Melodia

I like to imagine the little Metal Gear Solid alarm sound goes off whenever she spots a shirtless highlander. HAHA!!!

LMAO!!!

Yep. That's what is for me. I have one atma. I don't have the time to invest in multiple hours running across the world fate grinding praying that one drops. I got damn lucky with the one I did get.

The dusty room of the Inn greeted him with sunlight and a peaceful quiet The bed looked inviting after his time in the jungle. He laid down his bag and gently placed his sword and shield against the wall, looking down at them for a moment, disappointed in himself for having kicked them angrily days before. He walked to the bed and sat, placing his head into his hands and taking a deep breath. It had been hard, seeing Kage in the jungles outside of Wineport and hard words had been said, but they were things that needed saying. Ruru hoped the bridges had been rebuilt and smoothed over with him and the Sultansworn. Hoped that Natalie wouldn't deny him the opportunity to attempt the trials based on his decision to basically disappear. He lifted his head and sniffed for a moment and realized he smelled awful. And needed cleaning immediately. Taking a bath and trimming his hair a bit to make it neat, he dressed in his nicest set of armor and made the long walk to the Chamber of Rule as he was being summoned by Ser Natalie and his mentor Kage for something. He smiled as he walked, happy he was finally home again.

Ruru looked at the letter in his hand and stared at it with a flat gaze. It was from Kage. And it said that he wanted to meet. He smirked a bit at that. Ruru's hair was long and unkempt, the eyepatch over his left eye was dirty, having not been cleaned in days. He was wearing simple, tattered clothing that had mud still caked into parts of it, and he bore no weapons, as they still lay in the makeshift shelter, on the ground after he had kicked them. He looked every bit the beggar in Wineport as he looked hard at the mail. He turned and walked toward the gate, confused by the mix of emotions he felt at the message. He was simultaneously happy to hear from Kage, and happy he was back in Ul'dah, but he was also upset, hurt, and angry. As he stomped heavily back to the jungle, passing through the gate, he tore the note into pieces and dropped the pieces to the ground while still moving, reaching around his back to make sure the fishing pole he had purchased was still there. It was. He smiled and as he looked to the sky he decided he would go somewhere to fish for a while, unsure whether he would go to Ul'dah or not.

The shelter was dark, the candle having long since extinguished due to the leaking rain coming through the makeshift roof. The rain had been pouring for hours and the leaves outside made odd noises as the drops splashed against them. The occasional crack of thunder deafened the noise and the accompanying lightning brightened the night sky. Ruru sat cross-legged on the floor, turning a small knife in circles, staring at the open dark space across from him, his lone eye, staring blankly. In that space sat both his sword and his bow. The rain had leaked through and his hair was wet, matted against his head. He turned the knife again and continued to stare. It had been days since he had last spoke to anyone, and the last contact he had with the outside world had been a couple of vague letters, containing no answers and direction to wait for further instruction. So he had sat, waiting, unsure of what to do next. He wondered if he had made the wrong choice... "You did..." he muttered quietly to himself, unaware he had spoken aloud. He grabbed the knife, quickly and forcefully slamming it, blade first, into the ground before him. Thunder crackled again and he stood slowly, walking to the weapons and glaring down at them both before angrily kicking them to the side of the shelter. His breathing was shaky and he walked outside into the rain as he felt his his remaining eye stinging with tears. Inside of his head he envisoned all of the people he had lost and who were now gone in one form or another and he couldn't take it anymore. Ruru looked up into the falling rain and heard the thunder crack again and screamed as loudly as he could, partly out of pain, partly out of loneliness. He fell to his knees and began to weep, thankful the rain would hide them and thankful he was alone in his shame. He felt useless and alone, more alone than he had been in quite a long time. He couldn't trust anyone and those few he could were simply gone, hiding somewhere, away from him. He fell on his back lay in the rain, letting it wash the tears away, praying that he could find some peace and some answers and hoping he wouldn't be alone forever. Whether it was the thunder or his own sobs that drowned out the sound, one thing Ruru failed to notice was the sound coming from nearby: Gleeful and malicious laughter.

