Journey of the Elementals RP (Pm if Interested, Started)

[blaze96]

"You are fairly right, though I expect no gratitude on your end at least. I would be grateful certainly but the most I could offer is my services as a healer either with or without magic. Really all I would hope for is permission to set up my tent near or in your camp and permission to pass through your lands on our way to the city you mentioned. If I could get some kind of symbol so as to keep your people from harming me on the journey I would be grateful but I know that is asking a lot of someone you have only just met.

As for why I am here, I had two decisions to make and I made mine. The first was a choice between being able to live with myself or keeping Edgar happy. Not many would understand my decision but I know in the end I did the right thing and have no regrets for it. The second was a choice between leaving sooner or being kicked out later. I probably could have stayed the night, but I left on moral grounds. Even if you do not grant me either permission I will not turn around and head back to the castle, of that I am most certainly sure.

Even if I am of no use to you I won't be a burden either. I can supply myself and my companions with shelter, food, and other supplies for the night. We also won't be staying more than the single night. As for my newest companion, she was sent long before us and has been surviving ever since." Alexander replied, not making any action since he wasn't invited to do so and instead continued to heal Claire. He then thought to his shadow.

"I'm not surprised we were left as the last. We were probably farther away than their other options and I wouldn't doubt the Academy comes with its own set of politics and red tape as it were. If the situation can be handled without dealing with that, I most certainly wouldn't blame the Prime Minister for doing so. Much as I seem to be engaging in politics as of late, I would rather not have to. Court is no place for the child of a Smith."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

For the moment Claire kept quiet - she was tired enough that even forming words required some mental effort, and the sensation as her wounds healed, as strained muscle relaxed and torn skin knitted, well, it was so good that the best descriptors for it were inappropriately erotic. As the thought crossed her mind her cheeks and ears reddened.

Alexander seemed to have this business well in hand. Stay a night with the centaurs, well, that sounded fantastic. Mind if someone told her that she could sleep in something approximating a bed by lying down in the web of a spider the size of a couple draft horses she'd have to seriously consider the offer

The adrenaline seemed to have run its course, because everything was getting really slow all of the sudden. Her head sagged forward, and a second later she began loudly snoring.

 

[Lambi]

"Huh? Did she just..." Silvana went over to the door to check and see if Rosa had locked them inside the room. She had. "Well, then. Guess we're stuck here until someone lets us out. In the meanwhile..." Rosa had at least told her that their robes were there, and lo and behold, on the bed were the robes. However, there was no real place to change there without changing in front of Joey. Which she didn't want to do.

"So, any brilliant ideas as to how we get out?" she asked him before taking a look outside. Storm sure was picking there. Good thing they were inside, even though they were now locked in a room.

 

[UnusualStranger]

As Drew neared the gems that were in the gadgets, some glowed a little brighter with his presence drawing closer. The device itself seemed to give off a small jarring movement at the new visitor. However, any additional checking quickly was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and an armored Alice wandering into the room, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing that Drew had not done anything quite yet.

"Lord Drew...are you not tired? I had been told that you had been wandering about. Hopefully not getting into...any trouble in the meantime. Seems that the goodwill was cut rather...quickly with what has happened." Alice said, walking over to where Drew had been examining the devices.

"You...weren't doing anything strange, or personal...were you? I understand if you were, and I can get going...just try not to get into any trouble maybe? And some rest too, as I doubt you'll be staying here too much longer..." Alice turned, seeming to be keeping an eye out for the time being.

[hr]

Kane let out a loud laugh as Alexander finished his formal asking and statements, even harder when Claire started snoring loudly while leaning against Jade, who couldn't help but redden slightly at the picture she thought she was presenting. Kane walked his way over to Alexander and slapped hard on the mage's back.

