DAE LUIN - Midnight Musings

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon almost felt himself get thrown backward, although in reality he had only moved slightly. What he felt was more of a mental or emotional push back. The strange feeling was caused by his seeing the woman's face. He felt quite a bit like he'd known her, from somewhere, though he couldn't place where.

Dameon's memory was never his strong point. Though he could always place a friend from an enemy, remembering anyone specifically was a completely different story. He had always thought that to be because the persons energy could tell oh so much about them. mainly what their intention was, and if he could place that he knew them, he could usually place the general, Friend/ foe factor.

As for Serica, Dameon got the feeling that she was a different case. He had the impression that she wasn't an enemy, however, he couldn't place her as a friend. He wasn't much worried about a fight from her, or tiki for that matter. It seemed that they, as well as he, with the exception that they didn't sneak up on him, would prefer to avoid a fight.

Once he noticed how he had reacted, he quickly shook it off in his head, figuring he would worry about it later when everyone was a little more relaxed, assuming they would get that far. He removed the brief betrayal of emotions from his face and focused on the here and now once again. Hearing her correction of his statement, and the quick stab of the accusing question. He didn't like her demanding attitude, then he realized, it was just the attitude of a woman. He suddenly realized that at her sudden outburst his fists had clenched and started to glow with the color of fire. He quickly calmed himself as to not seem aggressive. He still wanted to avoid a fight if possible.

Finally, after her rant at him he regained quick composure and settled his retort. He didn't have much trouble thinking about what to say, since what he wanted to say, was the truth, and was exactly how he felt. He tried to keep himself sounding reasonably calm.

"Listen, I really don't like the English language, so Excuse Me If i screw up pone word, you obviously seemed to understand what i meant, and that is all that matters. As for my intentions. I wanted to be cautious, if you two did turn out to be thieves, I intended on avoiding anything further. Correct me if I'm wrong, but most thieves are better when their prey doesn't know they are around, besides that, i can take care of myself. And finally, as for creating conflict, the only conflict that I may possibly be creating is a conflict that takes two sides to start. If anything were to happen, you two would be just as responsible for the birth of it as i would. However, if you haven't noticed, all three of us have succeeded in trying to keep from fighting. If my intentions were to attack I should have done it long ago, and if you two did, then he would have done what he was going to do before, instead of calming and restraining his magic... Zeipte vitre imunda!"

Dameon's constant on edge temper was calming slowly after being able to vent most of it into his words. in his mind he jumped slightly, having just realized he slipped and spoke his native tongue. He hoped that the two wouldn't think it is a threat, knowing that very few knew what it meant.

Suddenly Dameon's attention turned to the man who had suddenly, as if he'd forgotten all that was happening, asked the woman the most peculiar question. It seemed that he didn't know, or at least remember the girl after all. Suddenly random questions filled his head, like, who are these two if they didn't remember each other until tonight, and if so, why were they meeting calmly as if they did. He pushed these questions aside and re-entered the room, he'd figure them out later.
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SERICA

Serica didn't interrupt Dameon on his rant but stood there, her deep violet eyes in a sharp glare so dark they must have looked black, even in the moon light. Her intensely mistrusting expression relaxed and became even more like someone becoming annoyed with a child. ~Shut up already...~ she thought and rolled her eyes at him. "Egotistical..." Serica muttered, almost inaudibly.

She nearly jumped at Versai's question and the mention of her last name. She had stopped paying much attention to him after he lowered his hand and the magical light faded. "Sab- ri- el..." Serica repeated the name slowly. ~Mother~ Chimed Serica's loud, instinctual voice she had dubbed 'mother'. ~Sabriel?-... Mother?-~

She seemed to nearly forget the second man, Dameon, was there altogether, with her anticipation of what Versai was going to say. "You knew my mother?" Serica heard her voice ask without her willing it to. "Is she alive?..." ~My Mother...~ she thought. "Where- " Serica's voice faltered and left her to her own mind which was reeling with excitement.

Serica's head suddenly hurt, a second later, a new feeling flooded over everything, nearly suffocating her. It felt like a barn full of horses was released across her thoughts and people were trying to gather them up again. Chaos ran with them, each a hidden part of her forgotten past. Serica held her head with one hand, apply pressure to the most painful area, she gave a small gasp as another wave of searing pain over took her head, now passing into her neck and back.

She closed her eyes tightly in agitation. ~"Ser?... Serica are you day dreaming again? You really should pay more attention... Serica, what is Crocus Angustifolia?" a motherly voice questioned her student... "Cloth-Of-Gold: it grants the wearer the ability to understand animal's language." this voice was very young but familiar, was it Serica's? "Very good sweetie, you must never ever forget this next one, okay?-" the motherly voice stopped as if her attention was drawn away. "Sabriel! Quick! We-" came an urgent older man's voice but it cut out as the memory left her.~

Serica staggered a step or two into moonlight and suddenly collapsed, conscienceless. Her cloak and hood draped over her, covering her all but and the hand which was holding her head and some of her silver-blond hair. Her hair sparkled in the moonlight, so bright it almost looked as if it it was on fire.

Memories came and went in Serica's mind... if you could call them that, memories. These sounds had no images attached to them, all she saw was darkness, blank darkness. There were very very few which played out long enough so that she might try to remember them. Even fewer and more broken were the ones she would remember.

~"Ouch..." came a boy's voice, maybe 12 or 13 at most. "Hear, chew on some willow leaves." this was the voice of a young girl, maybe five or so years younger then Serica. "What for?" came the muffled sound of the boy again who had obviously done as she said. "For your headache of course... willow relieves pain." replied the girl, she obviously thought he ought to know this as well as she did.~

~ Feet, running as fast and as hard as they could, a heart beating quicker still... Horse hooves against the ground, getting louder and louder... Deep loud breaths kept with the running feet, heartbeat faster, harder... hooves still getting louder, very close now-~
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VERSAI

Versai jumped as the woman keeled over, slumping to the floor. What had triggered such an unexpected turn of events? It seemed to be his question. Perhaps he had caused some sort of aneurysm? He didn't know much about head injuries, except that a few of the witches in the coven seemed prone to sicknesses that developed inside the cranium. He had been told that they were "riding", but knew little of their art. In hindsight, it seemed to be some form of astral projection to him, even though they began it standing up. He had, however, seen what they did in such a case to protect the prone body of the riding witch.

Shaking off his stunned state, he rushed forward to stabilize Serica's condition. He shifted her slightly to remove her cloak, and his own, which he quickly rolled into loose padding. He elevated her head and shoulders, and checked her mouth, ears and nose for blood. She seemed to be clear of those, which was a good sign. She was breathing quite heavily, and her pulse was quick. He couldn't tell if her pulse was weaker than usual, because he had nothing to compare it to. For the moment, there was nothing more that he could do. He had never had a knack for the healing arts; people were built too messily... a little bit too much of one thing or another, and you had new problems to deal with.

Suddenly remembering the third occupant of the room, Versai swiftly tilted his head up to look for Dameon. Quickly locating him, he stood up to face him, shaking his head gravely.

"That's the best that I can do. Have you ever seen anything like this before? Do you know anything of medicine and healing?" he asked, though it was already clear that Versai didn't think he did, and continued, "Do you know anyone near here? We need a plan."
He knew that if they had the correct plan, everything would turn out alright. Perhaps Serica's condition wasn't all that serious. Still, his voice was a little bit shaken.

Versai sighed heavily, as though to release some demon in his chest, his attention shifting back to Serica on the rough stone floor. He couldn't help but feel responsible for her condition, even though his comment seemed the least likely reason for her faint. Again, though, whenever something bothered Versai this much, he knew in his gut that it was probably true.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon's eyes simply went wide as he stood in the door. One minute she was calling him egotistical, the next, she was on the floor unconscious. He simply stood there staring, completely lost. He hadn't done anything, and by the looks of things it didn't seem that the man would have.

He stood frozen for a moment. His thoughts lay useless to him briefly. He didn't know what to do. He probably would have gone insane had it been someone he knew that was close to him, but he didn't know this girl. Or, at least, he didn't think he knew her. His mind had no idea how to react, should he try to help her? Or should he leave her, a stranger, who only a minute ago he had been arguing with.

All of a sudden Dameon had a strong urge towards helping her. He had no clue why. He still didn't know or remember her, but his mind was all of a sudden pushing him in one direction. He was just about to make a move towards her to try and hep her, then it hit him. He had no idea HOW to help her. Still, his mind seemed oblivious to the fact and kept prodding him to go over and help her. Now all of a sudden, he was distracted, arguing with himself in his head, one side pleading to help her, the other trying to convince it that he couldn't help.

As the other man addressed him, Dameon was thrown from his state of inner conflict and back into the room, in the real world. The man seemed extremely frantic, and was a bit jumpy in his words. Dameon, still so confused, replied quickly.

"Well, I have seen people pass out before, but this was kind of random, i really don't know. I don't know anything about medicine, you are better off trying to help her than I am. Medicine and healing is my worst subject. As for knowing anyone around here, it has been a long while since i have been in this area, though i used to live around here, it has been so long that I'm sure that most of the people i knew are long gone, and if not, most likely do not remember me."

Dameon walked towards them, subconsciously deciding that this wasn't the moment to be separate from the "group". Since his mind was still beckoning him to do something to try and help, he did the only thing he could think of, he wasn't even sure if it would do anything. Most of the time he used it to heal wounds, and it didn't seem that she was injured in the least. Stepping closer to her he knelt down and lifted her hand. His arm glowed a whitish color and slowly so did hers. After a few seconds he had let go of her hand and stood back up backing back up to where the man had been standing.

"I just gave her some energy. I have no idea if it will help, but it really couldn't hurt. Like i said, I'm not at all good at healing, though I know at times, lending someone energy can help a wound heal, or just lend the person strength. But i have no idea if she even needs that. Any other ideas?"
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SERICA

Serica felt a warmth flutter over her, followed by a sudden cold wave. Her body shivered for her as her conscience was still lost in the stampede of the lost - memory horses. A light layer of cold sweat broke across her forehead and down her back. Serica's heart was still beating very fast and her breath hadn't lightened either.

~"Little Seri, here take this ring., keep it safe, my darling, and in turn it will keep you safe. It was a gift from your father..."~ The voice was calm and soothing, nearly as soft as musical notes and then it was gone, replaced by silence.

Serica's heart slowed to a more steady pace and her breathing became deeper and longer, smoother. The wild horses were now nearly all back where they should be. Her hand twitched as if grasping for something though her arm never left the cold rough floor.

A soft breeze swept across the room making the sweat on her face even colder. Her eyes moved as if trying to see, trying to find and finally Serica herself regained conscienceness. "Mother...?" She muttered and her eyes opened. Serica threw her arm over her face reflexively and rolled away from the bright moonlight and the two people near her. She groaned lightly as she did so and her other hand moved to the back of her head, where a small amount of pain resided.

Quickly remembering what had just happened as best she could, Serica was on her feet, eyes on the two men. "Which one of you did that?" Her voice was clear but she was obviously still kind of drowsy. ~How can you be certain it was one of them?...~ Her instinct mused behind her accusing thoughts.

Without another word or a chance for either man to move she turned toward the weathered window. She moved for it with great speed and the gracefulness of a snake, the torn trim of her black dress waving along behind her like a tail. She still hadn't regained her full balance and awareness and nearly toppled out the window when she reached it, barely catching herself, nails scratching old stone and aged grim.
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VERSAI

Versai absorbed the information Dameon had given him and began to pace. His mind was racing as he looked for a solution to the problem. Any of his mentors would have told him that if he stayed calm, the answer would arrive on its own, but the flutter of ideas inside his head was somehow comforting. Knowing that something was being done about the situation helped him actually derive an answer, in some cases.

He didn't know the girl, at least, he didn't think so... but Versai was of a kindly nature and did not appreciate it when those around him were hurt, even if they were perfect strangers. And besides, what if she was the daughter of Sabriel? Though he had long departed her company as a boy, Sabriel had been a strict woman... and an irrational fear of some kind of punishment loomed in the back of his mind if he managed to fail her child. He wasn't even sure if Sabriel was still alive, but she was young, and the idea of someone having killed her seemed ludacris.

Versai started as he detected movement from the floor... Serica was rousing herself. As she rolled over and groaned, he gladly threw the half-baked plans of medical or clerical attention out of the window in his mind. He was relieved, and opened his mouth to tell her not to move, to relax for a moment, but before he could get the words out she had already risen up from the floor.

He was puzzled by her question.
"What do you mean? Neither of us did anything, you just fainted," he said, glancing to Dameon for reassurance, and then back to Serica. Maybe she was just a bit woozy, still...

Suddenly Versai remembered the topic of their conversation directly before Serica passed out. She had poised several questions to him. Was she abandoned as a child? Or had she lost her memory? The latter seemed to be a great deal more feasible; Serica wasn't much older than him, by the looks of her, and Sabriel wasn't the sort to leave a child on a doorstep. Well, not a young child, and probably not one of hers.

"To answer your earlier questions, by the by, I did know your mother, if her name was Sabriel. You look a great deal like her, if a bit smaller. I don't know what's happened to her, I parted paths with her company a long time ago. She was a strong woman, though, if memory is anything to judge by. I can't imagine anything having killed her," he said conversationally.