It had been days since he'd arrived and the ocean air along with the smells of the jungle made Rurutani smile. It was a long overdue smile. His feet crushed leaves and ground debris as he walked toward the docks, as the humid air made him sweat, though he welcomed it. He had spent the morning hunting....training. It had been days since he had even opened his mouth to say a word and the solitude had been a blessing in disguise. Away from the energy and organized chaos that Ul'dah was, away from the dangers, Ruru had found inner peace as he focused on his training. The lessons played through his mind with each beast that attacked. Slash....Slash...parry...counter attack. And with each kill, he became better and more adept, the blade and shield extensions of him rather than simply being tools he held. Kage would be proud. He allowed his mind to drift for a moment...allowed for the luxury of the thought, and wondered how Kage was, wherever he was. He hoped his friend and mentor was doing well, healing as he should and staying out of danger. As he walked, beads of sweat starting to roll down his forehead, he admired the jungle around him, for its calm and serenity, coupled with its hidden dangers. He hoped that with time, he would be like this jungle, with those same elements. as he approached the docks, hoping for a bit of a rest, he saw an older man loading supplies onto his small boat and for half a moment considered walking away, to avoid potential conversation, but reconsidered; the man looked friendly enough. Rurutani had avoided Wineport because there were too many people there and as he needed the time to himself, had taken to a quiet shelter deeper in the nearby jungle. The elder man's eyes caught Ruru's and he smiled. "Well hello there, lad." Ruru returned the smile, "Afternoon, sir. He took his spot, sitting down and letting a tired sigh escape him as he did. The elederly man looked up from his work nodded slightly at Ruru. "Lookin' worn there boy." Ruru looked back and laughed softly, "Been out hunting a bit. Just tired." "Nah, lad....I mean worn." He tapped his head when he said this, looking genuinely concerned. "Spirit....not the body." Ruru was caught off guard but looked back down at the waters knowing the man was right. "That obvious, huh?" "Well hells boy yer practically wearin' it like a coat. Mind if I sit a spell and talk?" He looked at Ruru, waiting for some sign of approval, which was granted once Ruru nodded to a spot near him. The elderly man took a seat and took in a deep breath of air, "Ahhh....'tis beautiful, no? The jungle I mean. Has an elegance to it, at least that's my feelin'." Ruru nodded and said that it did. "So, what's the matter boy? Why you look so glum for? Yer in a beautiful place, seem to be in fairly good shape...save fer the eye...and you seem to be able to handle yerself. So not sure what th' issue is." "The issue is...." he paused wondering if he should open up and decided he would as the old man didn't seem to be a threat. "...the issue is I have so many questions of people I have met...or know....and they are all gone. So I'm stuck...left wondering how to help or what to do next because everyone is just gone." He hadn't noticed his voice rising in volume as he said this, unaware he outwardly seemed upset. The old man chuckled and shook his head. Ruru snapped his head and stared at the old man in disbelief "What's so funny?" he asked. "Ah boy...it's amusin' is all. You sit here wondering' what to do next...wondering how you'll find the Cat...well, which one d'ya want to find is what I wonder....or the woman Roe. You keep thinkin' how you'll do that and yet yer out here swingin' away at beasts. Seems...hmmm...what's th' word? Counter-productive. Yes, that's it." He laughed again, a deep belly laugh and Ruru jumped up, wondering how this man knew so much. He backed away from the dock and the old man kept laughing, no longer even considering Ruru. Ruru mumbled a bit and turned to leave and stop frozen in his tracks. Not 50 yalms from him was a small circular table, elegantly decorated with a full meal for two upon it, with a bottle of wine and two half full glasses. Seated at the table were the female Roe, Dennthota and across from her the mysterious Miqo'te Suri, who took a sip of her wine as they both turned and looked at the shocked Lalafell and smiled. a mysterious figure in black walked to the table and poured more wine into Denn's glass before looking directly at Ruru. "Impossible...." was all Ruru could manage before he turned back to see if the old man was there. The old man was gone and before him stood Kage, clad in his Sultansworn uniform and smiling. "What are you doing, Ruru? Why are you here. Don't you have something you need to be doing?" Ruru stammered a bit and said "How-....I mean, I'm training. H-how...?" Kage shook his head and shushed him. "No Ruru, I mean about the attack." "B-but I don't know where....how did you find me?" He couldn't keep his words together and truly was frightened by the scene. He turned to see the table and saw it was gone and in the second he turned back to Kage, he saw that his friend was gone as well. "I can't find anyone," Ruru said quietly to himself, and felt a gentle hand on his shoulder from behind that startled him. As he turned and looked, afraid of what he might see, his eyes fell upon Ser Natalie, adorned in the same uniform as the day the two had met near the Chamber of Rule in Ul'dah. She smiled and said, "Calm your nerves. Collect your thoughts, Rurutani. Perhaps the reason you can't find anyone is because you haven't truly looked." "S-Ser Natalie. I'm sorry. I don't know where anyone is. I don't-" She smiled and said, "Then it's time to start looking and stop hiding." Suddenly Ruru's eyes snapped open, sweat drenching his head as he sat up from his makeshift bed. He worked to catch his breath and realized it was just a dream. But even if they were just dreams, maybe the message was clear. Maybe he needed to start looking in a more proactive way. He decided he would need to head into Wineport to send Kage and Natalie a letter, hoping they had access to their mail.