"HAH! Ya are a damned political animal, arn't you? Don't worry so much, Alexander. Since we got started, the bastard in the castle is my enemy. And since you are no friend of his, that means ya are more than free to set up a tent around here. Just don't go tampering with the others..." Kane said, giving a small wave to Jade and Claire.

"Besides, this new one you seemed to have with you seems to be quite the catch! I'd say the other centaurs should show a bit more concern, but I imagine any others that come along with you are perhaps looking for something a bit more! But, you are more than free to rest for the evening, and passage through the lands. It isn't much, since as you notice we are quite busy, but it is what you wanted all the same!" Kane leaned in closer to speak quietly.

"So...good luck with the napping, as she almost makes more noise than the rain does!"

Jade, in the meantime, tried to shift a little so it wasn't such an odd way of standing with Claire practically laying on her at this point. She shot Alexander a look largely of confusion at this point, not quite sure what to do with the suddenly sleeping Claire.

"Erm....Lord Alexander, do your...er, people, do this regularly? I don't know about many things that....well, sleep like this!" Jade said, obviously not as concerned with speaking with Kane.

Child of a smith or no, you are doing well, Alexander. With or without my help. And red tape holding back mages? That is...not like us, I would think. Shouldn't mages be a little more...active in their activities? In keeping the world safe? The shadow seemed a little more confused, obviously not familiar with why they wouldn't be able to assist quickly.

 

[blaze96]

Alexander couldn't help the laugh that came after Kane had slapped his back.

"I've had to learn, though I never did much like politics. It definitely has its uses though. I'm actually something of an anomaly really, most people back home never learn how to act formally. As for tampering with others, I never would unless I was asked to by the individual in question." With that he moved to help Jade prop Claire up, taking most of the weight himself.

"If you think she is loud you've never been around a particularly high end Earthshaper. They snore and the very ground can move in response." He said somewhat jokingly. He shifted Claire a bit more to get comfortable before responding to Jade.

"Some of us do, but with her I think it is more the energy of battle wearing off and her exhaustion setting in. We'll get the tent set up and let her rest. Thank you for your help Kane, if there is anything within reason I can do to repay your kindness please ask. Just let me get my patient settled in first if that is no trouble." With that he began moving to exit the tent. He already had an idea of what he would do to create a somewhat nice and dry place to sleep.

"I guess red tape was poor word choice. I meant that I doubt the masters would just believe the prime minister without at least confirming things on their own first. Especially when believing him means sending a group of mages possibly to their deaths. Combine that with the fact that the academy has just as much politics as any large organization and it probably wasn't easy to make this all happen."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew turned around when Alice addressed him. "Oh! Uh, hey Alice. I didn't do anything. Watched the fight for as long as I could, then I tried getting some rest. Then Alexander did something stupid." he said, looking back at the gadgets Well, his shadow did. Seriously, don't know what the fuck it was thinking. But no need to sound crazy. "Anyway, managed to get things under control. We were leaving in the morning anyway, so there's that."

There was a silence and before he spoke up again. "So... are you feeling ok? Things go well? And what are you gonna do now that the fighting's done for tonight?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Huh? Did she just..." Joey took a step back, spinning a bit to get a proper look about the room. "Yup. She totally did." As she stepped away from the door, Horatio took her spot, kneeling before the doorknob. "Hm. I could probably pick this lock. Doesn't look like anything special...then again, this place is weird. The lock could be magically infused for all I know. So yeah...it might be better if we'd wait." "That Rosa...clever girl."

"In the meannnntime~..." He sauntered over to the raven haired mage. "Lady Silvana, I never got to mention just how ravishing you look in that dress. Really accents the contours and curves of your...enticing figure." He complimented her as he closed the gap between the two. As he got a better look at her face through the dim lighting, there was a particular accent that caught his attention. "Your eyes...never have I seen such a shimmering shade of crimson up close!" He was genuinely impressed, for like the second or third time today. "One should be careful around you. They would get lost in your gaze."