"How are you feeling, though? You took a nasty spill, there..."  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon's level of confusion just kept rising. He was starting to wish that he had simply just never come here in the first place. First, he simply walked into a doorway at the wrong time and almost made two instant enemies, and now, one of them was acting so oddly that he had no idea at all what to think.

Dameon watched the girl on the floor, still having no idea what had even caused it, he knew that he for one had done nothing, and all the other man had done was asked a simple question about the girl's mother. After having given her some energy he had hoped that it would at least help a little, and when he saw her hand twitch out of his peripheral vision a spark of hope hit him, until just after she remained where she was.

Then all of a sudden she sprang back to consciousness. Dameon thought that it seemed like she was acting like nothing at all had happened, with the exception of her accusatory question to both of them, to which Dameon shook his head and shrugged at the other man, when he verified that he had done nothing, then looked to Dameon to make sure he wasn't the guilty one.

Dameon watched the girl snake her way to the window, it caught him as strange, the odd way she moved, it also seemed familiar. He then noted her last name. Lumen, He hadn't yet heard one of them mention her first name, either that or he just hadn't been paying enough attention, but the last name, Lumen, it rang a bell in his head, now he was running through a list of people he knew trying to figure out which one bore that name.

He had run through a list of his friend's names already, at least the close one, the ones that were easily remembered, yet he couldn't recall any of them with that name. He tried to think of all of the people he had met, and maybe liked as a friend, and yet never really got close to, still he couldn't think of any. He was starting to second guess his intuition about having known her.
_________________

SERICA

Serica stood there silently by the window, peering out and all around as though looking for someone, her hand on her hip dangerously. Her head was held high and without her cloak, her warn clothes were a great deal more obvious. There were tears and tattering bits to her whole dress, one obvious rip was across her back and shoulders, it appeared as if some great beast had attacked her? This tear revealing nearly all her silky white skin in those areas, if it weren't for her silver hair obscuring the view.

"Someone was trying to get something from me, from my memory..." Serica said darkly, flashing both young men worried looks. ~Or did you do that yourself?~ Questioned her 'mother' and her shoulders seemed to drop finally and relax a little. Her hand still clutched tightly to a small throwing knife as it left her hip and dropped to her side, the silver of the blade nearly matched her hair in the moonlight.

Serica looked at Versai as he spoke of her mother, her eye nearly watering but she held it back. She ignored his question of how she felt for a moment. "Where... where do you think she is now?" Serica was pleased that she asked him this, more sensible question, then the one she was dreading most, ~Do you think she remembers me or wants me?~ Her knee high boots moved nervously beneath her as she waited for a response.

Restlessly, Serica turns the knife over and over in her hand, catching rays of moonlight and her own fair reflection, as she did so. She moved her tender index figure up and down the blade like a lover caressing her companion. A flash of moonlight struck Serica's eye and she reflexively glanced at the blade, the blade which now held the ghostly, saddened face and violet eyes of a woman not unlike herself except for the years that marked her eyes. Serica froze in shock, those violet eyes pierced her soul like a spear striking its mark. She dropped the blade and stared at it, her heart pounding again.

~Mother...?!~ Serica was horror struck for a long moment, staring at the blade expectantly. Yet there was no answer from either the blade or her 'mother' and the silence of loneliness circled Serica like a vulture wishing to consume its prey. It was then, that she noticed the blood. There was blood on the blade and on her hand, her own blood. In her shock Serica must have pressed too tightly against the blade and scratched herself, but why hadn't she noticed? Serica looked at her hand and quickly grabbed the skirt of her dress to cover the wound, hoping none of her new company had noticed. As she reached her her skirt, her other hand slipped down and picked up the small blade.

"I, I am sorry about all of this." Serica looked from Versai to Dameon, her memories still taunting her from beyond a white picket fence. Her tall black boots shuffled again and she placed the throwing knife back on her hip where it had rested till a moment before. "I don't believe that has ever happened to me before. I'm not even sure I know what just happened." Serica's violet eyes shifted back to Versai for a moment then back to Dameon as he had yet to say anything.
______________

VERSAI

ersai considered her question briefly. He wasn't exactly sure where the coven was, or if Sabriel was still with it. The Coven used to be located somewhere in the forest... he had never had to make the journey alone and, for the most part, in his youth he had never seen the wisdom of memorizing the trails. On top of that, the Witches seemed to like moving from place to place along what they called "leys." The Campground changed from month to month with the passing of the lunar cycles, and even more drastically with the changing of seasons.

On the other hand, Versai was a seer. He was significantly at one with the ebb and flow of destiny, and if it was written, then he should be able to find Sabriel. Of course, the problem with this idea is that magic-users seem to cloud destiny. Everyone is subject to the judgement of fate, but those who wield reality-altering powers usually recieve more leniency. He could look for Sabriel, but it would be like looking for a mouse amongst many other possible mice that that mouse might have been under different circumstances. In some cases it was easier to go to the person's death and trace it backwards, but "the end" was not something you wanted to share with others, or learn yourself. Sabriel herself had taught this to Versai, and he thought it best to listen.

"I could try looking for her. It'll be difficult, though, and I can't guarentee that I'll even find the right her," he told her honestly. It was a little more than a moment later when he realized that, unable to hear his train of thought, she probably had no idea what he was talking about. He mumbled an explaination, "I'm a Seer. Not a very good one, but a seer nonetheless..."

Versai halfheartedly awaited the ensuing demands. Even if it took time, he had come to expect them. When people found out that he had a "gift" they usually asked first for a demonstration. That was simple enough, and Versai had no real qualms about having to prove himself over and over again. After all, what if he really couldn't divine the strings of fate? People would accept a lot of bad advice. He didn't blame them for skepticism. It was what inevitably followed that bothered him. Most people would then ask for favors, looking forward towards their own lives, asking him to spy on others- they were using him for their own gain, usually, and the obviousness of it all was usually in direct correlation to their respective shallowness. And, of course, eventually Versai would tell them something they didn't like or predict something inaccurately and they'd become angry with him and leave. It was the primary problem with all of his "friends," and the reason he prefered solitarity to anything else.

He heard Serica apologize, breaking him out of his moment of self-pity. It seemed unnecessary to him, and he suddenly wondered how hard she had hit her head when she fell. Luckily for Serica, he had not noticed when she cut herself.

"There's no need to apologize. You should know, though, that I'm just trying to answer your questions..."  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon was focused on the girl, who was still at the window, now staring out it. He thought she might be looking for someone, or at least it seemed that way. As he realized this, he thought that maybe she he called forth reinforcements. However, on second thought, he realized she had no reason, they had no idea what he could do. For all they knew that could take him on their own if they wanted. He tossed the concept aside, in preference of more likely possibilities.

Suddenly he heard her speak, with a partially accusatory look about her. He was about to speak when the realization hit him, that he had no way of defending his own argument. He couldn't prove that he didn't do anything, mostly because he knew nothing of the subject. He didn't even know it was possible to access other's memories.

As the blade dropped into her hand he saw the movement but had no idea what it was until he saw some of the moonlight reflections. He watched her twirl the blade in her hand, half expecting her to turn and throw it at him. Considering the circumstances on which he was here, it wouldn't have surprised him in the least for one of them to have taken offensive actions. Still she didn't do anything but twirl the blade. When suddenly it dropped, Dameon was half ready to defend himself. He watched it fall helplessly to the floor and calmed slightly, still watching it sit there. He noticed what looked like blood, running from the blade onto the floor. His brow raised slightly as his eyes moved from the knife to her. He saw her hand clenching her skirt. He wondered if she had simply cut herself, or if she had killed someone not long before this meeting. As she reached down, he recollected his mind.

As she spoke, Dameon suddenly felt a slight confusion flood over him. She was apologizing. But what was she apologizing for? For passing out? Dameon hardly thought it would be her fault. As she had said, it had never happened before, and it didn't seem, or even sound, like she had done it on purpose. He hardly considered it her fault for such a thing. Still, Dameon didn't know what to say to her. He wasn't exactly a friend, and he still knew almost nothing about her. He didn't even know her name yet, or the mans name for that matter! He was in no position to try and reassure her.

It was at that moment that the man suddenly revealed something about himself. Apparently he was a seer. Dameon didn't think much of it other than noticing the slight irony of the fact that he was just thinking about how he knew nothing about them. Once he heard the man defend her lack of a need for apologizing, he suddenly felt a ping of guilt in himself for not having done the same.

"I agree, there's no need for you to apologize." once again his mind brought back the fact that he knew very little about these two, and though it was an interesting time to be doing so, he did anyway. "If you don't mind me asking, what are your names? I never got them."
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SERICA

"A seer?" Serica mumbled under her breath after Versai's explanation. ~Why do I feel like I knew that before he said it...?~ ~Maybe, you did.~ ~If you're not going to be helpful then stay quiet, 'mother!'~

...

The tips of Serica's mouth peeked as both young men insisted she had no need to apologize. Serica hide her nervousness and checked that her heart was calm again before backing up a few steps to lean on the disintegrating wall next to the weathered window. ~Why did I react like that? Why did I see that...?~ ~Your past was free momentarily. You retain some of what escaped...~

Half of her head and face was illuminated by the light and seemed to sparkle and glow as if her hair was made of pure silver and her skin of a soft glossy cloth. The other half seemed darker then usual as it contrasted to the side lit by the moon. Her smile kept and she raised her uninjured hand to brush some strands of dull silly hair from her face.

~Why not properly introduce yourself?~ 'Mother's voice sounded in Serica's mind for the first time in a long set of moments. ~I did!~ ~Not the way you do, everyone else...~ Mother's accusatory voice rang again. ~Give me one good reason...~ Serica's thoughts challenged rebelliously ~You know he is a seer...~

Serica closed her eyes as she replied, "I am Serica Lumen. I am an opportunist of sorts, if you will. A spy, a con-artist, a grifter..." Serica gave a sort of bow and as she rose, her eyes were pinned sharply on Dameon, like a hunter fixed on his prey before bringing the bow to aim. She waited, expecting him to react poorly.

"And you Versai, you are a seer, hu?" Serica's eyes traced quizzically over him as if examining every inch of his form and build. Her violet eyes moved back to his, "That's how you saw death?" Her tone didn't seem as if she was skeptical but intrigued. ~He said he wasn't very good, I wonder if he means inexperienced...~

"Can you make sense of anything you see, yet?" The words escaped her lips before she even knew it. Somehow she felt she knew Versai, knew him better then he knew her... ~but how? from when?~ ~...Willow...? Serica ignored 'mother' for a moment and reached into a small bag on her hip. "Are you two hungry... or is it just me?" From the small dark bag she removed an oak leaf and ate it.
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VERSAI

Versai tensed up as Serica's gaze passed over him quizzically. It happened to him a lot, people sizing him up, trying to see if he had any sort of visible credentials to add to his claim. People always expected seers to be entrapped with all sorts of feathers and beads; or perhaps to have some kind of crystal ball. In truth, those things were more like visual aids- they helped you see physically what was already present metaphysically. The device he had toyed with earlier was an example of such a thing, albeit a more crude and less useful example.

Versai absorbed her admission with little reaction. He had dealt with some manner of people such as she was describing before, and usually they were not as immoral as people would like to assume. They were just good at being a little sneaky. Well, so was Versai- controlling information was something he learned to do early in life. The more you know about a situation, the more options you have (and the greater the chance of success of each). Regardless, this curious little fact which noone had really requested was filed away in Versai's mind, in case it was more useful in the future.

"Yes, that's how I saw death. And now that I know its face, I'll be sure to avoid it for as long as possible..." he said casually.

He shifted his weight onto a different foot. It was impossible to describe what he had seen. He had watched a young man leap from one of these towers, certainly. But there was a quick flash, a rosy-grey shadow which swept away his life that was visible to Versai for a brief second before his seeing-mirror broke under the strain of emotion. It had taken some time to register, and Versai had thought he had imagined it until he had had a moment to think about it. But to have seen it was to have no doubts- it was death.

"I understand what I see, what isn't there, better than most people understand things that are right in front of them. Or... behind them..." he answered her question slyly. He suspected now that the woman had memory issues, but didn't want to give away the thought until it was confirmed. Although he was nearly sure he was right, life as an untrained had Seer made him paranoid of being wrong. He didn't let knowledge of this double-meaning show in either his voice or his face.

Versai was actually rather hungry, but he had brought no food with him and did not wish to impede upon the hospitality of the others. Morning would soon arrive, and then there would be foraging to do. In the meantime, he bit his tongue and didn't respond to the question, hoping that the man named Dameon would break that particular silence. It was strange of him to walk in on two others and simply stand there confusedly.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon almost felt a large amount of surprise as the woman smiled. It wasn't that there was any reason she shouldn't, but it was just awkward to him. He supposed this was probably because he wasn't presently aware of any particular reason for it. Of course, the less outgoing, not to mention slower, state of mind finally jumped in to point out, there wasn't any reason for her not to either, since the three had gotten past fear, and inquisition of each other.

As she introduced herself, he felt a slight amount of satisfaction within himself. At least now he knew her name and had a way to refer to her. Though he couldn't yet say the same for the man, at least the woman was a start. Though the profession she made known to them did push Dameon a little further toward unease. He left the thought behind. assuring himself, rather pathetically almost, that he'd already been stolen from, and had nothing for her to take.

As her gaze came up, her eyes fixed on him, in what he thought seemed to be a malicious way, he didn't not feel surprise right away, but more anger than anything else. It felt to him like a challenge, not one meant to step up to and fight over, but one that had more of a long term affect to it. In a half mannered, half retorting way, he bowed just his head to her introduction, the emotion suppressed behind his face, only visible vaguely in his eyes, as in his head, he accepted.