Ruru walked the Sultansworn office and ensured he was alone when he slid the letter under the door. He sighed and made sure his gear was secure, hoisting up the bag strapped across his back once more with a slight groan. He heard Captain Jenlys' voice across the landing and decided he should move before being seen. Likely he would be the only one there to see him as it was. He turned and said in a low voice to himself, "Where are you...?" With that he walked away with his head down. The letter, in full, read: Kage, I hope this letter finds you in good health. Hope your injuries are healing and that you might return soon. As I am unable to find you, nor can I find Ser Natalie I have decided to leave as well. I need time. It's been a confusing time for me and while I am grateful for your mentorship thus far, I feel like right now with everyone absent, I am more alone than ever. I took some time in Coerthas to improve my sword skills, of which you would be proud. However, I am now in a place where I need answers and no one is here who can do that. First Ser Natalie, then you...I can't even locate the woman Suri nor the woman who aided us, Denn I think her name is. So with that I am headed to Limsa Lominsa. Perhaps the ocean air will clear my head of the questions swirling about, or perhaps no answers will come. Should that happen it may be preferable I think to learn a trade and settle, though I hope that is not the case. If you receive this and are in good spirits, please send word and I shall return. Until then, I will take the time in isolation to try and....I'm not sure, but I need the time and hope you understand why I left. -Ruru

Haylo! I had fun meeting you and doing some brief RP before I had to get to bed. Looking forward to getting to know you better IC and OOC! :thumbsup:

Hahaha!!! Cute!

