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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jun 21, 2009 10:13:33 GMT -5
Lulu had been lost for a while now in the Aorin Forest, the dense thickets around her looking all the same after a while, and the trail under her feet becoming nothing more than a line of twigs and fallen leaves and small flowers that gathered on the fringes of the dirt path. Well, the trail HAD looked like that before she'd lost it. Now she was climbing over mossy logs, walking through tranquil glades and disturbing colourful dust motes which floated lazily through the air after she had left, none of which looked anything like the path she had been following. Not that she minded at all; she didn't consider it as being lost but rather 'taking the long way around', and the potential danger of what could happen while she meandered through the forest was lost on her. In fact, she was in such a good mood that she was singing a pleasant little verse to herself, one which definitely tended to make the singer feel better about themselves:
"Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, When you're perfect in every way, Each mornin' I look in the mirror, I get better lookin' each day!
To know me is to love me, I must be one hell of a man!" (Lulu WASN'T a man, but she didn't think that this took away to the meaning of the song any.) "Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble, But I'm doin' the best that I can!"
She giggled to herself as she wandered into a spear of light from a break in the canopy in the trees overhead, thinking that she might just stop for a little while to take out her lute and begin to compose further verses for the amusing and light-hearted melody. But then she was afraid that she would completely and utterly forget where she was, and she wouldn't even remember which way she had been coming from in the first place. Her mind was half logical, at least. For now, she decided, she was in no rush, and as long as she walked in one line the forest had to thin or end eventually, right? That's what she told herself anyway, looking at the greenery around her and wondering vaguely whether any of it was poisonous and if it would matter if she picked one of the flowers.
Eventually she came to a small clearing that looked safe enough, with a little, clear pool of water and an old oak that had since fallen down, providing a very enticing place to sit and rest. "Surely a five minute break wouldn't distract me enough so that I forget where I am..." she mused to herself, taking a seat on the old, gnarled trunk and leaning back on her hands, humming to herself.
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Post by blayke on Jun 22, 2009 16:06:11 GMT -5
Taloran was jogging at a steady pace through the trees, weaving in and out of the smaller ones that tended to bundle next to the vast, old trees. He was wearing his usual black outfit, and despite having left the sea trade just several weeks earlier, he had no possessions with him - for he needed one. Whenever he became hungry he simply drew from the immense amount of life around him, always careful not to take to much energy from any of the plants lest he accidentally destroy one completely. As he came up to a ledge filled with grass and plants, Taloran made a sudden burst into a sprint - placed his hand on the edge as he rapidly approached, and swung his legs up and over the ledge. After a quick spring forward as his legs came back into position to run, he started to slow down again. He tried to remember how long he had been running for, but it could have been for several days - since he had no need to eat or sleep. He wanted to get to a sizable city where he could take on some jobs, and it would take him a great deal longer if he was going to relax and take his time - if he'd learned anything from his stay with humanity - it was that the jobs didn't wait for you.
His attitude suddenly changed however, as he heard the notes of someone singing. "Hmm. Must be close by..." He said almost silently to himself, as he debated whether to keep on with his pace, or stop and investigate the pleasant sound. As he continued forward, at almost a walk now, he noticed that the singing died to a hum; which he responded in kind with a light tuned whistle - the kind his race used to communicate or make music with. It was a few moments later that he came through the trees into the clearing himself, and noticed someone sitting down on the tree trunk just a small distance away. "Hello!" Teloran called out in his most polite voice, he most certainly didn't want to frighten the person, although he severely doubted she wouldn't be frightened by a black clothed man walking towards her in the middle of a deserted forest. "Heard music from back...there." Teloran said, stumbling with the common words a bit - he had such a hard time grasping this one language, it was rather different from the musical one his own species used.
He approached cautiously and with his hands held out in front of him, to get the point across that he meant no harm. He supposed it was lucky that he didn't normally wear the hood that was on the back of his outfit, because at least now she could see the smile that was always plastered on his face. He thought of a question to ask suddenly, partly because he actually didn't know what part of the forest he was in. "You know, where here is?" Teloran asked, knowing he hadn't quite gotten the wording right. "How much farther?" He inquired, pointing in the direction he had been walking, indicating he was curious how long the forest stretched on for. He really hoped he hadn't scared the girl.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jun 24, 2009 5:08:56 GMT -5
"Hmm." A seemingly young man stood examining a particularly tall tree, his monkey-like tail slowly swinging to and fro. In his right hand he held a cord attached to a ratty looking brown rutsack that was slung over his shoulder. Slung across his back was a large scythe shaped object bound in tattered black cloth and a black chain. His left hand was in his pant's pocket. Sitting next to him was a regal looking wolfdog with a cool air about her. Her soft coat was as white as freshly fallen snow. A little ways off from the pair a small piglet was nosing through the underbrush with his snout. "Yep," The man said aloud, nodding his head, "This is definitely the same tree we passed yesterday. Man, this forest is big. We got lost the last time we were here, too." Indeed, the Aorin forest stretched for several dozen miles in every direction. The forest encompassed a notable part of Avalas' northernmost region. "Ah, well." He shrugged and adjusted his rutsack before turning and starting to walk. The wolfdog and piglet followed him of their own accord. The group moved at a leisurely pace and with seemingly no fixed direction. For Kamui was a wanderer by nature and thus currently had no real destination in mind. He was content to enjoy the forest's scenery as the trio meandered along. They soon stopped at a cluster of shrubs bearing juicy looking blueberries, probably recently ripened. Kamui and Yibbles, the piglet, eyed the blueberries, practically salivating. Kamui plopped himself down and began to pluck the berries off the bush and pop them in his mouth. Yibbles was next to him, gobbling berries too. Sakurako, the wolfdog, sat near the two in order to wait. But then her ears perked up. "Hmm." Kamui looked up from the bush, berries smeared around his mouth. "I hear singin'..." He reached out and parted the bush, looking through to the other side. Beyond a few more shrubs there was a clearing. It was not long before a girl entered into the clearing, and not long after that a figure in black.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Jul 4, 2009 17:44:49 GMT -5
(O Blayke, where art thou...?)
