Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nitebyss startled awake again, his hand absentmindedly pushing his sunglasses up his nose to fully cover his eyes. For a few moments, he wasn't sure where exactly he was, but once his eyes focussed he recognized the place. He had visited this park many times, and, having found a good shade tree near the large lake, it was one of the few places he could relax, now or ever.

He shimmied his back up against the tree until he was in a more upright position, his bright eyes darting around, taking in both scenery and people. There weren't many people at this time of day, another thing that Nitebyss liked so much about this spot.

Thinking he had relaxed enough, Nitebyss stood up and straightened his now ruffled cloak. This very cloak had gotten him many strange looks in the heat that the last couple days had brought, but it never seemed to bother Nitebyss. The heat was nothing with his "mediocre" transcendant ability, cold-blood, and he had soon gotten used to the many stares he got daily.

"Another day, another tick-tock of the clock... Hopefully something fun will come out of today." He smiled lightly as he started walking slowly around the lake, his eyes sweeping side to side, just hoping to pick up something "interesting".

((By the way, do you want us to put the word count and points at the end or do you want to do it yourself? In case you want the RPers to do it, here's mine. 221 words= 2 TXP))

Taking a deep breath, Seij sighed in enjoyment. He punched at the air, small beads of sweat flying off his arm as he did so. Training in the park, one of his favourite pasttimes. It was always beautiful there, the oak trees with their leaves an awesome green, and the sky was almost always clear and blue. Yes, the best place to train was here, where it was calm and serene.

Standing straight and tall, Seij looked around, before he started to jog. Endurance was a must for someone like himself, one who enjoyed physical excercise. He passed people by, some of them giving him interesting looks, some looks of interest. His white hair was loosely braided, hanging down around the middle of his shoulders. It bounced around as he jogged, the up and down movement of his body disturbing it.

He looked around as he jogged, looking for a suitable place to start some more rigourous training than just punching the air.

Not seeing any at the moment he continued on, sometimes ignoring, sometimes looking back at people who looked at him as he went on his way.

Coming upon one particularly branch-laden tree, Seij smiled. It seems to be a suitable place to train. He thought absent-mindedly as he changed his course for the tree.

Upon arriving he took a few deep breaths, recovering from the jog. It wasn't even ten seconds before he assumed a martial arts position, an open palm out in front of him, a closed fist near his waist, turned upwards. Both his legs were bent at the knees, one leg in front of the other, allowing a more stable platform on which to move on.

Seij advanced on the tree, using the low branches as an imitation of a training post. Using his forearm, as well as his elbows, wrists, palms and fists, he went at the tree. He did snap a few of the small, thin branches off, but kept at it, not feeling the least bit fatigued. He did one roundhouse kick to a strong low branch, before spinning on his heel and forcing the palm of his right hand towards the trunk of the tree.

As he threw his palm at the tree, he focused his 'chi', something he had learned while studying Wing Chun, and put it into the attack. The 'chi' allowed him to put more force into the attack then normal, while being able to keep his muscles relaxed, as was the style of Wing Chun. Upon his palm hitting the tree, he felt a force. A force that could not be readily explained. His eyes slowly traveled to where he had struck, and his jaw opened in awe.

Where there was once bark, there was now none, a small dip now carved into the tree. "What the hell?" Seij asked himself, looking in confusion at his palm, then back to the tree. How did I do something like that? I can't have Transcendant powers. If i did then they would have been evident to me by now.

Shaking his head in confusion, Seij decided to look for a park bench, wishing to be able to sit down and mull the recent event over in his head and try to come to a conclusion.

He did find one, it was right beside the path that ran through the park. The path was worn from many hundreds of people walking on it, but it still served it's purpose well, nonetheless. Sitting down, Seij rested his chin on the palm of his hand, thinking of any logical way to explain what had just happened. I keep on coming back to the conclusion that it is a Transcendant power, but it can't be. I have not inherited the Transcendant blood, or have I? Seij thought, happy, yet confused at the thought. He let out a sigh, finally deciding to forget about it until something like that happened again.

((630 words= 6 TXP points wO0t! Longest post I have ever done.))

Finally becoming fed up with trying to figure out how he had made the dip in the tree, Seij got up, and headed for what he, and many others called, Lover's Grove. There were many stories about that path, and because of the density of the brush, there were only more and more stories, told by couples that had had some 'private time' in that area. Hence the name 'Lover's Grove'.

Coming upon the trees and shrubbery, Seij smiled. It was always peaceful here, as long as some random couple weren't having alone time. As he scanned the area, something caught his eye. Someone is over there, and it looks like they're hurt.

Seij approached the figure on the ground cautiously, until he saw blood. He ran up to the figure, immediately noting it was a woman, and a particularly good-looking one at that. Now is not the time to admire her beauty. Seij reminded himself. "Are.. are you alright?" he asked, looking at her back, his eyes full of concern for the person before him. It seemes as though a bone was pushing through her shoulders on both sides, ripping the flesh wide open, and causing blood to trickle down her back.

"You need to get to a hospital." Seij said, his voice urgent. He offered a hand to help her up. How did she come to such a state? Is it a form of evolution, as in a Transcendant, or was she attacked? Whatever it is, it doesn't matter right now, all I know is that she needs help.

((words=260, thus, TXP=2))

Immediately getting to his feet, and placing himself in-between The newcomer and the girl he just met, he said, "Stay away from her until she agrees, if she agrees." Seij said, assuming the postition that he was in from before.

