[hider={ROUND}]
[@Lord Zee]
[@Hawlin]
[@Darkmoon Angel]
[@rush99999]
[@Cuccoruler]
[@Rekaigan]
[@ineffable]
[/hider]
[hider=Tiberius Longshadow]
[quote=@Lord Zee]
As night crept ever darker, Tiberius began to feel on edge and even jumpy. He had never wanted to stay in this place but they had done so anyway without his advice. It was never a good idea to stay in places where the foulest of magic had touched, it had a certain way of leeching into a person. Or so the rumors went. At least, they had a fire and even more importantly, they had each other.

When Fin put her hand on his shoulder, offering her condolences, Tiberius seemed to flinch. Her expression was solemn, did she actually care about his problems and past? [i]Wouldn't that be great[/i], he thought, [i]To have someone to talk to again.[/i] However, he found it to good to be true as his perception of her began to falter at her last comment. Tiberius pulled away from her, letting her hand fall. 

[color=gold]"Excuse me?"[/color] he said angrily. [color=gold]"I thank you for your compassion towards my past, but I condemn your current line of thought. Laina is a friend and to be belittled by someone who doesn't even know her, insults me. I advise you hold your tongue about my companions if you don't like them. Just keep it to yourself please."[/color]

He never liked talking to women that way, but Tiberius wasn't going to stand to have a friend, who he was asked to look out for, insulted so callously. Fin would have to be a bit more respectful for Tiberius to actually take what she said seriously. For all he knew, her words were just falsities and she was just trying to get something out of her current predicament. 
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=Kaitra "Kaite" J. Elzbrn]
[quote=@Hawlin]
Cold eyes snapped up from the fire at the comment Fin made. Somehow, Kaite had expected something like this, though her last shred of respect she had for the woman went out the window with how blatant and tactless the insult was. Even as she was scolded by Tiberius, the northern knight pulled herself to stand, stabbing the firestick into the coals and releasing a torrent of sparks.

[color=a187be]"Nawh..."[/color] Kaite said, tilting her head as the ice blue eyes quickly readjusted to the darkness outside of staring into the fire. [color=a187be]"...Don moind if a'hear this one out. Wot 'av ya, [i]princess[/i]? Ye'think ya too good f'hospitality an fu'giveness?"[/color] she sneered before spitting on the ground to express disgust with the notion.
Pacing, Kaite put herself between 'Lilly' and Fin while taking a long swig from her wineskin, thankful for packing some of the hoity-toity elven mash. She had to give the knife-ears credit, they knew their way around wine as it was at least stiff enough to numb the burning sensation wracking her body and washed the taste of blood from her mouth.

[color=a187be]"Entertain us, wot makes some common uncouth cutpurse better th'n us? Hmm?"[/color] Kaite taunted with a tilt of her head and a lift of a brow, clearly having had enough of the woman the moment she entered the camp after having robbed one of her associates and tried to play the group for fools. The wine probably didn't help, along with the time to herself to reflect. She was itching for a fight, one she could win, and Fin was quickly walking into it simply by being herself.
Caught up in the moment, Kaite hadn't even noticed Zenovia's reanimation or the books.
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=Ivan Stormwall]
[quote=@Darkmoon Angel]
The forest was... Eerily silent, to say the least. Whatever that thing was that attacked the group, it's very presence has warped the woods around the camp. Ivan was sure that something was still lurking in these woods and it was his job to inform the group immediately if something was drawing near. [color=ed1c24]"Brr... Never thought a bloody forest would give me the creeps... That creature must still have this area in it's grasp... Hopefully we can all get out of here... Wait..."[/color]

Something caught his attention, but it wasn't an enemy. A calming, friendly aura seemed to fall upon the forest, it almost felt peaceful before an arrow found it's way straight into a tree beside Ivan. [color=ed1c24]"What the... An arrow? How in the..."[/color] The ring around his finger gave off a warm light, revealing a scrap of parchment on the arrow, the script was clearly elvish in origin and the writing was neat, elegant even. [color=ed1c24]"Dance with me? Huh?"[/color] The sounds of rustling leaves and twigs snapping could be heard a few feet away. Ivan followed the sound cautiously, it could be a trap... Though, Ivan felt a sense of... Peace.

