[Z_] and Eclipse

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Leona opened her mouth, then abruptly closed it. She was going to defend her home, but how could she explain it? Yes, she had constant hunger pains, but she'd adjusted. She finally was strong enough not to get hurt anymore. She was finally strong enough to keep her friends from being hurt ever. Though she was already considering leaving them, the actual possibility made her sit back and wonder. She was fairly sure they would do well on their own. Alex was almost as good of a thief as she was, and she knew if they got desperate the chef here would help out her angel. She gave her a small smile, as the quarter of a sandwich, barely four inches was placed in front of her. Turning to Avin she looked at him seriously, "Why?"  

[[Z_]]

"Why?" Avin questioned, taken aback by the question. He thought deeply, unsure of the answer himself. "We suppose..." He began, thinking it over. "We want to do some good our my lifetime," He said finally, content with his answer. "And you remind us so much of our sister it kills us to see you this way.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

"Emelie was your sister?" she whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. She knew better than to believe him. Knew that whenever she let her dreams loose they'd fall hard against the cold ground of reality. But even though she knew it, she still couldn't keep herself from dreaming; from seeing a better world out there for herself. Some part of her told her this would be her only chance to get out of Opalescent City. To emerge from this life of deary. "Can you teach me magic?" she asked quietly. There were always things she somehow knew she could do, but couldn't figure out how to actually do it. "Some of it anyway?" Her mind was already racing with possibilities. Her parents traveled when she was young, so officially she'd been throughout Lyndria, but those were fantastical memories of a child, now she would be able to appreciate the wonders.

She slowed her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. "There are a few things I need to do first," she commented softly. The food and money she'd gotten today. Summer was coming up, they wouldn't freeze to death at night without her spells. Her lip quivered at the thought of losing her family again, though she told herself it was for the best. Perhaps she could return once she'd learned new things, and help them, free them too.
 

[[Z_]]

"Magic," He repeated, looking to his hands. He had never given it much thought before, and looking back now, he wasn't sure he could teach her. "Well... Yes, We think we could do that," He nodded, hoping he was right. "It will take a lot of time, but time we've got. Patience we have, not sure about you," He smiled, motioning to her blades.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

the young girl blushed prettily, looking down in her lap. "I can be patient," she murmured, knowing it didn't help her case. She did enjoy taking the time to watch things. Frequently, the young girl could be found watching vines climb walls. But she was always sprung to defend herself and her family, or what she considered her family. She'd learned the hard way not to be vigilant. She glanced over at him, "I'm half elf, I do have magic in my blood, I just..." her face contorted as she tried to describe it, "can't reach it easily." She could feel it, just like with the tips of her fingers, but aside from brushing against her other half, she couldn't grasp it.
 

[[Z_]]

He flinched when he heard her say elf but remained composed overall. "Ah, that's because there's too much going on in here," Avin said, placing his hand on her head and turning about. He examined both her ears and nodded, "Yeah, we're sure if we drill a hole here, we can flood out some of the unnecessary worrying." He released her and folded his arms across his chest. "And the elf in you will speed up the process significantly."  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Used to watching people for signs they were going to hurt her, Leona caught the flinch. It made her frown, but when she thought over what she said, she couldn't figure out what could have caused such a reaction. Therefore she passed it off as a fluke. When he explained her "problem" the poor girl sat there wide eyed, unable to tell if he was joking or not. "Speed up the healing process?" she asked in an awed, holy s**t voice. She wasn't sure if this was such a good idea or not now.
 

[[Z_]]

"Healing?" Avin asked, confused. "Are you hurt?" He stopped, regretting what he'd said instantly. "I'm sorry, I mean the learning process. That type of healing will just come with time, no matter your race," He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "But you've got more important things to worry about now," He smiled, standing. "Now run along, I'm sure you'll want to say goodbye to your friends. Meet me back here when you've finished," He moved over to the door and reached for his purse. Unfastening the sack from his belt he placed it in Leona's hands. "Give this to them," He said, turning away and heading through the door.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

Leona blushed red at her ignorance. She climbed out off of the stool, and returned his smile. Though she didn't understand how healing was necessary to learning. None the less, she was happy, so her carefree smile seemed impossible to stop. It widened when he mentioned her friends. She didn't question how he knew of them, only accepted that he did. She took the satchel without comment, automatically looking into it. Her eyes widened, and she nearly dropped the entire thing. Why there had to be more than she'd ever seen in here. She tied it to her waist, surprised by how heavy it was, and quickly went to the back to pick up the food she'd gotten. She was going to have to figure out a place to hide the money, so they weren't mugged too, but this was just what would keep them safe once they were out of her care.
 

[[Z_]]

Avin watched her go and ducked back inside, finding a seat near the door. He watched people come and go while he waited for Leona's return. as he sat, his mind drifted to Emeille and Yousei, opening old wounds. He tried to shake it off, but to no avail. He sighed, lighting a cigarette and lowering his head; He'd have to get over this if he could ever move on.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

((Considering I’m not loading the picture myself, since my internet is unhappy, I’m just going to stop posting one, is that okay?))
With cat like speed, the young girl maneuvered through the familiar streets. Each time she passed something of importance to her: the old fountain where she washed the kids hair or the library with books five times her age and as well cared for as she was; she let her fingers slide over the cool surface, as if one last touch would actually help her say good bye. By the time she reached the old warehouse the children had converted into a home, she was drenched from the rain, so much so that it was impossible to tell the tears running down her face. They came harder when she saw the leaking ceiling, and silently she knew she had to do this. Otherwise they would always be living like this. After checking to make sure Annabel, their youngest who had to stay in the warehouse all day, did place the buckets under the streams of water. She did, thus insuring a dry bed for each of them, well, more than likely, she was still at the age she wet the bed whenever she had a nightmare of the time five years ago. The young girl had fallen asleep sitting up, so that her body swayed to the side. A motherly smile appeared on Leona’s face, as she wondered how she could leave them, and how she could be selfish enough not to. Picking up the sleeping child, she carried her over to her bed. It’d be easiest if she simply left a note with the money. But she couldn’t do that. She was selfish enough to wake the poor girl up, and say goodbye. Almost immediately, she was surprised by the flood of tears the girl produced, and it took her minutes to calm her down enough to set her on the errand of bringing everyone home. The two of them left the “hideout” in separate directions, knowing where most of the crew liked to ‘hunt’ for potential heavy purses. It didn’t take long for the message to reach everyone, and within ten minutes all of them were back at the ‘compound’ once more. She gave the smartest of them the money in secret to insure its use wisely. Then she bid each of them goodbye quickly, and returned to Avin within the hour. As she stepped into the store, her eyes were puffy, but she was soaked through so it was impossible to know for sure whether she’d been crying or not.
 

[Just Before An Eclipse]

((I just realized Sinku Anaka posted in the other forum. Should we move back over there?))  

[[Z_]]

Just Before An Eclipse

((I just realized Sinku Anaka posted in the other forum. Should we move back over there?))

(We can do both =O if you'd like)  

[[Z_]]

(Of course it's fine =3, I never post with a picture anyway)
Avin stood as Leona entered the building. "We trust everything went well?" Avin asked, pushing his chair in and making his way over to her. He smiled slightly, placing his hand on her cheek. "Your friends will be fine, someday they'll get their chance to get free," He assured her, lowering his hand and starting out the door. "Now come along, We've got quite the trip ahead of us," He called back, sliding his hands into his pockets and entering the cold night. He stopped and looked to her, looking the small girl up and down. "We'll need to get you some new clothes. And We're sure your weapons could use some attention. Ah yes, much to do indeed," He clicked his tongue, turning away once more. "But fear not, we'll make a hero of you yet," He laughed, walking on down the rainy streets of this broken city.  

[Just Before An Eclipse]

[Z_]

Just Before An Eclipse

((I just realized Sinku Anaka posted in the other forum. Should we move back over there?))

(We can do both =O if you'd like)

((Sounds good to me. I guess I'll copy the post I did? ))