When she turned to the man and finally referred to him by name, he felt satisfaction once more. Now he knew the man's name as well. He turned slightly bringing both of them into his view, as the two had a small conversation. Though he listened, he didn't say anything, mostly because he knew almost nothing about the topic of seers. He had an extremely vague idea of what they were, and though their conversation explained slightly more about it, he still had no two sense to add.

When Serica mentioned food. His eyes suddenly went wide. His stomach gave a loud growl, as if it could hear everything going on and finally found salvation in her words. His hand suddenly went to his stomach and he gave a partially embarrassed smile. He knew they could hear the growl, in fact, he would have been surprised if half of the ruins hadn't. As it gave another growl he finally spoke.

"Actually, now that you mention it... I am kind of hungry, but most of my things were stolen from me earlier today, so.... neither of you would happen to have some food to spare would you?" Dameon's quite and serious seeming attitude had been thrown out the window, and gave way to what seemed to be a childish attitude brought out by nothing more than a pathetic hunger. It seemed as if he was acting like nothing before this had ever happened, all in sacrifice for some food. He waited almost over hopefully for a response.
_________________

SERICA

Serice listened intently, "I'm sorry, but I must point out one of the laws of survival: Don't run unless you wish to be chased." She was referring to death chasing down those who run from it. "The best choice is to make death, your friend." Serica had no idea the kind of impact her words would have on him. Her feet shuffled once again and she wondered, ~Exactly, what am I doing, lecturing a seer about death?!~

Once Versai had confirmed for her, what she believed would prove he was a good seer, she smiled slightly. ~What strange wording they often use... ~ She thought to herself but dismissed it before she asked about the food. ~I wonder if there are any real places to eat around here... probably not. ~

"Uh-... right." Were the only words to leave Serica's mouth for a long few moments after Dameon's stomach spoke up. She paused, it seemed her face had turned slightly paler and her eyes somehow darker, but her lips remained a soft tint of peach. "So, I guess I'm supposed to feed both of you?" A deep wrinkle appeared, showing her distaste.

Serica looked both over for a few seconds and tried her best to estimate how much food they'd both eat. The only idea she had for what men ate in a day, was roughly what she ate in a month, and those men were older. She had heard that the peek of the quantities of food men consumed was in their early years, teens. To her, Versai and Dameon looked about that age and this thought discouraged her even more.

"I don't have much on me... I don't suppose either of you'd be much for hunting without weapons... so if you go get some plants, any vegetation you see- from anywhere, I'll make it food." Serica smirked in a more cheerful way, as if showing off this skill would please her a great deal. Although she didn't exactly give away how she intended on making greenery into food, magic.

"Here." Serica reached down and pulled two throwing knives from the sides of her high boots and handed them, handle first, to Versai and Dameon. She then took a moment to remove the leather straps which must have been holding the knives securely in place. She wrapped those in a loose knot around the small bag which apparently contained oak leaves.

"I have to go and find something I left in the ruins a few months ago, so I guess we'll meet back here?" Serica said and moved casually for the entrance to the staircase as if she trusted them to fetch the shrubs without her and return with her knives. Serica paused in the door way, "Two things; Try not to pick poisonous plants, I can't use them, and I like those knives." Her last were words were a bit more ominous then she intended but she didn't say or do anything to cancel the intention.
________________

VERSAI

Versai went to object to Serica's hospitality, but closed his mouth again. Hunger was very good at quieting the overly-polite. He had been journeying for a long time, nearly a day and a half, without food-- but sometimes it seemed Seers were supposed to be half-starved madmen, running about in the woods. Still, he was glad for the offer of substance and would not refuse it.

He quietly accepted the knife, immediately tucking it into a pouch. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be needing it. When it came to the "object" Serica referred to, though, Versai couldn't help but feel suspicious. He gave her a long, hard look before shaking off his concern and going about his task.

He looked to Dameon. "Let's make a contest of it. That'll make the time pass more quickly..." he whispered. In reality, Versai just wanted to make sure that there was enough food for all three of them, and disguising the chore of foraging as a game seemed to be the easiest way of accomplishing that.

Before Dameon could respond, Versai slipped out through the decay onto the edge where the wall of the first floor once met the floor of the second. It formed a little ledge, just wide enough to creep across, over to the ancient tree next to the tower. From there it was just a matter of grabbing a branch and riding it to the ground. Generally, Versai wouldn't have attempted such a dangerous jump when stairs were readily available, but he wanted to give Dameon the impression that he was actually attempting to gather more vegetation than him.

Getting to his feet, Versai dusted himself off and set off into the forest through a gap in the castle walls. Letting his sixth sense guide him, or perhaps blind luck, eventually he stumbled upon an apple tree, which was just about fit for harvest as the autumnal winds ripened its fruit. He gathered up the apples which were lower to the ground before setting back towards the tower.

The apples were part of the show, in truth Versai was quite curious about what Serica was up to. It could just be his mind playing tricks on him, but the vagueness of Serica's claim seemed to mask some hidden agenda. When he arrived back at the tower, Versai curled up into a ball at the base of it, steeped in shadow, and projected his mind's eye outward. Clairvoyance was a skill that came somewhat naturally to him, and was much easier to understand than prophetic messages of the future.

As his consciousness left his body, he could feel his ghost-body, which he imagined was there but apparently did not exist. If ever he looked for it, he found himself back in his material form with no new information to show for himself. He drifted upwards, hoping to catch sight of Serica as she went about her errand.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon looked down at the recently placed throwing knife in his hand. He had understood that she simply wanted them to go find plant type food, and this didn't thrill him much. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to go get his food, he just happened to be a bi meat eater is all. His eyes didn't remove from the throwing knife as his stomach screamed into his ears for meat. Unfortunately, neither he, nor his stomach had much of a say in the matter.

As she mentioned it, he suddenly realized he'd never before harvested any sort of plant for food. He had no clue what was poison and what wasn't. he was just as likely to bring back all useless plants, as he as to bring back something they could eat. It was a fifty fifty shot, where the odds tipped in favor of whichever side there just happened to be more of in the area. He really hoped that she would be able to pick out the not so edible plants from his selection, and not simply mix everything together.

He let the thought go, realizing that it wasn't likely she would entrust them with a job that could so easily be done improperly, if she herself wasn't going to be able to fix it. Or at least thats the thought he tried to use to comfort his own mind.

Hearing Versai propose a contest, his inner ego leap up just one more step. It was a decent idea, to use the competition to help keep their minds on something other than the work they were doing. Obviously part of Dameon's perspective was coming solely from his competitive nature, but that still didn't change the fact. As Versai made off quickly, pulling the most random of stunts, as he seemed to be rushing off in competition. Dameon's enthusiasm, dropped just a small amount. Versai had failed to announce the terms of the competition.

Letting out a small sigh, Dameon walked to the same ledge and simply hopped down a floor making nothing of it. He didn't seem upset about having to do the work, but it was at least slightly obvious that he lacked enthusiasm. He started off a ways to find something that looked edible. still hoping in the back of his head, that he wouldn't poison the three of them.
_________________

SERICA

Serica had left them swiftly and silently, nearly unseen altogether, as every good rogue should do. She hadn't stolen anything from them and didn't intend on it for as long as she could resist the urge. Serica slipped outside and immediately began to run along the great wall, back the way she had come and past her resting place.

The moonlight played across her silver hair, gleaming and shimmering as if it was the reflective surface of a lake on a sunny summer day. With each step, it seemed to ripple and wave out along behind her. Her movements were smooth and graceful, though it was her speed that was truly amazing. It was almost as though she could move along the moonlight itself rather then along the broken and unsteady ruins.

She was moving faster and faster for a long while until she was well clear the sight of the tower's body. What was left of the temple's roof peered at her with jagged teeth trying to engulf the moon as it was near setting. She paused here and waited for her breath to catch up with her distance. She looked around, squinting into the eastern distance, looking for something familiar. ~How ironic... looking for landmarks in ruins!~ She mused to herself for a moment.

Serica walked on, her hand grazing the rough wall as she did so. She was having a difficult time remembering exactly where she had hidden the ring. She wasn't even completely sure why she felt she had to go and get it now, but her gut insisted. She moved as silently as the ancient ruins themselves before she came to a sudden stop. Her hand had come across a rather large hole the size of her head. One that must have been cast there so long ago, but what could have made that? She'd asked herself this many times but rarely dared to guess.

Serica examined the hole for a moment before turning her back to the cold stone of the great wall and walking directly out-away from it. She climbed much more clumsily and slowly then she generally moved at all. She made a conscience effort not to make too much noise as she clambered over large ancient pillars and columns and thick rectangular blocks which must have once been walls.

Serica then started to shuffle and 'unearth' some of the smaller, dusty, old stones she walked across. Finally lifting a thin slab, a smile spread across her face, her violet eyes lit intently. She set the stone aside and reached down beneath where she had removed the stone, lifting a thin yet strong string that was so small it could have been her own hair. As she lifted the string it became evident that it was many many feet long.

She was hunched over the string, and her hair parted slightly across her bare back. There was a mark, a scar? across her back like a rather large brand. However most of it was blocked by her hair and before much more then a line or two is distinguishable, she stood upright again, her hair returning to cover the scar.

Serica followed the lightly buried string, lifting stones and the like from on top of the string, as she did so, she loosely wrapped the string around her left hand. Coming to the end of her trail, she paused for a moment and turned to face the north. She took several long steps before stopping and shuffling the rocks at her feet. "Hello harma..." She mumbled under her breath as she pulled an old raged bit of cloth, she might have torn from any of the old doorways around here, up from a small hole. She opened the rolled up bit of cloth to reveal a single silver ring with the symbol of eternity on it.

Serica stared at it, half hopeful, half afraid before she finally noticed eyes were upon her. She placed the ring on the only finger it fit on and reached for a knife on her hip. She released it from the lock which held the blade in while she ran and suddenly the sharp pain returned to her. She had cut that hand already, her good hand, she grasped it at the wrist with her other hand and remained silent. ~Oh how I'd love to scream right now!~ She thought to herself as she released a heavy breath through her nose. She moved back toward the wall, to the same large hole she used to mark where she should turn.

Serica took the small knife into her uninjured hand and thrust her wounded hand in the hole. Though this hole went straight through to the other side, it had a deep dip in the middle which often held water. She washed the cut with her thumb, and once she was satisfied it wouldn't get infected yet, she turned once more away from the way. She searched the sky, the ground, the shadow for anything that might have been watching her.

Suddenly her eyes fell upon a rabbit, shaking and quiet obviously lost as it stood out sorely in a place like this. Serica waisted no time in catching the rabbit, putting it out of its miserable state of confusion and removing a good portion of the unusable parts. Though that in itself took some time as all she had was a small throwing knife. She let as much blood drain as she could before leaving the area and heading back toward the tower.

Serica picked a few things here and there on her way back, mainly random vines and shrubs with berries, not much, but some. She decided to walk her way back, rather then run, because she still felt as if something was still watching her, following her, and she did not wish to be chased. Especially when her destination was as good as walking into a tight and tiny corner.
_______________

VERSAI

Versai's mind's eye whirled in circles in front of the tower the three had met inside of, looking for some trace of Serica's location. Failing to find his quarry, Versai relaxed and let his spectral body be pulled in the direction the girl had left. She had a strong essence, and it was not hard to trace. In some ways it was almost like the moonlight which had earlier danced in the strands of her hair was pointing out the way to him; the darkened land and foliage she had drifted across like a shadow had shifted ever so slightly in her passage. In some ways, her stealth and grace made her more noticeable, at least when a seer was doing the searching.

Versai drifted across the landscape, starting in a slow and lazy manner but speeding up as Serica's trail became more and more real to him. Trees and broken bits of buildings seemed to warp out of his way, as though space bent around his presence, but given further thought he decided that this illusion was created because he was used to taking up actual space, and probably did no longer. He would have to research this later, and perhaps refine his technique.

As the trees, which grew increasing larger and more ancient, and stones, which became more massive and moss-covered, whizzed past Versai's consciousness, he realized that he was traveling deeper into the ruins. In places, decrepit walls and caved-in ceilings were completely overgrown, with only the hint of an elder civilization beneath the undergrowth. As he accelerated, though, it all became a blur. The speed, combined with his lack of focus, made unimportant details of the area melded together, forming streaks of color and brief flashes of objects. Suddenly the path took an unexpected turn, and he jerked his own mind around, with a small stab of pain, to stay on it, halting almost immediately behind Serica. This yanked him back into full consciousness and reminded him of what he was doing.

He had felt the tug of suspicion when Serica mentioned her task, and Versai was unused to having his suspicions go unconfirmed. As he had raced along, his mind had made several wild accusations. He trusted her, of course, but that also meant he believed her when she proclaimed she was a brigand of sorts. He doubted she was a ne'erdowell, but often he found it was best to error on the safe side of things. Especially when thieves were involved.

As such, it is possible to imagine that Versai felt a slight pang of disappointment as Serica reached down to retrieve her prize. So she was actually retrieving an object, as she had said... still, that didn't mean the object wasn't stolen. As a Seer, he was prone to an occasional curious urge which bordered nosiness... and this was one of those times.