"But, back to your dress. As beautiful as you look in it, I can't help but notice just how uncomfortable you look in it. A lady such as yourself shouldn't have to endure such discomforts." His fingers began travelling up her shoulders. "Perhaps I could help you out of it...?" He leaned in closer, a hand reaching for the zipper.

 

[Lambi]

Silvana was definitely not pleased with Joey coming onto her like he was. Her first impression of him from earlier hadn't been too good, and this just confirmed it. He wasn't someone she'd like to hang around. However, he did get to her a bit when he mentioned her eyes, making her blush a bit. "You mean that?" she said, bring a hand to her cheek to see if it was as warm as her cheeks felt.

But that went away when he made a move for her dress, specifically to take her out of it. "Yeah, no, that's not happening." She could have just pushed him away or punched him, but she took it in a different direction. She made a giant shadow hand that grabbed Joey and held him still. "Maybe you're able to flatter other girls with that kind of talk, but not me. The only way to get me out of this dress, is to get me into my robe." She pointed to her robe on the bed.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Oh, so that's still a yes?" Horatio immediately replied, wriggling and squirming enough in he shadowy grasp to release and gain control of his arms. He had his hands holding up his head, flashing a careless, almost aloof smile that pretty much served as his silent opinion for most of the night's happenings. She was clearly much more versed in her element than he was. Almost intriguingly so.

"You really are pretty, though." He stated as earnestly as he could sound. "I meant every word I said. There's quite a lot about you that's...y'know...instantly striking. Maybe you don't get compliments often (which, I've noticed, seems to be a common thing among all the people I've chatted with these past few days), but I know i'm not the kind of guy to not let such features go unnoticed. That's just me." He shrugged. "I assure you Silvana, I meant no ill will." He began to chuckle. "Hell, if you trust anything I say, you could trust my compliments."

"So yeah. I did mean everything I said. Especially what I said about your eyes. I find them equal parts beautiful and intriguing, much like these shadow abilities you possess. They're like nothing I've ever seen before. There's quite a bit about you that's immensely unique when you think about it." He smiled again. "And yeah, I'm gushing a bit, but i'm an in-the-moment kind of guy, so I tend to put everything out in the open just in case I don't get the chance in the future." He clarified.

 

[Lambi]

He sure liked to talk. Not that he could do much else from where he was. Silvana gave a small chuckle. "You're right about the complimenting, it doesn't happen often. But I grew used to it as I learned to love the shadows more, not needing praise from others. Just kept to myself and my studies."

Again he mentioned her eyes, and again she immediately blushed. After all, it was a particular weakness of hers. She gave him a small smirk and another chuckle. "Thank you." It wasn't often that she said that, but she meant it. "Gushing is fine, really. But I honestly think it isn't getting through to me, as much as you hope it will." Though she still wore a bit of her blush from just earlier.

Right now, though, she wished she had the privacy to change clothes, but Joey made that a bit difficult. "I need to change, but I can't have you be looking at me while I do that. I could just use my magic to temporarily blind you while I do it." She wasn't sure why she was saying that out loud, but there wasn't much else to do in the room until it got unlocked. Though for starters, she released the grip on Joey she had with her shadow hand, making it disappear. "No funny business or I'm summoning it again." she warned him.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Kane gave another laugh, obviously finding Alexander's more crass nature away from the party refreshing. With a quick wave, he made his way over to a chest under the table, pulling out a small flask and offering it to Alexander as they proceeded out.

"Here! For proving ya don't have a stick up yer ass! Its some pretty good stuff. Goes down very smooth, if I do say so myself! Try to keep dry out there, cause I imagine you can't do too well healing yourself up when ya feel like garbage! Just don't go taking any trees or anything, cause some of the animals are a bit protective and will fight ya, even in the damned storm." Kane continued, practically pushing the flask into his hands.

