Trash Panda

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

I'm good with that. It makes more sense than them all speaking the same language tbh xD

I'd say if we go with that, then maybe we shouldn't have her also be able to use his ability. I don't want to give her every single power in the book, because it would be a little over the top. Also, if she can break free of his visions, then I think it would make sense for her to be able to put up a barrier to keep others out of her mind completely. All Lunairans are capable of doing that, but maybe hers is more powerful, since none of the others can block Caeyin out like she can.

If you've ever read the book series Matched, I imagine it would go like that. Pretty much what you're describing, except it's a festive event ^^

Also, side note: the Beasts remind me of A Quiet Place so much xD

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Caeyin was just about to pull the trigger on his Silencer to end the human’s life, when she said something that made him freeze. It wasn’t just the words that gave him pause, it was the fact that she had not only understood him but had responded back in the same tongue. Curious. Was it possible that humans spoke the same language as the Lunairan people? It seemed odd, especially considering their two species had never interacted before his people came to inhabit the Earth. His violet eyes swept over her body. As unlikely as it was, he supposed it wasn’t impossible. They did look quite similar to Lunairans, so perhaps their native tongue was similar enough that they could communicate as well.

Having come to a conclusion that seemed sensible enough, he was able to think a little more about the content of her words. To his annoyance, she didn’t seem the least bit afraid of him. He had been hoping for some cowering or begging for mercy at the very least. Instead, she seemed like she didn’t care whether she lived or died. It was discouraging, since he didn’t want to let her get off easily after all the trouble she had caused him.

However, what held him back the most from pulling the trigger on this human was the fact that she had made it sound like there were more of her kind left alive. Part of him felt like she was probably just trying to save herself by telling him there were others of her kind, but what if she was telling the truth? If there were more humans out there, then that would mean the Plague had failed in a rather spectacular way. The Higher Powers had told them that it would kill of all of the creatures without fail. For so many of them to still be alive would mean their leaders had been wrong. They had never been wrong before. He had to find out if it was true.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint,” Caeyin said in a menacingly soft voice, speaking in the human’s ear from where he stood behind her. Shifting his hold on her, he lowered his weapon from her head and pressed the barrel between her shoulder blades before releasing his hold on her arms to allow her to move freely.

“If there are others, take me to them,” he instructed, pushing the tip of his Silencer threateningly against her spine. “Just know that if you try anything funny, I will kill you where you stand.” He kept his gaze fixed on her back, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice if she made any sudden movements. The human had made a fool of him during the pursuit, but he wasn’t going to allow her to do it again. Next time she tried to get the best of him, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.

“Go on then,” he gave her another harsh shove. “Get moving.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow noticed xD
He also hates the plan because it involves his father

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow gave a halfhearted nod when Penelope said she hoped the villagers would be alright. He hoped so too, but based on what he had seen th last time he had been to Aramoor, it wasn’t likely. He and his companions had stayed there for quite a while, trying to defend the people during the battles that were happening at the time. Back then, none of them had been nearly as skilled in fighting—he hadn’t even overcome his fear of blood yet—so even though they tried hard to defend the village, their efforts hadn’t made much of a difference. In the end, they had been forced to pull out and take refuge in Silverpool after sustaining a number of serious injuries that had left them all in no condition to fight.

He glanced at Penelope as she spoke about the border villages’ recovery after the war. The thought was a depressing one for the thief. All of the villages were going to have a repairing after the war was over, but there was no doubt that the bordering villages were going to come off the worst of everyone. If they all even managed to survive, he would have been shocked. While he had never seen another war in his lifetime, he had heard plenty of stories from elders in the outer villages about the ones in the past. Apparently, the outer villages as a whole used to have quite a few more towns along the border with Waithen.

He opened his mouth to respond to her comment, but Gavin spoke first. He looked up at the knight as he said the villagers should be offered aid after the war. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of it. The king would never spare his gold nor any men for such an assignment. The people of the outer villages were just another source of revenue for him. The quality of their lives mattered little as long as they continued to funnel their tax money to the inner kingdom.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to say anything on the matter because Penelope spoke first, seeming to understand the unlikelihood as well. Crow glanced towards Gavin as the knight added something that made him bristle. It sounded like he was trying to hint to Penelope that she could change the king’s mind if she didn’t leave her life as a noble. He narrowed his eyes. What a dirty trick. The knight was clearly using her desire for justice to sway her to his side, and he wasn’t even bothering to do so when the thief wasn’t around.

Arrogant noble, he thought scathingly, clenching his jaw to keep from spitting the words out loud.

“It all sounds like a waste of time to me,” Crow finally spoke up with a bitter edge to his voice. “The king is a selfish man with no care for the peasants in his kingdom. I’d be shocked if he even sent one knight to help them repair their homes after this war is over.” He averted his gaze, suddenly a bit self-conscious of the hatred in his tone. Of course, he doubted that any of the knights knew his relationship with the current king, except, perhaps, for Penelope if she remembered who he had told her his father was years ago.

