san has been
there."
>Cloud hmms, then looks down at Utena. "...?"
>Utena glances briefly at Cloud, then says softly, ".. but a torch might be
good.. in case we need to stop.." She looks at Suu again. "... No, I couldn't
trouble you with it." Ah, NOW she recognizes the girl, you have to forgive her
as she's very, very out of it right now. "... Suu.. right..?"
>Suu nods at Utena and smiles. "Daddy wouldn't mind..."
>Cloud seems to leave the decision to Utena, not commenting further at this
point. "..." You would swear that his eyes have en eerie sheen in this
moonlight, though...
>Suu says, "I let lots of people stay at our house 'cause they get hurt or sick
and the cities are so far."
>Utena tries to decide. She does remember that Suu has a warm sturdy house, but
she doesn't want to intrude on her, either... and her head is so damn dizzy
it's hard to think clearly anyway. She murmurs something toward Cloud, "... how
many hours.. Matherion..?"
>Suu walks over to the torch and picks it up with a little effort. She's a small
girl, after all..
>Cloud replies to Utena's question, "... Likely 6 or 7... less, if I ran, but
that wouldn't be safe."
>Suu says, "You look sick, Utena-san... you really ought to rest..."
>Suu looks very worried. Her little brow furrows as she looks up at Utena and
Cloud.
>Utena "..." and exhales finally.. "... it's too far... at night..." She nods
toward Suu. "... Just.. until morning. We'll leave as soon as the sun rises...
I don't want to be troublesome.."
>Cloud says, to the point, whether she likes it or not, "... Utena was injured.
There's no danger, but a return to civilization would be desired."
>Suu nods to Utena. "It's okay, really..."
>Suu points the torch at a path through the woods. "It's this way..."
>Cloud waits for Utena to give a reply to that, affirmative or negative. "..."
>Utena nods to the girl, and looks at Cloud tiredly. ".. follow her... you
haven't been paid yet... morning's better for travelling to the city." She
sighs, and becomes quiet.
>Cloud nods to Utena, and waits to Suu to lead the way.
>You take Suu's hand firmly in yours.
>Utena takes Suu by the hand.
>Suu motions for them to follow her, and moves toward the woods with the
certainty of someone who is used to the path.
>Suu wanders eastward.
>Suu takes you along with her, holding your hand.
** Walk cut **
Zel's Small house
You see a small, modest looking cottage. It has an wooden floor, with a few
grass mats under the table, and under some chairs. There is a stone fireplace
on the far wall. All in all, It's a comfortable looking home.
[Exits : (C)orona's room, (B)ackyard, (S)uu's Room, (O)ut, and (Z)el's Room ]
[Players : Suu ]
[Sleepers: Corona, and Zelgadis ]
Utena has arrived.
[Things : Animal skin rug ]
>Utena murmurs, possibly to both of you, "... so sorry about this.."
>Suu looks around, then up at Utena... "Do you want to stay by the fire? Or you
can sleep in my room if you want."
>Utena shivers, even with the heavy cloak. "... the fire.. if you don't mind,
Cloud..." in a soft voice.
>Cloud replies, apparently to Utena, "... If I weren't doing this, I'd likely be
in a tavern somewhere, wasting my life." As Suu speaks, Cloud looks up, and
opens his mouth to reply, but Utena says what he was thinking. "..."
>Suu nods to the rug by the fire. "You can stay there, it's nice and soft... do
you want tea?" She looks at both of them.
>Cloud shakes his head as he gently sets Utena down.
>Utena nods.. "Thank you... I'd like some..." She smiles gratefully at Cloud,
"Thanks... I'm really sorry.." She just lies out flat, as close to the fire as
she can manage, letting the orange light and heat wash over her.
>Suu says, "Okay... well... *I* want tea."
>Suu grabs a teakettle from the table and peers in it to make sure it's full of
water, then hangs it on a hook by the fireplace to warm.
>Cloud takes a seat by Utena, partly because he's a bit chilly as well. He did
give Utena his cloak, after all. "..."
>Suu runs into the kitchen, remembering belatedly to kick off her boots, and
pulls two cups out of a cupboard. She sets them down on the table.