"Maybe it will help keep you warm while you do your work! Ya don't look like the working type, I think. Course, you are just full of surprises, so I am hoping that I find you survived the night. Enjoy your stay all the same, and don't mind the men or women out there. Just sour after a bad fight, and there isn't much to be done about it now."

Going back out into the storm, Jade gave a small shiver as the rain once again became a factor as they left the warm tent behind. "If you say so, Lord Alexander. I am not too familiar with all your kind, so this is...different, to say the least. Anything in particular in mind? Kane was not lying about the forest being...protective of its own land. Or the creatures, rather...." Jade warned, doing what she could with helping Claire be moved.

"So, I am guessing right here will work, or did you have a plan in mind for this particular setup for your...patient. Hope us getting some sleep is in that plan, my Lord."

As they set up the quick makeshift tent, and finally did some escaping from the rain into it, Jade sighed, trying to shake off some of the wetness.


[hr]

Alice gave a small nod when Drew mentioned Alexander, obviously very much aware of the situation that had been happening within the walls while the battle outside had happened. As the silence slowly overtook what lack of conversation there was, When Drew finally spoke she gave a slightly aloof shrug, obviously not having much for what to do with the mood somewhat ruined by events known by both of them.

"Hm? Oh....Right. Uhm, I am quite alright, thank you very much for asking. I do not have any plans, as...well, there will be more tomorrow, just that the storm is going to be keeping anything from happening this evening. So...uh, yeah....why did you stop trying to rest? I imagine you have a long journey tomorrow, and I don't think the castle will be following you, Lord Drew, so a warm bed and safe doors would probably be fine beginning..." Alice said, checking her armor as she spoke, now realizing how official she looked with the green armors she wore. Giving an affirming nod of what she looked over, she looked at Drew again.

"Uh...guess you like the suit?"

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Drew left Cale with a toast so he sat there, finishing his drink and thinking about the trials once more now that it was brought up. He was obviously satisfied with his answer but he couldn't ignore Drew's own curiosity as to why Cale declined what he so wanted. He swirled his drink but decided not to finish it. He felt restless and yearned for action which is when he truly started to hear the tremendous racket going on outside.

Cale made his way to a higher level of the castle and peered out of an unguarded window to see a massive storm outside. Rain and thunder were the only normal things about the storm as it swirled around the area. Cale couldn't make out anything with the storm raging and he felt like it hadn't even fully reached them. This certainly didn't make escaping any easier. Uneasily fazed, Cale stalked around the castle for a way out.

 

[blaze96]

"Thank you, I spent so much time around formal leaders that it's nice to have a change." Alexander said as he accepted the flask.

"The most I plan on taking from any of the plants are enough leaves to make enough of a floor that I'm not laying the person I'm healing in mud. Would defeat the entire purpose, but I will only take so much as I need and no more." With that he left with Jade and she asked her question.

"Sleep is in the plan, just need to make sure Claire is stable before I do so. I'm not going to possibly have her die in her sleep just because I wanted to rest." With that he found a spot to set up and found there was enough plant matter on the floor that he could at least sit Claire down. With that he got to work setting up the tent, making it so there wasn't much of a high ceiling but it would keep the three of them dry. That was the important part so far as he was concerned.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Joey smirked, crossing his arms as she relinquished him from the icy cold grip of darkness. "Well, I was going to see what I can do about this door. Give it a looksee. I could pick it, if it's nothing special." He meandered to the locked door and knelt at the keyhole. "You can change. I won't peek." "Mostly." "Promise." He said with sincerity, flashing a quick disarming smile in her direction before returning to the lock examination.

"Sure I can." Silvana said back to him before making a wall of shadow between them, quickly taking her dress off and putting her robes back on, then took the wall down again. It felt so nice to be back in her robes. She walked over to Joey and leaned against the wall by the door. "Any luck with the lock?"

