kiiblade

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Impressed. Ghent had a feeling this wasn't a word Elayra used very often. At least he'd done something right. "Yeah, I came. Mainly to prove you wrong." This was said in jest, though it was partially true.
Things went downhill after that. The cut sparked all sorts of theories and Ghent hadn't wasted any time bombarding her with questions. Too much had been said, so much that he only shut up once an arrow was pointed at his chest.
Startled, Ghent clamped his mouth shut and put his hands up, quick to surrender. At her mercy, he allowed Elayra to speak, and speak she did. The blonde made short work of his wild presumptions.
"Oh." There wasn't much he could say, though there was a hint of disappointment in the response. Ghent didn't wish his comrades to hurt one another, he merely wanted to be right. With the arrow returned to its rightful place, he summoned the courage to speak.
"You don't have to be so touchy, you know. I was only trying to help." This was the second time he'd insisted that his interference was for the good of all involved. Why couldn't she see that he had her best interest at heart?

Cold, wet, and defeated Ghent trudged along after Elayra, eyeing the magical rain guard while she collected her things. As tempting as it was to ask how she'd conjured the shield, Ghent kept quiet. The gasp hadn't gone unnoticed by him; he knew Elayra was hurt, perhaps even more so than yesterday. Now was not the time for magic lessons.
After the directions were given, Ghent started to lead the way towards The Book Barn. The silence was heavy between them, though no doubt appreciated by the girl.
"I know you're gonna refuse," Ghent's eyes were on the path, the words directed towards her. "But I'd feel like a jerk if I didn't offer to carry that bag of yours."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent wasn't sure what would have been worse: if his traveling companions were there, or if they'd left without him. As he approached their proclaimed clubhouse, he overheard Elayra's voice. Any chance of returning home was gone, but at least he had the satisfaction of knowing he hadn't imagined the events of yesterday.
Fixing his sneaker so that his heel wasn't exposed, Ghent rounded the side of the shack, two steps away from colliding into the blonde. The taller of the two stopped himself in time, observing her face from where he stood.
"You too, huh?" Ghent got the feeling she hadn't slept much, if at all.
"Man...I don't think I slept a wink last night! Not that I was worried, of course..." His attention was diverted when took notice of the cut near her jaw. That was new.
"Hey, what happened to you? Did the shadowmire come back?" As a precaution, Ghent glanced behind his shoulder before looking back to her. No shadowmires. No Drust, either.
"And where's Drusty? Wait..." A cut so precise couldn't have come from a shadowmire; they were clawed, not equipt with weaponry. This wound had come from a blade. As the realization dawned upon him, Ghent's eyes widened.
"You guys got into a fight, didn't you?" Ghent accused, shocked Drust would have gone so far. Sure, the guy was unstable, but this was a bit extreme. Without giving Elayra a chance to reply, Ghent peered around the shack to make certain that their guardian wasn't listening in. Not a body in sight.
"He headed back to Wonderland, didn't he?" Ghent's was skilled in jumping to conclusions.
"I can't believe he abandoned you here..." Turning, he faced Elayra again, sighing as if he truly sympathized with her current situation. No wonder she hadn't gotten any sleep.
"Look, everything's gonna be okay." Ghent started to reassure her, his expression apologetic when he took note that the poor girl was even equipt with a bow in case the madman should return.
"I'll help you. Try not to panic." Elayra showed absolutely no signs of panic -- or fear -- but Ghent figured she was shaken after the incident he'd invented in his mind.
"You hurt anywhere else?"

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Don't apologize! Honestly, that was both a joy to read (again, you had me on the edge of my seat!! Poor Elayra...I mean, yeah, she totally held her own, but still!) and a joy to reply to. It's odd -- even though our characters were in different locations, your post inspired me to write a relatively long post, too. I know we don't have to match post lengths, but the motivation was there!