[@Thinslayer]
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=Zenovia Almire]
[quote=@Rekaigan]
[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjg4LjM2YmZjZS5XbVZ1YjNacFlTQkJiRzFwY21VLC4w/eutemia-i.italic.png[/img]
[@Darkmoon Angel][/center][hr]
The first person to greet Zenovia on her return was Ivan. [color=6ecff6]"U-uhh, yes that's fine!"[/color] She answered awkwardly. She hoped that he didn't see the books that she had brought back from the void library. She had come to fear the thought of the Reaper due to it's ambiguity, and she wasn't about the take many chances. The shaman sighed in relief as the warrior walked off to scout the area, either he didn't notice the books or he didn't ask about them. Even if he did notice them, she was glad that he didn't ask. [color=6ecff6]"Thank you.."[/color] She muttered as he left.

She noticed a verbal conflict had begun to brew in the camp, she wasn't sure if she wanted to stick around to watch it unfold. The elf was quite eager to bury her nose in the tomes that she was given. She slowly got to her feet, glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention. Thinking that it was safe to leave, she slowly backed away from the others, walking into the dark forest. She wasn't scared of what might be lurking, for the spirits lit the way. She sat down on a log not too far from the camp, but she was hopefully out of sight. The shaman brought out one of the books from her satchel, opening it. Small spirits hovered around the book to light up the pages, but this light was only visible to Zenovia. Anyone else would just think that she's attempting to read in pitch darkness.
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=Laina Silverstide]
[quote=@ineffable]
As soon as the silence settled over the forest Laina found herself having a flashback.  She sunk on to the floor, fisting the grass in her fingers with one hand while the other rubbed her temples.  
[color=powderblue]"Please, not now..."[/color] Laina whispered to herself before the flashback started.
_________________________________

[i]Laina was 9 and she was running around a meadow, the grass feeling soft to the touch as stars winked down at her.  The moon lit her hair up in a glowing light and she smiled up at the sky before she sighed and wandered around more, her barefeet crunching down on red and orange leaves.  It was quiet it was so so quiet and she was so happy.  She placed the cage holding the injured bird down on the ground and knelt so her skirt dirtied in the mud.  She slowly unlatched the cage and smiled softly at the bird.
[color=powderblue]"Off you go."[/color] She gave the bird a timid stroke across it's feathers before it headed off into the dark sky.  
"INA! Where are you?" A familiar voice sounded out and Laina turned.
[color=powderblue]"SIS!"[/color] She cried out and sprinted into the welcoming arms.
Her sister's chestnut hair, so different from her own brushed Laina's cheek as she snuggled in close.
[color=powderblue]"I can't believe you're already home!"[/color] Laina backtracks towards the bird cage and picks it up with two fingers, smiling cutely at her sister.  It had been so long.  
"Well I am now.  What are your plans for today?" Her sister grabbed Laina's hand and lead to her towards their cottage.  
[color=powderblue]"Spending all the time with you.  Of course."[/color] Laina giggled as her sister pushed open the cottage door and they entered into the warm glow of her house.[/i]
And with that the two silhouettes faded into the back of Laina's mind as the headache pounded in the background and tears slid down her pale cheeks.
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=Vert]
[quote=@Cuccoruler]
Vert started to panic her eyes darting around wildly when she felt the sharp pain in her stomach. She started to scream as she felt the threads going through her skin to sow her maw shut. Her maw tried to open showing the threads as they sewed through her. "It hurts... No! I need it still! I can't help the others as much without it!" Vert yelled her hands on her head as she screamed out, tears even going down her eyes as she felt the pain.

Vert looked up at the Storyteller with a look of pain, once the pain finally ended up she was laying on the ground sobbing a bit. "I still need it... I can't protect anyone like this... I don't have any weapons." Vert said as if she was pleading to the ring. Once it went back to removeable to ripped it off and threw it at the Storyteller. "Keep that torture device away from me." Vert said in an angry voice now.

