A Small Glade

[Rojo]

Rojo soon stepped out from the undegrowth, with the air of someone who has just been to the toilet.
He grinned at Devon.
"Not a word to Ms Evening, or you'll wake up with a large new smile, cut from earlobe to earlobe," he told Devon cheerfully "but anyway, where has Shadow got off to?"

In fact, Shadow had trailed silently after Evening after she had left. He had once again not bothered to see if his drawling companion had followed, but he knew they were up ahead somewhere, he could feel them, though very faintly, as though the blended in with nature.

"So...what now? We wait?" Rojo asked, picking up another bottle and shaking it experimentally to check its contents; empty. He pocketed it for later use, and picked up another, he struck gold. Or wine, rather.
Morgan and Fishtooke's
Fabulous Maderal Wine
Brewed for the best, by the best!
There wasn't a date. He frowed; he didn't trust drinks that wouldn't tell him what age they were, they could be underage for all he knew, and underage alcohol did hell with the 'wrigglies' as he called the sort of goop that forced his wretched corpse around.
"Well, I want to go for a walk," he stated moodily, starting off into the treeline he had disappeared into only minutes ago, drinking the wine carefully, then more steadily.

[Seven]

((I've decided since we don't know how long it will take Evening to rejoin us, I might as well put in another post. After that...I guess we should wait for her to come back for a while.))

Devon nodded quietly, letting Rojo walk off with another bottle of wine. It was strange, at worst, and he still wasn't sure what to make of it. He walked over silently to a flat rock, and sat on it. The sun was already beginning to peak out through the branches. Heh... He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head. They'd have to be delayed a day or two. Spending the whole night up, neither Jenri nor the cats would be well-rested for the journey, so they'd have to spend the morning sleeping. Still, he wondered what sort of mundane excuse he'd have to make up to tell his parents for this elaborate day. And he certainly didn't want to let Rojo out of his sights now either, despite the fact he sincerely doubted that it would be looked up well that he announced a complete stranger would be staying with him. Yes, how was he going to explain all this? Even if Rojo for some ungodly reason permitted him to confide in another, no one would believe this seemingly elaborate ruse.

Oh well, he'd just have to take it as it came. He let out a long sigh, his warm breath making a little smog in the chilled air.

[Asila]

They didn't exchange a word on their way to the hidden wagon. The minds of both Tallamous were so flooded by recent events and the ghosts of old ones that had been revived upon seeing the other that separating one thought from the mass seemed a tiresome chore. Really, there was no need. Their people didn't rely so much on the spoken word as the other two races. Like the wild animals whose traits they shared, they could read emotion from the feel of the atmosphere and intent could be gleaned from stance.

Foresan, for example, knew that Evening was feeling tired and subdued, for the air around her felt still and somber. He knew that she wanted to return to her two humans, for she was lagging half a step behind, her every step was slightly reluctant and unsure, and twice she had begun to turn her head, as though to look back, before abruptly freezing and directing her gaze forward once again.

In the same fashion, Evening could read the tension and agitation that rolled off her Uncle's tall frame and knew that he was angry. However, she wasn't quite as adept at guessing the meaning behind such signs as Foresan was, being younger and having been separated from other Tallamous for so long. She thought his anger must be directed at her, that she had disappointed him, so she turned her roving gaze to the almost imperceptible path that they followed and did not lift it until they reached the wagon and she saw the familiar cat that was hooked up to it. It was Sylvie, a pale blond lioness that she had always been a favorite of hers. For a moment, she forgot that Foresan was seemingly angry with her. She sprang forward to greet her old friend with a small cry of delight, just as the cat called out to her with a low grunt of recognition. She hugged the lioness for a long moment, turning her face into the cat's sleek fur, as Sylvie rubbed her head against the girl in a fond hello.

The rumbling bass of Foresan's voice interrupted the moment. "You had loved her since she was a cub, so once you were lost I couldn't bring myself to part with her." Evening looked up, meeting Foresan's enigmatic icy gaze through the cool lighting of the night. Her throat closed around everything she felt she needed to say, the excuses she should make. Her eyes filled with tears and she cast her gaze toward the ground once more. It was too much to take in, this revelation. For years she had thought she was alone, and now she knew she wasn't. Her parents had died, but the uncle she had adopted had lived on to protect what remained of everything she had loved. She closed her eyes against the power of her tumultuous emotions and felt tears slide down her cheeks.