If he were a weaker man, Horatio would've jumped out of his skin at Silvana's expedient change. He didn't even get a chance to peep! "Great Dorro that was fast!" He replied, regaining his composure as discreetly as he possibly could. "Geez, you made this whole big tizzy about privacy...only to change in less than a second!" He added with a mumble as he tampered a little more with the lock.

"A second of peeking is still a second of peeking. Besides, taking a dress off isn't that hard. Nor is putting my robes back on. Just be a good boy and work on the lock instead of worrying about whether you got a chance to peek or not." Silvana was wanting to get out of this room. She'd wanted to explore the place a bit, not get locked inside a room.

"Hm." He holstered his dagger and rose to his feet. "I could definitely get us out of here. My knife's too broad though to pick the lock, though." He took a gander about the room. "Got so caught up in the beautiful lady in my vicinity, that I fully forgot to inspect this room-!" He declared, before decidedly going through the nearest clothes drawer. "Hey. Now that I've actually had a slow moment with one you mages...how's uh..." He hesitated, pausing his search. He slowly turned to Silvana, a somewhat neutral look on his face. "How is the Academy?" He asked quietly.

Still with the compliments, I see. Ah, well. Let him have his fun with that. Silvana watched him leap for a drawer, before stopping his search to ask her about the Academy. "Oh, it's magnificent. Why, it's the reason I've become so close to my beloved shadows, and learned to control them as much as I've been able to." she said with the affectionate voice she usually put on when talking about her shadow powers. It wasn't a conscious decision to change her voice, it just happened. "And I am very skilled when it comes to shadows, as you might have seen from earlier."

"Oh. That's...nice." His reply was as hesitant and stilted as his question. He quickly turned back to his search. "Yeah...nice. Really nice." He let out a bit of a sigh.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew shrugged. "Just too much stuff on my mind. Not a heavy sleeper. Still, it's not like I'll be doing anything else." he casually tapped a couple gizmos. "Just wanted to check these out." He then saw her messing with her armor. "It looks nice. Still prefered your other outfits." he said, smirking at the last part.

"Well, just don't....break anything. I've heard that things are....suspect between yourselves and the Lord Edgar." Alice replied, walking over to see more closely what Drew was tapping on. "Uhm...Thanks for the compliment. But you shouldn't be staying up so late, even if you are not a heavy sleeper. Especially since Lord Edgar is going to be..working with you? Are you sure this is...a good idea? Leaving quickly might work better...."

"I know it isn't the best idea, but it's that or send all my companions out in this storm." Drew said, a thunderous boom punctuating his sentence. He took a second to appreciate the timing, and then continued "Who knows? Might be able to get a trinket." He didn't really think it'd happen, but one could always hope. "Still, no need to worry." he said, both to her and to himself. "Besides! I get to see you for a little while longer. Speaking of, what're you planning to do?" he said, turning back to her.

"I think the chances for trinkets is long past....but maybe you will be luckier in that regard. But, it seems that without the Lord Alexander you have things well in hand." She gave a small smile at that, obviously happy with what she measured to be some success. "And...thank you for sticking around. This evening is....well, if you have difficulty resting, perhaps you just need a proper...escort? If that is fine, of course! I don't want to come off as...pushy as others." Alice blushed at that, obviously looking to not get into details.

"Glad to see something went right." Drew muttered. He smirked mischievously at Alice's latest comment. "Not pushy at all!" he said, putting an arm around her. "In fact, I'd appreciate the company."

"Oh....Well, I guess we should get....going then? I know you said that the company would be appreciated..." Alice said, wrapping an arm around Drew as well. "So...I know you didn't come here like this. Some improvements that you found?" She chatted as they walked back to Drew's room, still with a blush as they walked.

"And...what shall you do about the Lord Alexander? I might be going too personal but....I am concerned. You have a long journey ahead, and...it is better to knowing of your allies. Especially with...the company he keeps." Alice seemed to scoff a bit at the last part.