O.O I'm now left to wonder what the white rabbit may really be like...*imagines all sorts of scary things*
Thank you again for the compliments!! :'D I am glad I got to have a bit of his family in there before we head off to Wonderland. Helped me figure out his character more.
Speaking of. . . I should really finish my character sheet. Gah! I have about half in a draft. I think by now, I have a pretty good feel for his character, or how he behaves...or, doesn't, rather.

Oh my goodness. Okay, I am SO on board with that! You have no idea! Yes, yes, and yes! The whole premise fills me with excitement. I've definitely committed myself to this role play, I enjoy it completely, so...I'm totally here for the long haul! I'd never get tired of it, or of you. :) I adore these characters, as well.

Nice choices!! A saber looks really neat -- do you display them? My sister has a replica of Bilbo's sword (it's so tiny!) and we used to hang it on the wall, but we switched rooms, so now it's sitting in the closet. Boo. I need to hang that thing back up...

Noted! Thank you! :D If I manage to make it, I will let you know my thoughts. My youngest sis, she's obsessed with mangos. She'll sit there and eat an entire one...I have a feeling she'll love this frozen treat.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Despite being bold and cocky by day, Ghent was a nervous wreck by night.
With his mind working overtime, it didn't take long for him to become paranoid. What if a shadowmire followed him? Did the sorceress know where he was? Maybe coming home had been a bad idea. Every thought morphed into several more, each worry had ten others tacked onto it.
I can't believe I agreed to this.
Now close to 3:00, Ghent gave up on the idea of sleeping. Henry, believing himself an expert on getting up early, decided that 'dawn' was around 4:30. If that was the case, only an hour and thirty minutes separated Ghent from leaving the apartment for what may have been the last time.
Understandably, the realization was troubling. Ghent told his parents goodnight, not goodbye. They had no idea that they would wake up to find their son gone. After all the couple did to raise him, Ghent was leaving them without so much as a note of explanation. It felt cowardly, and it felt wrong.
Burdened with guilt, Ghent turned on his side, listening to the light, gentle pattern of the rain falling. Pulling an all nighter probably wasn't his greatest idea, but even if he'd wanted to rest, he couldn't. There was too much to think about.

Additional sounds of the city filtered through the old building with ease. Every time a car sped past, Ghent could have sworn Henry twitched or moved in his sleep. The poor kid wasn't used to the city yet.
Thinking back to the escaped shadowmire, Ghent dared to move from the safety of his blankets in order to lock the window. The action wouldn't have been enough to ensure their safety -- the horrible creatures practically appeared from nothing -- but it made him feel better.
Involuntarily, Ghent shivered at the memory of the monsters before chastising himself for such cowardliness. If he couldn't survive a night in his own room, how could he ever hope to tough out Wonderland?

Running a hand through his hair, Ghent glanced to the clock for the fifteenth time that night.
Time was ticking. Did he tell Henry too much, or not enough? Should he wake him up? Conflicted, Ghent approached the cot, seconds away from waking his cousin before deciding against it. Henry had enough on his plate.
Failing to suppress a yawn, Ghent crawled back into bed, more tired than he realized.
Eventually, sleep won him over, but it didn't last. The sound of a barking dog was enough to startle Ghent awake. Blinking blearily, the world came into view, and so did his room. The sun was rising.
Memories of the Wonderlanders flooding back to him, Ghent practically tripped over his own feet as he scrambled out of bed. If he was late, he'd never hear the end of it. Somehow, he got the feeling his comrades didn't tolerate tardiness.
Throwing on what was closest -- which happened to be a dark red t-shirt and black jeans, Ghent stepped into his sneakers (there was no time to retie the laces), grabbed his backpack, and slipped out of the room.
In the hall, he slowed, listening for any signs of life. To his relief, no one was awake. So far, so good.
Moving slowly, he only stopped to fix the frame on the wall . . .
and then it fell.
"Oh, shoot!"
Ghent clasped a hand over his mouth. How many times had he fixed that photo in the past? Three hundred times? Four? What were the odds of it falling now? Was this a sign? The timing couldn't have been worse.
Kneeling, Ghent retrieved the photograph from the floor. The glass only suffered a small crack.
Giving an aggravated sigh, he stood again to hang the picture back up. To his relief, the frame remained on the nail, but it was crooked. Though it pained him to do so, Ghent had to leave without adjusting it.
Hopefully, the racket hadn't been enough to wake the household.
Taking care not to make a sound, Ghent crept towards the front door, mildly impressed by his own show of stealth. After he unlocked the door, he pulled it open, hesitating in the doorway. This was it.
With one long, solemn look towards the place they'd called home, Ghent turned to leave. Contrary to any doubt Elayra may have had in him, he was on his way to fulfill his promise.

