Welcome to Gaia! ::

[[I just noticed...Your character is sixteen, yet says she's been in the war. If you look back earlier when Gabriel was speaking to Avio, he said the war had been forty-odd years back.
o.o;;
::Makes things up now::
xD;]]

He waited calmly for her to stop talking, not really paying much attention. What he did catch, though, was the fact that she beleived herself more intelligent than the others in her village. Another small smile played across his lips as he turned from his naginata to answer. "You really believe you've experienced just as much as I have since the war? You weren't even born when we were fighting the war, darling. My guess is that you've most likely defended the town against a few raids, and that'd be the end of your experience. You look like the type of person who's rather alone in this world. What happened, they all die from the radiation except you?" he said with a casual smirk.

Gabriel laughed slightly, eyes flashing in the wayning moonlight. "You're quite correct there. I am no ordinary mutant. Around here, even the most frightening mutants try and shuffle away as I aproach. I guess you could say they're a bit afraid of me." he said with another small smile. "About sixty-odd years back, those like me were known as...Vampire." His eyes lit up in slight humor as he spoke.

As he spoke, his mind flashed backwards the sixty-odd years he'd mentioned, landing in a time when he was merely fifteen. It was nothing special, just a slow-moving memory of Gabriel and his friends, running through the near empty streets. It was a time of war, but they didn't mind. They owned the streets at night, their laughter carrying up to the high windows, people leaning out their windows to shout at the noise.

Coming back to reality with a blink, Gabriel shook his head again. Focusing back on the girl, not a hint of a smile on his lips any longer, he spoke quietly. "Whether you respect me or not, I can't help showing at least slight respect for your seeming calm in such a situation. I know some who've screamed from dusk 'til dawn after being captured." he said with a flicker of a smile. "Your skills with the naginata are commendable as well. I didn't think a sixteen-year-old would be able to do such damage."

His persepctive on her seeming to change slightly since his flashback, he sighed, standing and walking back to the girl. He knelt, lifting the canteen and uncapping it. "My name is Gabriel, by the way. And if you still want water, I'd ask you to tip your head back slightly." He hadn't introduced himself for any specific reason besides that he thought she at least deserved to know who was holding her there.

[[Okay, that seemed slightly better...But still hurts my head.
x.x]]

"Perhaps, but even with my lack of experience, I handled the fight with you quite well, did I not? Besides, to me, we might as well be in a war. With all the disappearances, it's only a matter of time before the Village retaliates... Or tries for peace. Either way, it doesn't particularly matter to me." Despite her words, Messiah knew that she'd never be able to simply avoid getting involved with the village's affairs. Never, no matter how hard she'd try to stick to her own priorities, would she escape the obligation. As a resident of a village, it was her duty to help out- That was the only reason she ever got involved.
"No, actually. 'They' are quite alive, we've simply disowned each other. They weren't worth my time."

The term 'vampire' trigger some recognition within her mind and Messiah could faintly remember reading something that had mentioned the race. It had been a rather old text, if she remembered correctly, one of which she had acquired by an elderly scholar she had often visited when she was younger. The girl listened to him silently as he spoke with mild interest, trying to recall what the script had said about what he claimed to be.

Messiah offered a very small smile as he continued, the faintest evidence of amusement lingering within her voice. "As much as I'd prefer not to admit it, you're the first person in a while that I've actually had to put so much effort into defeating. I hadn't expected you to be quite so challenging." Indeed, despite the danger and risk, she had almost enjoyed the fight as if it had been a complex game of sorts. "Well, I suppose if all the others my age spent less time dreaming about their lovers and more time training, the world would be overrun with skillful sixteen-year-olds."

Casting a brief glance at the canteen and than at Gabriel, the possibility that the water could be poisoned never crossed hr mind. After all, had he intended to kill her right away, she wouldn't have been alive. "Messiah." She stated simply, merely for sake of avoiding being addressed as 'girl' 'you' or any other such general term, before titling her head back as instructed.

(Ugh.. The new layout on Gaia is going to take some getting used to.. T.T)

{{Weeeell, since Meta was out of town and stuff, this wasn't really on my high priority list. Sorry?

And remember, Mercutio doesn't know he's mutated, and thus thinks he's human. Which is why he's A) So interested and B) Envious.

Yes, he does talk to Benvolio. If Meta asks why *hinthint* it'll be explained next post.}}

Mercutio raised a snowy eyebrow at Arron's comment about Benvolio's metabolism. "All bird's have a high metabolism... Most eat a few times their body weight daily. The nectar feeders even eat almost a dozen times their own weight." he nodded shortly, but did not dwell on the fact. "And you'll not hear his story from me. Ever. It's not my favorite event in history."

For a long moment, Mercutio paused to recount the younger man's obviously shortened life tale and came to a quick conclusion. "Whatever you did in your early life, and whatever fears you had of your powers, they weren't solely your own. They never really are." the words were toneless and logical. Mercutio had met many mutated beings in his life, and even if he was only human, he knew well enough that mutants were rarely as afraid of their powers as they were of people.

"And I'm sure the story would be more interesting if you were willing to tell more, but fair is fair and I shan't press as long as Benvolio is left without further inquisition."

The little bird chirped softly at his own name and nodded, though perhaps he was only bobbing his head to swallow. "keschun!" The white feathers puffed out and Benvolio twittered away nonsensically for another moment.