Ruru's breath was visible as he waited, crouching behind a tall thicket in the cold lands of Coerthas. The clouds overhead at least hid the sun, preventing him from imagining false warmth. The area was quiet north of Dragonhead save for the light growling from the Snow Wolf he had in his sights. They tended to be aggressive and dangerous when hungry and this one appeared to be starving. A Lalafell would be an adequate meal for this one, Ruru thought and smiled. His hair had grown out a bit and he had decided to let it grow. And the eyepatch he wore now felt natural, as did the sword he brandished. He had accepted his fate in life and decided to embrace who he was becoming. A soldier. He would complete his training and he would ask Kage to allow him to request Ser Natalie to attempt the trials to become a Sultansworn. While he had initially doubted his abilities with the loss of his eye, he had grown more confident as he had stepped out and worked through various beasts. While he still had much to learn, he was becoming as tempered steel with the skills he was acquiring. He hoped Kage was healing well; his shield arm had been nastily broken and Ruru hoped it would heal properly. In the meantime, Ruru considered, it would do either of them no good to stand idly by an await the next attack by mysterious figure who had hurt them so badly before. He wanted nothing more than to find who did it and put the shackles on the person himself, presenting them to Kage for adjudication. But he needed more information, more training, and a better sense of himself for he could ill afford to lose again. Last time it cost him an eye....the next could be a far greater cost. But first was the Snow Wolf, seemingly oblivious to the Lalafell who spied him for some time. His hans gripped the sword tightly, knuckles cracking as he did so, and hefting the shield on his other arm, he charged out of the thicket toward the wolf. The cold winds pushed against his face as he ran and the feeling was exhilirating as his heart pounded in anticipation. As he got closer, his feet making crunching sounds in the snow as he moved forward, he let out a deep yell that began in his chest and rose to greet the Snow Wolf with a thunderous "YARGHHHH!!!" The shield slammed into the wolf quickly, catching it off guard and allowing Ruru the opportunity to open a series of quick slashes to the wolf, taking its legs out in rapid fashion to limit its movement. It let out a loud yelp of surprise and gnashed at its attacker, its teeth flashing droplets of blood. But it was already too late. Ruru swung the sword more deftly than he had in weeks and it came down in a killing strike to the wolf's torso, putting it down to its final moments. Ruru ensured it died quickly with a quick thrust to the head and then took a knee to collect his thoughts. Through his breathing he closed his eyes and tried hard to remember what the mysterious figure looked like. Was it a man, or a woman? The form had seemed smaller but that implied nor meant anything. He needed to speak to Kage again. As an apprentice Ruru felt limited in what he could do to help, as surely the Sultansworn were handling this internally. He sighed and knew he had to figure something out. With his eye closed he envisoned the attack which had happened so fast. And then just as suddenly, the image of the alluring Roegadyn woman....and he quickly banished the the thought. He stood and sheathed his sword after cwiping the blood away, beginning the long trek back to Ul'dah. He had work to do yet.

Sixth Umbral Moon, Day 18 I am writing this as events happen.....it's all gone to hell. Hopefully someone can find this if I don't make it. Everyone's dead...being killed right NOW. The.... Krell...Nonotano....it's him. The same. He wields dangerous magics...has killed most already. The screams of the men....I want them to be over. I am hiding now. every bump... Thorin was killed so fast and unexpectedly. Nonotano Krell...he suddenly...he just killed Thorin without any warning. Melodia....as I hate her so...she was out of the camp. She maybe could have stopped him. But she was... ...gone. I hear the footsteps...Twelve please don't let him find me....that limp...I can hear it outside of this tent now.... PLEASE.....IF YOU FIND THIS....he's not the Lalafell you will believe him to be. He is INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. We were so wrong to let him live. He's coming in SOMEONE HELP ME. Mother I am so sorr *The text ended here with the paper stained with what can only be assumed to be blood*

Ah yes.....a painful day for all involved....except C'hito...she got away?! WTF?! LOL!! @_-

Sixth Umbral Moon, Day 15 I walked the camp today with a feeling of dread. Thorin was anxious his nerves were starting to affect the entire camp. The crystal was still missing and we hadn't made any progress in actually finding it, though we started running across a name in our intelligence gathering. Krell. The name meant nothing to us but the more it kept coming up, the more death we would find in its wake. We had found a remote Garlean outpost manned by no more than half a dozen soldiers and we had found them all dead, burned to death. One could have attributed it to the beasts in these parts, but there were signs that someone had been there, the footprints in the sand leading in and out of the camp were the clearest. When we asked locals about the crystal they would clam up immediately and say that even if they knew what we were asking about, it would likely be pointless as this "Krell" had already been around and asking. They always looked afraid when we asked about Krell and they never uttered a word, looking more afraid than they likely should have been. Thorin wouldn't speak about him either, saying it was a waste of time. Melodia would just laugh and posture as usual....but they both seemed more on edge than normal. As I walked through the camp I thought about those footprints at the scorched camp, how small those feet were......and my eyes met Nonotano's who was also crossing the camp with a serious expression upon his face, the limp he had still unchanged. Could he.....? It didn't seem possible, and yet Nonotano had been coming and going more often than usual recently. I'm not sure if Thorin or Melodia have even noticed his absences. I have. Those footprints....but Nonotano? The Lalafell was an informant, and no more. Right?