This curiosity was doubled in strength when he noticed the rather deep scar across Serica's back. It was startling, really-- the way the woman held herself, Versai couldn't imagine anyone having the gall to strike her, much less stab her in the back. She was just too intimidating for that.
On the other hand, Versai had never really attacked anyone... Versai didn't have the courage or ruthlessness to attack anyone. He might be quick to use a spell or two, but those were usually defensive-- just enough to turn the tide of a situation and prevent any violence that mgiht be regretted. For instance, the ball he had almost released on Dameon earlier was a paralysis spell.

Versai didn't really have the guts required to wield anything more menacing than a stick. Perhaps he would try to bludgeon an attacker into submission, in an extreme situation, but for the most part he didn't have the backbone for combat where someone could get seriously injured... So in this way it came as a surprise that the young woman had been harmed in such a way. Perhaps her past was as serious as he suspected. People led rough lives, sometimes.

As she stood back up, Versai winced and ducked to hide before remembering he wasn't really there. He doubted he could hide from Serica anyway, as she seemed to be a master of shady movements, but it couldn't have hurt to try if he were really caught off guard, spying on her in person. Luckily, that was one of the advantages to clairvoyance.

It seemed that she had grown suspicious, which Versai took a moment to notice. In his mind it was impossible to sense his presence, and so he assumed that this furtive tension was caused by some paranoia involved in her task. His need to know what it was peaked as she removed the cloth from her treasure- a ring! What a strange thing to retrieve from a hiding place in the ruins...

He saw her reach for her knife, but it never occurred to him that he himself was the offending subject. It was a ludicrous thought which never even entered his mind, although it was true. He was more immediately concerned for her well-being. Where had that cut come from? It needed to be treated. Had he missed something while tracking her down? She could easily have been engaged in combat, in the time it took him to hunt down enough apples to cover his absence. The wound WAS fresh, and it would explain her jitteriness... It soothed his need to nurture it when he saw her wash the cut out-- at least it wouldn't become infected. It still needed to have some pressure put on it... he would tend to it when she got back. He cringed as she killed the rabbit, wondering if it was truly necessary...

Versai followed her some of the way back to the tower, partially out of defensiveness, to know if she was in fact attacked, as she still seemed wary... and partially out of yet more curiosity. She might make a second stop along her return trip, and he was still suspicious. However, the deteriorated tower loomed above them before long, with little happenings... and so, hunches unconfirmed, he faded back into his body.

Somewhat disappointed, Versai tried to remind himself that what he had witnessed was probably important in some fashion or another. Why, that ring could be--

MONSTER! He had been found while knocked unconscious, and there, on his chest... wait, it was just a squirrel. He broke out of his panic and stared the creature down as it sat upon his chest... realizing something was in his mouth, he shifted his tongue. It as round, and alternatingly smooth and rough...

He spat the acorn out at the squirrel, making it hop away. It paused, unintimidated by the seer, until he stamped his feet and waved his hands, at which it scurried off. It took him a moment to overcome his annoyance and realize how humorous the situation was. Chuckling to himself, he wiped the dirt off of his but, snagged the bag of fruit and climbed the staircase up to meet with the others. As for his contest with Dameon, it was merely a cover. He kind of hoped that his "opponent" would win, as it would make the meal all the more rich... and now that he had used a bit more of his abilities, Versai was starving.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon had unconsciously turned his hunter-gathering into a casual walk. He'd made his way quite a distance from the ruins to a small woodland area. It was basically the edge of the "boundary" of the ruins if you wanted to put it that way. He'd made the natural assumption that it would obviously be a much better place to find the plants that Serica would need. He also hoped that he would find them more in "clump" so his workload would be reduced. In the back of his head, he had also wanted to go to the area, in hopes of finding good meat that she could cook as well. To Dameon, a meal wasn't a meal without some form of meat.

As he thought about it he heard his stomach growl once more. He realized it would be annoying for him to try and kill an animal with not only a throwing knife, but on an empty stomach none the less. He really was much more proficient with longer bladed weapons. Once again he cursed himself for leaving his guard down enough for his things to have been stolen. It wasn't uncommon for him to beat himself up for a long period of time over something like that, and he didn't imagine that he would stop until he'd either replaced his things, or killed the man who'd taken them. The latter was much more unlikely however, seeing as he didn't know exactly who had done it.

Wandering through brush, weeds and prickers he looked high and low. He was obviously trying to find something that "shouted" edibility. He wasn't having much luck. He finally stumbled upon an area filled with bushes, that were filled with berries. His heart lept. He didn't even consider the possibility that the berries could be poisonous ones. They were bright red, and they were huge, they were almost twice the size of cherries, and they looked absolutely delicious. He started picking them one after the other, convinced that if he couldn't have meat, he would much rather have sweet berries than a salad.

As he stuffed his pockets he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking up he stopped dead. Before him was a wolf that seemed to be hunting small berries as well. It caught him slightly off guard, as it had been set in his mind that wolves were straight up carnivores. The wolf started moving away and Dameon moved to follow, he tried to be as silent as he could as to not scare it away. That was one vein attempt. Sticks cracked under his feet at every step. It seemed like the harder he tried, the louder he was.

Finally the wolf stopped on the other side of a bush from him. Pulling out the throwing knife he proudly held it tight as he moved to the bush, ready to pounce on the wolf and make it his dinner. As he got to the bush he stopped, peering over at his prey. What he saw suddenly unsettled his stomach. The wolf was feeding its young. There were three little cubs that couldn't be much more than newborn. His heart sagged and though his stomach contested, he couldn't pull himself to kill the wolf.

He suddenly thought of his own family, His mother brother and sister, very much like the wolf, and it's three children. He came upon the a memory of them sitting down eating dinner. One that his mother had prepared. Even though his memory was of dinner, his thought wasn't so much of the food, but of the family he loved.

He saw his mothers face, with perfect detail, her hair was beautifully long, it had a perfectly light brownish color too it. He knew there was a name for the color, but such was yet another of his bad points. He pictured her eyes. The calm loving eyes of a mother. It gave him a sort of peace for a moment.

Next his memory moved to his brother, sitting beside him. Though his hair and eye color meant much less to Dameon, the smile on his face just said it all. His brother was basically better than him at everything, but he never really took too much of a challenge from it. He thought of his brother as one of his best friends. And, as he though of it. They were probably around each other more often than he ever paid much mind to. most likely because of their relation to certain other people.

He let out a deep sigh as he pushed it out of his head, coming back to reality.He purposely stopped himself before he got to his sister. He knew if he got too far into it, one event might actually cause him to cry. Even though no one was around to see it, it was still something he didn't want to relive.

Suddenly less worried about his stomach, and partially less hungry as well, he satisfied himself with the fact that the huge pocketfuls of berries would be enough. Especially considering that Versai had been thinking of the whole thing as a competition, he assumed that the man would have enough food that the combination would do them well enough. Still partially unsure, however, Dameon managed to pick a few more plants that looked edible enough as he walked back toward the ruined tower.

Once or twice he saw a rabbit hope off not to far to his side, but he didn't make an attempt to take the life of either one. Instead he simply watched them hop off to whatever life or family they had, the whole while telling himself inside, that he wasn't really as hungry as he had first thought.
_________________

SERICA

Serica stepped silently through the entrance of the tower. She did not lift the bits of cloth out of the way but ducked beneath them so as not to disturb the ancient fabric. She moved cautiously toward the steps, she felt as if something were about to happen, something where coming. She turned to look back out the door once more but saw nothing.

Serica glanced around quietly and picked up several large flat stones, a few of them curved in slightly. She placed the plants and carved rabbit on top if the make-shift plate and balanced them lightly. Serica glided up the steps, letting her faulty memory guide her as to the weak and missing bits of stair. This late in the evening it was truly pitch black in the areas the setting moon did not shine and even that light was now fading.

She entered the empty room atop the tower and placed her stack down in the center. "I'm back first? How strange. I hope they're bringing plenty..." A second thought crossed her mind, ~I hope they didn't run into any trouble...~ But she didn't speak it for fear of jinxing them. Serica grabbed her cloak and plopped down in front of the vegetation and meat, facing the door. ~Why do I care? There's plenty of food here to last me four or five days...~

Serica stood up again and sighed. She didn't like waiting alone, it made her much more anxious then she already was. After a moment she lifted the food from the stones and began to arrange them. In the fading moonlight it now became obvious that three pieces she had picked up had a slight dip in it. There were several larger chunks of what must have been a marble table which she placed in the center. She matched pieces that would fit, together, and those that didn't where placed as close as she could figure it. The 'plate' pieces were place off of the table, they'd all obviously have to eat off the floor, ~Unless one of them has a table and chairs in their pouch!~ Serica mused to herself.

Serica looked through the herbs, sorting them into groups on the dusty floor around her as she went. Berries, ferns, ivy, flowering vines, and long hard stems. She used the long stems, bending them as she saw fit and twisted some vines around it to tie it still in places. After a short minute she was done and she placed the piece in the center of the 'table.' It was a replica of the symbol of the Spirit Goddess, Shadryn. Serica smiled at her well done piece of art work and turned to the rabbit.

Serica didn't enjoy killing creatures but sometimes it was necessary and for where the young rabbit was, she felt she was helping the poor tortured creature. No rabbit could live as deeply within the ruins as she had gone, vegetation was scarce and places to hide were few and far between, not to mention those small spaces were likely to collapse. She had to close her eye as she cut the remains of the rabbit in two. When she opened her eyes she realized shouldn't have closed them as the cutting job was fairly poor.

She placed pieces on separate 'dishes' and leaned over one of them. Placing both hands on the meat, she closed her eyes and began to mutter words under her breath. Several seconds later the half a rabbit was no more, but replaced by some other form of meat she knew to be pig. Serica seemed satisfied with this and repeated her actions on the second half the the rabbit. However, this time it was a much lighter meat, ~Turkey,~ if she had done it correctly. Serica sat upright and smiled at her work as she hoped they wouldn't be much longer.

Serica then placed the remaining herbs in a pile on one of the center 'dishes' as well but left them. She rolled her cloak into a loose ball which looked more like a pillow. She placed it on the floor where she would sit and looked toward the door again.

She moved impatiently toward the window, and just below it still sat the bits and shards of glass. Serica was intrigued by their beauty and kneeled down to stare into them just as she had seen Versai do. She was distracted now, trying to maybe get a glimpse of what he'd seen in the shimmering glass.
_________________

VERSAI

Versai entered the room up above in the tower only a few seconds after Serica had become settled. Unslinging the sack from his shoulder, it suddenly occurred to him that perhaps the food he had gathered was a tad excessive. If the three of them consumed so much fruit in one or even two meals, they'd all be as sick as dogs come morning. He couldn't help but notice Serica's interest in his device. It was drained, though... not even someone with the gift could make out any shades of the past; the emotional charge from the energies had become too dim and they had faded. Maybe they replenished with time, he mused, though it didn't seem like such a thing would happen. At least, it wouldn't regain the same energies it originally held, and the likelihood of the glass he collected of remaining in a place where they could collect much life was practically none.

Maybe, though, someday someone would wipe the dust off of his fenestraculum, and see Versai's own face peering back at you in intent concentration or Serica's look of inquisitive bewilderment. He decided to enlighten her as to the purpose of the web of glass.

"What you're looking at is called a fenestraculum, which is just a funny way of saying it's a window you see things in," he explained, assuming Serica, clever girl that she was, had already noted his presence.

"In places like this, where objects accumulate a lot of... memories... after a while, they become ingrained into the material. With windows and mirrors, because their purpose is to display and reflect things, you sometimes get a bit of cross-temporal imaging. Like, if it was just remembering something which happened and you saw its lips moving. Metaphorically, of course. In reality I think it's a bit more complicated. Crude setup, I had... a lot of different bits of glass. It gave me a wider scope of events, I think. Had to seal up the cracks with powdered glass."

He stared into the glossy surface of the fenestraculum for a long moment. The realization of what he had seen began to sink back in again. He had seen the physical form of DEATH. A blurred cloud of darkness- not black, just... something you couldn't see past. Like a veil. One moment, that man's face held desperation and horror, and with a flash, there was... nothing in his face. His body was empty... He was, in fact, gone.

Well, at least now I know what to look for... so I can run like all hell, he thought.

Looking back to Miss Lumen, he resumed his inscrutable expression of politeness and casually remarked, "You really should give your hand a proper dressing. I'll help you, if you need it."  

[ContayVona]

SERICA

Serica gazed intently at the bits of glass. Her form hunched over them in concentration. Most of her long silver hair fell in around her face but some remained, as always to cover the scar on her back (though a poor job it did of that). Her dress was no more ragged then before but there was some more dust clinging at odd places, like stains of sticky things. Her high boots were hidden beneath her torn skirt and two leather-strap sheaths hung empty at her hip; the two of her knives she had lent to Dameon and Versai.

She didn't look up as Versai entered the room but she knew it was him. Serica memorized the way people walked, everyone had a distinctive pattern and it changed minorly with their mood. She already had Versai's down but was still a little sketchy about Dameon's. She didn't believe Versai had any intent to harm her so although her back was to him, she didn't feel threatened.

She listened to his explanation of the contraption before raising her eyes to meet his. "But wouldn't it get confusing? I'm guessing that all these pieces came from different places and different times. Isn't it simpler to just look at one, then maybe another? Isn't that why seers look into whole mirrors and crystal(/glass) balls?" Serica wasn't sure what to expect and felt she was reaching the end of her knowledge about seers.