"Well, Onyx said she'd have new clothes for me in the morning." he said, looking at his current attire. "I hope it's like this. Looks nice. As for Alexander... hardly knew him at the academy. But from the few times I've seen him, he's ok. But what exactly do you mean by company? Not friends with Jade?"

"Mm....Just like her." Alice whispered, then to speak up. "Jade is....forward. Far from modest, as you can imagine. She has Lord Edgar's favor, but that doesn't mean I have to like her." Alice paused as they got to the doorway.

"I cannot claim to think much of her...methods. And I would rather not even be a semblance of them at any point....apologies. I should not speak so poorly of those not here to defend themselves." She opened the door, waving Drew inside.

"Right, right. So proper and polite all the time." Drew said, pulling her a little closer. "So professional. Don't you ever get tired of it?" he said, stepping in, Alice still in his arm.

"Well, I keep a semblance of...calm here. It is what keeps things in order, isn't it?" Alice replied, seeming to enjoy the new closeness. "Is it tiring? I apologize..."

"Not tiring at all. Just wondering if you ever want to relax every now and then. Must be maddening keeping things straight in this place." his arm went lower, now at her waist.

"Relaxation isn't...impossible for me." Alice said, starting to loosen her armor. "Uh.... Lets just lay down here....OK?" Alice gave a light tug at her armor, tossing the bulkier chestplate aside and doing her best to get the leg guards off. "Mmph. There. Uh....are you comfortable as well? Because to get some rest, laying down would be a good start..."

Without a word, Drew laid down on the bed, pulling her down with him. "Feeling a lot better now." he said jokingly.

"That is good..." Alice whispered, snuggling close without the armor. "Nice and warm and comfortable. Hopefully I don't bother your sleeping if I move. Just get nice and... comfortable, Lord Drew."

"It won't bother me at all." he smiled, putting his other arm around her, yawning as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Shame it's only for tonight." he said, closing his eyes.

 

[UnusualStranger]

As the night continued, the mages either went to sleep, or were taken to their rooms to get some rest. With everyone all in their rooms, and the battle on hold until the storms of the evening rolled out, the evening was largely calm. While there was sometimes a flash of lightning, or a sudden gust of wind, the world largely treated it as if it was a common occurrence. The dragons no longer flew through the skies, the gargoyles had all taken shelter in either the buildings, or into the forest.

It was only as the storm started to become less ferocious is when the first few dragons brave enough to take to the sky appeared once more. While the world was by no means alive with activity once again, it at least showed more life than just the storm keeping everyone from the outside. The hours of storm seemed to quickly fade as both the castle and the camp seemed to start to spring up with their own life.

[hr]

With the storms gone, the centaurs and spirits began to awaken from their shelters and tents, starting fires once again, getting into their armor, and talking and telling stories as the world began to slowly brighten up once again. There was some small amount of laughter and notice of Alexander's tent which had been set up, but overall they kept away from the tent and were more interested in the fires that were started to get warm around, check their weapons and armor, take a few drinks, and just chat among themselves.

Kane took his time in walking among his warriors, a loud laugh here or there, but overall the status of the camp was still very grim. The entire camp seemed to know that they were going to be given a poor task for the day, and none, not even Kane, were trying to hide away from it.

Jade had wrapped herself around Alexander through the evening, obviously planning on keeping her and him warm through the night, despite not having the most supplies to keep warm other than having the tent above to keep the rain off them. While she opened an eye to glance at the centaurs, she proceeded to go back to keeping close to Alexander in the meantime. It was obvious she wanted nothing to do with the waking army, and they took well enough to the message with a glance of their own.

[hr]

Meanwhile, in the castle, the mages were all comfortably sleeping in their rooms. They were left largely undisturbed for the time being...well, all of them except for Drew in a small moment. Edgar had awakened early to get this so-called negotiation out of the way so that he could go back to focusing on the battle which would be happening outside soon. Some of the stone warriors had taken to going outside to prepare for any surprise assault, and many of the women had already gotten ready outside as well. It was much more of an official preparation in stark contrast to Kane's group simply getting around their fires.