The weather was colder than Ghent anticipated. The sun hadn't graced the city with any amount of warmth yet, but it wasn't enough for him to dig through his backpack for the hoodie he'd packed. Time was of the essence.
Breaking into a run, Ghent kept on the sidewalk until he crossed the road so that he might reach the park.
What if they left? Was he too late? What if he'd dreamed the events of yesterday?
Reaching up, Ghent pressed near his rib cage, finding that the pressure hurt. Definitely not a dream. He hadn't imagined his fight with Drust.
By the time Ghent reached the shack, he was out of breath and disheveled in appearance. Sneakers soaked, he started to approach the shelter, doing his best to appear alert in case Drust was staked out again.
"Um...hello? Guys? I'm here...as we agreed."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

You know...I have no idea. Until that day, I never realized how many types of bows there are. I just wanted to be the next Legolas.

I'd be up for a second Halloween! If there's any bright side...I'm pretty sure they put the Valentine's candy on clearance a day afterwards.

Awh, thank you! That means a lot, especially coming from you, who I continue to be in awe of your well-written posts and characters. That last post had me on the edge of my seat!!! It was the first thing I read this morning, and it was so good, it woke me up. You KNOW a post is good if it does that.

That's awesome that you've been collecting since you were 16! You must have quite an impressive collection! Any you're hunting for to buy in the future?
For Ghent, I think a sword (or dual swords) would probably be the most ideal for combat, but I wouldn't object to throwing weapons, either. :)
While a bow would be cool, it'd be a pain to collect and run out of arrows. I'll leave that one for the curly redhead archer. :P

Heh...it used to drive me nuts! I'd be like...dad, how many games do you possibly need?! Stop buying them! It got so bad that he started to buy me games...ones that I already had. Really glad those days are over. I'm pretty frugal with my money...well, unless it comes to fandom merchandise...then watch out.
As for the rating, it said it was rated for violence, which I totally get, but they had warnings for intense language, and sexual themes (huh?! o.O)...I wasn't quite willing to risk that. ^^'' Ah well...I can't really commit to another game, anyway. I'm booked!

Okay, that sounds heavenly. *^* I need to try that! I'm rather impressed that you made that, the combination is very unique yet it makes total sense to me. I'm going to hunt for mangos next time I'm at the store!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