She listened quietly for a moment or two more before she stood up. Serica kept her eyes on him for a bit as she moved toward the sack and her make-shift table, she continued to listen, she liked it when he talked. Something about his voice was comforting to her. He was intelligent and seemed to be breaking things down for her as best he could. ~ Something about the way he talks... his words, his manner of speech... They seem so familiar-~

At the mention of her wounded hand Serica rose the hand from her side, to meet her eyes. She looked at the cut in the fading moonlight and paused suddenly. Her eyes narrowed slowly as they lifted to Versai's face. She relaxed her face and made her expression unreadable, letting the sack of apples drop from her hand to the floor again. "You did not see that in your Fenestracu- device..." She sounded sure of herself, her voice was not threatening but cautious. "So how, dear sir, did you know I cut my hand?"

Serica was waiting to hear the answer. She believed that it would amuse her more then annoy or upset her as she seemed to trust Versai a great deal more then 'mother' liked. She mentally shrugged to herself and smiled quietly. She was pleased, regardless, that Versai had show an interest in her well being.

She knew she needed to wrap it to protect it and stop the slow but steady bleeding but she didn't have anything clean to wrap it with. Serica did not trust her torn-about dress for an instant, she knew all the places it had been and her cloak was no better.
_________________

VERSAI

Versai watched Serica, with her curious manner, marveling at how similar she was to her mother. With most of the Coven, Versai could pick up thoughts-- well, not coherent ones... but intentions. Not once, though, had he picked up a thought from Sabriel. Everything about her had been mysterious- smoke and mirrors, all right there inside the woman-- and now, her daughter. Admittedly, with normal people whose minds were not quite so loud Versai rarely "read" anything. But he sincerely doubted that his former guardian would give descent to anything that could be classified as normal.

Rather than answer her question at all, Versai semi consciously made plans to explain the fenestraculum. The thing that she was having trouble understanding was the purpose of building such an interlacing lattice of unrelated visions... and there was no real practical use. On the other hand, practicality was not something Versai generally worried much about.

"Well, the vision would be quite confusing, yes. But you can't just look at one vision or another, or the memories haven't got enough strength to be read. By confusing things and intermingling them, you can get more than just a glance at the past..."

Versai thought for a moment before adding, tongue in cheek, "After all, it's just glass."

He looked down at the fenestraculum for a moment and sighed, before returning his attention to Serica.

"Let's get some clean bandages on that hand of yours, shall we? Or... at least some kind of herb. I suppose if we could find frock leaves, that'd make due until we find something clean..."

Versai was acutely aware of the fact that his already beaten robes were significantly dustier from lying abandoned with his body as he went around clairvoying on everything. His sleeves, already torn in places from numerous past treatments, barely concealed his pale wrists.

Glancing left and right to look for Dameon, Versai tried to remember whether his clothes had been clean. He had, at least, looked like the prepared sort of fellow. Perhaps he had some bandaging gauze or something similar. He became aware that the question he had so painstakingly dodged still hung in the air between them. So Serica couldn't be swayed from such things... somehow, he wasn't surprised.

"As for how I could tell you were wounded, let's just say I have very good vision," he said, miraculously keeping his face straight at the pun. He still didn't like exposing the nature of his talents to people. The fenestraculum was one thing-- it wasn't very useful, so it didn't bother him to show others. But when people found out about his abilities they always wanted answers he couldn't, or shouldn't, find.

Some things are best left unsaid.
_________________

DAMEON

Dameon had come back to the entrance to the ruined temple, he had thought of returning through the opening in the wall in the same manner as he had left, but decided he wasn't ion the mood. stepping through the opening, rocks and pebbles and some twigs cracked and scattered underneath his stride. He didn't have to make a sound yet he knew anyone in the general vicinity would know where he was. He could never really help it.

He took a few more steps, but his mind was elsewhere, when he really should have been thinking about the darkened temple and how to move back up to the room, he was instead having trouble pushing reminiscent memories from his head. It was most annoying, but such was how it was every time he started thinking about those things.

In his absentmindedness he was obviously not being careful enough of the terrain around him. Clumsily his foot caught a large stone piece and offed his balance. By the time his mind had returned to him, the attempt to regain balance was too late and he fell face first towards the rocks. Luckily though he did make it in time to catch himself with his hands.

A slight ping of pain shot up his left forearm and he realized it was a good thing his hands had caught the ground, otherwise the sharp rock that was now impaling his left palm, would instead be impaling his head.

He pulled his hand slowly up off of the rock spike ignoring the urge in his head to show any sort of cringe. He focused a little energy into it hoping to increase the healing, but he doubted it would do much of anything considering the size of the wound. Sticking his tongue out he couldn't resist but have a taste of the blood on his palm before ripping a sleeve of his shirt to wrap around it.

Deciding he wouldn't take any more chances, he held out his good hand, palm face up and a ball of fire formed above it. Suddenly the room, or at least the major area around him was light up, and he made his way up the stairs without a problem. Earlier he'd been worried about what the other two might think if thy knew about the fire, but now the thought escaped him as he walked into the room with the other two, fire in hand.  

[ContayVona]

SERICA

Serica had relaxed somehow more then she meant to. What was the matter with her? She couldn't stay on guard against him, he was too kind and just his words were comforting even without their meanings. ~Why can't I be mad at him? Why do I trust him so much? Do I know him? Is he just toying with me because I don't remember anything?~ Her thoughts became more and more angry toward him but were countered at every turn with a single gentle word to leave his mouth.

Serica listened intently without a word as he suggested frock leaves. "Where-" She stopped herself. She was about to ask where he had learned of herbs and tending to wounds but guessed by the least he must have learned it from the witch coven. Instead she gave him a look that insisted on knowing how he knew of her wound in the first place. She believed that if he noticed when it happened, he would have had her clean and dress it then and there.

~Someone enters...~ Mother's voice sounded off in her mind quietly. ~It's probably just Dameon...~ She was much too relaxed by Versai's presence to care at the moment.

~Good vision?!~ That was definitely not a good enough answer for her and as she was about to tell him so when she heard a crash. Someone had tripped and fallen over bramble and stone. Her sense of awareness returned in full force, her guard high and four of her remaining knives were out. She waited, body stiff, eyes on the stairway, the second a light was 'lit,' the thought of this being Dameon vanished temporarily from her mind. Her eyes shifted to Versai, giving him a look that was meant for him to be silent and cautious. Once his eyes meant with hers and she felt he understood, she moved silently for the doorway.

Her silent training and mysterious skills of speed aided her often and she didn't have a second thought about playing with them in front of Versai. In fact, her thoughts were entirely of survival and if this man was not Dameon, he would be taken care of. It was too strange for Dameon to have walked in on them and far too much of a coincidence for a forth person to enter this tower unless something was going on.

Serica positioned herself next to the doorway, crouched slightly and what seemed unnaturally flat against the way. The old decay remains of the frame for the door was to her left; she would be to the right of the man if he chose to enter this room. Serica placed three of her throwing knives between the knuckles of her right hand, the man would be in ribbons before he knew she was there. The forth blade sat poised in her left hand, her un-injured hand, waiting to be thrown.

The man entered and for a split second she didn't identify him as the man she had seen a short while ago, Dameon. Her right fist moved for his stomach though her eyes remained on the flame, and then his face. ~No~ came the instinctual melody of 'mother.' Her hand ceased its movement and recoiled nearly instantly to her side. She straightened up with a small smile on her face. "Dameon... I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone, or if someone had eaten you."

She replaced the blades and looked him over once, giving the fire in his hand a second look. "Well at least I don't have to rub and sticks or rocks together..." She the took a few steps back toward the center of the room. The fire he held in his hand didn't even seem to phase her. "Its good that you're here, I'm getting quite hungry." Serica smiled brightly at Versai and Dameon as she moved to the wall next to her make-shift table and dinner set. "So what did you find?" Serica lifted a few small blocks of wood from the shadows and laid them atop each other in the center of the room, off to the side of her table. It was obvious she intended for his to light the wood and share what he had found.

At this point she once again moves for the sack of apples she had dropped and lifts it, looking inside this time. She reaches in with her right hand, and removes an orange. Yes, a bag of apples and she removes an orange. She puts the sack down and turns toward Versai as her back was to him at first. "Ever had one of these?" She asks kindly as she slices one of her blades into the peal and winches properly. Some of the juice had dripped into the cut on her hand and she nearly dropped the orange.
_________________

VERSAI

Versai smiled as the conversation was interrupted. No more questions for him; that much as certain. He had been oblivious to the fact that someone had been approaching, but only in the way a fish is oblivious to rain. He was aware of so many things so much of the time that he tended to ignore it all.

He turned to note Dameon's expression, fireball and wounded hand. The fireball and wound he all but ignored, because what struck him as odd was the semi vacant, distracted expression he wore. Everyone was entitled to be distant once in a while, but Dameon had impressed upon Versai that he was an attentive, active sort of person. This far-off state of mind seemed uncharacteristic of him.

He reminded himself that he had only known Dameon for a few hours. Perhaps this was his neutral state of personality. On the other hand, Versai's inferences were usually correct. Quite the dilemma, he thought, before realizing that he was starting an entire internal argument over something that didn't matter. It was probably due to lack of sleep; the moon was even now beginning to sink from the sky, soon to be submerged in the horizon.

Taking a moment to clear his thoughts, Versai reopened his eyes and watched the exchange between Serica and Dameon with vague interest. His mind soon began to wander again, thinking of which way he would head the next day. He knew he would be attacked by bandits if he headed further from Mooncrest. It also seemed he would survive, as he foresaw nothing of the dark, green-black-silver void that had flashed across his vision today. But who was to say he would survive? He could be taken captive of mortally injured, doomed to die later. Out of caution he resolved to make way for Mooncrest in the morning.

"Huh?" he asked, shaken out of his daze by Serica's question. She was holding something orange and spherical in her hand-- having stayed in colder places for the past few years, and with a witch's coven beforehand, he had few experiences with citrus fruits.

"No... where did you...?" He glanced from her hand, to the still-open sack, and nodded comprehendingly.
_________________

DAMEON

Dameon hadn't expected the "attack" on himself. Still he was so out of it at the moment that when he saw the flash of movement that quickly transformed into Serica's figure. It caught his attention though, he didn't realize until after she had restrained herself, that, though now hidden, her hand held knives that would have ended him. He was lucky he caught herself, with the speed it had taken him to notice, it would have been too late.

The whole ordeal partially snapped him back to "consciousness" and he became a little more aware of his surroundings. Though he still drifted in and out of "it", he was for the most part, more aware now than before.

As Serica implied for him to use his ability to light the fire, Dameon almost felt slightly like he was being completely insulted. Not in that he'd been asked to do such a minor thing, but more by that in combination with the tone of expression he thought he'd picked up in her request. His Absentmindedness turned to pride driven frustration fast.

Through a highly suppressed glare, he let the flame in his hand fade, as simultaneously the blocks of wood she'd lay out sparked into a flame of their own. He dropped his hand and caught himself almost letting his mind get lost again. This time he'd snapped himself back for good he'd hoped.

Dameon reached into his pocket upon being prompted for his findings and drew out two handfuls of berries. Looking down at them he realized it didn't look like much. He'd sworn it seemed like much more when he'd gotten them.

Knowing there wasn't much he could do about it now. He emptied his handfuls onto Serica's makeshift table, avoiding looking at her directly, he was still reacting to frustration, and a certain opposition he'd felt towards her since he'd met her, though up until now he'd been able to avoid it.

Dameon returned to his position prior to lighting the fire, as Serica puled an orange from her sack, he didn't think much of it, except that he was hungry, and it looked better than anything he'd eaten yet today.  

[ContayVona]

SERICA

"Here..." Serica finished peeling the orange, dropping the peel at her feet for the moment. She held the throwing knife between her pinky finger and ring finger, blade down, as she torn the orange in to three parts. She promptly put one in her mouth for holding, handed one to Versai and the other to Dameon, taking a few steps in either direction till they accepted the fruit. She then removed the third of an orange from her mouth and torn off a piece.

Though Versai's look told her that he believed he understood, she decided to try and explain for Dameon who didn't know she had done anything yet, and for Versai in case he had the wrong idea. "It's just something I can do." Serica paused and chuckled secretly to herself. She said that line often enough for it to be her motto.

She straightened her posture again as though showing off some sort of talent with a rather small but sweet smile on her face. The expression seemed to suit her, it complimented everything about her but also seemed as if it was a look practiced many days and nights. "If I have eaten any sort of food, I can take something even slightly related to it and change it to that food. I can change it back as well."

Serica clasped the sliver in her palm, covering it as completely as she could. She released her grip a moment later and there in her palm sat a small slice of apple. She smiled brightly as though very proud of her achievement and ate it. Serica glanced up for only a second to see the men's expressions before tearing another piece off of her orange.

Serica watched Dameon as he showed his finds and smiled at them. They were a good kind of berry, very healthy and tasty to drink. She noted the amount as he placed them on her make - shift table and decided she would get to them in a moment. She inspected the sliver of orange critically before eating it.

She looked to both Versai and Dameon, waiting for their expressions or comments. Serica wasn't entirely sure she had gotten the taste quite right, she remember the citrus taste being stronger. She shrugged to herself and smiled. "I've actually only had these once before, but I figured I could share a treat with you!"