Arriving at the door of Drew's room, Edgar knocked twice, and leaned against the wall opposite of the door and waited. In full armor, and with a halberd sitting next to him as he waited. He didn't plan on it taking long.

In the room itself, Alice was resting comfortably with Drew in the bed, wearing a small amount less than when she had initially gone to sleep. Finding herself with Drew nearby made her blush and flinch when she heard the knocking on the door.

"Oh...Uhm...Good morning. It...uh, sounds like time...to, uh....meet with Lord Edgar."

[hr]

Seth stirred, blinking the sleep away as he awoke, finding himself still entangled with Raven. At first he couldn't help but be a tiny bit surprised, but quickly warmed up to the idea of sleeping in a little more. Besides, it was nice and warm with Jenn right there, and that made him happy for the time being.

Feeling a bit daring, he decided to steal a kiss since she was sleeping still so peacefully. He figured that she might have a good time waking up to that. If not, he was happy to steal the kiss anyway and knowing she was a deep sleeper.

Course, she might not be used to having an evening like that either. Still, might as well wake her up in the best way possible. Or....she'll reflexively smack me. No better time than now to find that out too!

"Good morning, Jenn, my pretty shadowgirl." Seth whispered after the quick kiss, smiling cheekily at the thought.

 

[blaze96]

Alexander had maneuvered himself to be laying on his side facing away from Jade and close to Claire. He had a blanket in his backpack, but it had not been meant for three people, so he knew they needed to do all they could to conserve body heat. When he woke up to the lack of sound from the rain he sat up and looked to Jade who was already awake, surprised to find her in such a state already.

"Not often I'm beaten awake, I'm not sure if I should be jealous or congratulate you on that. Must have been more tired than I thought." He had already taken the time necessary to heal Claire of her more serious issues, but he hadn't bothered with the more minor injuries as they would heal on their own and not affect her performance in battle or travel. He stood up in his underwear, knowing it would do no good to sleep in a soaked robe.

"I'll get us a fire going and we can get our clothes properly dried. Feel free to take some of the rations from my pack if you are hungry. I'll have to find some information on what is and isn't safe to eat eventually, but we can survive on rations for a while anyway." With a smile he got up and walked out of the tent. He then gathered some wood, leaves, and stones for a fire.

First was clearing away the brush enough that an errant spark wouldn't pose a threat and making a perimeter out of the collected rocks. He then gathered any leaves and underbrush into a small and dense circle before forming the wood into a cone shape so that the fire would be controlled for a while. Alexander was actually rather glad he was a light mage at this point. He focused a laser as much as he could and held it for a little while on the leaves until it ignited, spreading to the others and the gathered wood in turn.

That done he gathered his clothes and laid them flat close enough to the fire that the heat would have an effect but not so close that there was a risk of them catching.

 

[CounterAttack]

Gabriel spent the majority of the afternoon and evening working on the steam techniques from his textbook. As he experimented with the more advanced coursework, he felt that the simpler spells became easier. After a couple of hours' work, he pulled off a trick in the book described as "a small-scale steam detonation": he could take a water orb with a couple of inches' radius and flash-steam it by separating the water at speed. This created a small cloud of steam, lasting a few seconds before it lost its heat and vanished into the air.

Further practice yielded similar results, although he found it almost impossible to re-condense the vapour. A tiny scrap could be salvaged each time, but it was nowhere near enough to repeat the spell with the same water each time. Still, it was progress. Better than he'd managed with ice, at any rate. Satisfied with his successful night of studies, he changed out of the suit into some lightweight clothing from his pack, put the fire out and shut the windows, and fell asleep within minutes of retiring to his bed.