>Suu walks back over and crouches down near the fireplace, watching the
teakettle.
>Cloud sits, legs crossed in the 'Indian style', as Suu walks over. He's removed
his sword now, setting it aside; it's a bit long to wear while sitting.
>Utena shifts herself onto her non-injured side, and sighs, pale blue eyes
watching Cloud and the little girl. She seems to have picked up some of Cloud's
silent quality, though her relief at being away from the cold is so apparent.
>Suu looks over at Utena... "Want a blanket?" She looks at Cloud as well,
including him in the query.
>Cloud shakes his head. "..."
>Utena hesitates to nod, but she does. "... Suu, it seems .." (breathe, girl..)
".. like I only bring you hurt people.. first Van... then me.."
>Suu smiles. "I don't mind." She obviously means it. "I kind of like having
company. Daddy's been gone a lot."
>Suu asks, "I'm gonna go get you a blanket, okay?"
>Utena nods. ".. okay.."
>Suu has left.
>Suu has arrived.
>Suu comes out of her room with only her feet and the top of her head visible...
she's carrying a big green quilt.
>Suu stumbles toward the fire, and sets the quilt down next to Utena. It's a
soft, thick patchwork quilt in shades of green and white.
>Suu runs around to the other side of Utena, pulling the quilt over her.
>Utena giggles softly, amused by the mental image of a quilt with legs. "..
careful.." she calls out softly.. "Don't trip.." Her eyes turn over the quilt
and she pulls it over herself right over the cloak, layering... "Did you make
this..? It's nice.."
>Suu smiles and nods. "Uh-huh!"
>Suu blushes a little... "Thank you."
>Cloud smiles, for a moment.
>Utena smiles back, color returning as she cocoons herself in fur and blanket
and quilt. ".. do you sell them? You could make money... I wish I had one like
this."
>Suu says, "That's the only one I ever made. Lai-san gave me scraps."
>Suu says, "My daddy made the furry blanket."
>Cloud sits quietly, as usual. "..."
>Utena says, "They're both wonderful." She smiles. "So warm.."... and snuggles
into them. "Suu, I'm really so grateful.. I can't even express... I promise
we'll be gone when the sun rises." She glances at Cloud. "You don't even have
to stay..." ".. if you want to leave... I won't let Xell get away with not
paying you.."
>Suu takes the tea kettle from the fire, careful not to burn herself. "It's
okay, you can leave whenever you want... you can sleep in my bed, and I'll
sleep in my daddy's... there's room for both of us even if he does come back."
>Cloud shakes his head. "... I'm still on the job. I won't leave yet."
>Utena sighs softly at Cloud, but doesn't argue. He's stubborn, and he has every
right to want what he rightfully should have gotten.
>Suu pours tea into two cups. She looks at Cloud. "Pardon me, but what's your
name?"
>Cloud says, simply, "Cloud." An unusual name...
>Suu nods. "Okay, Cloud-san. Would you like some tea too? There's plenty."
>Suu pours two cups of tea as she speaks, and pus some honey in one.
>Cloud shakes his head. "... I'm not really very thirsty."
>Suu asks, "Okay. Utena-san, do you want honey or lemon or sugar or anything?"
>Utena says, "Eh... a little honey... just a tiny drop.."
>Suu nods, and carefully drips a little honey into Utena's tea, then stirs it.
She takes the cup carefully in both hands and carries it over to Utena,
crouching down next to her. "Here you go."
>Utena sits up with an effort and her hands emerge from the 'cocoon', closing
around the small cup thankfully. "Thank you very much.." she smiles softly, and
takes a sip. "... good tea."
>Cloud does his impression of a statue. He keeps his eyes closed, and simply
listens.
>Suu smiles sweetly and bows her head. "Thank you."
>Suu gets up and fetches her own tea, then sits down near the fire as well, off
to the side, careful not to block the warmth from reaching Utena.
>Utena sips carefully at the hot liquid and watches the little girl for a while
curiously. Amazing what some warmth, some light, and something hot in your body
can do... It's not a cure, of course. "... So where is your daddy? I remember
he seemed very considerate of you in the fabric store a while ago.."