Her throwing knife fell from her hand with a small clang unheard by her own ears. Serica suddenly paused, she went pale and looked almost as if she were to faint again. ~How do I know I have eaten this before? And only once? Well, how could I have made it unless I've eaten it! But when and where- I don't remember!~ These thoughts zoomed through her mind repeating themselves, shouting over one another as though a debate over life and death was being fought.

Serica opened her eyes, the room was exactly as it was, except it wasn't. Silence. She sat on her heels now, not standing as she was before. ~I must have collapsed~ She concluded thoughtfully. Her violet eyes were wide now, deeper and darker and lost in some kind of trance. Or that's how she felt, no control over her body as it sat there, near lifeless staring into the newly erupted flames. She was conscience on one level but not in a strong enough way to move her body or hear the outside world.

~What? Why can't I hear?! What's wrong with me? I know there is sound, nature makes sound even in in places as detached and isolated as this. The fire. Why can't I hear the flames?~ She felt herself start to panic but not even a muscle twitched. Her pale skin turning snow white and eyes slowly closing again. The small bit of orange in the palm of her hand rolled onto the floor in front of her.

~NO!~ Her eyes were wide open again and the fingers of her left hand twitched, momentarily. The world she watched started to tilt and she knew she was going to hit the cold stone. ~No!~ She tried with all her might to keep her eyes open as they started to slip closed again. Those retched voices returned, arguing and debating, logic, curiosity, fear, hope. The smaller her field of view got the louder those voices became.

She tried to concentrate but there was no power except those voices as she slowly slipped from the little conscientiousness that she still possessed. ~No! Help me...~ She prayed in her mind. Her eyes were closed now and the voices rather loud, complaining, arguing. ~Enough~ came a strong voice which overcame them all, and near silence followed. There was a sound, though it was no voice.

Nature. Night life. Another memory? ~She blinked her eyes open in some distant place, her head was propped on the knee of a boy. A fairly young boy from the look of him, maybe 11 or 12, possibly 13. He was familiar and his presence very comforting even though the time and place seemed to be heart-breaking. The stars were bright and seemed to be multiplying by the second as they both watched. "It's okay. I know we'll meet again. Don't worry." His voice was very much the same as the memory Serica had recovered earlier. He was the boy she instructed on using willow leaves to relieve pain. "Really? Did you see it?" The second voice, Serica felt, came from her, or whos ever body she was looking out from. The boy looked down at her, a confirming expression on his face, but somehow a saddened shadow hidden in his eyes. ~
~
________________

VERSAI

Versai shook his head compulsively as he bit down on the orange, not expecting the shocking citrus taste. Funny, he thought, how you can roam the world for five years and see into others, and little things still surprise you. The universe has a way of sneaking up on people, especially those who think they see it clearest.

The hunger pains he was having ceded almost immediately under the intense flavor, and the sugar re-awoke most of Versai's brain. He listened to Serica's relatively cheery chatter, absorbing that information quickly... she was definitely Sabriel's child, that much was certain. He tried to wrack his mind further... five years was a long time. There were a few children in the Coven, and Versai hadn't asked many questions.

Why had he left the coven, anyway? There was... something about an inquisition. Hunters. Witch hunters? Could there have been some sort of attack on the camp, after he left? His mind rifled, searching through the few friends he had had. There was a brunette girl, her name was Sarah. Or was it? Could it have been SERICA? Versai realized suddenly that his seer's selective memory had been kicking up.

Seers generally didn't survive unless they evolved a curtain. They were always connected to every aspect of the world, and they'd lose their sense of self if they couldn't constantly toss information out of their consciousness. Five years of information gathering had increased Versai's worldly wisdom, but his past had become disconnected and unimportant until just this moment.

Unfortunately, this was pushed out of perspective as Serica yet again tipped uneasily over. Moving quickly, as the fruit had jarred him to waking status, he slipped behind her and guided her easily to the floor, resting her head on his knee.

Looking up at Dameon he said, "This just isn't normal, she's having some sort of psychic attack. I'd overlook the once as a hunger feint, but she just ate..."
_________________

SERICA

~"If you want me not to worry so much then you have to be more convincing then that!" The second voice, the one believed to be her own, had said with a smile. Serica's eyes never left the boy's face and two arms reached up from the side of her view. By the angle and placement they must have come from the body Serica herself stared out from. The index fingers were stretched as though pointing up into the sky but they soon made contact with the boy's cheeks. Serica didn't feel the contact, she couldn't but somehow she did. Somehow she knew his face was warm and the light breeze around them smelt of lilacs, just as she knew they would part at daybreak. Her heart ached momentarily but then she watched as the two fingers pulled the side of his cheeks up into a smile. A warm, kind, adoring, familiar, smile and with that smile staring down at her she couldn't hurt, not right then. The fingers retracted and the hand fell from view and for an instant Serica felt the warmth beneath her head.~

It seemed that a good several minutes had gone by within Serica's mind though it all passed in seconds; the seconds she was falling. Nearly the moment Serica's head was lain upon Versai's knee, she started to wake. After hearing the concerned voice of Versai, Serica's hand reflexively slapped to her face as though shielding it from light. Her night vision had kicked in and the fire was throwing her sight for a loop. It took only a few more seconds before Serica's memory of the past several hours returned to her. ~At least I don't have short term memory loss!~ Serica mused to herself as a small smile came over her face.

Serica's right hand slid slowly from her eyes and returned to her side. Her vibrant violet eyes stared up at Versai, and she froze. For a moment Serica thought she was still dreaming, in fact she was sure of it but the next, she was sure she was not dreaming. She felt the warmth of the person beneath her head, the heat of the flames, the cool stone floor beneath her back. Serica suddenly became aware of her face which seemed to be stuck in a smile. She quickly corrected this by returning her expression to be very blank.

~This must be another memory!~ She finally concluded and smiled again. She reached up just as she had in her memory - dream and pushed the corners of Versai's mouth up into a smile. ~The same smile, the same eyes... the same Chin- the same NOSE!~ Her thoughts had started out calm and content but rapidly became more surprised and shocked. She pulled her hands away and stared up at Versai, her mouth had fallen open and something relative to enlightenment shown in her violet eyes.

Serica forced herself to think and think as hard as she could. ~Who is he? I know I know him from years ago- but who is he? How do I know him? I trust him, but why? He's the seer I knew from so long ago. He's why I knew anything about Seers... He's grown a great deal since then! Why didn't I see it before? Why now? See- Wait!~ And her thoughts paused and organized themselves accordingly. Her eyes closed and scrunched up in concentration. ~If he's a seer, then he must know why I trust him... he must know me... he- does he think that I remember him? No. I've made that pretty clear, haven't I? Then he must know that I don't remember, he's just stringing me along and using me somehow! What could I possibly have of value that one would toy with me over?~ ... ~Harma~ sounded the soft call of 'mother.' Serica opened her dark eyes again to stare up at Versai, an expression and notion of anger which quickly faded.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon had taken the slice of orange from her with very little hesitation. he had already begun letting the orange find its way to his stomach before she had even gotten a chance to return to where she had been. He didn't devour it rudely or eat it like a ravaging wild animal, but he did have no hesitation in moving it to his mouth almost the second it had landed in his hand. Hunger was probably the one pain that affected Dameon the most, and it had been a while since he'd eaten last.

He found the orange slice to be very good, not completely appetizing, as it was only a slice, but it was tasty. He likes the slight rush of surprise that came when he first bit into it as he experienced the strong taste for the first time. Its high sweetness caught him by surprise the first time, and again, though more slightly, on the second. By the third, he had finished of the slice and couldn't help thinking to himself what he'd thought many times before Food never lasts long enough

If he hadn't known better, or perhaps had he known these two people better, he might have asked quickly for another. But, under the circumstances it seemed like it would be selfish of him to do so with how little they really had.

Even so he wouldn't have had a chance to ask for anything more considering that just after he finished, Serica started another scene. He thought it curious when her knife hit the floor and she looked like she had been taken by surprise of something. He began to wonder what exactly, but before another thought could finish, she'd lost consciousness... again. He sighed in his head thinking to himself Not again!

He was surprised at Versai's quick action, as he caught her just after she had begun to fall. What Versai had said about a psychic attack went a bit over Dameon's head. he didn't know too much about that kind of thing, thought he did understand pretty much what Versai was getting at having left the last as her hunger.

Dameon was about to do something, though what he didn't know, when once again she awoke. Putting a slow down to the drama, though that hadn't completely disappeared. She seemed to be acting strangely to him, forcing a smile upon Versai, Dameon was only getting more and more confused. He broke the silence.

"What the hell just happened?" He felt like he may well have just imagined the last five minutes.
___________________

VERSAI

The flash of rage in Serica's eyes was not unnoticed by Versai. Nothing escaped him. Well, nothing minute and secretive. On one occasion he had stepped face-first into a mountain. As a Seer he was naturally curious (nosy), but as a young, scholarly man he was naturally oblivious to his surroundings. Or, perhaps, oblivious to his own relationship to everything around him. It was something he'd have to grow out of.

He was so taken aback that, without thinking, he began to shout into her mind What was THAT about? Telepathy was not something Versai enjoyed doing. He felt that others appreciated the privacy of their minds and it would be best not to intrude upon them. (He'd learned this after the third village he'd been chased out of, when he was nine.) He only really performed acts of telepathy when the ability snuck up on him. This was one of those times.

And then came the recoil. Some force inside Serica's mind had noticed his intrusion, and had been rather annoyed. That particular strain of thought had been thrown back into his own skull. The recoil was rather painful, and he squinted for a few moments before the pain subsided became a dull ringing between his ears.

Dameon's interruptive comment relieved him a great deal. Versai didn't proffer an answer because, technically, he himself was not certain. The idea was beginning to form in his mind that Serica's was being used as a vessel for some sort of demon. This was sufficient explanation, he thought, for her fainting spells, strange powers and the force which had just rebutted his telepathy. Her lack of memory was suspiciously convenient.

A brave man would have stated his suspicions and studied Serica's reaction. Versai, on the other hand, was a clever man, and instead decided to hold off on such commotion.

"Yes, Serica. Do you possess... er... er... have an explanation for this?" he said, trying to make his shaken nerves. Normally Versai was a master of subterfuge, but his recent mental shock had him off-balance.
_________________

SERICA

Serica's angry faded nearly the second her eyes met Versai. Something deep within her mind told her he was trustworthy. The single thought which had caused her to doubt him and be angry with him nearly extinguished. A sudden loud shouting voice rang in her mind What was THAT about?. She flinched at the foreign sound, her body flinching as well. In that second, her instinctual voice, "mother," lashed out at the foreign presence. She wasn't sure that "mother's" small attack had reached the intruder because it seemed that he was recoiling at the same time. She stared up at Versai's squinting eyes and her full senses and awareness returned.

Dameon broke the silence with his question and Versai quickly followed, putting all of the pressure on her shoulders. Serica quickly lifted her head and moved away from Versai. That single thought of distrust in him had returned and was now fighting with some of her more trusting thoughts, memories that lingered from her conscience view. She pushed the arguing thoughts from her mind as best she could. She kept her eye on both men for a couple more seconds before promptly turning away, toward the stone pieces which formed a table. "I don't know."

She got up on her own two feet again and faltered on the first step but caught herself gracefully. She picked up the bag of apples and started to pull them out one by one, changing some into different foreign fruits that she had long ago. She placed them on a stone as she tries to think of what to say, "I don't know what's happening to me. I've having strange dreams." She knew they were not dreams, they were memories but her trust in these two was not strong enough to say so yet. "This does not usually happen to me and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop manifesting them." She turned so her right eye landed on Versai in an half accusatory way. There was a regalness about her once again. She left a few of the fruits as apples. Her voice left that air about it, as if she had something more to say.

Serica finally removed the last two apples but kept them separate. She held each one individually for several seconds in both hands before releasing... a coconut. She thought better of opening them plainly and used her magic over food to weaken a seam. She moved her hands off to one side and twisted lightly so the fruit split in two. The milk from within the fruit spilled out onto an empty space on the floor; she would have used a bowl but she hadn't found any stones curved like a bowl without major cracks. She did however save most of the milk in the half of the shell which sat upright in her hand. She placed that one down at a place, balancing it carefully. She put the empty shell in her lap and repeated the twisting of the second coconut. However this time the extra milk was not wasted; it fell into the empty shell in her lap. She tossed the new empty cup away and let it tumble and make a bit of noise to cut the silence. She placed the full shell in her hand down at another place and took a sip form the one in her lap before saying anything else.

"I have traveled much for a good while now. I know this place, I live where there is shelter and where I can find work. This is a good place to find both. Why are you two here?" She moved around slightly so she sat properly on her knees, her cloak beneath her legs. It was obvious that she intended on skipping the subject of herself and her dreams for now. That is, unless someone else persisted. After a moment or two she finally glanced at the two of them with her calm, cool, dark violet eyes which flickered with tints of red and orange from the fire. She sipped the milk again before reaching for her other herbs and left over vines.

The symbol of the Goddess of the Spirit still sat as the center piece but she wasn't sure that either of them had noticed.  

[ContayVona]

DAMEON

Dameon was tempted to question her further on her unexplained loss of consciousness, now having happened more than just once. Now it wasn't just a happening, it was a reoccurrence. Dameon's best guess was that it was some sort of a disease, or a sickness. The fact that she herself claimed to know nothing about their cause made him doubt it was a disease that she might have had all of her life, however it could still be the symptom of a temporary sickness.