"You found Wonderland?!"
"Shh! You'll wake up Mom!" Ghent put a hand over Henry's mouth until the redhead made a muffled promise to lower his voice.
That was the one good thing about telling Henry. The younger of the two didn't even question Ghent's sanity -- he believed him.
Able to speak once more, Henry eyed the pack near the door. "So that's why you packed your clothes..."
Ghent raised an eyebrow. "Did you look through my backpack?"
Henry glanced down to his exposed feet, guilty as charged. "I only peeked..."
"Seriously?" Ghent didn't remember Henry being this nosy. "Should we start calling you Mrs. Saxon or what?"
"Sorry." Henry's thoughts were back to Wonderland. After all these years, his cousin's stories were true. Not an ounce of evidence had been presented to him, but he trusted Ghent wholeheartedly. Henry looked up to him as a little brother would, and his wild imagination was often fueled by Ghent's former claims of Wonderland.
"How did you find it, Ghent? Did you chase the white rabbit? Did he have a pocket watch?"
Ghent scoffed. "I would've preferred that, actually," he mumbled, his thoughts falling back to the two from Wonderland. "No, there wasn't a rabbit, but I met the two I used to have dreams about."
Henry remembered both. "The man and the little girl with blonde hair?"
"Yeah. She's not so little anymore, though. She's close to my age." Ghent turned so he was on his back again. Telling Henry was a big relief; at least this way someone would know of his whereabouts. "And before you ask, no. She isn't Alice."
Henry clamped his mouth shut. That had been his next question. "So...who is she, then? Is she your family?"
Ghent shook his head. "I'm not related to either of them. Drust is a knight, Elayra is a princess." Before Henry could bombard him with more questions, Ghent attempted to elaborate.
"It's a long story. When we were little, Drust was helping us escape Wonderland. I ended up here, and Elayra should have too...but she didn't." Saying this aloud made Ghent wonder if part of Elayra's bitterness towards him was actually resentment. If this was the case, he couldn't blame her. It was rather sad -- and odd -- to think that his mother may have adopted two children on that fated day.
"Why did you have to escape? Was it the Queen of Hearts?" Henry was basing his questions off of the Disney movie, but he was coming pretty close to the truth.
"Something like that." Ghent played it off as if this was no longer something to concern themselves with. "They asked for my help to fix up Wonderland a bit...you know, restore it to its former glory." For the sake of his cousin, he downplayed the seriousness of the trip. "I agreed to go. Guess I owe them that much."

"Wow..." The explanation good enough for Henry. This was a lot to think about. "I hope you can find them, Ghent."

"Who?"

"Your family."

"Oh, yeah...me too."

"You'll come back though, won't you?" At the thought of losing his cousin, Henry's excitement tampered down. "We're your family too."
Ouch. "Of course I will." Ghent wasn't sure who he needed to convince more: himself or Henry. "I'll never forget that."
Henry seemed doubtful. "Promise?"
Ghent nodded. "Promise."
Henry bit his bottom lip, brows furrowed. "Pinkie swear?"
Ghent reached to turn off the lamp. "Come on, Henry. Only kids pinkie swear."
Henry looked so sorrowful that Ghent sighed in defeat and held out his hand. "Fine."
After they pinkie swore on it, Ghent shut off the light. For a while, all was quiet, though it didn't matter. Both boys were wide awake, all thoughts on Wonderland.
"I wish I could go." Henry broke the silence with a wistful sigh at the idea of venturing to such a magical place. "How long will it take you to fix Wonderland?"
"They didn't say." Ghent had wondered this earlier; he knew they couldn't have had a solid answer for that, so he hadn't bothered to ask. "Hopefully not too long."
"I hope not...we were going to have so much fun this summer, Ghent. Aunt Elise promised to take us to the petting zoo and..."
"The petting zoo?" Ghent interrupted him, his expression of disgust hidden by the darkness. "You live on a farm. Why the heck would you want to pet a bunch of smelly animals when you already have some?"
Henry shrugged as best he could while lying down. "It's different when they belong to someone else. You don't have to take care of them, you just have to pet them. It's fun."
Ghent turned on his side, an attempt to get comfortable. "Well, I'll try to make it back in time. If not, go without me." Please. "While I'm gone...I'd appreciate it if you kept an eye out for Mom. You know how she worries. Dad, too. Just promise them I'll be fine, okay?" This was a lot to burden his cousin with. Unfortunately, Ghent saw no alternative. "Can you do that for me?"
Henry gave a solid nod. "You don't have to worry, Ghent. I'll take care of them."
Good old Henry. "I really appreciate it. While I'm gone, the room's yours. I've got about $170 leftover from rescuing William. Buy yourself some new Lego's so you can finish that spaceship of yours." Ghent felt oddly charitable, especially because the money was of no use to him in Wonderland.
"Really?" Henry couldn't believe the amount of loot he'd received. "Gee...thanks!"
Ghent wondered if Henry accepted gifts in any other way. This was the third 'gee thanks' he'd received that day. "Don't mention it. Now, get some sleep. I gotta be up by dawn."
Henry closed his eyes. "What time does dawn start?"
Ghent glanced at the clock, taken aback by the time. 2:30. "Um...good question."