"You may about Transcendants, but I don't know if you are trustworthy, I have just met you." Seij said, his voice flat. If I can I'll keep this person from harm, unless she agrees to letting this guy cut her shoulders open where there are punctures from the so-called second arms. Seij thought. He gathered his 'chi' to his palms once again, this time noticing a small, faint glow around his hands. What the hell? Again? he thought, without looking directly at them. He already knew what it was. So I am a Transcendant. Seij thought, smirking in the slightest.

He looked at the man in front of him holding the blade, his hazel eyes glinting, as if in warning.

((160 words= 1 XTP))

"I will not let either of you until she gives you consent." Seij snarled, his stance becoming lower, and more aggressive. He grinned a little maliciously. I might get a chance to use my training. he thought, relishing the idea.

With each moment that passed, Seij's stance became more and more relaxed as he thought about the situation more. Seeing how much pain this girl is in, he thought the better of it. Standing straight, his palms glow going away, Seij moved out of the way. "I have thought it over, and it seems quite logical to help her, even if it is something like that. I will not stop you, but I just request you ask her first." Seij said, his white, loosely-braided hair hanging down over his right shoulder. "Damn this is a touchy matter." Seij said to himself.

((1 TXP))

Shrian shook his head at the man, thoughts running through his head. 'God, this guy's an idiot. Look's like he's just trying to be the stupid heroin to someone who actually needs him to get out of the way.' He smirked carelessly, flipping the wakizashi twice in the air before catching it's tip deftly. "I believe he had already asked her permission, at least from what I had heard. If you recall, he said 'That would be up to the little lady here'."

Watching him step out of the way, he walked around the woman, kneeling down and looking at her face. "I know this is odd, having three random men you don't even know around you, but please, it's in your best interest to let him help. He has no evil intentions, and from what I can tell, he's a trancedant as well, from how he defends us." He blinked, having just noticed what he had said.

In that moment, thoughts rushed through his mind. He didn't even know if he was a trancendant. Whenever he got any sort of injury though, it didn't bleed right away, and when it did, it seemed like there wasn't much blood. He had often wondered about it, even gone to the doctor to ask, but the doctor had no idea.

Shaking off his thoughts, he smiled warmly to the woman. "It'll be fine, trust me." Even though she really had no reason to trust him, he wouldn't betray her trust. If she was a trancendant, perhaps they had a connection of some sort.

[[261 = 2 TXP]]

{{O-o Well, so much for Iris getting a chance to react properly... *is mildly pissed by this fact* Ah well, this is what I get for trying to multitask an entire life all at once. I thought summer was for *vacationing*!! TT.TT Well, here I go.}}

Iris glared as first one, then another, and finally a third strange random man followed her into the grove. "I thought this place was for privacy?" she muttered, the venom in her voice effectively quashing all questioning tones. She crossed her arms and covered each bleeding shoulder with the opposite hand, wishing for not the first time since the itching had begun that her eyes could turn people into little piles of ash. This apparent hatred for all sentient beings in the vicinity carried on until the word transendant hit her ears with stinging force.

She would have liked to consider herself impartial when trascendants were concerned, but her few memories of extended contact with any of them were bitter and tinged with hatred on the whole for events from the few.

Her parents had been natives of Khaurin, a relatively small city in comparison to Yithaia. Following the traditions of out of the way small cities, the citizens were viciously prejudiced. Before she had even been old enough to attend school, her parents had run. And they had taken her with them, crossing almost the entire main continent of Efraen to get to one of the sanctuary cities.

Iris could remember her first memory of her mother was of a woman with sharp hair that she could pierce skin with clutching her to a chest that held a heart that beat too slow. Her father had been a man made of scales that glittered brightly with a strange green tint and knives from his wrists and eblows.

They had gotten to the sanctuary after only three years of evading law enforcement for false charges from the deizens of Khaurin, and abandoned her there. She showed no signs of following them in their genetics. She was human and as bitterly against humans as Khaurin's people were, so were the people of this sanctuary against humankind. She couldn't remember what city it was, but she could remember it was the worst hour of her life, when they had nearly killed her due to their hatred of "her kind." Her parents chose to let her be orphaned rather than to live in the non-trnscendant world with her.

No matter how strangely amazed she was by the idea of transcendants, she hated those she'd met. And here were, apparently, more of them.

"Fine is the last thing it will ever be." she spat viciously, glaring at the man who'd offered her his hand. "And like hell any of you are touching me or taking me anywhere."

Then every muscle in her body stiffened and a tremor of awful pain passed through her, centered squarely on her shoulder blades. Her glare didn't soften in the least. It was more pain than she'd felt in a long time, but spending her life from are seven up as an urchin had given her one hell of a tolerance. She hadn't been beaten, mugged and battered since she'd taken up her life as a messengeress, just as her name implied she would, but she knew how to deal with the pain.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here, either." she said eyeing the other two, "And if one of you comes another step closer, I'll showing you a hundred reasons to wish you hadn't." She bared her teeth ferally, and they glittered dangerously. Though she didn't have fangs, she could certainly still tear flesh, and the pained anger reflecting in her eyes spoke volumes. She'd be happy to do just that. Whether any of the men recognised her as a runner or not, she didn't know, but if they did then maybe they'd know to be wary of her kicks as well.

{{Next post: Iris finally gets around to transforming. Yay.
609 words. 6TXP}}