The words swirl around as if on another plane, while the blackness consumes all around. "GET OFF OF HIM!" Rurutani shouts..... "Even the walls here have teeth" the mysterious woman named Suri says... The voices overlap and the image of the tall female Roegadyn floods his mind and she says "Wake up...there's work to be done yet." With a startled cry, Ruru awoke, drenched in sweat from fevered dreams that seemed constant lately. He gasped and caught his breath as he realized it was still dark; the sun had yet to come up but sleep was not going to be happening. His hand slowly wandered to his face and felt on the left side, near the eye that used to be there. The area was still sore and bruised, but was improving every day. The lack of sight from that side still disoriented him, but he hoped time would fix that. He sat up and heaved a deep sigh and thought for a moment, considering the events that had led to his current state. And he knew that he needed to change. He jumped off of the bed in the Quicksand Inn room and walked to the side table. He looked on to the two eyepatches laying there, the simple one that Remi had given him after cleaning his injury and the more elaborate one Denn had given to him. He closed his good eye and considered for a moment before opening it and reaching for the simple one. It would have to do for now. He placed it over his lost eye and then grabbed the larger, fancier eyepatch and grasped it tightly in his small hand. He would have to get some work done it before he could wear it, so he wanted to ensure that happened as soon as possible. He placed the eyepatch down and looked over at the sword and shield leaning against the wall and smiled. He knew what needed to be done. He had, for too long, been averse to fully embracing the training he was going through with Kage and that nearly cost him and Kage their lives. "Not one more shall fall because of my carelessness" Ruru said to himself in a low voice. He walked to the sword and picked it up, feeling it's weight. He would certainly need to relearn his peripheral field of view, but was confident that he could with time. He needed to take the lessons more seriously and needed to work harder. He thought back to the events at Pearl Lane and gritted his teeth as he saw the image of the figure clad in black hurting his mentor, Kage. The figure was lost to him....he had no clue who had attacked Kage or why and had been struck so violently before he could even ascertain any details. He needed to speak to Kage, to find out who it was and what was going on. He also needed to speak with Ser Natalie, but she had been away for some time. He needed to be sure she was okay with him continuing the training with his lost eye. Finally, he needed to speak to Denn, if he could. Something was offputting in the last conversation between her and Kage as she had left him and Kage with Remi. Something....and if Kage wasn't able to get answers, then maybe he could. He set the sword down gently against the wall and went to clean himself up. It was high time to grow up and find out what was going on and he intended to so immediately.

Rurutani stepped into the inn room at the Quicksand and closed the door behind him softly and leaned back against it with a long, deep sigh. He was tired, and battered, and weary. His armor that once had a fine shine to it looked faded, dusty, and worn. He closed his eyes and breathed silently for a moment before pushing himself off of the door and walking toward the bed, which seemed to be calling his name. He could use the sleep but paused in the middle of the room, closing his eyes again. In a split second he had ripped the sword and sheath from his waist and threw it hard onto the bed, grunting as he did. His eyes were narrow and he was breathing hard, staring at the weapon. He took three steps backward and collapsed to the floor, falling into a weary sitting position, with one knee bent as the other leg was outstretched in front of him. He lowered his head into his gloved hands as tears began to sting his eyes and he suddenly started weeping heavily. He hated things in his life and they felt too heavy to bear anymore. He had no family and felt quite alone in the large world around him and his training now with this foreign weapon and new skills made him feel even more alone than ever. He missed his home, and that made him sad as he knew that had been stolen from him forever. And thus, Rurutani sat in his room alone, and quietly wept for some time before collapsing on the floor in his armor and falling asleep.

Uhmmmm.......HI! I was like, hey I know that person! Welcome to the page.

The event was fun and I know it was crazy! So many people in one place that it was tough to keep track of everyone. Eventually my date and I found a spot to the side, danced some and went out to a quieter area to talk. But it was overall a fun event and great to see such active participation in the server. Kudos to all, and special thanks to those who organized it and had to work it for the duration *nods to the Sultansworn members, other players, and anonymous Sultana.*

Your work is really nice! This is my favorite. Keep up the good work.