>Suu says, "He went on a trip."
>Utena ohs softly, putting the empty cup aside. ".. I see.. I hope he returns
soon..."
>Suu nods. "So do I... want more tea?"
>Utena says, "Oh, if it's not a bother.."
>Utena gazes to Cloud again, nudging him with a wrapped-up toe. ".. you alive..?"
>Suu seems like a rather good hostess, for a ten year old. She nods obligingly
and hops up, setting her teacup down near the fire to keep it warm. She runs
over to the table and grabs the kettle and honey jar, carrying them back with
her.
>Cloud suddenly blinks, opening his eyes. "... Hmm?"
>Suu sits down, and takes Utena's cup, pouring tea into it before setting the
kettle near the fire to keep it warm as well. She drips a little honey into it
again, and pushes the cup toward Utena. "There."
>Utena takes the second cup with a nod, thinking that Suu reminds her a lot of
herself at that age... gee, it was only four years ago, and it feels like about
a thousand... She sighs, then comments to Cloud, "... I didn't even get to see
how the fight with the other Mazoku-thing went... was it hard?"
>Cloud scratches the side of his head. "Xelloss defeated the one attacking
him... the priest took longer then I expected, but wasn't difficult."
>Utena grins softly, a wry manner. ".. Not for that hunk of steel, anyway.."
>Suu pulls over a basket of cloth scraps, and pulls a needle from a wad of
cloth...
>Cloud doesn't get the joke. Or if he does, he doesn't give any response. Cloud
does, however, ask, "How are you feeling?"
>Suu pulls out a spool of thread--a medium shade of blue--and a collection of
sewn-together scraps in many shades of blue. The basket, it seems, is filled
with scraps of blue cloth cut ino triangles... she picks one and starts sewing
it onto the larger mass.
>Utena mms. "After that nice tea, and with all these warm blankets.. it doesn't
hurt so much now... but I'm really worn out..." She's quite surprised that he
actually ASKED this, as his normal routine is to generally ignore people's
conditions, or so it seemed.
>Cloud nods to Utena, his curiosity (?) satisfied. "..."
>Corona has connected.
>Utena snuggles deeper into the layers and lets her head rest on the fur, eyes
starting to drift closed.
>Suu is sitting next to the fire sewing.
>Cloud sits next to Utena. Hmm, wonder what you walked in on?
>Corona mews.
>l cor
Corona
Corona stands approximately five and a half feet tall, with a slim,
lithe figure that is graceful, slim and agile, with supple and lovely
feminine curves. She looks like a very tall human woman; however, her
ears are pointed, like an elf's, and her hair is snowy white, and
marked along the back with tiger's stripes. It's kept short, but the
same length all around, with bangs curving around her pretty features;
a single, long braid flows from the back of her neck down to her knees.
Her eyes are tiger's eye in color, a raidant golden-tan that changes
hue as the light hits it. Two small black dots are positioned above her
eyes, and a black line like a tear-trail flows from the corners to her
jawline. Three small black lines at the top of her forehead at her
hairline nearly meet in a point between her eyes.
She wears an oriental shirt, a simple, high-collared tunic of blue
silk, with a gold hem and gold clasps on either side of the opening.
Blue cotton oriental riding pants, loose and flowing, cover her lower
half; simple slip-on black shoes cover her feet. Around her neck is a
semi-long necklace, with a long prism of tiger's eye quartz dangling
from it, and ruby rings dangle from her ears. Bronze rings with no
apparent clasps jingle, a pair of two on each wrist and ankle, each
decorated with chinese dragons.
Carrying:
>Suu looks over at Corona.
>Corona has walked in from her room, hearing voices.
>Utena stirs vaguely at the sound and her eyes open again, attempting to discern
the source.
>Suu says a little coldly, "Hello Corona-san."
>Cloud is roused a little, at looks over at Corona. If he sees anything unusual,
he doesn't comment.
>Corona looks down. She answers softly, reservedly, "Hello Suu-san."
>Utena blinks at Suu. Is it just her imagination or did the girl's voice change?
>Corona moves to the far corner of the room and sits.
** Got booted n.n; **
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