During the beginning of the war, the former king had been killed by the nobles who had been planning to assassinate him and take over the throne. However, their plan had only been successful in part. They had managed to off the king, but the knights in the palace had prevented them from usurping the throne. After that, his father—only the gods knew how—had jumped from his role of viceroy to king. As far as the thief knew, he had been ruling ever since.

“I would just forget about it, if I were you,” Crow muttered. “The people of the outer villages will figure out a way to pull through on their own, just like they always have.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Poor Crow puts the burden on himself to take care of all the villages, even though he can't be in multiple places at once ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As they walked through the forest, Crow felt a rush of excitement to be sharing this part of his life with her again. Aside from the lake in Farhill and his hometown of Myrefall, he hadn’t had the chance to show her around his favorite places since they had gotten back together. Of course, he knew they wouldn’t have time to really explore the outer villages together until after the war, but he enjoyed the few opportunities he had to share some things with her in the meantime.

“In a word, it’s quaint,” he said when she asked him what Aramoor was like. “It’s one of the southernmost villages, and it’s right on the border with Younis, so there aren’t very many people who live there. Because of the location, it’s also a popular stop for travelers heading to or from the other kingdom, so the villagers who do live there are quite friendly and welcoming of strangers. They can’t afford to put up an inn, so they often offer shelter and food in their homes.

“The village itself sits on the top of a wide hill that’s visible to anyone in the surrounding area,” he smiled as the image of the town’s warm lights at night passed through his mind. “It’s kind of like a beacon for weary travelers, letting them know that it’s a safe place to rest.” Suddenly, he thought about the last time he had been to Aramoor, and his smile faltered slightly.

“Although… now that I think about it, it might not be quite as nice as I described anymore,” he sighed. “The people of Aramoor have had a difficult time in this war. There’s another battalion of knights stationed a little farther south of them, and since they’re so close to Younis, there have been quite a few battles in their village already. It’s been a while since the last time I’ve visited, so I’m not sure what’s become of them since.”

He squeezed her hand, shifting to walk a little closer to her so that their arms brushed as they walked. “I’m honestly glad that we’re going here,” he said under his breath, not wanting to be overheard by the others as he opened up to Penelope more personally. “I want to find out if they need any help in the war, since my companions and I have been focusing on the northern villages lately.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I should have time to get at least one reply up before I go to bed tonight, since I don't have to be up at 8AM for once ^^

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Eyyy, first fully original post from me xD

It's fine! I used Eve a tiny bit at the end of mine.

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Caeyin’s exploration of the human’s world wasn’t as productive as he had hoped it would be. Most of the buildings were sealed off, preventing his access, so he was restricted to the outdoors and the few spaces that were unlocked. Of course, he could have easily broken into the closed buildings through the fragile windows, but he was tentative to damage anything. His people could salvage and reuse most of the materials he came across. If the glass from the windows proved to be valuable, he didn’t want to be the one to destroy them.

On the other hand, his curiosity to see what was behind the sealed doors gnawed at him like the sharp teeth of those hairy creatures. Perhaps it would be worth it to shatter one window in exchange for the valuable information he could gather by going inside. If he found something more valuable than the materials that made up the shell of the structure, he was sure the Pilot would praise him for it.

Having made up his mind, he picked up a large, square rock from the ground, tossing it in the palm of his hand as he assessed its weight. It was definitely big enough to smash a window. He turned back to the nearest building and cocked back his arm to throw the rock. However, just as he was about to let it go, he froze in his tracks. In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement. Lowering his arm, he looked just in time to see a figure slip inside of a building with a metal door.

The figure walked on two legs.

His heart beat a little quicker with excitement. Could it be that he had stumbled across a human? They were all supposed to be dead, but perhaps this one hadn’t succumbed to the virus yet. His lip quirked upward in a smile. Finding resources in a building would earn him praise from his Pilot but bringing back proof that he’d killed a human had to be worth quite a bit more. This could be the opportunity he needed to prove himself.

Leaving the oddly shaped rock behind, Caeyin drew his Silencer and made his way towards the door that the two-legged creature had disappeared into. When he reached it, he gripped the edge and gave it a sharp pull, grimacing slightly at the low groan it made in response. Any chance he had of catching the human by surprise was gone now. At least he knew who or whatever was inside didn’t stand a chance against him. The Pilot had made it perfectly clear that none of the beings on the Earth were as genetically advanced as their kind. Even if this human heard him coming, it didn’t stand a chance.

Once he had pulled the metal door open far enough, he slipped inside. The space on the other side was dark, illuminated only by the violet glow of his luminescent eyes. He stepped carefully down an empty aisle, holding his weapon at the ready to shoot at the first sign of motion. Strangely, he saw nothing. It was like the human had disappeared. He frowned to himself, slowing to a stop as he tried to figure out where the figure had gone. There weren’t that many places to hide that he could see, except…

His eyes widened as he heard a scraping sound above his head. Inhaling sharply, he looked up just in time to see someone push some heavy boxes off the shelf he was standing beneath. He scrambled to get out of the way but wasn’t quite fast enough as one of the boxes clipped his shoulder and knocked him into the shelving on the other side of the aisle. Recovering from his surprise at the sudden attack, he shook his head and looked up again, only to lock eyes with the human.

