Yankee

OUSAMA GAME [ Short-term Horror/Gore ]

Nope, not too late! I'm in the process of getting the OOC up today!

Edge of Darkness | Pokemon

Ikkou, Spiritual Successor

"You're a pretty interesting person, aren't you?"

---

Ikkou

Spiritual Successor | 20 | Male | Hearthome City | ♪♪♪

Appearance:
Ikkou is a slim, short young man at 5'6'' (170cm). He is as wimpy as he looks, and relies on his Pokémon for a lot of things during his travels. He usually wears loose, flowing clothes and robes in multiple layers. He often times appears with several cuts and bruises, but he will assure others it's nothing to worry about and just due to his medical condition.

Personality:
Ikkou is a rather subdued person, but that doesn't mean he is shy by any means. He likes meeting new people and discovering new things, but he can take a hint and knows when to leave people alone. He is good natured, and goes out of his way to help others even if they don't want his help. Although he likes to be around others, at heart he is an introvert and a lot of excitement such as loud and crowded public events can fatigue him quickly. When overwhelmed, he can get a bit spacey. He wants to make up for his mostly sheltered childhood and volunteers for a lot of things. He loves with his whole heart and can't forgive people that hurt others. As one of the most recent editions to the Elites, he knows he has a lot to learn and tends to follow the leads of the more senior members. He is particularly interested to hear stories from the foreign Elites that have been visiting them.

Short Biography:
Ikkou was born somewhere in the Sinnoh region and quickly brought to the "Foreign Building" where he was ultimately raised. The building was a place for the lost and needy, and like many other children and Pokémon Ikkou spent the majority of his life there and in Hearthome in general. The city's people were warm and kind, and Ikkou never felt unwanted or out of place there despite his mysterious infancy. Despite being a rather weak child with a rare medical disorder, he grew up loving and being loved in return by Hearthome's citizens and the Foreign Building's staff in particular. Because of Ikkou's weak constitution, the Building's staff raised him gently and intended for him to take over the management of the Building when he came of age, something that Ikkou consented to. Still, as he aged he felt a strange feeling well up within him whenever he looked at the various Pokémon Trainers going about their business. Eventually, he realized it was longing - not for them but for their lifestyle. Hearthome was the city where hearts touch each other, and people of various cultures and beliefs met and connected. Ikkou thought he was content to develop these connections in the safety of the city, but there was so much more out there in the world he wanted to learn about. Still, he didn't have the drive to leave, so he stayed at the Foreign Building for the remainder of his childhood. Then, he met someone who would change his life.
That someone was a Chingling who had wandered into the Building one night. Ikkou heard it's soft chiming cry and found it wandering the pews of the main hall. He didn't know if it had been separated from it's family or abandoned by a trainer, but either way he took it up to his room to keep warm for the night. In the morning he was awoken by the Chingling's ringing as it run about the room, getting into every nook and cranny. They two bonded and he named her Rinrin. Rinrin was a hyperactive little thing, and it dragged him along to investigate pretty much everything within the city. Still, it had a clear desire to explore more of the region, just as he did. His heart broke over not being able to go with it, and he became depressed and lethargic as Rinrin grew more and more restless, thinking one day she would leave. The Foreign Building caretakers - the ones he'd come to know as family - noticed his change and behavior and talked to him about it. After an intense discussion, they told him that though they were worried about his safety, he was free to travel as he liked. Ikkou was ecstatic, and with a promise to return often he ran upstairs to pack what little material things he had right away. He found Rinrin there and hugged her as hard as he could, and his pure energy transformed Rinrin from a Chingling into a Chimecho.
Since then, the pair have traveled around the majority of the Sinnoh Region, getting into and out of trouble as well as making a wealth of new friends. Growing up in Hearthome made him curious about all life, including regions outside of Sinnoh. He was particularly interested in fairy tales growing up, and that's extended now into his young adulthood as a fascination with mythologies in general. Ikkou discovered that he was actually a talented Pokémon trainer, something he never would have known if he hadn't gone on his journey. So talented in fact, that when he challenged the Elites after being recommended to do so, they offered him a spot!
He still plans to eventually take over at the Foreign Building, but for now, all he wants is to travel with his partners and do his best as a member of the Elites.

Pokemon: Ikkou's Pokémon have a spiritual or mythological flair to them. Their battling style relies mostly on confusing the opponent with non-damaging moves such as status effects, weather changing, healing, obstruction, etc. They're quite the bunch, but sometimes they do manage to have some synergy with each other.