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 18, 2009 12:49:12 GMT -5
Lulu hadn't noticed Kamui yet but, looking around the clearing, she had noticed the blueberries. If she hadn't been so keen to rest and play her lute, she would have been over there to check if they were poisonous (for some reason, Lulu figured that everything in the forest may as well be poisonous, unless otherwise indicated) but as it was she was quite content to let the berries go untasted, the bard taking the lute from her back and resting it in her lap to tune it. "Hm..." she sighed a little. Giggling to herself, eventually she came out with a further two verses to her little jingle;
"I used to have a girlfriend but she just couldn't compete with all of these love starved women who keep clamoring at my feet.
Well I prob'ly could find me another but I guess they're all in awe of me. Who cares, I never get lonesome cause I treasure my own company."
She smiled to herself again, strumming the lute in tune to her melody and seeming happy with the result, even if nobody was around to hear it. Well... she thought that nobody was, anyway.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2009 3:19:06 GMT -5
Kamui sat listening to the girl sing for moment, his tail moving along with the music. He reached into his rutsack, producing a simple wooden ocarina. Blowing into the instrument, nimble fingers moved to manipulate the finger holes producing a complementary melody.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 19, 2009 13:24:09 GMT -5
Lulu didn't realise that another melody had joined her own for a good few minutes, too busy playing the lute and humming along while she constructed further verses to her little jingle, but just as she opened her mouth to sing again, she caught the sound of the ocarina, and froze.
Oh Gods. Could the trees here play music? She didn't know whether that would disturb her or excite her. She halted in her playing, looking around and tilting her head.
"Hello...?"
She hoped that, if something replied, it wasn't one of the trees.
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2009 13:33:21 GMT -5
Kamui lowered the ocarina from his lips, noting her reaction with mild amusement. "<Hello>!" He called out in Sylvan, the language of forest dwellers, and rustled the bush he was behind just a bit.
(Sylvan is a language in D&D, spoken mainly by dryads, brownies, satyrs, etc.)
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 19, 2009 13:43:31 GMT -5
((This should be entertaining... Lulu doesn't speak Sylvan. XD))
She turned a little at the voice, and a look of sheer bemusement settled over her features, particularly at the way the bush was rustling. Lulu liked to consider herself as being pretty open-minded, but she was just lost enough, and had been on her own for just long enough to be a little freaked out by the prospect of sapient trees. What did she say back? She assumed the voice was a greeting, even though she didn't understand what it meant.
"Um... hello there Mister... Mister Shrub. Or is it Miss Shrub? Um..."
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2009 13:54:46 GMT -5
Kamui had to suppress a small laugh. He withdrew silently from the bush and into the trees. He circled around the clearing and entered it behind Lulu without a sound. "<Hello>! He repeated suddenly.
(Kamui puttin' his martial arts and stealth training to good use.)
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 19, 2009 14:14:46 GMT -5
((Although I'm pretty sure he wasn't expected to use such training in this way. Heh.))
Needless to say Lulu was surprised at the voice behind her, thinking for a moment that another of the shrubs had shuffled across the clearing to greet her, and she jumped a mile, whirling around to see who was there. The surprise on her face turned to utter shock as she noticed it wasn't a shrub, but a man, and she slowly tilted her head. Glancing from Kamui to the shrub that had initially 'spoken' to her and back again, she eventually spoke.
"...You... that was you, wasn't it... talking plants, indeed... thought I was going crazy." she smirked a little. [/size]
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2009 14:37:55 GMT -5
(Ah, well. He's mostly self-taught. Anyway, what I meant in my last post is that Kamui entered the clearing behind Lulu. He's just standing there, in the open, behind her.)
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 19, 2009 15:23:24 GMT -5
((Aaaah, sorry. -_-' I was writing notes at the same time, and didn't read it properly. All modified!))
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Post by »Kamui Syvil VII on Oct 19, 2009 15:48:29 GMT -5
"Hehe. What was me?" He said grinning. He stepped to the bush and retrieved his rutsack and ocarina. Sakurako and Yibbles also came forth from behind the bush.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Oct 20, 2009 14:01:55 GMT -5
"With... the talking bush. It... I..." she looked confused again, glancing over to the shrubs just as Yibbles and Sakurako emerged again. "It was you, wasn't it?" she narrowed her eyes playfully, giggling and clapping her hand to her forehead. "It's been a long day." she shook her head, gazing up at him. "Was it you as well, playing the other melody?" she asked curiously.
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