Mercutio's eyebrow once again rose and he wondered idly if this was more exercise than the muscles had had in a long time. Probably. "He wants to know if you remember Enri. His family is from near there." It didn't occur to Mercutio that this probably looked like a very odd thing to be saying, or that it seemed he was referring to himself in the third person.

"He thinks you look like the boy who fed his mother corn. Though, I can't imagine what business you," he stared at the once again eating bird, "have asking people about their destroyed homes. Or why you even know about you're mother, little orphan." A hint of good humour melted into his tone.

Benvolio twitted something that sounded notably more annoyed, but still high and chirpy. "Anscestral memories indeed. You don't know anything about her and you know it." Mercutio scoffed before turning his eyes back to the blond, the almost joking manner slipping out of his words. "Though I do wonder. What was it like seeing the cataclysms?" he didn't bother asking forgiveness for prying, it wasn't his style. "Or discovering you had powers beyond humanity? Surely an amazing moment, though perhaps not joyous."

He'd never admit it, but on some small level buried deep in his subconscious, he was jealous. It was a cruel life, to be mutated, but then again the albino's own life wasn't exactly kind. His tongue traveled along the slightly elongated eyeteeth in his mouth and his thought traveled to his snow white hair and pale skin. Cruel indeed.

{{*patpat* It's not short! Don't beat yourself up over it, if you've got two or more sentences, it's fine by me! Well...good sentences at least... Anyway, yes, it is easier...}}

"Sounds about right..." Mercutio murmured more to himself than anyone else. "Someone dies while you're saving them and it's your fault. Happens all the bloody time." He turned his eyes up to the blond then, a shimmer of recognition in them.

"Oh, so you're that fellow... The one that girl ran off to. Some little child came to me for advice some time about what to do with her poor little brother who was, apparently, in alot of pain from god knows what. I gave her a poultice of numbing herbs, but it really didn't do much for the problem, just the symptom. I heard she ran off to so crazy healer living in a mill. You, right?"

Benvolio twittered again upon hearing his name. Apparently he quite liked the way this new person said it. Mercutio's rather blank face took on a mildly annoyed air and as if to answer an unasked command, he spread his lips apart to reveal the longer eyeteeth as well.

"You'd be amazed how many people say that, either for Benvolio or for my teeth, but I was no where near any of the areas of mutation, nor were my parents." This was, for all he knew, a blatant lie, because as far as he knew, his parents had completely abandoned him around age six to this silly little village and run off to...somewhere. However, his scant memories revealed nothing to imply they were mutated in any way.

"Besides, I'd like to see you live with a single living being for over half a decade and not learn how to speak with them." he refrained from mentioning the fact that other birds had a tendency to listen and talk to him as well, not just the little dove-like creature on the table.

"I am quite," he paused for just a moment, trying to find the propr word, for comfortable had been his original choice and obviously was not the appropriate one, "Quite confident in my humanity. Memorising a few tweets and whistles make me no more a mutant that this soup would make you one."

((OK then. 3nodding Thank you!))

Aaron laughed softly. "Yes, that's me, the Crazy Healer in the Mill." Aaron shook his head, and then spoke as if reciting a nursery rhyme. " 'The Crazy Mill-man will heal you, but bad luck will befall you the rest of your days.' Remember any of that story? It's a village favorite, I'd be surprised if you didn't know it." That familiar smile came to his lips, but it wasn't the same - it had an air of remorse and despair, but it was somehow still happy.

"Ah, I didn't mean to upset you with the mutant comment! It just seemed fairly plausible." He bowed his head slightly as an act of respect. "Please forgive me, Mercutio." He returned to his upright position, and looked at his soup, most of the beef cubes already gone. "Another one of the village favorites is that the Crazy Mill-man will cut up children for his soup. I've had a few kids try and ask me... but they all ran away before I could explain that it was beef."

Sithe smirked lightly. "Fiesty as always, eh Gabriel?" he commented, as he turned and slowly made his way to the entrance of the tent.

"It seems as though that girl is pretty welcome here." Sithe added, nodding in the direction of the girl, as he moved the tent flap aside. He looked at Gabriel, his eyes glinting for a quick second. Smirking, he turned away, letting the tent flap flutter close behind him. Well, at least he tried to keep his anger in check. Sithe thought, as he started walking away from the tent, his arms folded across his chest. He sat down against a tree a little ways from Gabriel's tent and took out another cigar. Lighting it, he popped it in his mouth, taking a long drag before puffing the smoke out the other side of his mouth.

The cool water that ran down her throat quenched her thirst efficiently, helping calm her nerves a bit. The arrival of another enemy, however, caused her stiffen a bit, glancing at the man from her position on the floor. She failed to hide the slight indignation that gleamed in her eyes at the words 'she doesn't looks that hard to fight,' but otherwise seem to regard Sithe with composed apprehension. And just who is he, I wonder?

Messiah was mildly surprised at Gabriel's reaction to Sithe's entrance, having not expected him to be quite so hostile toward another member of the Forest, even though his voice was quite steady. Though, I suppose it isn't quite so shocking, since even some of the Villagers are less-than friendly with the others. She mused, finding their banter to be a bit comical. Nudging the canteen by moving her head just slightly to the side in order to signal that she had had enough, she almost scowled when she was spoken of. After watching the mutant leave the tent at her former opponent's warnings, before turning her attention back to Gabriel in mild curiosity.

(Has the guild given anyone else trouble for the past few days? It might be just my computer, but it wouldn't let me view any posts. o.o)