Though his impatience due to a lack of understanding of the situation yearned for him to interrogate her until he figured out whether or not she actually knew what happened, and if she did, what it was. But some unjustified, unexplained ping of patience in the back of his subconscious stopped him.

He half began arguing with himself in his head, asking himself why he wasn't asking her for answers. I should REALLY just ask her what the heck just happened! demand answers! She has to know SOMETHING! She would break eventually...

No you shouldn't. you don't even really know these people. You would make an instant a** of yourself and probably become unwelcome here, even if they don't ask you to leave.

Still... what is with that? passing out twice? in one night? You have to admit that's strange.

Strange, yes... Suspicious... no. Do you really think that she is plotting against you in her sleep? Come on!

Alright! fine! i get the point.. i won't ask...

All of this argument of course happened in a matter of seconds and Dameon's mouth, which had half opened to start arguing, snapped back shut just as Serica began to speak.

At her question Dameon became outraged in his mind again. After all of that confusion with her loosing consciousness she completely threw that aside and now SHE was asking accusatory questions. Again Dameon silenced his need to make an outburst. "I mentioned before that all of my belongings were stolen. From what i could tell the thief fled in this direction, I was pretty much just passing through as I looked, but seeing you two I was curious as to if either of you were who I'd been looking for. So i found my way in here..."

He looked to Versai as they waited for his response.
__________________

VERSAI

Versai kept his facial features bafflingly nuetral. He still held his suspicions, but Serica's admission of ignorance was making mental cogs spin. It just seemed that, if a demon were possessing her, Serica would have invented an efficient excuse for her blackouts. Versai was fairly certain that several dozen conditions could lead to recurring loss of consciousness. A demon would have picked one of those. Admitting that she didn't know implied that Serica was attempting to tell the truth.

His theory needed to be reworked. Okay, he thought, perhaps her mind is under attack by a demon, but it hasn't taken hold yet. She'd be fighting it. Or maybe it's a ghost or spirit... or a curse of some sort. But she has her free will.

Miles's mind had stopped hurting, and the floor was no longer wheeling away from him, but a dull ache still hung over him. It only began to fade as Dameon explained his presence in the ruins.Versai took a moment to quietly assess his statement. While Versai believed Dameon, he found his behavior to be exceedingly strange. Common sense dictates that you flee mysterious people meeting in abandoned ruins, but Dameon had done just the opposite.

Realising that everyone was waiting for him to speak, Versai cleared his throat.

"I came here to perform an experiment, of sorts. I've... collected all the information I can handle, for the moment." He gestured towards the fragmented scope of glass shards. "I'll need to grind these down to a fine powder, later..."

He trailed off in his own thoughts, staring at his feet. He didn't want to have to look at those shards again. It gave him the heebee-jeebies. And looking towards the window made his stomach drop.
___________________

SERICA

Serica cupped the herbs and vines in her hands and closed her deep violet eyes for a long moment. At first the vine grew around her hand slowly as if alive but then it shot backward into her palm before full lush leaves spread between her fingers and piled our of her hands onto a larger stone.

~Look! ~ ‘Mother called strictly in Serica’s mind. She turned and glanced at the window as Versai spoke. Mother wanted her attention there for a reason; there was a warning coming, so she watched for a long moment. A small black bird flew quickly past the window, shortly followed by two others who called the true warning loud and clear. Serica knew what that meant, however she intended on having a meal before fighting what would soon find them. ~It'll be upon us soon... ~ She thought to herself as she starred at the empty old outline of a where a window once was. She chuckled on the inside as she thought, ~And it'll probably come straight here because of the fire's light.~

Serica peeled her eyes from the window and turned back to the make-shift table she sat before. She made a silent prayer to the Goddess of the Spirit as she always did before eating and finished by tapping the symbol lightly. “Nim-wayo sik-tu mayo, nioka minaso, sabket nomen. Dubala hikar eamna nuaka Shadyrn.”

Serica removed one of her throwing knives and sliced into several different fruits, taking only a sliver and placing it on the leaf-and-twig symbol for Shadryn (the Goddess of the Spirit). While she did this, "I thought you were hungry... If you don't sit down and eat- y- I'll feel insulted." Serica didn't turn to look at them; she just continued to cut pieces, stuffing a few into her mouth as she went.

Serica tried not to seem rushed as she started to eat the food set out before her but she knew it wouldn't last long. She sipped the coconut milk, constantly pulling her long silver white hair from her face in exactly the same fashion as her mother used to. She pulled some of the leafy greens toward herself and eyed both Versai and Dameon until they did the same. She took small portions from both meats and fingered them into her mouth with the leaves. Somehow, though with a very full mouth Serica managed to still look elegant and somewhat regal in the fire’s half-light.

Not more then a minute later, Serica suddenly went rigid, her back stiff and straight, her violet eyes wide in alarm and she swallowed hard. “No…” She muttered with her back still tall and eyes starring across the table, between Dameon and Versai. The milk in the coconut shells started to ripple slightly yet barely grow more noticeable before the shards of glass on the other side of the room began to ‘tink’ and chime lightly as they vibrated against and away from each other. The building was shaking now but not in a way where it might fall, in fact the way it trembled seemed to reassure those within it of its strength.

Serica sighed softly, “I would have hoped to have finished dinner.” Even if the others began to get worried or ask questions she remained quiet; she didn’t rise or make any movements but continued to eat what remained before her. She licked her fingers in a fashion that was much more cute then royal before announcing the obvious. “We have company…”  

[ContayVona]

VERSAI

Versai heeded Serica's call to eat without pause, realizing only moments later that he had unthinkingly responded to her commanding tone. Sabriel has possessed the same quality; the innate power in her voice almost forced people to comply. It wasn't even as though the woman had been pushy, really. It was simply that, if Sabriel told you to do something... you did it. There could be no doubting Serica's heritage... even if Versai's powers could lie. They could mislead, yes, but they could not lie.

He reclined into a sitting position, looking curiously into Serica's bag. He wasn't really hungry, but he was intrigued by the foreign-looking fruits. They were a bizarre assortment, really... some of them were green, some orange, some yellow, one was even covered with spikes. His interest was equally captured by each of them, so he closed his eyes and selected one at random.

His hand withdrew a tiny, hairy object. It was brown and slightly mushy, Versai noted. Something, be it his Seer's sense or his common sense, told him not to bite directly into it. Instead, he dug his fingers into the skin, which split open easily, revealing a strange, green core. He regarded it coolly for a moment, hesitantly staring down the suspicious fruit, before pushing the gooey innards of the fruit into his mouth.

It was like nothing he'd ever tasted... bitter, and yet sweet. His mouth and brain began arguing, and the stomach became worried that it might be toxic. And, yet, what little insight he could gain from the object told him that it was nutritive, not poisonous. He shrugged, and ate the rest.

The ground trembled.

Versai disregarded the tremor, taking notice only as the second hit, moments later. The susurrus of the trees was communicating to him. The mind of the forest, something Versai could only glimpsingly comprehend, was sending him a clear message. The clarity was probably because the message dealt primarily with feeling that trees knew a great deal about: Size. Strength. Heaviness. Age.

He took a moment to survey his second memory (the one which worked backwards, giving a fuzzy precollection of events yet to occur), trying to locate the "now" he was currently inhabiting, between "soon" and "then." Seeing was boggling work, filled with could-bes, mights, could-have-beens and probablies. Gleaning any useful information took serious psycho-organizational skills.

Serica made a cryptic comment and, suddenly, he remembered (or premembered, really). He tilted his head in disbelief, asking, "Is it midnight already? I could have sworn it was barely dusk." He shook his head. Where had the time gone?

Standing quickly, he strode over to the far corner, away from the window and staircase. He judged it to have the most stability. The tremors were becoming regular now, in series of four. He could hear the accompanying crashes, now, so it wasn't long. He noted Serica's lack of surprise and smiled. Sabriel has never been caught unawares, either.

He exhaled deeply, releasing a dim cloud of light, which swirled briefly and paused sleepily, almost as though it were observing the room. It was invisible, in a way. Those attuned to the spiritual could see it swimming through the air, a fog composed entirely of dancing, shimmering lights too tiny to perceive individually. To Versai, it looked like sentient stardust, a billion particles of pure light, acting in a swarm-like fashion.

Most people would register the faint illumination cast by the cloud, but fail to see the source. This was because it wasn't exactly real.

Many children have imaginary friends. Miles, being closer to the essence of things than most children, had failed to imagine one but instead succeeded in creating one. He suspected that the dust was really a manifestation of his magical force, and that he had long ago created a part of his own mind to govern its behavior. He knew that it vanished whenever he traveled astrally, perhaps because it became a part of him again.

His previous master had ordered him to deconstruct the lights. The wizard had argued that they took direct, conscious control of his magical power away from him. Versai had never been quite successful in dismantling the entity, probably because it had acted in self-preservation. Nevertheless, he kind of enjoyed it. It formed a sort of aura that he found comforting. While he had no direct control over it, he found that it seemed to be thinking the same thing as him most of the time. After all, it was a part of him. Everything it did seemed natural, familiar.

Its glow was rather dim... Versai had done a great deal of Mind-Wandering earlier that evening. He withdrew a feather from his bag and held it in his palm. The lights condensed, brightening with the new form's density, until a flickering, moth-like shape alit upon his hand. Any real creature would flee the tremors that shook the entire building, but Versai's magical companion seemed to vibrate in sync, to anyone who could see it. It landed on the feather.

To those whose vision proffered a physical view, the feather stiffened and disintegrated, as though the spirit of the object had been consumed. It was not unlike the way spell reagents were melted away during a complicated spell.

Versai watched the lights shift back into a glowing nimbus, clinging to his clothes. He could feel it making his body lighter, as though he could propel his body along the ground through sheer willpower. He was fairly certain (though not entirely) that this would help him avoid the dangers to come.

As a failsafe, he flattened himself against the wall even further. Seeing was tricky business, and one did not survive on careful planning and luck alone. Sometimes, you had to stack the odds just a little bit... angry mobs were easily outsmarted, but sticks and stones tended to be more obstinate.

The footsteps were nearly upon the building now. Versai closed his eyes, trying to remember what happened next...
______________________

DAMEON

Dameon responded immediately to any sentence, fragment, or any other form of mention that contained the word "food" or any related element thereof. He wanted to take some but he always worried about how much was a polite amount to eat when with strangers, or guests if you will. On His own back home he would easily have just taken any portion and begun feasting, but in this situation of low portions and uncommon company he knew he would look rude doing such. He waited to see how much each of the others took to judge his own. He took about the same as the other two, but his "guesstimate" was obviously overestimated slightly to accommodate himself without being too obvious about it.

He took a bit from one of the strange fruits, and, quite to his delight, it was delicious. He instantly dropped from standing to sitting position, Dameon couldn't eat standing up, and boy was he about to eat. He was seconds from making a pig of himself but stopped mid-bite and slowed himself down, way down. He didn't know what "normal" eating speed was supposed to be, so he overcompensated and was eating awkwardly slow, so much so that he ended up standing out in the exact opposite way of what he was trying to avoid.

Minutes passed by and seconds, he was a decent way into his meal, and he was enjoying it much. He half smiled at Serica as an unspoken thanks for the fact that she was the whole reason for this feast. Still, the gesture didn't last long and he was quickly back into his eating. He failed to notice the tremor that happened while he was eating. It wasn't till moments later when he looked up from his food again and noticed the tension that hung in the air, mostly coming from Serica. He stopped and looked to Versai and gauge his reaction, and to his dismay, Versai was messing with some strange energy thing as far as Dameon could tell.

Serica spoke and Dameon was glad she did, because she confirmed what he had wanted to know, and that was that, indeed. Dinner was going to be interrupted.

Sighing Dameon reached to his back and grabbed air. His eyes went wide before he realized that the whole reason he was here was to find his weapons, which meant that for now. He was physically unarmed. He sighed silently to himself, hanging his head. He looked back to Versai and wondered if that was the purpose of the white energy, to use in combat. Looking back at Serica he got the feeling that she knew more about the general situation than Versai. He initially was going to avoid asking but he couldn't stop himself. "Are you sure we won't have enough time to finish dinner?"
_____________________

SERICA

Serica looked shortly about the room with a very concentrated look on her face. "Get out as quickly as-" Her words fell from her as all her concentration was needed for something else. She looked as though she were measuring every inch of space with an invisible scale, which she was reading in quite a hurry. Serica rose and strode toward the barely existing window she had met Versai beneath. She looked out it and down.
Her weight suddenly became a stranger to her and she felt a force pulling her toward the ledge. Something in the distance moved stiffly and slowly toward them, its downward motion in sync with the trembling… foot steps.
Serica frowned slightly as her hand graced the decaying stone of the window to steady her weight and her violet eyes narrowed on the diminishing space between herself the approaching creatures. ~What do you want me to do about it, mother?~ ~Run~ the voice within her head whispered, it wasn’t a command, it was an urgent suggestion. Looking down once more and ignoring the plummeting feeling her weight begged her to do, she noticed a single branch of the near by tree. The branch was definitely close enough to jump too and certainly looked strong enough to hold her.
The question was would it bring her to safety or catch their attention even more then the fire which burned behind her?
~What about~ “Versai?” She whispered and her mind suddenly strayed from its purpose and she looked back at the young man, his back tense against the wall. He had obviously decided on the most stable place in the room but Serica knew it was far safer where the crumbling building could not fall and trap you or crush you. ~Leave him!~ Mother’s voice snapped angrily. However she didn’t take her eyes off of Versai soon enough and once she had, the great stone creature was much too close for any sort of comfort.
Serica stared coolly up at the monstrous thing; it was but a step or two from the building. For a moment she contemplated if it was her courage that got her into this trouble or her compassion. Not even a moment later she had taken a few steps back, dashed at the decayed window and leapt out it, toward the branch.
The branch caught her weight but only barely, her legs swung as she tried to find her balance again. She stilled her motion, without a look at the enormous creatures she knew that one of them had seen her. Serica quickly began to climb across the branch, hanging from it. Unfortunately, the more she moved the more the branch wreaked and threatened to break. It had become obvious to her immediate mind that she had to reach the trunk of the tree before the creature touched the branch or she would be in worse trouble.
Mother’s voice played in Serica’s ears but she did not hear her, the adrenaline had began to flow and she had to keep moving. Luckily for Serica speed is one thing strongly on her side; unluckily, it didn’t seem to be giving her enough of an upper hand at the moment.  