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

As Kili caught up with the others, he took notice that Saeril was speaking to Thorin. This gave him some hope: there were few that could speak sense into Thorin once his mind was made up, but Dis could. Saeril was like her in many ways, perhaps she could get him to see sense.

Thorin looked to his nephews, silent as Saeril reminded him of the destruction. "I couldn't have known," he responded briskly, automatically defensive when her words reached his unhinged mind. "We did our best to stop the dragon..." Brows furrowed, he looked back to her in an attempt to read her expression. "You don't seem to understand that I am doing this for them...have you come to blame me for the destruction?"

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Kili couldn't help but wonder why Thorin didn't seem happy to see him. The youngest was overjoyed to find his kin alive and well, but Thorin hardly seemed phased by his being there. If not for Saeril, he would have died from infection. Didn't Thorin realize how close he'd been to losing him?
Despite his doubts, he resumed his usual role and masked any fears he had with a smile. Things would be alright, wouldn't they?

Thorin looked towards Saeril, almost sluggishly as if he hadn't quite heard her. Bilbo watched from a distance, his brows knit with concern. There was something terribly wrong with the king.

"What is it?" Thorin's attention was on her, but only briefly. He took notice that the others were, in his opinion, idle. "Look at them...they act as if they do not realize what is at stake," he mumbled, voice low before he turned back to face the she-elf. "We've yet to find the Arkenstone...I cannot rule without it."

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

Kili was quick to follow his brother, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the impressive display of gold. The sight surpassed any story he'd ever been told, even he with his imagination could not have conjured such an impressive, lavish image.
"This is it...the treasure from the stories." With a quiet laugh of disbelief, he started down the stairway so that he might have a better view of the gold and gemstones strewn about the ground.

Suddenly, Thorin entered the chamber. The king was dressed in ornate robes and covered in jewelry, his stride slow as he moved from a doorway. Thorin began speaking softly, apparently to himself. He appeared strange, almost possessed, and then he lifted his gaze to meet that of his nephew's.
“Gold. Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief. Behold - the great treasure hoard of Thror.” Without warning, he tossed a jewel in a deep red color to his eldest nephew.
“Welcome, my sister’s sons, to the kingdom of Erebor!”

The rest of the company emerged from a nearby room. They seemed troubled at first, but they broke into smiles when they saw that Kili and the others had survived. Kili dashed off to meet them, and Cenrid hung back, his eyes locked on the youngest, a plan forming in his mind.
"I will return later to take the gold promised to me," the man explained to Saeril, purposely staying out of view so that Thorin would not see him. "You would do well to remind the king that the people of Laketown blame him...war will soon be upon us if he is not careful."

Hobbit-LOTR: Quests, Curses, And Guardians { Angel & Polarize }

"Bilbo!" Kili was never more relieved to see their burglar. With a grin, he squeezed Bilbo's shoulder fondly, hardly paying attention to his words as he looked past him. "Leave? But we just got here! Where are the others?"

Bilbo shook his head, adamant against the idea of them staying. “No! You don't understand. I have tried talking to him, but he won’t listen.”

Oin could see that Bilbo was even more frazzled than usual. “What do you mean, laddie?”

Bilbo gave an exasperated sigh. “THORIN. Thorin. Thorin. He’s been out there for days. He doesn’t sleep. He barely eats. He’s not been himself - not at all. It’s this - it’s this place. I think a sickness lies on it.”

Cenrid scoffed lowly, and Kili looked to the hobbit with worry, then to his godmother as if she needed to confirm the fact. “Sickness? What kind of sickness?”