[hr]

The first thing Gabriel felt the next morning was warmth. Had he left the fire on? No, that wasn't right, he'd splashed it with water from the fountain. He tried to move, shift a little and roll onto his side. Something resisted his movement. Hands on his shoulders. More than hands. Something held his chest down as well. No, his whole body. Gabriel's eyes flickered open.

"Good morning, Gabriel."

A familiar face, not too distant from his own. Grey eyes, honey-blonde hair, flawless skin... "Isa? ... What're you doing?" The question was murmured, the Hydromancer still half-asleep.

"Just a little experiment. How are you feeling?" Sure enough, it was Isa who rested on top of her charge, one leg entwined with Gabriel's own. He realised his own hands were wrapped about her waist. She was wearing very little, judging by the bare skin Gabriel could feel under his fingers.

"This is a surprise... not an unwelcome one, though." Gabriel felt himself blushing, but kept his breathing even and tried to relax. He was properly awake now, taking in all the details. She must have slipped under the covers while he was asleep.

Isa gave a quiet laugh. "Well, that wasn't quite what I was expecting. You seem more confident than I'd guessed... So. We don't need to be up and about for a while yet, even with the battle outside and other such things. I can stay for a while, unless you had plans for the morning?"

Gabriel paused, taking time to find the right words. "No, no plans. Let's... let's just lie here a while. Take the moment while we can."

Isa's smile widened. "As you wish." She shifted a little, resting her head on his shoulder and placing her free hand on his bare chest. Minutes passed, the silence only broken by the soft sounds of breathing. So this was what it was like to wake up with a lady... it was nice. Comfortable. And whether it was confidence, as Isa had mentioned, or just riding the successes of the night's worth of spellcraft - or maybe, just maybe, it was a bit of both - the worst Gabriel had reacted to finding Isa in his bed was a simple blush. He was proud of himself for that.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Drew awoke to the sound of knocking. He swore under his breath as he opened his eyes, but his expression lightened when he saw Alice. "Uh, just give me a minute." he called out, trying to get out of bed without throwing off Alice. "Well, it was good while it lasted." He said to her. He went over to the door, opening it. "Good morning, Lord Edgar." He said, noticing a robe hanging on it. "Uh... I guess this is my new outfit. Can you give me a minute, sir?"

After a moment of silence he took it and closed the door. He looked at the robe, the same shape and size as his old ones. The big difference were the colors. The whole thing was a light gray, closer to white than black, and white at cuffs and a hood. "Nice colors. Guess I shouldn't be surprised since I'm not actually a wind mage anymore." He shrugged, getting changed, trying to do so as quickly as possible. Afterwards, he turned back to Alice. "So... looks fine, right?"

He took a moment for her to respond, and then opened the door. "Sorry about that. Good morning, Lord Edgar."

 

[NeoAC]

For the first time in a very long time, Jennifer wasn't dreaming about revenge upon the society at large, or the world being consumed in eternal darkness. No it was just some dream about a field. Some bog-standard field. The only difference was that Seth was there. And that's what made it blissful. Then he set fire to a bunch of the flowers, and that was pretty kickass.

Then it was back to a recreation of the events of last night. Shocker, Raven had never had anyone get that close to her before, and for those precious hours where her and Seth weren't focused on weird lords and trials and dragon bitches stealing cosmetics, it was heavenly. She had never felt such passion and warmth from herself, let alone another person.

When that kiss came, she snapped out of that field, the reality setting in. Jenn didn't mind though when reality promised close to what she had in her mindscape. When Seth's lips left her, she stirred slightly, opening her eyes and not cursing the day for once. Seth was right there, better than when he was in her dream.

"Good morning, Jenn, my pretty shadowgirl." I actually feel like a Jenn today too.

Jenn smiled and softly chuckled to herself as she slightly lifted herself off the mattress, hair falling forward around her face as she did so. "Good morning Seth, my hot pyroboy," she offered back. "I'm surprised you're up so early."