Fifth Astral Moon, Day 25 I was disgusted. The journey back to the camp had been silent and I was eager to report to Thorin what had happened. It still sat in my mind as we approached the camp, what I had heard from the Horizon locals. Whispered rumors of a group of miners who had been cut to pieces and left for the local vermin to feast upon. They believed that the Amalj'aa had been responsible. I knew for a fact that they were completely innocent. Melodia. She had massacred those people and for no good reason. The smirk on her face as she heard the rumors with me confirmed the suspicion that I had, but knew better than to ask as she would have taken great pleasure in mocking and threatening me all the way back. Why would she do that? There was no strategic gains to be had by killing them and our mission had been intelligence gathering. a murder spree....that was Melodia's way of blowing off steam, I suppose? Whatever her sick motivations were, I needed to inform Thorin immediately upon return. I had nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt her breath on my ear as she suddenly asked me, "What are you so glum about? Been quiet since we left that dust pit." She was inches from me and her voice was cold. I moved foward a bit and glanced back at her with a hard stare that was unintentional and yet uncontrollable. "I don't have anything to say to you." I mustered up a great deal of courage to say that and as I walked forward looking ahead, I paid the the price for that courage. I felt the hard sting in the back of my left knee and fell to the ground as she had quickly (almost like a bird in flight) moved to tower over me, pinning me down on my back with her right foot. Her eyes were still so calm and collected as her face expressed rage. She looked down on me and said through clenched teeth "Say what you need to say boy before I leave you out here for the beasts to chew on." I grunted and felt her foot push deep into my shoulder. "Y-you...why did you kill those -" I had been cut off by her foot digging deep and I feared she would break bones if she pressed harder. She leaned down and laughed. "Hahaha!! THAT'S what you were bent out of shape about? You silly fool. I suppose you want to tell the Captain.....you do that. I am begging you to tell him. He's likely to pin a damned medal on me." The sad thing was, she was likely right. I grimaced and she continued, "I don't know why you waste your energy feeling sorry for these people when they are the enemy. I think you confuse your mission here as well as your place. Just like that little Lalafell. You always think you have more importance than you actually do have." She removed her foot and walked onwards toward the camp. I struggled to my feet, as my knee was in agony but limped on. She glanced back once and noticed my limp and laughed hard for a moment and shouted back "That limp...now you and that half-pint have something in common. Likely not the last thing you will have either." She laughed again and continued onward. Her words chilled my blood and I prayed to talk with Thorin as soon as possible.

... :lol: This post really makes me smile I'm not sure why. A single thread is all it takes for corruption to take hold. Your path to the Dark Side begins! I felt this was appropriate even though the moron who made it didn't know that "want's" is full of fail and lose. Also, he/she/it didn't capitalize Sith. Come to think of it, the whole sentence is just kind of rubbish. If you're going to play off of Uncle Sam then there's really no reason to add stupid crap to it. Heh my journey begins. 8-) You will sleep across the land, Rutting far and wide, Knockin' headboards to understand, the position that makes you writhe! FFXIV>ERP>Sith>Pokemon>??? Two degrees left, can we make it to Kevin Bacon? Oh we can get there..... Z2hG4EeSges

Fifth Astral Moon, Day 23 Horizon was a pit....I hated the grime and the dust and most of all the people there seemed so...transient. We had been here nearly a full day and the heat was making me wish I'd brought more water. Seeing Melodia at work was both humorous and enlightening to a degree. She was a master at charm when she wanted to be, flirting with the men (and even the women) and laughing like a sane person in contrast to her usual cackle...it was refreshing to see. I was posing as her busines partner and we were there to see if we could gather any information on the missing K'rthan Crystal. we also used it as a means to gather some intelligence on how much people knew of our presence. It seemed, after some discussion with folks that they really were oblivious to our presence. Melodia was discussing something with a merchant at his sales stand when she leaned over the table and whispered something into the man's ear. The man blushed fast and could not keep his smile contained, while Melodia giggled like a teenager. She waved and said "See you later, handsome." As we walked away, crossing the small outpost's center square, I whispered, "Do you really plan to see that man tonight?" She had a stern look on her face as she looked at me and said "Of course not, don't be absurd. Getting these sheep to talk is easy. Flash a smile, exude a bit of feminine charm and they are willing to do anything." She said this last with such disdain and malice that it caused me to flinch a bit. "I think we have enough information....we may be able to head back tonight," I said, hoping she would agree. she chuckled and said "Silly boy. We are staying through until morning. I plan on having some fun tonight. I heard some miners heading out earlier. I might go and pay them a visit." She smiled at this last. Many would confuse her words and smile, as something positive and good for the miners. I knew better and I feared that miners would rue the day we came to town.