The moment didn’t last long before it took off again, sprinting for the door. He blinked as he realized it was getting away. With no time to think, he took off after it, only to come to a halt when the metal door was slammed in his face. This human was starting to grate on his nerves. Curling his lip in annoyance, he pushed the door open again and chased after the human as soon as he caught sight of it.

Of course, the creature continued to be a nuisance during the pursuit. It threw small objects at him as it ran, seeming to try to keep him at bay. While he cared little about the faint bursts of pain that came whenever one of her projectiles hit its mark, its efforts made it harder for him to aim his weapon. After a bit, he gave up on trying to shoot the human and decided to focus on catching it the old fashioned way instead.

Eventually, the Earthling made its way to a ladder on the side of a building and began to climb up. Caeyin smiled to himself. It looked like it was going to trap itself. Shoving the barrel of his Silencer in his pocket, he gripped the rungs of the ladder and followed the human up. However, he didn’t get far before he felt a sudden jolt to his head and lost his grip. Unable to regain it in time in his momentary dizziness, he dropped back down to the ground, landing hard on his back in an impact that knocked the breath from his lungs.

His annoyance turned to frustration as he got up again to keep chasing the human. It was going to pay for that.

With renewed energy fueled by his desire to kill this irritating creature, he reached the rooftop in no time at all. Taking a quick look around the space, he saw that the human was already sprinting towards the edge of the building. He was mildly surprised to see it clear the gap between the building they had been standing on and the one directly adjacent to it, but he didn’t have time to marvel at the sight. Hurrying to catch up, he followed the human’s lead, jumping across the gap onto the next rooftop and repeating the motion every time it slipped away again.

Unfortunately for the Earthling, its efforts weren’t enough to get away. Just as it landed on another building, Caeyin hit the rooftop as well, using the combination of the momentum from the jump and his own weight to force the human to the ground. For a short while, they wrestled as he tried to pin the creature down and reach for his Silencer, while it fought back relentlessly to break free of his grip. His eyes darted to its hand as it drew an object that looked similar to his weapon and aimed it at his head. Instincts screaming that the unknown item was dangerous, he abandoned his effort to retrieve his Silencer and instead pushed the human’s arm away just as the object let out a deafening noise that rattled his teeth.

Ears ringing from the shock of the sound, he shook his head in an attempt to clear the incessant noise away. Unfortunately, the human hadn’t been quite as affected as he had. It took the opportunity to slip out of his grip and climb back to its feet, aiming the loud object at him again. He narrowed his eyes. If this human thought it was going to get the best of him after pulling a dirty trick like that, it had another thing coming.

Finally able to slow down and clear his head, he looked up to meet the creature’s gaze. His pupils dilated as he tapped into the ability that was the reason why he was so despised by the other Lunairan soldiers. Reaching out telepathically, he seized control of the human’s optical nerves, forcing a vision over its eyes like a curtain. He rose steadily to his feet, now in no hurry as he knew the human believed he had disappeared from the rooftop. It was the same trick he used in all of his sparring matches—the reason why he was unbeatable in a fight. No one could fight an enemy they couldn’t see.

Curious to get a better look at his enemy, Caeyin circled the human inquisitively, though he was careful to avoid its frantic movements as it tried to find him. Now that he wasn’t caught up in chasing or fighting with it, he could see that it was a female with blue eyes and long, yellow hair that fell across one of those eyes like a veil. The features were interesting to him. He had never seen colors like those before. All of his people had the same dark hair and violet eyes. He wanted to take a closer look.

Drawing his Silencer from his pocket, he raised the weapon to put an end to the human. However, before he pulled the trigger, he hesitated. This female had caused him quite a bit of trouble. Killing her now would be more merciful than she deserved. He smirked, quietly sneaking around to stand behind her. As soon as he had reached his position, he stepped forward, disarming her of her weapon and pinning her arms behind her back in one swift motion.

Now that the human was unable to get away, he broke the vision to allow her to see once more. “Disappointing,” he said with a click of his tongue as he lifted his silencer to her head. “I was hoping you would put up more of a fight than that.” He wasn’t sure if she could understand him, but even if she couldn’t, he wanted her to fear for her life before he ended it.

“Oh well,” he sighed, slowly pressing down on the trigger of his Silencer.

Beyond Expectations [AHeartlessNobody & Summer]

Hmm fear would just encourage him to want to kill her in self-defense if he thinks she's a threat. Lunairan soldiers are trained not to back down in a fight unless they receive orders to do so from a higher up. Also, fear tends to make people more irrational, so he'd be even less willing to talk.

She could pull the a similar trick that Cassie did on Serix by pretending to beg for her life and saying that she'll lead him to other humans if he doesn't kill her. That would work, because he would want the bragging right to say he wiped out the rest of the humans. When they're in the plane, maybe she could trick him or catch him by surprise somehow and cuff him to something in the plane, so he couldn't kill her or tell the other Lunairans where she is. They'd end up at kind of a standoff, because he'd be stuck there against his will, and she wouldn't quite know what to do with him either.