[ContayVona]

VERSAI

The jerkily animated golem that approached the decayed tower was so very large that Versai couldn't see it in its entirety, no matter how hard he looked around the fractures in the wall. Unfortunately for Versai, he didn't need to see the thing to know what it looked like, or what it was capable of.

He met Serica's gaze steadfastly. He was trying to appear prepared, at least vaguely, although in truth this was a facade. The whole escape he was about to enact had a few basic, planned, tennents, but the rest was bound to be improvised.

Wincing internally as Serica lept for the same tree he'd used to break his fall earlier, he was suddenly aware that she might not know what to do either. Obviously, she'd just thrown herself directly into its path. He didn't need to look through the mists of time to know that she was probably about to have her ribcage flattened. He foresaw that if he charged forward, from his safe corner, he could knock her out of the tree and save her, but only if he acted that instant. And his own fate would be uncertain.

He hesitated. Versai had never suspected himself of cowardice before. That was because rationalizing was too easy. He'd only just met the girl, and she was a little crazy, and she was the daughter of a witch, and she should be able to take care of herself, and maybe Dameon would do something instead. He gave Dameon a look, as if to say, "I'm not going to do it, so you'd better."

And, immediately, like a knife in the back, his window for action was over. The tremors alone had destabilized the front wall of the tower, and it crumbled, taking half of the floor with it. Versai could no longer make out the girl or the behemoth through the dust and debris. Ignoring his guilty conscience, he flattened himself even more against the wall. Seconds later, the keystone of the ceiling gave out, and he was separated from the black-clad man by layer of stone inches from his chest.

Versai looked left. There was a gap in the enclosed space, leading out into open air. He sidled towards it, as his gap was too narrow to walk through, and gazed out over the other end of the tower.

There was a single row of buildings separating him from the wall of the ancient city. If he could find a gap in the aging defenses, he could leave the ruins, and the stone guardian would not follow him further. On the other hand, there was nothing to land on, and no surface to rappel down.

Holding his breath, he made a leap. The magical nimbus tugged at him, making him feel light on his feet, and he dropped into a roll as he landed. Springing to his feet, he did a quick mental damage check. His shoulder was battered from the fall, but on the whole he seemed fine.

Looking back only briefly, he broke into a sprint for the ruins' borders.
_________________

WILK

*Exactly one hundred feet from the tower, a moon beam glinted off of a steely eye. The eye watched the golem, and the chaos it brought to the tower. Figure's jumping from windows to trees, and from the tower to the ground. Stones falling to the ground as the ancient tower was slowly destroyed. The eye belonged to a beast. It watched very intently, not sure what to do, and trying not to let it's instincts take complete control. This was not the beasts quarrel, but it couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. The beast had followed the golem almost all the way to the tower. It had been bored, and when the rumble of the golem's foot steps sounded close enough for it to hear, it had been intrigued, and went off to investigate. The beast stood from it's rather comfortable position.*

*The beast was a large beast, of the purest, most dark fur. The fur was such that, during the dark hours of night time, you couldn't look directly at it, otherwise the beast was invisible to the eye, and you had to look past it, or just next to it, just to make out it's shape. What gave it away, was it's sheen, the moonlight reflected off of it's whole body, making it's fur look like hundreds of black daggers layed down on top of each other. The beast was of the wolf family, but significantly larger than any normal wolf, yet a bit smaller than a dire wolf. The only truly odd thing about the wolf, was that one each paw, the outer most claw, was about three times as large as the others.*

*The wolf was experiencing a strange feeling at the moment. It's slight guilt for simply following the golem, mixed with an instinctual wanting to help people, made the wolf want to save these poor people from the golems wrath. The wolf was no warrior, and could not fight a golem, but it was swift, quick on it's feet, and agile. It could whisk any of the figures away on it's back, being that the wolf was large enough to ride. Out of the two figures it had noticed, one was already making it's way for safety, so the obvious target for saving was the one hanging from a tree branch. The wolf darted from it's location at an unnatural speed. It was headed for the figure hanging from the tree. The wolf gauged his jump as he neared the tree. He gauged the distance from the figure to the ground, the direction in which the figure was facing, and the trajectory of the newly fallen rocks that the golem was so mindlessly knocking from the ancient tower. It was dodging rocks left and right, and now only seven feet away it jumped for the figure, hoping to catch it, or knock it from the branch and then catch it. If this didn't work, the wolf could only hope that it didn't get hurt.*
___________________

SERICA

~go,Go,GO!~ She heard within her mind and she did, using all her strength and all her agile speed, she went.
Serica was but an arm’s length from the tree trunk when the golem finally struck the branch from which she hung. The cracking and splintering forced Serica to close her eyes to avoid being blinded permanently. ~NO!~ she heard mother’s voice ring loudly in her ears. ~Breathe!~
She took a deep breath and held it as wood shattered and the whole tree seemed to be falling. Wood chips spread across Serica’s face and she hung her head to try and shake them off. She knew she would have to jump, but not yet. Serica felt the bottom of the branch suddenly push down sharply on the back of her head her shoulder as another force pushed her up to meet it from underneath.
This had to be the hand of the monstrous golem; she felt fear phase her for only a second before finding her calm, cool mind again. That was how she dealt with difficult situations; difficult and dangerous. Calm, cool thoughts of a light breath blowing gently across a softly lit evening, guided her thoughts through logic and strategy.
A moment later, as the pain in her shoulder began to swell, she reached downward and clung to that which had forced her upward. To her astonishment it was not cold, stiff stone, but a plush, thick fur with strong, swift muscles beneath her strained arms and legs. She would have jumped from the creature as they began their decent but mother’s instinctual voice kept her holding tight. Tight, to a creature she did not know and all her body told her had the capability to shred her and pick her bones more cleanly then the great golems which certainly still loomed over head.
Serica’s mind fought with the idea of which creature would be worse to face. She buried her face in the fur of the beast beneath her to scrape away the wood chips she knew still clung to her. She let go of her breath but again took another deep one from the air in the pelt of the beast and held it tight, tight as her arms could. The coat was not coarse, nor did it feel like satin against her delicate skin but somewhere between; the fur of something adept at living in the wild. ~I will not fear a wild beast~ she told herself and any fear which had begun to sprout quickly vanished into nothingness as she willed it.
Serica’s hood had fallen from atop her head again and her silver moonlight hair poured from beyond it to lie against the plush hide of the creature which held her. Her cloak fell neatly with her and the beast as they descended.
The instant she opened her deep violet eyes and looked out over the head of the great furry beast, together they met ground; or something solid and the shock of the fall was absorbed through its legs. She felt light as her balance was not her own and she was nearly thrown from the animal. What she saw made Serica consider if she had died or been knocked unconscious; above her stretched the late sky, stars and moon shining and beneath her, between her tightly clenched arms, was the night itself embodied, soft and warm. “Hello, night…” was all she breathed before letting her breath be short and still. And that was all she saw as she once again closed her eyes and let the night take her where it may…  

[ContayVona]

VERSAI

Versai ran for the first line of buildings, his arcane cloak billowing out behind him. Because it was magically-oriented fabric, it seemed to have a flair for that sort of dramatic movement; it rippled artistically, with the ease of a cloak that had billowed hundreds of times.

The buoyant magic that was trying to suspend him allowed him to take longer strides, and it almost felt like his lungs needed no air. When he reached the row of masonry, however, he realized that he'd been holding his breath, and his heart was fluttering a little nervously.

He expelled the air from his chest and breathed slowly but heavily. Endurance was not his strong suite and it would do him no good to start huffing and puffing now. He glanced down the front wall of the street uneasily, but there appeared to be no alleyways.

He opened the nearest door and it feel off its hinges, bumping him on the head. Cursing, he stepped inside. The space, darkened, appeared to have been a store at some point. While it looked stable, Versai knew that the golem could rend it apart with one finger. He ran through a doorway to the storage room, and spotted an old window. The glass was long gone, and with a swift kick, so was the decaying framework. He hoisted himself through it, and onto the other side of the row of buildings.

The tremors were starting again. Either Serica had escaped, or (more likely, it seemed) ceased existing. It was probably coming after him, he knew, and its long strides would catch him fairly quickly despite his head start. He sprinted for the wall, trying to forsee a way over it.

A part of his mind said, Exeunt, stage left! He almost laughed. He'd spent some time with a band of travelling players. They'd found him useful because he'd apparently been able to understudy all the roles at once. In truth, he just looked ahead and saw which of the actors might befall ill fortune.

He followed that thought, and followed the wall to the left. Weaving in between vines that had overgrown it, he discovered a small crack, barely large enough for him to squeeze through. He dove for it, struggling through to the other side of the wall, the heavy footsteps growing louder by the second. He was afraid that the wall would collapse upon him...

And, miraculously, he was on the other side. He kicked off the ground, dashing to the tree line, laughing nervously to himself. He'd escaped with his life. Again.

He rewarded himself with a rest, his back to a sycamore. He closed his eyes, wondering how the other two had faired. The guilt he felt for not stepping in to save them returned. He knew he was no hero, but sometimes he wished he wasn't quite such a craven. There was no way to tell, though.

Unless...

Versai opened his eyes, looking down at his clothes. There, on his knee, where'd he'd rested Serica's head, was a long, silvery hair. He held it up, and the magical nimbus left his body to devour it.

A moment later, he was staring not at the manifestation, but through it. The events of the evening replayed themselves, centering around the girl. He looked on, each scene rended hazily, as if one of the gods had painted it in watercolors...

There! The golem approached, she lept, fought valiantly for balance... and was saved. By what, he couldn't tell. At first it was a beast of some sort, but it then became a man, and then it was both at once. So many forms occupied the same space that Versai shook his head, dismissing the vision.

"Stupid omens," he said. When one thing was actually two things, there was magic or destiny at work. It was the sort of riddle that was impossible to solve, but when the answer was revealed to him, he nevertheless kicked himself in the rear.

Had he looked further, he'd have noted that he'd meet the girl and the one who was several by sheer "chance" a few nights later, at the Mooncrest Tavern. Unfortunately, he didn't care to look further into her future, satisfied that she was safe.

In the dark silence, he let himself drift away to sleep.
________________

WILK

*The wolf smiled, it's white teeth reflecting the moonlight even further. As it hit the ground, it's front legs absorbing the brunt of the impact, it began to move foward, and when his bacl legs landed, you would have had to watch the wolf through slowed time to catch a glimpse of him taking off. His legs pushed himself and the... he sniffed the air... girl that he was now carrying. The wolf knew, that with the golem wreaking havoc, the safest place would be any place except for the ruins. It ran, knowing that the golem would follow, but he didn't need to worry, he was far faster than anything made of stone could ever be. The wol headed south west. The girl needed somewhere to rest, he could tell as she grabbed him, that her shoulder was hurt. The closest and safest place where she could lay her head, was the Mooncrest Tavern.*

*As the wolf ran it wondered about the happenings around the ruins. Usually it had been a quiet place. A place where he could rest and take respite in the darkness and cold touch of stone. Now the tower was gone, and who knew how long the golem would stay there, searching for the wolf, or the figure who had ran away. The wolf had smelled a third scent, but had not seen a figure to place it with. The wolf assumed it was dead. "The crows ought to be happy." it thought *He continued on his way, trying to make the ride as smooth as possible for his "passenger." Occasionally it had to leap over a stone, but the wolf kept his balance , and didn't let it's speed drop. The wind made the wolf's fur ripple as it ran and the tips of the fur brushed lightly against the girls face. Had she been awake, it would've made her fall asleep.*

*Finally, the wolf leapt the last wall of the ruins, wiping all thoughts of the golem from his mind. The wolf howled as it ran, as far as the wolf was concerned, it was home free now. Just grassy plains between here and the tavern. The wind felt stronger with no trees to block it, and his fur moved more rapidly. It saw birds flying and tried to copy their flight patterns on the ground, then remembered that the girl was hurt, and returned to a straight path. Clear skies, and a strong wind always made the wolf happy, and ran with renewed enthusiasm. Running for fear, and running out of want were two very different things, and the wolf was glad that his reason for running was the later.*

*Lights peaked over the horizon and the tip of the Mooncrest clock tower became visible. Any other animal would have taken a half hour more to reach this point, and the wolf knew this and prided itself in this knowledge. The wolf quickened his pace, knowing that food and water were in it's near future, and he wouldn't need to worry about the girl any longer.