[@Rush99999]
[/quote]
[/hider]
[hider=The Storyteller]
[quote=@rush99999]
[@Cuccoruler]

The Storyteller caught the ring and looked at it for a moment. Although he could appreciate the reasoning behind what had just taken place, The Storyteller had always loathed the though of forcing painful procedures on unwilling recipients. Even if it was for their own good. The Storyteller shook his head disapprovingly at the ring before closing his hand and consigning it to the pocket dimension The Storyteller used to hold his inventory. The Storyteller then looked back at Vert. "I can think of at least 10 people off the top of my head who'd strongly disagree with the notion of weapons being required to protect people" The Storyteller said as he knelt down next to Vert while channeling magic into his hand "But I wouldn't mind lending you my blade if you'd prefer having a weapon". With that said, The Storyteller waved his hand over Vert's maw, causing any pain that was still there to dissipate. "Hopefully that pain should have stopped by now" The Storyteller said as he examined the thread. He knew of this magic. In their desperation to stop themselves from eating people, magically gifted Devourers would sew their maws shut with magic thread with the hope that it would keep their lower jaws shut forever. The threads had always come undone though, and the events that followed were rarely pleasant. Yet another reason The Storyteller disapproved of what had just happened.
[/quote]
[/hider]
As Ivan moved through the forest, he still could not see very far on such a cloudy night. The mysterious elf eluded him, utterly soundless as the wind; one might have thought she fled were it not for the occasional rustles she let loose. Suddenly, the light thud of a stone hit the ground to his right. "Huh? Who's there?" Ivan called out. As soon as his back was turned, he heard a patter of footsteps behind him, then silence.

Then, he felt a slight breath of warmth behind him. He slowly turned around to see a tall, lithe woman standing behind him. A steel mask and leatherskin hood covered her features - which he could only see because, as she held her mask in her hand, the ring on her finger shone brightly, just like the ring on his own. She stood only a few inches from him, with no trace of hostility.

The woman gently took his hand. Her gauntlets seemed to vibrate with magic power as the words left her lips in a whisper.

"Hello, Ivan Stormwall."

"Who... Who are you?" Ivan stammered. The elf took his hand and brought it to her chest.

"I still remember the wish you gave to me before you left High Council Hill. House Stormwall [i]will[/i] rise again."
[hider=Ivan's Wish]
[quote=@Darkmoon Angel]
Wishing rings? That sounded too good to be true, though the sudden appearance of this angelic being after Tiberius had made his wish peaked Ivan's curiousity. Sadron and Arandur had taken their leave and pretty much said for the group to head out.

[color=ed1c24]"Time to go? Well... A wish before we hit the road can't hurt... Eru..."[/color] Ivan whispered his wish. [color=ed1c24]"I wish... I wish I could bring honor back to my fallen house..."[/color] After he had said his wish, he placed the ring in his pack. He was hoping that it would at least do something. [color=ed1c24]"Now then... Whats this angel looking person want with us?"[/color]
[/quote]
[/hider]
__________

Meanwhile, Fin found herself backing away toward the nearest tree.

"Excuse me?" Tiberius exclaimed. "I thank you for your compassion towards my past, but I condemn your current line of thought. Laina is a friend and to be belittled by someone who doesn't even know her, insults me. I advise you hold your tongue about my companions if you don't like them. Just keep it to yourself please."
Fin shrank back and raised her hand in defense. "Fine, okay, I'm sorry."
Kaite wasn't buying it. "Nawh, don't mind if I hear this one out. What have you, princess? You think you're too good for hospitality and forgiveness? Entertain us, what makes some common uncouth cutpurse better than us? Hmm?"
The elf put her hands on her hips. "Hey, don't everybody jump on me at once! Look, I just slipped up, okay? Just let it go. It's not like I killed anybody or anything."

All the while, Laina slumped onto the grass and sobbed. Gorman's tough orcish heart nearly split in two at the sight. Watching anyone cry was hard enough, but watching this tiny little elf girl crying on the grass ripped him up inside like nothing else. He trudged over and sat down beside her, fighting back the growing lump in his throat. "Hey," he squeaked. Squeaking was [i]quite[/i] unorcish. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hey," he growled. A big orc growling would scare the poor girl, so he found himself clearing his throat again. "It's...uh, it's gonna be okay. You know. It's all just talk. See, those knights are over there defending you. So, uh, don't cry, okay? Look, I can juggle grass!" He ripped out a few clumps of dirt and tried juggling them. One missed, and in an attempt to catch it, he splattered all three of them on his face.

Gorman scraped the dirt off his face and grimaced. "Okay, so I can't juggle grass."

All the while, Ivan hadn't returned...