8 'mons under here

Pokemon #1: Chimecho

Name: Rinrin
Species: Chimecho
Type: Psychic
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
Appearance: Rinrin is a Chimecho on the slightly smaller size for her species, at about 1'3'' long (40cm). Other than that, she's a perfect example of a normal Chimecho.
Personality: Rinrin's nature is Hasty. She enjoys flitting everywhere and investigating every little thing. Her more excitable personality contrasts with Ikkou's more relaxed one, and in fact it was Rinrin that ultimately got Ikkou to leave his old life and pursue the adventurous one of a Pokémon trainer. Met Ikkou as a Chingling, and was his starter Pokémon.
Signature Moves:

• Heal Bell
• Synchronoise
• Heal Pulse
• Confusion
• Safeguard

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Lightscreen
• Round
• Echoed Voice
• Sleep Talk

Pokemon #2: Ninetales

Name: Miko
Species: Ninetales
Type: Fire
Gender: Female
Ability: Flash Fire
Appearance: Slightly larger for her species at 4' (121cm), and has blue eyes instead of the normal read.
Personality: Miko's nature is Lonely. She tends to keep to herself and if approached by a stranger she can become extremely aggressive. She and her 'sister' Yuki were rescued from a mill and she distrusts most humans and other Pokémon immensely. She only feels calm when Ikkou and/or Yuki are around.
Signature Moves:

• Hypnosis
• Will-o-Wisp
• Flamethrower
• Fire Spin
• Confuse Ray

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Flame Charge
• Dark Pulse
• Disable
• Howl

Pokemon #3: Ninetales

Name: Yuki
Species: Ninetales
Type: Ice/Fairy
Gender: Female
Ability: Snow Cloak
Appearance: A relatively normal Alolan Ninetales, except she as red eyes instead of the normal blue.
Personality: Yuki's nature is Gentle. She enjoys comforting and being comforted by others, and is always quick with a cuddle. She and her 'sister' Miko were rescued from a mill, but instead of distrusting others like Miko, Yuki saw that humans could be good and merciful and likes to help the good ones when she can.
Signature Moves:

• Hypnosis
• Mist
• Ice Beam
• Blizzard
• Confuse Ray

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Dream Eater
• Frost Breath
• Moonblast
• Pain Split

Pokemon #4: Bronzong

Name: Campane
Species: Bronzong
Type: Steel/Psychic
Gender: None
Ability: Heatproof
Appearance: Campane has a large crack on it's base under it's 'arm.' Otherwise it's a standard Bronzong.
Personality: Campane's nature is Mild. It has a calming presence that radiates out from it's core. Young humans and Pokémon flock to it, but it doesn't move much and is content to let them climb all over it. Sometimes it will ring it's bell for them. It is a solid support that takes a few moments to think before it makes the most logical move.
Signature Moves:

• Rain Dance
• Sunny Day
• Metal Sound
• Iron Defense
• Block

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Psychic
• Calm Mind
• Round
• Protect

Pokemon #5: Shedinja

Name: Leydic
Species: Shedinja
Type: Bug/Ghost
Gender: None
Ability: Wonder Guard
Appearance: It's much lighter in color than a normal Shedinja, taking on it's 'shiny' appearance.
Personality: Leydic's nature is...??? It doesn't express emotion, in fact it barely even moves. It can float but it remains stationary in the air unless given an order, and even then it is slow to get it done. It is relatively weak compared to Ikkou's other Pokémon, but Ikkou is simply fascinated by it and keeps it close to him anyway.
Signature Moves:

• Mind Reader
• Heal Block
• Phantom Force
• Absorb
• Harden

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Leech Life
• Substitute
• Double Team
• Endure

Pokemon #6: Musharna

Name: Baku
Species: Musharna
Type: Psychic
Gender: Male
Ability: Telepathy
Appearance: It's body is blue where normally it would be purple, basically it's shiny! It's Dream Smoke changes colored based on the dream it's eating.
Personality: Baku's nature is Relaxed. He was actually gifted to Ikkou as a Munna by a fan, which brought with it some disturbing implications: one, that he had fans. Ikkou tries not to let them down now that he's aware of them. The other implication was that said fans knew where to find him even when he was in public, but he doesn't seem very concerned about that. Back to Baku, it's mostly content to dream the day away, and in that way it's sort of like it's trainer, but it will gladly follow Ikkou on adventures too.
Signature Moves:

• Hypnosis
• Nightmare
• Dream Eater
• Telekinesis
• Moonlight

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Magic Coat
• Rest
• Sleep Talk
• Psychic

Pokemon #7: Froslass

Name: Menoko
Species: Froslass
Type: Ice/Ghost
Gender: Female
Ability: Snow Cloak
Appearance: It looks like a normal Froslass taken to the next level, it takes immaculate care of it's appearance and it always looks glimmering and beautiful. She wears a small ribbon around her neck from the single time Ikkou and she competed in a Contest and won.
Personality: Menoko's nature is Bold. She loves to be the center of attention, and can get competitive with other Pokémon. She gets especially jealous when Ikkou spends too much time around other Pokémon, but she's learned to let it slide when it comes to the others on her team. It's not unusual for her to try and rile up other Pokémon.
Signature Moves:

• Destiny Bond
• Hail
• Icy Wind
• Draining Kiss
• Shadow Ball

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Taunt
• Torment
• Aurora Veil
• Hex

Pokemon #8: Spiritomb

Name: Mikaruge
Species: Spiritomb
Type: Ghost/Dark
Gender: Male
Ability: Pressure
Appearance: The green orbs inside it's 'body' sometimes flash other colors, but otherwise it appears as a normal Spiritomb.
Personality: Mikaruge's nature is Naughty. Spiritomb are said to be an amalgamation of evil spirits, and Mikaruge is no different. He is made of mostly malevolent male spirits, and is prone to mood swings between impish antics and wild rebellious rage. He is Ikkou's most recent capture, after Ikkou was tasked with taking care of the Spiritomb terrorizing a neighborhood, and he often doesn't follow Ikkou's orders. Still, Ikkou continues to work with him and is hopeful he can eventually quell Mikaruge's angry heart.
Signature Moves:

• Shadow Sneak
• Dark Pulse
• Pursuit
• Ominous Wind
• Curse

Extra Moves (TM/Egg/Tutor):

• Grudge
• Toxic
• Disable
• Embargo

Summary: The world can be a mesmerizing place if you let it.

Other:

• Tries to be a guiding figure for those younger, but mostly fails
• Loves poffins. A lot.

OUSAMA GAME [ Short-term Horror/Gore ]

Perfect! I'll get started on putting up the OOC proper!

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Belisendé
Mid-Morning | Temporary Camp | Reynes Kingdom

The calling of her name was unexpected considering she hadn't spoken to... well, almost anyone since the march over. Still, Bel was well past startling (or at least, she hoped). She brought the water skin she was currently drinking from away from her lips and broke into a small smile when she realized it was Einar, the mercenary she'd met in Garleton, who was approaching. "Oh, Einar, hello," she said. She was pleased to see he looked fine. The sense of normalcy he seemed to bring along with him was as calming a balm on her nerves now as it was when they'd met last week. She had appreciated him then, and now just the chance to casually chat would be more than welcome. "And what would that be?" she asked. Lately her sleeping schedule was more messed up than even during the first days away from home, but she was getting used to it and the cycle of being awoken by a nightmare and choosing to wake up early to train was starting to become a completely new schedule on it's own. Bel's eyes caught the sight of movement in the near distance, a black steed making it's way back. Upon it... I-it's that knight! The one from the-- the one who helped me! She shouldn't be surprised to see him, after all she had no doubts that he would have made it out of the city. Still, it was another unexpected turn of events. It was strange, as if Einar had come to dispel her brooding thoughts, but the knight now was threatening to bring them back in full force. Come on Bel, you need to get over it eventually, she thought and with a quick glance back at Einar she pointed the knight out to him. "That kind knight approaching helped me in Garleton. I'd like to thank him again and properly introduce myself," she said. Her tone was inviting, and she actually nodded her head in the knight's direction as a silent wish for Einar to come along. With that, she made her way back through the camp and to the edge, waving the young knight over. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but you helped out during... w-well, we met in Garleton either way," she could have kicked herself for botching her introduction, but she rolled through it. "I've wanted to learn your name so I could thank you again. My name is Bel, and this is Einar."

_________________________ Status: Alive Currently: Relaxing a little Class: Squire EXP: 35 Inventory: Iron Bow (3/3) Vulnerary (3/3) Stats END: E STR: E MAG: D DEX: C SPD: D DEF: E RES: D LCK: C Supports N/A With: Einar, Kyran @Savo@CriticalHit

OUSAMA GAME [ Short-term Horror/Gore ]

Yessss! If we have just one more person we can have the minimum I think we need, so if anyone is out there on the fence then jump in!

OUSAMA GAME [ Short-term Horror/Gore ]

Excellent, thanks for the interest! If we can get a couple more we'll get this quick and dirty horror train rolling!

Yankee's Characters: Past & Present

Reorganizing . . .

OUSAMA GAME [ Short-term Horror/Gore ]

1. persons with numbers are players
2. all players must follow the King's orders
3. all orders must be completed within 3 hours
4. players that do not follow orders will be punished
5. the game ends when a winner is decided

You wake up with a throbbing pain in both your head and your hand. When you open your eyes you see only darkness. You have been shoved into a cramped space. When you break your way out, you find yourself in a wide, dimly lit foyer. It's furnished in drab reds. You add your own red to it in the form of the blood dripping from your hand. A number has been neatly carved into it. More blood coats the foyer's walls, spelling out the rules of some sort of 'game.' You don't remember how you got here, but you aren't alone. Several other people break their way out of the wooden boxes they'd been stuffed into. Coffins. You have an awful feeling some of you may be returning to them soon.

---

Hi! Welcome to my interest check! Something dark and gory for Halloween season!

For those of you not familiar with the "King's Game," it's a game (sometimes for children, sometimes a drinking game, sometimes used for horror like this) where people draw numbers and one person draws "King," the King gives orders to the numbers without knowing who has what number. For example, "#1, trade clothes with #4." Then, everyone redraws for the next round, etc.

For this RP, every character has already been assigned a number and they won't change. They orders will also be more sinister in nature - as this is a horror/gore RP! The King will secretly be one of the player's characters, and orders will be given out by a third party (me, the GM). They will start off mild (X, punch Y in the face) and gradually increase in maliciousness (X, cut off Y's foot) as the game goes on. Eventually, characters will die.

This is planned to be a short term RP, and the game ends when either the King is discovered and killed, or all players other than the King are killed.

That being said, I'd prefer if characters didn't start off killing each other willy-nilly. If this situation were to happen in real life, people wouldn't do that. Work together to discover the King's identity! As of right now, I'm planning the King (or "Ou-sama/Ousama") to be randomly selected.

Character Sheet

[b][u]Name[/u][/b]: (First and last!)
[b][u]Age[/u][/b]: (you character must be conceivably able to be the mastermind of this whole "adventure," so please don't go too young.)
[b][u]Gender[/u][/b]: (self-explanatory)
[b][u]Appearance[/u][/b]: (any identifying info such as hair, eye, skin colors, etc. If you choose to use a FC, please place it above the CS text instead.)
[b][u]Personality Traits[/u][/b]: (Brief positive and negative traits)
[color=limegreen][b]X[/b][/color] | [color=limegreen][b]X[/b][/color] | [color=limegreen][b]X[/b][/color] | [color=red][b]X[/b][/color] | [color=red][b]X[/b][/color] | [color=red][b]X[/b][/color]
[b][u]Relevant Info[/u][/b]: (close friends and family, current living situation, etc. Things the King can use for leverage against your character.)
[b][i][color=darkslategray]D A R K - S E C R E T[/color][/i][/b]: (please place this under a hider, a reason your character may have been chosen to play the game.)
[hider][/hider]

Keep in mind:

• You must be OKAY with your character potentially dying
• You must be OKAY with your character potentially being the King
• You must provide a dark secret/reason your character COULD be the King/a player
• Bio section is not present in the CS because it will not be relevant to the RP
• Because this is a short term RP, you must commit and be active! You don't need to worry about keeping track of a long story line! If you lose interest, let me know ASAP so the next order can be to kill your character! That we we don't have sudden disappearances!

I'm currently thinking a group of 5-6 characters would be best, that way the group isn't too large but there are enough characters to make the mystery of "who is the king?" work.

tl;dr - characters awaken trapped in an old mansion and are forced to play a fatal King's Game. The GM gives out the orders but one of the players is secretly the King. Character death WILL happen. Find the King to win otherwise you die.

(If the tl;dr interests you PLEASE read the entire interest check lmao)

Feel free to ask questions!

World of Light

Word Count: 466 (+1 exp)
Level: 1 - Total EXP: 2/10
Location: Coral Highlands, Land of Adventure

The Cadet wouldn't be put off by the monster's intimidation tactic; he leapt forward, blade flashing out in front of him to slash at the Bird Wyvern's legs. Monsters were tough, but eventually the damage would stack up and it would have a harder time jumping at them. Speaking of them-

After hearing the sound of gunshots the red headed hunter looked toward the 'newbie' in the weird clothes, thankfully finding him seemingly uninjured on the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's other side. The man was fast! He seemed to have good instincts as well. That was great news to Cadet, just meant he wouldn't have to worry about babysitting the guy while simultaneously fighting the 'Ya-Ku. On second glance, it looked like he actually did have a weapon too - though it was kind of on the small side for a bowgun. The Cadet could feel a grin working it's way onto his face just thinking about a bowgun that tiny packing enough punch to make a sound that loud. He wanted to try it out! For now though, he let himself ease into more familiar hunting habits, raising his shield and turning back around to face the direction the TziTzi-Ya-Ku had gone flying in but instead saw something decidedly unfamiliar.

"Uh," the Cadet couldn't help but let the sound escape from him as his eyes landed on the... metal man? It might have looked like a bulking suit of armor, but some of it's proportions - it's head, legs - were too strange to have anyone really believe there could be someone inside of it. Right? It was also way too big to be a palico. Well, the thought came to him, I have met some really big felynes-- Wait, stop, now wasn't the time to get distracted.

The appearance of the metallic creature had the Cadet hesitating for a moment but he assumed it was friendly for two reasons: it was currently facing down the monster and it was a huge metal thing! Man-made for sure, either a new hunting tool or something else that currently inhabited the weird world he currently found himself in. Either way, friendly. Hopefully... okay, better make sure.

"Metal Man is on our side, right?" the Cadet called with a quick glance back at the other - human - man. Although he should have probably waited for confirmation that the metal thing was indeed safe, instead Ace started making his way toward the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku's front, shield raised and ready in case the creature suddenly turned his way - which would be great, in fact, so he could land a clean hit on it. The Cadet used the butt of his sword's handle to bang on the shield a little in the hopes of drawing the Bird Wyvern's attention.

Reborn: Coming of Calamity

Orsender the Oni

Name: Oli- Orsender
Race: Oni
Gender: Male

Personality:
"Orsen" is rough, a little rude, and wants nothing more to test the limits of his body in all things. Eating, fighting, sex - it may as well all be new to him. He doesn't trust easily and tends to keep to himself - or at least, that's what he was like. Now, having been reborn, he has grown a little haughty and believes he was personally given a second life by God, Satan, or whatever. He could go anywhere, do anything, be himself... sort of. He definitely wasn't an oni in his prior life. Still, he feels free and wants to revel in his new freedom. The rebirth has made him ecstatic about being alive again, when once he could barely stand it. Although he is still mostly rough around the edges when it comes to social interaction and trust in others, he may yet learn something of it during this journey.

Appearance:
Standing at an imposing 6 foot 8 inches (210 cm), Orsender is a a mass of muscle with a fluffy, über-soft mop of silver hair on his head. He is an oni, and he does have a single horn that matches his grayish skin color on his forehead where his hairline begins - but it is tiny and usually well covered by his hair. He won't tell you his weight, because that is apparently rude. His shoe size is beyond human you know what that means. He usually wears loose fitting clothes, making it hard to tell how ripped his new body is. It is very ripped. His voice is a deep baritone and his eyes are bright and alive with youthful hope, despite his menacing appearance. When he smiles, sharp fangs can be seen. Actually, he's kind of handsome...?

Backstory:

Hider

"Ha! Wouldn't you like to know?"

Blessings:

「Demonic Overcoat」

The power bestowed upon Orsender when he was reborn, operating under the assumption that some dark God willed him back to life. The Overcoat takes the form of a black magic aura that enshrouds Orsen completely in a psuedo-cocoon. It takes a few moments to activate once the cocoon is formed, and the shell can be broken by a particularly strong magical attack, but if left alone then Orsen will come bursting out with an extreme power boost. The dark magic puffs his body up even larger than it already is, mana courses through his bulging veins and powering up his physical strength to titanic heights. His speed is much improved due to the pure leg muscles enhanced with magic. Even his thinking process speeds up as his brain is wrapped in a demonic aura. Physically, he doesn't change much at first. The longer he 'wears' the Overcoat, the better chance there is for it to change his body. All the changes are temporary, but are very physical while the coat is active. If he needs to reach a flying enemy, he will grow wings. If he needs to dive beneath the water, he'll grow gills. He can grow tails, extra arms, larger fangs, spikes, magic-resistant scales, etc. His small oni horn also grows in length the longer the coat is active, and serves as a timer. Since the dark aura wraps around his brain, prolonged use of the blessing can lead to permanent damage. At a certain point of prolonged use, Orsen will be unable to deactivate the Overcoat himself - in that case, knocking him out will end it's effects immediately.

Abilities:
Orsender is a man with little besides the merits of his body. His arms and legs are adorned with sturdy armor, as they are his main weapons. He does have a sword - or at least, he came to with a sword nearby - but he doesn't seem to be trained to use it all that well. He uses it more like an axe or club, just wildly swinging. Still, the force of one of his swings is enough to cleave right through most mortals' bodies. His strength is devastating. He prefers using his arms to swat, punch and grapple opponents. Particularly, he has a mighty choke hold he loves to employ. Despite his titan like strength and physique, he can be a little squeamish around gore - another reason he mostly prefers hand-to-hand combat.

Magic:
Orsen is not very skilled in the ways of magic, despite his blessing being entirely magic-based. The most he can do is conjure a dark flame with the snap of his fingers - and it offers less light than a normal torch so it doesn't have much uses besides lighting a quick camp fire.

Equipment:
+ Steel bracers, grieves and boots. Intricately carved with an unknown language. Decipherable? Perhaps. Not by Orsen though.
+ A steel sword of similar make, also similarly inscribed. It is extremely heavy, but Orsen can wield it with ease.
+ Standard, loose fitting traveling clothes and scarf.

Bonus Info//memory

- Orsender has an understanding of his tribe's dialect. While the dialects of the Oni are similar, they are nonetheless fragmented enough to cause difficulties. Still, enough remains to hold a conversation with most Oni. He is also able to speak and understand most of the common human tongue.
- Despite being unable to recall any specifics, the means of which to survive in the woods are second nature to Orsender. Even if he can't recall the names, he is still able to identify the usage of woodland plants and survivalism comes second nature to him.
- Orsender can only understand a single symbol on his blade: return.

A Shattered Tribe

The rustling of summer grass. The cool hymn of night winds punctuated by steps crushing the underbrush. The sounds of nature were corrupted by that indelible cracking. It wasn't like the breaking of wood or bone. The only way to describe it was different. No one was meant to hear this sound.

"[Mother,]" you whispered from behind a fallen tree, your childish voice quivering. The steps stopped. Quickly, you hushed yourself with your small hands covering your mouth. Your eyes shut as hard as you could force them. That brutal cracking increased, rushing towards your small figure. Silence. You could only hear the sounds of a summer night. Was it safe now? Was it fine? You slowly opened one eye. Both quickly shot open. All of the color of the figure before you had been drained out. Its eyes had been gouged out, only to be replaced by an oozing black. Its neck stretched across the trunk to stare at you. Deep cracks penetrated its skin as though it was a shattered clay pot. It was mother.

Quickly, you shot up from your slumber. The fur blankets that had covered you had been thrown across the yurt. Frigid air washed over your skin as your hands reached to hold your head. You struggled to catch your breath. It was that dream again. It felt like it appeared every other day. Not a week went by that you could enjoy sleep because of it. A familiar womanly voice interrupted the night's silence.

"D▊d ▊ou s▊ee▊ w▊ll?" She said. A tall figure wearing thick furs entered your tent. She wasn't like you. She was hornless. Her face was sympathetic towards your night terrors, as usual. It was ▊▊▊▊▊▊. Her sword was still safely sheathed on her hip. Really, why did she still carry that sword around with her? There wasn't anything up there with you, save for goats, bears, and evergreens. Ah... But wasn't it ceremonial? She taught you those words inscribed on her blade. ▊▊▊▊▊▊ ▊▊▊ ▊▊▊▊▊ ▊▊ ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ return. With a chuckle, she opened the flap of your tent.

"▊ea▊▊iful, i▊ it no▊?"

Bright green lights danced in the air, concealing the stars that they covered. Like a river in the sky, it gently flowed high above the mountains. This was her home, but she didn't think about it that way.

She always called it "our home".