You are hereby BANISHED for such a post!!! LOL! Of course I am kidding! Welcome! And you are better than me because my wiki is non-existent still....hmmmm.....better get to work on that. Hope to see you sometime in the game!

Fifth Astral Moon, Day 22 It was odd seeing her dressed as a commoner. She was a lethal soldier and member of the Garlean empire and yet, today, she was dressed as one of the rabble we often spied in the camps and outposts throughout Thanalan. The loose-fitting clothing in drab colors consisting of hues of brown and gray masked the cold and deadly woman underneath. The same woman who would slice another's throat for a sip of water, but looking as she did now, others would make the fatal error of assuming she was no more than a harmless beggar. The only thing that stood out.... "You need to dirty yourself up a bit," I said flatly, as I sat in the tent as she slipped on her boots. "Excuse me?!" She looked surprised and hostile, presuming (I think) I had meant this in some backward innuendo way, which was not the case at all. She started to stand and I probably had seconds before she decided my comment was not appropriate and killed me where I sat. "Your face! It's too clean!" I said quickly, lifting my hands in some pitiful half defensive move to shield my face. Had she moved, those hands would be pointless. She paused and with narrowed eyes, here red bangs creeping out from her bandana hanging just over her eyes, and stared into what must have been right through me. "Explain, fool." I stammered a bit, still holding my hands up in a futile manner, "Y-you're face is too clean. Washed, I mean. Many of these people....th-they are dirty from working and the sun bearing down on them." She was silent, still staring, so I continued, "Your clothing is spot on....but your face sabotages the deception. It needs....dust or something..." I trailed off, afraid my words were lost on her. At that moment, a young sodier burst into the tent, shouting, "Where's the Comman-?" That was as much as he was able to get out of his mouth before Melodia's lightning fast arm snapped out and siezed, clutching the boy's throat as he buckled and fell to his knees. She stood over him, still choking his life from him, her mouth caught in a ferocious snarl and rageful eyes, "How DARE you, enter that way?!" As he gasped for air, arms flailing wildly at his sides and trying to grasp at her arm (which seemed made of stone at this point), she leaned in and through gritted teeth said, "We were having a conversation....get. OUT!" She shouted this last right into the man's face and released her grip. He began coughing and quickly scrambled out of the tent half running, half crawling. She then snapped her head back in my direction, that bloodlust still in her eyes meaning I was nowhere near out of danger. "You were saying?" She asked. I coughed and continued, "I just....uhm, I feel that for you to properly blend in and avoid suspicion, you need to make your face less...clean." She stood silent and then nodded slowly. She then knelt and rubbed her hands on the dusty floor and then stood, wiping her cheeks and spreading the dust to appear more natural. And she looked perfect, as though she was one of these folks. "So?" she asked, gesturing at herself. I nodded and said, "You look perfect. We shouldn't have a problem -" Shecut me off with a raised hand, telling me without a word that she didn't want to hear any more. She walked over to the bed, picked up her satchel and slung it over her shoulder, looking back at me as I did the same for my gear. We were to be away two days; two days that hadn't even started yet and already she had nearly killed someone. How would we remain undercover for that long without it blowing up in our faces? (NOTE: remove this later). Before we stepped out she stopped and leaned in very close to me, her lips lmost touching my cheek and whispered, "If you ever make a comment like that again and if I half a hint that it's related to sex, I will scatter pieces of you throughout the land. So you don't forget." She smiled softly at the last and laid a soft kiss on my cheek before turning to walk out. My skin had gone pale and I could feel gooseflesh as I followed, sure that I wouldn't survive the trip.

NICE! Glad to see this! :thumbsup: