Don't Let Your Hope Fade

After mentally fighting with himself, Nick dropped to one knee. Taking Rynn's hands into his own, he looked up at the female. "Rynn, my love, will your m-m-m-marr-marry m-m-me... ha ha ha ha ha! I can't ask you that with a straight face. I was just trying to make the awkward moment more awkward, but I couldn't keep a straight face."

Of course all the others were completely bewildered by what had just happened. Some thought a romance was brewing, another believed a level of trust was formed, and there might even be a few that recognized a moment of understanding and resentment for past actions. Though he was still on the ground, Nick didn't waver from his position. Her porcelain-like hands were still daintily clutched in his own smooth hands. This time Nick was in full control of his actions. His thumb stroked the top part of her hand as he awaited her refusal.

Although he was joking, there was a piece of him that was truly sincere about the question that randomly popped out of nowhere. He knew he had only just met her and that they were opposites in their own way, but he couldn't help but find a deep-pitched connection to the woman. Whenever he sought advice or guidance, he would, without a doubt, turn to Rynn.

When it finally hit him that they were just looking foolish before the eyes of the public, Nick snapped to his feet and slung an arm around Rynn's neck. "Ha ha. Nothing to see here, right? We're just rehearsing for the Kittmund Festival. We're hoping to take first prize with our skit! Be sure to cast your votes our way," bowing, Nick did not expect the applaud that suddenly followed.

"We shall all await to see the play in its entirety. But, next time, kiss the woman. Asking her to marry you was a little cliche. A kiss would have been more fitting," suggested one woman.

"I deep throated passionate one! That would have been great!"

Frozen, a nice red blush line became highly visible on Nick's face. "I suppose it can't get any more awkward, right?" he said turning to look Rynn in the eyes. Though, as soon as he did, he regretted it. His knees trembled some as his complexion got a little clammy. Even his lower lip trembled with the thought of connecting with those eyes again.

It was not the eyes that scared him. No, such a thing would be foolish. But rather, the person that owned those eyes had set him in a state of panic. He felt so naked around her. How was she able to see him in another light. Knowing that there was more to him really tipped the male over the edge.

Dipping his eyes down, he soon found himself flushed, again! Expecting a slap for gazing down her at her bosom, the male clenched his fists and stiffened his back. "Okay, you can hit me now," he said behind barred teeth.

She couldn't deal with this. Not with the way Nick was acting. Did all men act this way? She shook her head as the crowd applauded his antics. Great, just what they needed, more people noticing them. Perfect, just fricking perfect.

She was having a hard time dealing with her frustration. Her eye brow twitched as she tried to keep herself under control. There was no way she could put up with this for long. She needed to have it out with Nick before she lost her sanity because of him.

Bright eyes flitted to where Adam spoke with Gavyn. He found someone else to act brotherly with. So she was left out, again. Oh well, she could deal. she had done it before right? She could go on again alone.

Spinning on her heal she took off in the direction that Nick had pointed them in. If Rynn wasn't going to get them moving, she wasn't going to stick around and be the center of attention to the crowds of people here. They needed to blend, not stick out. What was Nick thinking?

Not really paying attention to if the others noticed, she walked, and headed towards their next destination. If they were smart they'd follow, but at the moment, Kris didn't really care.

"Greetings, Sir James Relline. I am honored to be standing in your humble home. Might I be allow the chance to take your daughter out on an adventure with myself. As you know, we Mon la'Ronk are searching for the accursed heroes and I thought your daughter might make a nice addition to the team. She has much to learn if she wishes to be among the royal. If it is all right with you, I would like to take her under my wing and teach her the ways of the Mon la'Ronk. I can foresee her talents becoming vital in the near future."

Bowing, the blonde took a gracious step back. She knew, without a doubt, the man would say yes. But, to sweeten the offer, she added another quick comment. "I will be providing her with compensation for this. She shall learn how to cook, clean, and fight. The three things every woman should know. For if a man were to ever step out of line, she would need to defend herself. Furthermore, I will guarantee her safety. Harm shall not come to this lady." Another bow immediately followed.

Kyle is oddly quiet. I wonder what is playing in that mind of his. As, perhaps he is thinking about the kill that is ahead. If my thoughts and calculations are correct, those meddling kids haven't even left Dawn Castle. Or if they have, then they haven't gone much farther. With such a diverse group, I find it hard that they get along right off the bat.

Not paying an ounce of attention to Mr. Relline's response, the woman turned to exit the house. Her brilliant blues were focused on the journey ahead. Though they rippled with passion for the fight, there was also a hint of concern. A lighter shade of blue dipped into her eye and almost hinted that she was sad. Perhaps not sad, but worried. She was, in fact, worried about Nicholas A. Fusion. Though she knew the boy had suffered a lot, she had no idea he was a hero. She knew he suffered and she was fearful that he had fallen. Clutching the necklace the boy had made for her years ago, Jenny Lynn drew out her sword.

"Nicholas. I will find you. I won't let the cruel world taint your innocent heart." With that vow being made, she stepped from the house and began down the cobblestone path. Even if Kyle and Teresa weren't following, she wasn't going to waste another minute worrying about the boy. I wonder what he looks like now. Has he grown... more beautiful. Does he... look like Deks?

Watching Rynn and Gavyn converse with each other Jenna listened and couldn't help but smile. Rynn really had Nick pinned there. Then when Nick came up to them and told them they were going the wrong way she frowned. Of course they were because they had no idea where they were going. She started to wonder what happened to him and Kris, why there were so far behind. Not even wanting to think about it Jenna shook her head and shuddered.

Then when Rynn and Nick got into a staring contest Jenna couldn't help but watch. What in the world is wrong with them.. she thought to herself. Why were they staring at each other like something was going on? Befuddled Jenna shook her head once more then glanced at Kris as she walked up. Uh oh..now that's going to be trouble.. her earrings whispered to her. Jenna couldn't help but agree with her sister. Ever since she had gotten her earrings it spoke in the voice of her dead sister.

Hearing Adam's words Jenna couldn't cover up that laughter that came out of her mouth. Then when Adam asked Rynn to marry her she laughed even harder. Clutching her stomach and bending over she continued to laugh. "Oh..wow, you guys are to funny," she said when she could finally speak. Jenna was only lightly chuckling now as she straightened up. "Light is right we need to get going." Jenna had noticed that Light hadn't gave them her name yet. But it was her choice so she would just call her Light from now on. Giving them all one last look she turned around and started walking off towards Kris. Humming to herself as she walked Jenna began to slowly dance her way forward. She tended to do that often when she was bored or needed to calm down. As she twirled and dipped and swayed her body, she was completely graceful. You could tell that dancing was in her blood and that she was very good at it.

"Ah!" She jumped sending one of her wrapped cakes in the air above her head. Reaching out she managed to fumble with it in the air until she finally got a firm hold of it and laughed. "Oh, hi... Adam right?" Gavyn already knew his name, but was prone to repeating things so she wouldn't forget them. "Sorry, I'm a little jumpy..." she explained, growing bashful within the moment.

Her glance was met with a kind-hearted smile and compassionate golden eyes. "Sorry you kind of got thrown into this...hmm...for lack of a better word mess of a situation, you didn't really have a chance to meet everyone. You doing okay?"

It was nice that he took the time to take a concern for her well being, and the attention made her a little nervous but relieved at the same time. From what she gathered everyone had already begun to build bonds with each other and she had assumed she would take her usual spot as the quiet little mouse among the pack of proud and courageous lions. "I will do my best to properly introduce myself to the other elements, I don't want to come of as rude." Laughing lightly she tucked her brown locks behind her left ear to reveal more of her face. "I'm doing just fine... really, I'm relieved I actually got here in time to depart with all of you. Thank you for your concern, Adam." Pausing for a moment she pondered his element, "So you are the Hero of Earth? Hm. I've read a good deal on my element and there are plenty of ways that we can fuse our powers to strengthen attacks. Just the other night I read a passage regarding Waters ability to aid the growth of the casts you make. Earth also works well with Light..." Gavyn on occasion was a walking talking encyclopedia due to the library of books she has read in her short lifetime, and rarely noticed when she rambled.

Pondering for a moment she stared at the wrapped up pound cake in her hands. "I packed a lot of food for the trip here, and didn't eat any of it... would you like to try some?" It was the only kind gesture she could offer for now, and she wanted to do her best to be as helpful as she could be. Seeing as she couldn't guide anyone in the right direction like Nicholas, or lead the pack like Rynn... maybe offering to feed the group would be something she could do. Although she was rather nervous to go off and try shoving her food in the mouths of others, she imposed a question on Adam. "Do you think the others would be interested in possibly having something to eat during this most likely long walk?"

Kyle was quite amazed at how directly Lynn had "asked" to take Teresa with them. It was more like "Oh, I'm taking your daughter, bye." than a request. When she left he heard her say something about about a Nicholas and keeping the world from tainting his heart. He assumed it was a friend or family member, but after a quick reevaluation, he decided not, but the boy was definitely close.

Kyle looked back at Teresa and said simply, "If you have nothing against it sir, we must be going soon, else Ms. Lynn will leave without us." He waited quietly for a reply.

She knew it was wrong and the worst possible thing to do at the moment, but Rynn couldn't help but laugh lightly at Kris's thinly veiled jealous outburst over hers and Kris's staring contest. Oh how wrong the little light elf was. She believed that Rynn was making a move on Light's little dark elf. By no means was that the case, she'd merely been returning his stare and it happened to cause her to see a little side of him no one else did. But he needn't worry, Rynn would not betray to the others that Nick might have a soul, she would keep that to herself until it was necessary to tell them. Leaders kept the trusted secrets of their team members, and Rynn would be no exception.

And then Nick was on his knee proposing her and she could not contain it anymore, and her laughter grew. She laughed for a few moments, her mind thinking of just upset Kris would be over the misconception and how absurd Nick was being and she couldn't help but laugh. Again, it was likely the worst thing she could've have done, but Rynn did it. She couldn't help it. As he explained poorly what was ocurring, her smirk retook its position on her face.

Watching Kris stalk off, Rynn momentarily entertained the idea of explaining the situation to her, but Rynn chose not to. That was Nicks battle, and Rynn secretly wanted to watch it play out. True to her element, she wanted to watch that fire burn, watch it explode, whatever would happen. Also, good leaders allowed their members to handle their problems themselves. She did however, lean over and whisper in Nick's ear "I think your girlfriend is mad at you. Clearly she assumed you were serious. Poor Innocent girl..."

Rynn smirked again before catching up to Gavyn and Adam, coming between the two and draping her arms over their shoulders, smiling at them "Gavyn, that's really nice of you to offer food, I'm sure everyone would be thankful for it. Its been a long day." Then she looked over at Jenna, seeing her dancing. It made Rynn smile a little bit. At least the girl hadn't lost her ability to be a bit lighthearted. Removing her hands from Adam and Gavyn's shoulders, Rynn continued on walking, allowing Kris to seethe on her own and waiting to see what Nick would do to remedy it.

Adam laughed at Nick's proposal to Rynn, more than certain that at any moment Nick's hair would be a nice flame instead of the black it was. Adam turned his attention back to Gavyn meeting her eyes. "Indeed Adam is my name, and tis fine don't worry! I do apologize for scarring you though."

Adam walked alongside Gavyn and listened to what she had to say smiling throughout. "I'm more than certain that there will be time for you to formally introduce yourself to the clan, that's right I'm calling us a clan now. Start saying it's a clan I want it to catch on. And most welcome, tis no fun to be left out."

Gavyn went on asking if Adam if he was the Earth Elemental, and about how they could combine powers. To answer wether if he was the Earth Elementalist Adam smirked and grabbed one seed out of a bag attached to his belt. He held the seed at level with his mid chest between his fore and middle finger, the tips of his fingers glowed a faint green and the seed sprouted into a vine reaching up to his face. The vine moved downward and coiled itself around Adams right hand. "And very perceptive of you, I've been thinking for a bit now on how we all could combine each others powers. And agreed you and I could create many combination with our powers!"

Gavyn kindly offered Adam food "AH! Thank you very much I would love something to eat. Arguing with Nick builds up an appetite." Adam began eating and was quite happy. His blissful moment of happiness over finally getting food was suddenly interrupted by an arm slamming down on his neck his head quickly turned and saw that Rynn had emerged from in between Gavyn and he.

"Well hello Rynn how is the Clan Leader?" Adam glanced past Rynn and met Gavyn's eyes mouthing "It's going to be a thing!"

Wow. She... laughed. It was about the only thing Nick could think about. This woman, she seemed so serious yet charming, and now she had a personality. Things just couldn't turn out to be any better. Recalling his childhood, a smile appeared on the male's slender face. Had Rynn's laughter not broken through his wall, the male would probably be a sour puss, hating the world and everyone in it. But rather than keeping up that dark facade, the male resumed to his true personality.

Smile permanently being bared on his face, Nick bounded over toward Adam's sigh at the scent of food filling the air. Turning his nose upright into the air, he wafted in the sweet scents of the delicious treat. Not minding his manners, the male sunk his teeth into Adam's cake without even considering the possibility that the male might be sick or that he could be agitated at such an impulsive action.

Noticing that Gavyn had packed more than enough food to feed the lot, Nick poked his head up beside hers. Still being a snoop, he cocked his head as he eyed the prizes in the bag. "I wish I could cook... I can only... burn food. I was never good at the whole baking thing either. Last time I made something I forgot the... sugar. It was not pleasant. Not at all...." Snatching one with his teeth, as if he were a wild animal, Nick wheeled around so that he was now in sync with Kris. Ripping the cake in half, he extended one side (the non bitten side) to her. "I know you had your apple, but that can only carry you over for so long. Besides, I ate half of it. The least I could do is offer you half of this... borrowed... stolen... received... cake."

He was a bit vexed at the fact that Rynn had pretty much ignored him and that her only comment was in reference to Kris. Just thinking about the word girlfriend caused the male to cringe. Her of all people should know that a relationship doesn't just form overnight. Hell, they had known each other for about three hours. Three hours and the thought of "true love at first sight" nearly caused the male to having a vomit attack. In his entirety, there was only one woman that soothed him and calmed him to a submissive state. She ended up going for his brother, which left Nick to watch from the sidelines.


Beckoning the others to follow behind him, he started to strut in the direction of his friend's house. It was almost an odd sight to see. Nicholas beaming with pure delight. His eyes were even shining with a friendly glimmer. His charming grin still embellished his face, which caused his face to actually look fuller. He no longer looked like a hollow shell. He actually had flesh and, believe it or not, smile muscles.

Had the others met Nick prior to his brother's untimely death, they would have known Nick to be a high-spirited male. He was always laughing and being smiles to the faces of those around him. The black haired male was a jokester of sorts with his silly antics and zany ways bringing smiles to even the sternest of people. He had always been witty and very personable. Nicholas enjoyed the warmth of being around others and he was rarely rude. He enjoyed taking up the roles of a true noblemen and loved to talk fancy. He even loved the idea of attending balls, parties, and grand festivals. The thought of being surrounded by swooning woman excited the male even at a young age.

But, since the departure of his brother, Nick had turned over a new leaf. The light that once guided him had faded and all hope of salvation escaped his grasp. He didn't want to be found. He didn't want to be a hero. He just wanted to wither away so that he could join his family among the starry night. Watching the fate of the world unfold before his eyes seemed less enduring and less painful. And yet, his dreams did not come true. In fact, his nightmares did. He became what he feared. He became a figure of hope. The thought of being needed frightened him and he was too stubborn to admit it.

Eyes closing, Nick embraced the adventure that awaited he and his friends outside the walls of Ka'lent City. Within the next hour, they would be on a new turf. Though it was familiar to him, he assumed it would be a foreign world of awe to the rest, as Nick was lucky enough to accompany his brother on all his journeys.

A single tear slid down his face, but before everyone could spy its presence, the sun evaporated the little drop. Mother. Father. Sister. Brother. Jenny Lynn. I shall make you all proud. Never again will I cast away the side of me you all clung to. Here on forth, I shall do my best to wear my true colors and not the colors of the destined hero of darkness. Though darkness, doom, and death surround me, I shall not allow it to conquer me. I shall overcome the emotions I've stored within and, with them, I shall become the hero everyone prays I will become. I shall not fail you again.

"thank you."she said softly as nick offered her part of his food. "But I'm not hungry."stopping her feet she let the rest of the group pass her so that she was now alone in the back. Running fingers though her soft hair she let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. What am I doing Jake? she thought to herself. This isn't me. I shouldn't be so worked up with all of this.letting her hands fall to her side she drug her word boots through the dirt as se followed the others. You need to stop being so hard on yourself. her brothers voice echoed in her head.

Slender fingers circled the charm hanging from her neck. I know... her eyes flitted up to the backs of everyone's heads. I just... I can't do this without you. she could feel tears starting to sting her eyes.You don't need me. Besides, I'm always with you angel. it was funny how nick had picked the nickname her brother used to use. I want to see that bright smile of yours again. Frowning doesn't suit you. Please? For me?

She could hear it in his voice, his pathetic childish pleading. It got him anything he wanted. Always did. Kris couldn't keep the smile from spreading across her face, despite the tear that rolled down the curve of her face. "you win." she mumbled to herself.

Taking a deep breath she wiped off her cheeks, she was behind everyone, hopefully no one noticed. Her eyes shifted and looked up at the sun. She could feel it pumping the energy through her. Her nerves humming to life with the power swirling in her.

Forget about nick and whatever else. Just focus on this task. Doing it for Jakob. She would do anything for him and she wouldn't fail.

Basically not paying attention to anyone or anything Jenna continued to dance forward. It was the one time she let everything go and enjoyed the simplicity of it all. To her dancing was her way of busying her mind and calming herself down. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nick and Light walking together then saw Light stop walking. Those two... she thought and mentally shook her head.

What in the world was she going to do with them all? It seemed like the only one totally level-headed was herself and Rynn. At that thought Jenna couldn't help but smile lightly. She really liked the older girl, Jenna knew they were going to be fast friends. They were so much alike but also so much different. Pausing in her dance Jenna picked up her pace until she was even with Nick. The two of them hadn't talked much so now it seemed like a good time.

Clearing her throat slightly she looked at him. He was only a few inches taller than herself so she didn't have far up to look. "So...I just want to say that I hope "romance" doesn't get in the way of our objective here. I'm not really sure we all came together to start dating each other. I just want to know that we all have each others back and were all going for the same goal. To defeat the la'Ronk.." she paused there and studied him. There was a difference to him then from before. He seemed..more light in away.

"What is with you people! Girlfriend. Romance. Love. Ewww no. I'm not looking for a relationship. You all have it backwards. My heart belongs to another woman. Though, she never returned the affection. Probably a good thing..." he fell silent and contemplated telling Jenna the name of the woman he so desired. "She's the one I wanted to see today... until you all ruined that plan. I guess I'll have to reunite with her later. Ha ha. Though... I here she's engaged. I guess I'm not surprised. She's a lot like you. You'd like her... if she weren't our enemy." He didn't have to say anything else. He knew that Jenna would eventually piece two and two together and discover the woman he spoke of was Jenny Lynn Walker, the one who was more than determined to slain their little ragtag team.

Even though he and Jenna started off on bad terms, he hoped the woman wouldn't hold it against him from here on out. A clean slate was in order. He actually wanted to start fresh with all of them. Leaning in so that he was within her personal bubble, Nick grinned. "Would you mind if we started over?" Without waiting for a reply, he piped up some information she already knew. But, for the sake of starting over, he had to start at the very beginning. "I'm Nicholas A. Fusion, the so called hero of darkness, but don't let the term confuse you. I'm not always all doom and gloom. I have an obsession with kitty cats... far from gloom if you ask me!"

Clasping his hands gaily, he wondered if there was a chance they might encounter a cat along the way. If he were lucky, the group would allow him to keep the little critter. Thinking of cats immediately pushed the male into a state of ecstasy and sheer giddiness. It was an odd thing to see, Nick bubbling over with happiness. And at what? The simple word "kitty." He must have had a few loose screws in that head of his, but who was going to complain? A chipper Nicholas was far better than a grumpy ass.

"So, Jenna, you're our lightning goddess? Erm, heroine of lightning, correct?" biting his lip at his little freudian slip. If he were lucky, she wouldn't have picked up on his term of endurment he used to describe her. Thus far, Kris was an Angel and Jenna was a Goddess. It was safe to assume Rynn and Gavyn would be assigned superior titles such as those two, but only time would tell which roles they received.

Crossing her arms Jenna fell silent and listened to Nick with interest. She couldn't help but bite her lower lip in thought. So he wasn't wanting to date anyone here, that was good. As he described the women he was in love with Jenna couldn't help but cock her head to the side. Who he was describing sounded so familiar but she just didn't want to believe it. Nick was in love with Jenny Lynn? Jenna was completely stunned and shocked. She tucked that information away for a later date.

Then when he leaned into her personal space Jenna couldn't help but glare just slightly. But then she smiled softly when he asked to start over. It would be best for them all if they tried to get a long. Plus she was impressed that he started right away in re-introducing himself. She let out a small chuckle when he spoke about kitties. So now Jenna knew Nick's weakness, kittens..

She hadn't missed the fact that he called her a goddess. But she let it go,deciding not to comment on it. Jenna never let anything slip through her mind. She was good at picking up everything around her, emotions or something someone said.

Turning her head Jenna gave him a grin and introduced herself. "You are correct Mr. Darkness. I'm Jenna the resident Lightning Queen," she said with a chuckle. "I'm glad you decided to start over, I think we needed it." Deciding it was a later date Jenna brought up Jenny. "So I couldn't help but figure it out. You're in love with Jenny Lynn? The Jenny Lynn?" Letting out a low whistle Jenna shook her head. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm a good listener and even better at keeping my mouth shut." After looking around Jenna gave him another small smile.

They were on the outskirts of the city now, the crowds and homes thinning out greatly here. Kris elected to stay at the back giving herself some more cool down time. She watched as Nick switched to talkin to Lightning. He really just couldn't make up his mind could he? He...

Hands came out of no where. One clamped over her mouth, the other circling her tiny waist as they yanked her aside and behind one of the last buildings. "don't make a sound. I won't hurt you." instantly Kris recognizedthe voice. I was the medic that had warned her earlier.

Her heart was racing as she was held back against his strong muscled chest. She could feel his heart pounding almost just as hard against her back. Ever so slowly she nodded. It took a moment but finally the man released her, sort of. He pinned her against the wall, eyes staring straight into hers. It was such an intense green, passionate yet a sadness hidden away in there as well. If she wasn't terrified she might have noticed his charming looks and rather shy demeanor.

"Something is wrong here." he said quietly, searching her face for answers. "your group... There's something wrong with it. Something isn't right." Kris had no idea what he was talking about. Her heart was thumping so loud inher ears she almost couldn't hear him.

The young man shook his head and slammed his hand against the wall making Kris jump. "I'm sorry." he mumbled."I just can't figure this out and it might be the only way to save you." he finally blurted out.

Someone walked out of the building Antonio had Kris pressed against and gave them an odd look. Not exactly thinking of a good move, Ant pressed his lips agains Kris's and held her in an intense kiss for a long moment until he old man turned away. When he finally let her breathe. Both of their faces were red, and he could scaresly make eye contact.
"don't get too close to nick. He's in it deep with Jen." he let his fingers trail down her cheek slightly. "And don't let him swallow your light. You might have to have one another. But you don't need him.".He glanced around before removing his body from hers. "my name is Ant by the way. Don't tell the others I'm helping you... You are the only one I trust. And don't forget what I've told you." he gave her kiss a soft peck and then walked away.

Kris was left there frozen, completely shocked. What in the world had just happened? Her lips felt like they were on fire, her whole body buzzed with a surge of energy she couldn't explain. She had justbeen kissed by the enemy. What next?



Antonio silently swore at himself as he walked away. Finding an alternate route to stalk the heroes. "I can't believe I kissed her..." he shook his head. But he didn't really have another option that he could think of. That old man would have hassled them if he thought something was going on. "but damn... That was a good kiss." he grinned and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Adam happily walked alongside Rynn and Gavyn, eating his cake excited for the adventure ahead. Adam took a bite of his delicious cake and closed his eyes to experience the flavor, when his eyes opened he was instantly greeted by Nicks whose face was no less then 3 inches from Adams own face. Wide eyed Adam only could watch as his delicious cake was taken and consumed by Nick. Adam turned toward Rynn and Gavyn with a horrified expression on his face.

"I now know how Light feels...and it doesn't feel good..." Adam shivered about the thought of Nick being that close to his face. His look of horror turned into one of confusion at the site of Nick prancing about Adam's mouth gaped open and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"My god...if this is what happens to Nick after one piece of cake, I can only imagine what would happen if he ate a whole cake! His sheer happy go lucky dancing after ingesting the whole cake would cause all the la'Ronk in a 10 mile radius to instantly become gay!"

Adam stood still for a few moments confused, by the time Adam regained his senses he realized he hadn't seen light in quite some time, he looked around still not moving. What he saw shocked him, Light pressed against a wall by a la'Ronk being kissed by him. Luckily the la'Ronk quickly left but for safety Adam decided to do some snooping on this man who he was fairly certain was following the Clan It's going to be a thing Adam thought proudly. Adam rushed by Light stopping for a second with a serious look in his eye "Stop falling behind and catch up with the group now! Tell Rynn I'm still here but I'm following a la'Ronk who is following us. Tell her to detour the walking some so he doesn't find out where we're going!"

Adam felt terrible for yelling at her but it wasn't the time to be sweet but still felt bad. "I'm sorry, but this is urgent! Go now!"

Adam raised his hood and began tailing the la'Ronk

Gavyn's treats had been quite lovely, and Nick had decided to be just a little crazier as the day continued. This time he decided to use his mouth to snatch food from Adam. And then proceeded to prance about as if he was a child. How unbelieveably odd. Never before had the Alshemerean witnessed such odd behaviour. She stared at him in shock for a moment.

"Maybe if they were gay they'd be less trouble." Rynn said, turning and grinning at Adam "Although I must say this is quite amusing." Rynn shrugged, still grinning. Nick was now contentedly talking to Jenna. Well that was a good sign, it seemed he had decided to try and make nice. She wasn't sure what had done it, but something had managed to make Nick quit being so immature. And Rynn was very thankful for it.

And then Rynn noticed she'd lost sight of Light, and apparently Adam noticed at about the same moment, as he went running behind to see who it was. Rynn's emerald eyes watched him run, and she saw Kris coming back from... something. But Adam didn't come back with her. The fire elemental didn't like that one bit. They shouldn't be separating at a time like that. "Hey! Everyone! Stop! I've got to go retrieve someone..."

Rynn bolted after him, catching up to him a moment later and grabbing onto his arm tightly. "Adam. What are you doing? You can't be wandering off alone, look I don't care where you found Light, but seriously, running off alone is a bad idea. Come back with me." The wording made her sound a bit authoritative, but it wasn't an order. She wanted to know what Adam had seen.

Teresa Knew Her father well enough to know that he wouldn't turn down Jenny Lynn. So when Jenny Lynn turned to leave and with out waiting for the expected approval burst out in an almost un lady like manner. Thank You Father! I'll write with i can. say good bye to mother for me? she manged the quickest of curtseys and and hurried to follow Jenny Lynn out the room, brushing past Kyle in the process.

From his place at the desk, James Relline, sighed "Well permission is granted, don't you have somewhere to be, Mr Gear?"

Teresa didn't hear the exchange, she was in her own little mental bubble of excitement. It was actually happening she was going on an adventure. She would see far off lands and places that previously existed all in books, and best of all it would all be new! And on top of the Jenny Lynn said she would teach her new things, useful things, though she wasn't sure about the cleaning, the rest sounded fun! Catching up with Jenny Lynn, she almost had to stop and catch her breath, dresses just weren't meant to move quickly in. " Miss Walker, not that i mind the answer one way or another but where exactly are we going?

Adam was about to run off when he was suddenly stopped by Rynn "Shit...should've known you would've come to stop me, look I'm not going to stand her and give you the rigamarole on everything. And it's not where Light was because where she was, was right here..." Pointing down towards the ground.

Adam saw was getting worried that he would soon loose his tail on the la'Ronk member. He knew he would have to move quickly to catch up with the la'Ronk.

"Look! Short version! Light was back here pressed against a wall by a la'Ronk who has been following us for awhile and no doubt he has a way to contact other la'Ronk and alert them of where we're going. I'm going to tail him tailing us! Detour the walking some so he doesn't find out where we're going!"

With his abilities he drew two seeds from his straps around each arm down to each hand. Each hand glowed green with an aura around them, it looked as if a green mist flowed around each hand energy dripping off of them. He focused his power into the seed in each hand causing a vine to grow forth from each hand. Still focusing his power he controlled the vines to grab the ledge on the top of the building nearest him. He controlled the vines and pulled himself up to the top of the building. The vines coiled themselves around their respective arm, prepping themselves for any oncoming attacks. Adam looked over the ledge to his left and quickly spotted the la'Ronk.

"Perfect" Adam smirked saying this he began following the la'Ronk from the rooftops waiting for the opportune moment to strike, and making sure the la'Ronk didn't call in reinforcements.

"Alaaronie, Nithium. I need to see if my beloved Nicholas is still alive and well. You could say we were destined to be together, but, at the same time, we were destined for failure. It's a shame I got dragged into this life before his birthday. On his eighteenth birthday, I wanted to show him how to really treat a woman... in bed. Ha ha! I wonder if... has a girlfriend."

A small frown came over her face as she thought about Nick being with another woman. Feeling like crap, as she wouldn't bare the fact of 'her man' making love to another woman. She had practically raised the kid! She taught him everything! How to talk, walk, and fight. She taught him how to keep a woman happy and how to be the ideal gentleman and, dare she say it, boyfriend.

"Besides, I let his deceased brother borrow a book of mine. It has some secrets about the Truth Orbs in it. I know the heroes will start going after them, so I want to be one step ahead of the group. Besides, going to Nithium, we might be able to pick up a soldier. If Nicky is still around, we could persuade him into joining us! It would be great. You two could get all romantic while Nick and I pursue our own love affair... erm, wait, I'm engaged. Boo."

Huffing, the woman puffed out her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips. Looking back the two, she grinned. "Things things first, we need to get to Lief so we can take an airship down to Vistilial. From there, we can take a flight to Nazzinivia. Since Nithium is without an air dock, we'll have to walk from Nazzinivia to Nithium. So pack your walking winter gear. You'll need it. Alaaronie is a chilly place."

"I know, I know. I'm crazy. But I can't help it. Hell, I've known her since I was seven. She was only nine at the time, in case you were wondering. Anyway, her family heard the news about ours and they were thinking of adopting my brother and I. A crazy court case ended up dismissed when someone else, of higher ranking, was found murdered. They kinda left my brother and I to fend for ourselves. Even though her parents were given strict orders to let us 'survive on our own,' they couldn't keep Jenny from wandering to our turf. Being from Nithium, the walk wasn't too bad."

He paused to make sure the woman was keeping up with the story. He had also caught wind of the commotion that was happening downwind from them. Looking at her, Nick hinted that he wanted to press on rather than waste time. To prove he wasn't just up and leaving the group, he dug his heel into the earth, creating a nice little trail for the others to follow.

When he caught a look of concern flash in Jenna's eyes, he quickly explained his behavior. "Listen, I would rather Rynn, Angel, and the others find out that I've a thing for Jenny. If everyone were to know about this, it would only cause trouble. I know she's a la'Ronk and the hero assassin and the leader of the army, but I also knew her before all of that. I'm telling you, I think I can change her... for the better."

Moving onward toward the boundary between the two cities, Nick finally came to a halt. With the "Welcome to New Vegra" sign to his front and "Welcome to Ka'lent City" to his rear, he knew this would be the ideal waiting location. If people were to pass by, they could simply reply that they were waiting for their family to catch up. Or, if need be, Nick could just suck face with the woman and make things awkward for all parties involved.

Noting that the others were out of sight, he turned his focus to Jenna. She wanted to know more about this brewing relationship. Though he couldn't piece together why, he did find the topic of Jenny to be soothing. It might also put his nerves at ease. Plus, an outside opinion about the situation wouldn't hurt.

"Where do I even start? She obviously frequented our house a lot. And although she asked my brother out around her tenth birthday, young, I know, she spent most of her time raising me. It was rather odd. A ten year old raising a seven year old. Even though it was a bizarre twist of evens, that woman taught me everything. From such a young age, she taught me how to sing, dance, and play a musical instrument. She trained me how to walk, talk, and write. Everything she learned in school, she taught me, and then some!

"Time passed and we were eventually fifth and eighteen, she being the older one. I remember watching things develop with both her and I. She had become a woman and I was just starting to become a man. Things were great, we were the best of friends. She had kept me under her wing for so long, that her personality had rubbed off on me. She always used to love it when I smiled. She said my personality could light up a room and that my innocence should never be lost.

"Although she was of the age for more intimate activities, she seemed to avoid my brother at all costs. Though they were still dating, I could sense that she was uncertain about being his girl. She also hated the fact that he was always seeing other women behind her back. He was long past soiled. He had slept around and used women like they were tools. Jenny always used to tell me to never grow up to be that kind of man. Though... I'm afraid I did.

"Anyway, with Deks being distant, Jenny spent more time with me. She really like the idea of molding me into the ideal husband. She taught me how to protect a woman and how to defend them against all odds. I trained day and night with her. Even though she was enrolled under a master assassin, she still found time to sneak out at night and speak with me. It was... nice. She might have been dating my brother, but it was I that she slept beside. I was the one that received the goodnight pecks and the good morning embrace.

"You could say things were looking bright for the two of us. I had begun the training she had been enduring and I also had side schooling. My filthy mouth, which was tainted by my brother, was washed a million times with a bar of soap. I was to be a polished, respectable man. Someone that everyone wanted. The kind of man that would make women melt with just his smile.

"It's funny though, how everything changed. I was once the 'ideal boyfriend' or so Jenny told me. But then... they ruined everything. Deks and I were brothers and we always loved one another. He was never jealous of my developing relationship with Jenny. In fact, he encouraged it. So, one evening, as it was nearing my eighteenth birthday, I had asked her to accompany me to the highest mountain in the area. I was going to ask her to marry me... granted, she would have to end thing with Deks.

"To my surprise, she had done so the day after I asked her to celebrate my birthday. She mentioned to me how she wanted to 'properly' show me how to 'make a woman say my name.' I must have been too naive back then to see it, but now I realize she had been waiting. Waiting all this time to be with me. I just wasn't of the legal age. So she dated Deks so she would have an excuse to be near me. I was so blind and too innocent to even piece things together that she wanted to have... well, yeah.

"So, on my eighteenth birthday, I waited for hours for her to come to the lake so we could walk to the mountain. Hours passed and passed and it was finally nearing night. My heart was crushed. She wasn't coming. Little did I know that on that same day the la'Ronk had hired her to work. I mean, I always knew the la'Ronk would want her. She knew so much about the heroes. She was always telling Deks and I stories about them. But... on my birthday... she just... vanished. I... I haven't seen her since.

"To make matters worse, when I returned home, I saw my brother just standing there with his hand on his hip. He was pissed. I never found out why. The blade of a la'Ronk had pierced through his chest. I was... mortified. When I saw the soldier look at me, I knew I was to die. As the stepped closer, I held my breath. My heart was racing. And then, when I opened my eyes, they were gone. They had... spared me. But why?

"I often wonder if it was the final condition to Jenny's employment. Since we first met, she had promised that she would 'never let anything happen to me.' I know she's our enemy, but I can't help but wonder if she dreams about what we could have been. I never got a chance to tell her how I felt. I never had a chance to taste her lips on my own. I never had a chance... destiny didn't want me to have it.

"Growing up, I always knew we would never be. Something always stopped us. Just look at her now, she's to become a princess. Why would she ever want to give up that life. And for me, of all people. I'm just not meant to be happy. I think it's why the hero of darkness is within me. All I know is pain and suffering."

Finally falling silent, the man looked at Jenna was pleading eyes. He begged for direction and compassion. He wanted to know what to do and he wanted to know someone was on his side. Turning his head, he looked at the horizon behind them. Any minute now, the others would be here, or so he figured.

[[O_______O Oopsie. That turned out longer than I wanted. Erm, yeah. Enjoy Nick's little life story? XD]]

Her heart had finally stopped pounding but her mind was still spinning. Something with their group was wrong? But what? And why was that la'Ronk so insistent on heling? It made no sense. Jus as Kris was about to rush back to the group, Adam appeared before her. Good. Maybe he'd understand.

But he yelled at her. Like she had intentionally gotten grabbed and forced against the wall. Why was he yelling? It wasn't like they were in the midst of an actual battle... The girl couldn't help the tears that gathered in her eyelashes. It felt like Jacob was yelling at her. She couldn't stand that.

Then Adam turned to head off and Rynn showed up. Great. She would never understand. The two argued and talked of fleeing after the medic that had warned her twice now. Her necklace pulsated as she watched Adam fling himself up onto the building. "Adam wait!" she called out to him.

It only happened in a split second. Her eyes flashed white and her extended hand cast a forcefield around the man. Blinking her eyes returned to normal and she stared up at what she had done. It never happened so fast before, and she hadn't meant to do it right now, it just happened. Her energy forced it's way out of her, forcing him to stop instead of requesting it.

Hands falling to her sides she stared wide eyed at the shimmering field that kept Adam trapped on that roof. "I....." she didn't even know what to do. She held e hand out again, trying to recall the energy, get it to come back to her, but it refused to listen. Swallowing hard her yes flitted from Rynn up to adam's eyes. He was going to be so much more mad at her now. It was bad he yelled at her once, but now he was going to yell at her again.

Her lips still tingled. Traces of Ant were still on her skin. Why her mind was drawn there she couldn't understand. Face flushing she hung her head, she didn't know what to do. It was the first time she made a field so strong. They were stuck here until she could figure out how to undo it. That meant Ant would get away.

The city is known for its criminal activities, but it is the destination the heroes seek out. It is rumored that a hero hails from this city, thought no one is sure if it's true or even if they've partnered up with this hero already. One can only hope that the hero from this area is of a stronger decent and contributes a new attitude to the group. Someone needs to level these hot-heads out. And no, depression doesn't make things better. If anything, the mopey ways makes things worse.

Whatever will happen? No idea. Stay tuned to see how the heroes fare in this dreary city.

Teresa took in all Jenny Lynn said though it took her a minute to sort it all out. Firstly Alaaronie and Lief and Nazzinivia. That was fine, that was exciting! but Jenny Lynn mentioned a young man named Nick. Who was this Nick and what was so special about him that it almost made the famed general forget she was engaged to one of the most powerful rulers of the world. And then on top of that she wanted to set her and Kyle as a couple, almost as bad as her mother, though he was cute. Oh and truth orbs, she had heard of those before what were they? and oh shoot! Clothing! She had forgotten to pack, not that much of her clothing was fit for traveling more fit for fancy parties and lady like things, but surely she had a few acceptable items.

Once Jenny Lynn had finished talking, Teresa burst out barely able to contain her excitement or her natural curiosity. "We're really going to all those places? And who is Nick? What are Truth orbs? Me and Mr Gear, why i barely know him? And clothing, i'll need to go back and get that! She paused to take a breath and blushed embarassed at her unlady-like and improper outburst. "Pleas excuse me Miss Walker, i was merely excited about adventure ahead.

Mentally though she was kicking herself, she wasn't a child she knew proper manners. manners meant that even though she was so excited she wanted to jump up and down and squeal she couldn't. She was to be polite and calm and friendly in every situation. it had been drilled into her head all her life. She hoped the Mon la'Ronk didn't think worse of her, not that Jenny Lynn seemed to have any qualms with showing emotions. But she was practically royalty the rules were different.

Kyle looked at Mr. Relline and nodded. He walked after Teresa and Jenny. He noticed the former hadn’t changed. Tch whatever He thought. When Jenny had mentioned the route he nodded. Going to Nithium was out of the way but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t on a time constraint here. It could take him months to kill the heroes and it wouldn’t matter. He would still get his pay. He hadn’t been to Lief in some time and had liked it there on his last visit. Nazzinivia wasn’t bad either. He nodded at the route. “I have no objections to that route. A little indirect but if you want the information that’s there then we should go there.” He said, breaking his façade of silence. He watched as Teresa made some comment about making couple out of herself and himself, then run off to get changed.

As Teresa ran back to gather a new, more suited attire, the female turned to face Kyle. Looking up at him with almost stern eyes, the woman spoke in a shockingly monotone voice.

"This book belonged to the la'Ronk. They have spent a great many years looking for its whereabouts. According to the legend, on the back inside page, the name of the heroes call be revealed on the fifth night of their encounter. Assuming they met up today, this afternoon, then it is pertinent we find this book before the week is over. Should we fail, we will never know the true identity of the heroes. I know the great elders have predicted names, but even their magic smoke and fire tribal rituals can't be completely accurate."

The woman turned so that her back faced the male. "Heed no attention to Teresa. She shall be assisting me. You see, rumor has it, only those of a pure heart can seek the knowledge we need. There is belief that the graveyard in Waal, el'Darft will produce someone of interest to us. Have you heard the legend of Void? As told by the elders, Void will appear on the fog of night to destroy the heroes. If we can get in contact with this Void before he makes his grand appearance, we can assist in the destruction of the heroes. It makes our job a lot easier." Turning up her nose, she scoffed. "I know you hate the la'Ronk, so I figured the less work you had to do, the better. You'd still get a handsome reward, the same one, if not more. Only, you'd do less work. I, for one, am in favor of doing less for the same price."

By then, Teresa had returned in a newly produced outfit. This one was far more fitting than the last. With a grin on her face, she wrapped an arm around Teresa' neck. Speaking in a soothing, very feminine voice, she began to answer the woman's questions as they walked off toward Lief.

"We shall see even more. Have you been to el'Darft? How about Alshmere? With us, you shall see the world." Her eyes drifted to Kyle. With a pleading cry to keep the information she just relayed to him a secret, the woman's intense glaze bore into his mind. Once she was done threatening him with her eyes, she returned to Teresa with a gracious smile. "Nicholas is... well, the most amazing man alive. I groomed him to be the ideal husband. 'Tis a shame I'm taken, or else I'd marry the man. Truth Orbs are key for the heroes' success. There are thirty-two of them scattered about the land. When all thirty-two orbs have been collected, they need to be dumped into the Pot of Relevance. Only when dumped in there, the orbs will reveal the hidden truths of the world. These thirty-two truths shall be told and they will help guide the heroes. They will tell them our weak points and how to breech the mighty walls of the castle. But there is only one who can hear the truth! He is rumored to be a forgotten hero. The eighth hero of legend. Mighty wind can only hear the whispers spoken. I would say we should find the hero of wind, but no one knows if this hero even exists."

Pausing to let everything sink in, Jenny Lynn pointed to the far horizon. "Lief is before us! I hope you two are good at haggling. Finding a ship around this time of day is nearly impossible."

Teresa came back dressed in slightly more suitable attire, a skirt slit for walking or running, boots and a relatively simple long sleeve shirt, a small bag hung from her shoulder. Her eyes widened with excitement when she heard all the places they would be going. And as Jenny continued to explain the truth orbs, and the eighth hero, a story she had never even heard. No one she knew had. there were only supposed to be seven. And as for this Nicholas boy, it was clear that Jenny would do anything for him. She laughed curls bouncing when haggling was mentioned. " I've never even been to the air docks! Well i was once but i wasn't supposed to be and i didn't stay long. And i don't know about haggling its not a skill i've used often before." she paused speaking still processing the rest of what she had learned. her forehead generally smooth, wrinkled in thought. slowly almost thinking out loud she said "If the heros need the truth orbs, then don't we need them too, before the heros anyway? Is that where we're going? And your right it doesn't make sense to worry about the eighth hero, not yet. if we knew he existed then maybe, but chasing fancies just lets the heros we know exist have more time to do the rest of their job. she paused again and then a huge smile broke out on her face. " This is better then any book!"

"OKAY ENOUGH OF THIS!" Rynn yelled, something akin to a snarl in her voice "YOU." Rynn said, turning her fairly harsh emerald gaze on Light "Let him down. NOW. And don't you DARE tell me you can't. You created that forcefield and you can damn well remove it.No power is that strong completely on accident. You have some control over it so quit pretending like you don't know what you're doing and grow up, and quit being so depressed, your attitude is enough to bring down everyone's morale." Rynn had had about enough of the little light elf. Her voice was no a yell, but it was stern enough.

"You need to grow up, or so help me gods, I will find another light hero. Don't ask me how, but I will do it. Quit pretending like you can't do anything and like no one will ever be your friend and like your life is so hard. Dragging behind like that to mope alone is what got you grabbed, and frankly, right now I don't care who grabbed you because they clearly weren't interested enough to keep you. So as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter. If they had meant harm, they would have done it. And I'm tired of your attitude, learn to suck it up when things don't go your way."

"In case you haven't notice, all of us have lost our families, we watched them die. So you are by no means any diffierent from the rest of us, we are being strong and you need to learn how to do that too. I am not going to make my companions or myself spend time trying to make you feel better and urge you to keep up when its all in your head. I I know you think I am being unnecessairly mean right now, but frankly, you need to learn to control yourself, because falling behind because Nick ignored you or Nick talked to someone else is so incredibly stupid. In fact, it is not only stupid, it is selfish. Endangering yourself because you are upset is not cute, it is not smart, it is a very bad idea. And I will not stand for it. So suck it up, take responsibilty for your actions and let. Adam. Go. Am I understood?"

Rynn knew that Light would probably burst into tears or run away, but the fact was- it needed to be said, she needed to realize that falling behind because someone made you feel bad was a luxury they couldn't afford, not with La'Ronk following them at every turn. Would Jenny Lynn show them any mercy because one of them was sad? No. And Rynn could do no different. If they were going to survive, she had to be tough when times called for it. She didn't want to be the leader everyone hated, but sometimes leaders had to say difficult things for the best interest of the group.

"And as for you!" Rynn called up to Adam "As soon as Light lets you go or you find a way out, you are to join back up with us. He's gone by now and clearly he wasn't a threat, and he was a very stupid La'Ronk at that, considering he spoke to one of us for an extended amount of time because now we know who to look for, so if you please, quit trying to be a hero and let's all get back on track okay?" Rynn asked, giving him a sort of demeaning smile. Yes Light and Adam would be mad, but the fire elemental was right. Logically that La'Ronk was a waste of their resources. And with that, she turned away from both of them and resumed catching up to Jenna and Nick.

Kyle nodded. He knew of the Void and what it was supposed to do. He was a vivid historian if he said so himself. He even knew of the legendary eighth hero. "I know of the Void. It opposes the Balance that the heroes are covered by." he said curtly.
When Teresa came back and Jenny Lynn stared at him, attempting to intimidate him in some way. He couldn't help but smirk. She was right when she said he didn't like the la'Ronk. He agreed that if the heroes were searching for the orbs, they must also. But if the story rang true, only the heroes will be able to find them.
When Jenny said something about haggling for a ship he had to smirk again. "I am oart owner of an airship, payment for a job years ago. So we don't need a ship. We need a pilot." he said, "Although being the head of the Army, wouldn't you be able to detain a pilot and even a ship quite easily?"

Adam was tailing the la'Ronk with easy nearing the edge of the rooftop, he knew he would have to jump over to the next rooftop. Adam reached the ledge and quickly backed up halfway to the other end of the rooftop and sprinted with all his might once he reached the ledge he jumped only to be suddenly stopped by an invisible wall.

Adam bounced off the wall and fell on his back "...Okaaaaaay" Adam muttered confused. Adam rose to his feet and approached the invisible wall. Adam swung with all his might with his right arm but to no avail, he tried his vines, and his bow staff but nothing the wall remained intact. At this point Adam realized that the la'Ronk he was tailing was now long gone. "Shit..." Adam swore, he wished he could still follow the la'Ronk to see if he called for reinforcements.

Adam walked over to the ledge he came up on and peered over. "Hey Light" Adam called in a sweetly sarcastic tone "You've seemed to have trapped me in some sort of invisible cage could you let me out? Probably would be for the best letting me out and all. Or I could try to break it down...hmmm...I'm going to try and break it down!"

Before Adam tried anything he heard the already familiar yells of Rynn telling him to get down. Adam chuckled to himself, "Coming Captain!" Adam once again drew out his Bow Staff and held it tightly in his right hand the tip of it glowed green, the vines around Adam's right arm coiled around the staff and began glowing with a bright green aura. The vine shot forward straight towards the force field. On impact there was a loud pop within the force field causing Adam to jump back from being startled. Where the vine hit a small somewhat unnoticeable opening had formed. Adam was surprised Honestly I didn't think that would work... he thought.

Adam looked down at Rynn "I'll come down, but I'm going to do it in style!" Adam darted back to the halfway point of the rooftop and sprinted towards the ledge and leapt towards the wall of the taller building adjacent from the one he was on. To most it would appear as if Adam was giving up on life and going out in a grand spectacle, this was not the case. Adam spent years climbing trees back at home before he got his abilities and had many unorthodox ways of getting down from high places. Once Adam was mere inches away from smacking into a wall he quickly planted his feet on the building and pressed off it flipping back to the building he was just on the roof of. He planted his feet on the buildings wall and slid down wall, going down in a straight vertical drop. Before he kissed the upcoming ground at 60 MPH he pushed off the wall back to the opposite building's wall and then simply used his right leg as a braking system and did a simple one legged push off the opposite building causing him to land gracefully right in front of Rynn.

"Years of tree climbing, oh and for the record wasn't trying to be a 'hero'..." making air quotes with his fingers as he said this "...just making sure that the la'Ronk that had Light wasn't calling his buddies over, in no way was I going to attack him don't worry. But I can see why you didn't want me up there and I respect it! Now, lets get the hell out of this city!" Adam patted Rynn on the shoulder as he passed heading off to rejoin the Clan, still wary of the la'Ronk that had Light earlier.

((Oh dear lord...that's a lot to process hahaha))

As Nick talked Jenna found herself nodding. The information he was giving her was very interesting and she wasn't going to forget any of it. When they started getting farther away from the group and in fact that the group was arguing, Jenna raised an eyebrow at Nick. But after he explained his reasoning she couldn't help but get it. "Don't worry I understand and I won't tell any of them. Everyone needs that one person to talk to."

As they stopped Jenna stepped closer to Nick so he could speak softly. Plus to other people it would look like they were engaging in deep conversation. As Nick started talking again Jenna couldn't help it when her eyes got wide. He was pretty much telling her his life story and she couldn't help but be touched. Dark and gloomy Nick was trusting her with everything. For that moment on Jenna knew they were going to be friends. Sure she would still get extremely irritated with him and pissed off, but deep down she knew he wasn't all to bad.

Everything he was saying was so interesting and intense, she was completely enthralled with his story. It was a really sad story to and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. To go through all of that, no wonder he was so dark at times. Jenna would have been to if she were in that position. Near the end of his story Jenna put her hand over her mouth and tried not to cry, when he looked at her pleadingly. Not being able to help herself Jenna reached out and hugged Nick. She squeezed him tightly then let go and stepped back.

"First I am so sorry Nick. That's horrible to have to go through all of that. I'm not very good at advice like this but I'm going to try ok? I'm on your side, I'll be your confadon (dunno how to spell that lol)." She paused there and gave him a little smile. "If you think you can turn her to good I say try it. Who knows what will happen. I'm going to help you Nick but you have to promise me something. We come first. Our mission here comes first, it has to." Jenna spoke fast because she knew the others would be there any minute. But she wanted to make sure Nick knew he had someone to confide in. "Anytime you want to talk, just come get me and we will. I may seem harsh and a bitch at times, but some days I can be a total sweetie." She grinned at this and then turned to see how far away the others were.

Kris's eyes got wide as Rynn started berating her like a child. Her confusion of what she did earlier vanished and her brows came together in a nice little scowl. "Im not as good as you!" She yelled at the other woamn. "There are you happy? I've never had control of thses damn powers. EVER. Just because you can will fire with the bat of an eye, you are an excelent leader and gorgous to boot, does not mean that you can stand here and act like you know everything!" She was fuming.

"I know i messed up. I will be the very first person to admit it. This has nothing to do with Nick. Its me mad at myself for letting me care too much. You know why I was at the back of the group? Because I was cheering myself up. I know what it's like to have a debbie downer in the group and I don't want to be her!" Tears slowly rolled over the contors of her cheeks.

"Never once did I say that my life sucked more than yours. I really have no Idea. But sometimes things get to you, I'm sorry I am a girl, it happens. Hell, you should know that. Remember how you almost blew up at Nick when we first met? You weren't exactly in control then. You can not expect us all to be 100%, all the time." She was shaking by now, small fractures splitting up the sides of the forecfield she was slowly loosing contol over. Adam managed to hit a crack, busting open enough of it that he could safely climb out. Once he was out the whole things fell away and disolved into bits of light that fell like snow before disapating.

Kris's teary eyes stared hard into Rynn's. "I never meant to trap Adam up there and I tried to take it down." Her voice was calmer now, but the anger was clear on her face. "I'm not a perfect Elemental like you Rynn. You can't expect me to be able to do everything you can...." Her shoulders finally relaxed and she wiped at her face as she took a deep breath. "I'm not as strong as you are." She hated to admit it, but it was the truth. She could barely make a glowing orb to light the path at night and keep it going, how was she supossed to be able to help the others when she couldn't do the smplist tasks?

She glanced over at the man that reminded her so much of her brother and offered him a pathetic smile. "Sorry for getting you stuck. I really didn't mean it." She had yet to make the connection she wanted to with Adam, so she forsaw the rest of her pathetic relationships with the group heading in a downward spiral now. Not that she wanted them to go that way. Quite honestly part of her was hoping to make friends with them all. Create a type of surrogate family since she lost her own. That wasn't happening anytime soon, expecially with the way Rynn hated her.

Turning around she walked off towards where the others were waiting. She really needed to learn to control herself. Or none of this was going to end well.

That hug literally came out of nowhere. Last time he checked, this woman wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps starting over and explaining his life story to her was the best move he ever made. He reconfirmed this mere seconds later when she said she would be his confidant.

Though he hated to admit it, Jenna was right. The success of their mission came first. His love affair with Jenny Lynn Walker would have to resume at a later date and time. Yet, Nick had a feeling she would come about sooner or later, and he feared his inability to part with her. It hadn't been too long since he last saw her. What was it, maybe a month or two? Could she really have changed that much in the course of two months? He doubted it, but there was still a part of him that heeded Jenna's warning.

"Do you think they got lost? I thought they would be here by now... though I do suppose some of them tend to walk on the slow side. Ha! Good thing we went off on our own. I can't even imagine what the holdup would be. Rynn's probably barking out orders and I bet Angel managed to get herself into trouble for being too innocent. Gavyn and Li'ing are probably really confused and wishing they weren't selected for this job. Oh, and Adam... I foresee him obeying Rynn's every order. It's a good thing we don't follow directions. We might have missed out on some bickering. I'm glad we caught up, though, I do feel bad that I did all the talking."

Resting a heavy hand on her head, the male ruffled her hair. "I shall return the favor. If you ever need someone to talk to, or beat up because you're pissed, feel free to take it all out on me. I'm used to having my brother wale on me, so I can take a pretty decent beating."

His crimson eyes turned to look at the city that laid before them. Grin coming onto his face, he turned to look at Jenna. This time, when he looked at her face, he saw her as someone different. She wasn't just another person that he was forced to be civil with. No, she was a friend. A beautiful one at that. Though a bit edgy, she proved herself to be a worthy companion. However, after speaking with her, Nick crossed her off the list of 'potentials.' From here on out, he wouldn't hit on her. He valued their friendship too much to risk upsetting her with affection. Besides, he still had Rynn and Kris to gawk over.

Antonio wasn't too far off when Kris had thrown up the force field on accident. Once he was out of sight he doubled back and got a bit closer to listen in. The two women were almost yelling at one another. Both had valid points but Ant couldn't help but chuckle to himself. If only you guys knew... he thought to himself before walking away.

Casting one last glance over his shoulder he hoped to catch a glimpse of the pretty thing he had kissed, but she was too far away. Shrugging it off she felt his face flush merely thinking about the incident. He wasn't normally one for bold moves, but maybe.... maybe he'd steal another kiss next time.

Ant picked up his pace and rushed to the other side of town. The port down here wasn't particularly crowded. He found a transport ship and smiled. Jen was probably up there, just itching to get a move on. He'd tell her nothing though of what he knew. Not the Heroes' location, nor the fact that they were at each other's throats. She could figure that all out on her own. After all. He was only a medic, he had no survalence training.

After finding a relativly empty ship he hopped on and took the short flight up to Kishmal. He never much minded the transport ships like some, his father had been a world class piolet after all.

Jenny Lynn Walker, Kyle Alan Gear, and Teresa Relline are all heading to this terminal in search of a pilot. Since Jenny Lynn has been told to stay put in Kittmund, the female has to sneak past the wary eyes of the la'Ronk guards. To leave this area, she will have to seek a passage on a black market ship. Walking straight into danger, she wants to ask the thugs on the rear terminal for help. Although it's what she wants it might not be the best idea.

Furthermore, she has no idea Antonio Giuliani is nearby. That is until now.

Thetrip was relativly short. But it was hard findind a place to dock on the port that always seemed busy. Antoino paid his fare and then filed out behind a hand ful of other passengers onto the busstling docks. Hands in his pockets he sighed. The docks always reminded him of his child hood. His father. They had gotten along until Ant decided to go to medical school instead of flight school. Happier times before this stupid assignment.

"What the hell?" it was more of a statement than a question as he saw Jenny pushing her way through the crowds with two other people. Rolling his eyes he walked over to them, eyes trained on the woman in charge. "I figured I'd find you here." He said flatly, brushing dark hair out of his eyes. "I take it you are trying to head off without me again? You know that only lands you in trouble, expecially with that new boy toy of yours." He wasn't normally so mouthy, but he was in an odd mood today. Maybe it was that kiss that had him so off kilter.

Rynn set her eyes upon Kris for the entirety of her self-righteous speech. She watched, waiting quite patiently for the girl to finish convincing herself she was right when, in fact, she had made the mistake. Rynn didn't want an apology or an explanation, she just wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

"Okay we're gonna get something straight right now. I by no means consider myself better than you as a person, We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It just so happens that right now, your weaknesses are causing problems. If Jenna or Adam or Gavyn or anyone else was doing the exact same behaviors you are, I would say the same thing to them."

"And to be honest in regards to why you were behind the group? I don't care. I really don't. Sorry to seem cold, but I have too many other things to think about to worry about your drama. I just don't want you lagging behind and getting hurt or kidnapped. You clearly seem to think I'm out to get you when, in reality, everything I'm saying here is to help you. You wanna make friends with the others? Start talking to them rather than brooding over everything else you possibly can. Right now is really not a good time for us to hatch out any issues with have with each other because we need to be somewhere and I am in no mood to have a fair conversation with you. So for our own good, I am ending this here and I don't want to hear anymore about it today because otherwise I might say something I really don't mean. So on that note, stay caught up, and cheer up."

As she finished speaking, Rynn turned away, making it clear she wanted to hear no more from the girl. If Kris had a problem with Rynn, she could bring it up with her at another time, right now the fire elemental just wanted to be done with it, and so she sped up her pace, meeting up with Jenna and Nick soon after.

"Sorry guys... we had a little... problem." Rynn said, smiling at the two of them and doing her best to forget Kris's self-indulgence.

((Ha! That's how you spell it. Thanks Xavi:)))

She couldn't help but laugh lightly and the thought of what was going on. They probably missed a few good fights, with Rynn doing some yelling. He pretty much pegged everyone's personality in a sentence. Shaking her head Jenna was glad she missed out on the bickering. That was one thing she absolutely hated, bickering. Of course she liked the playful banter back and forth but not the all out arguing. There group was knowing to figure out fast that she would rather shoot everyone with a bolt of lightning then listen to them argue.

"I'm thinking your probably right about all of that. I can just see it all happening," she said with a chuckle. Jenna knew that Rynn and Nick were going to be her closest friends within the group. But even though she considered Nick her friend, she was going to give him hell. She just couldn't help it, it was her personality. "I'm glad we caught up to and don't worry, I'm sure you've noticed I'm more of the silent brooding type then the chatty type." Which was true, it mostly depended on her mood. Jenna did like to talk but she liked to listen even more. It had been that way since she was little. Her sister always did the talking while she listened.

When Nick ruffled her hair Jenna let out a little mock growl. Putting her hand on his arm she shocked him lightly with some of her lightning, enough to shock but not hurt him. "Don't think I'll forget you said that," she said with a wicked grin. "I might use you as practice to test out my attacks." Laughing she looked up at his face, grinning. Who would have thought the two of them would have became all chummy. "And thank you, it's always good to know I have someone to talk to when I need to!"

Seeing Rynn walking over to them Jenna smiled. "Oh no worries! Nick and I were just catching up and becoming all chummy. But don't you worry I'm still going to give him hell," she said with a laugh. Oh no doubt about that, she could just see the two of them giving Nick hell.

Kris had admitted defeat already. She knew she needed to straighten out but Rynn just had to get the last word in. It was as if her apology wasn't enough. What else could she do? It wasn't as if she was the Hero of Time, she couldn't revers it all and go back and fix it. "If you were to treat everyone else the same then why did you scold Nick." She mumbled under her breath. It wasn't a fair statment she knew, but she didn't care. The incidents with Nick all happened earlier, before anyone was elected leader. There wasn't much to be done about him any way. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to let it all roll off, but it was rather hard when you got singled out by more than one person.

First that la'Ronk, Ant. Then Nick for whatever reason. And now Rynn. No one else seemed to have these problems, it wasn't as if Kris tried causing drama and making trouble. She never asked for this. Not once did she ever dream of saving the world. No. She wanted to sit on her farm at home and live a happy normal life.

Well, dreams are often lost. It was one of the first lessons she had learned. Life comes with lessons. Rynn didn't want her causing any more drama? Fine. Kris wouldn't say a word. She'd leave everyone alone. Hopefully that would be good enough for the other woman.

Wrapping her small hand around her necklace she blanked her face and walked on after the red head. Her eyes glanced down for only a moment. Why do you never say anything when I actually need your help... She thought angrily to her brother. He was supossed to guide her wasn't he? Then how was she landing herself in so much trouble?

Adam walked up on the tail end of the conversation between Jenna and Nick. He saw Jenna embrace Nick and thought Damn the women here are quite into the brooding depressed type...I should rethink my game here...nah

Adam began to wonder of the women around him, all were attractive of course but he was more than certain none of them saw him in 'That Way' which was fine to him. He did ponder about the women he was with and wondered which he could see himself. Jenna was a fun person but he didn't see her like that she was pretty but Adam couldn't see himself with her. There was Kris but she reminded him of his sister so she was out. He liked Gavyn and thought she was sweet and could see himself dating her. Rynn is on the same level of badassary as Adam so he could easily see himself with her. But how to advance on that he pondered, he wasn't the best at flirting. He knew that if he wanted to maybe date Rynn he would have to get to know her better.

He walked beside her and calmly started a conversation "So Rynn how're you doing?"

I'm going to ask that we all hold off until Gavyn and Li'ing get a chance to post. As soon as they do, I will be locking this one as we'll be crossing into a different city. :]