The silence was broken by her uncle's approaching footsteps. "Come. You should rest." She felt his hand on her shoulder and stood, but did not walk toward the wagon as the subtle pressure of his hand directed.

"Uncle, I have to go back to them. Only for a moment. I can't leave them like this!" Evening stared at the ground as she made this proclamation, afraid to meet Ant's gaze. Once again, there was silence, but now she was too anxious to understand it's meaning.

((Hmm, what are Shadow and Nevod up to? I think I'll allow them their chance to respond, and then I can finish this tomorrow night.))

[Rojo]

The energy that was Evening and Foresan stopped. Shadow also stopped. Humans (or whatever these two were, since their energy patterns were most irregular) really were fascinating creatures. In the strange dimension he called home that was so far away but not quite nearly there things worked rather like a beehive. The drones went back and forth working and bringing jewels to the queen, and the queen sat on her throne and...this is where the bee analagies ended. The queen didn't give birth to hundreds of little darklings...oh no...she did worse...
For humans, life was so much more easier. Yes, some had to work, but very few to the point of slavery, and even the slaves got to enjoy the pleasure of sleep in the human world.

Shadow slowly started moving again, and came to about 3 or 4 feet from the clearing. His eyes narrowed; he was still wary of Foresan. But Rojo had overdramatised a bit...Shadow was sure it wasn't that bad...he still had much to learn about the human world.
So, he began to climb up a towering oak, moving spider-like with his limbs flashing back and forth to hand and foot holds without looking compared to his Lantern who was more monkey-like with much more swinging and showing off. The Darkling reached a branch he thought was high enough and would support his weight and clambered out onto it and crouched there, looking down on the two Tallamous, the wagon and the large furry beast...how strange. Yet another mystery that puzzled him so was why humans felt the need tame animals. He was certain if the humans left them alone, the animals would leave them alone, but alas, here there was a large furry animal tied to the transport. But at least it was happy...
And so he watched.

***

The night air was refreshing and the moon's light was beginning to wane. The man standing on the side of the hill stared at the big white shape in the sky, and wondered if millions of- what was it Ditton has said? Light years, was it?- away, people were looking at the moon too...not this moon of course, it was far to far away. But maybe...suddenly an idea popped into Rojo's head. Or maybe it had been there for a while, but had been held under the surface of his crainial waters and had only just surfaced.
Pigmoore (may all the gods of every religion punch his lights out) had said that every star was actually a sun, right? And the stars were in the same place, no matter what world you were on, right? Well, guaranteed they might be the wrong way around, but it was good enough. Ergo, Rojo could possibly find his sun! The sun he had looked at nearly every day he'd been alive.
In his excitement he began scanning the sky, looking for constellations he might know, occasionally tipping his head nearly upside-down to look, then huffing in exasperation and turning again to look at another patch of bleak black sky. After about several minutes of looking he still hadn't found one. He huffed and flumped down on the grass, throwing the glass bottle into a nearby bush. (There is an interesting story about a tribe of gnomes who found this bottle and worshipped it as a god for about nintey years but then used it to sail across the sea, but that is not particularily relevant to the current events and prehaps should be told another time.) Then, he saw a three stars that formed a small triangle.

Propping himself up, Rojo looked at the stars from the right slightly and smiled to himself. Now it looked the same. A cluster of stars that- if looked at the right way -formed a man relieveing himself or -if looked at another way- looked like a knife stuck in a boar's head. Most people called it Pig's Piss because the name was undecided, but there had been entire wars (back when people used leaves instead of paper to wipe themselves) about the fact it could also look like a fish spitting water if looked at a different way. The fish has been disregarded as foolishness and anyone who believes or talks about it is laughed at. This is where the term "Wet Fish" comes from.

"So...if Pig's Piss is there...then we must be..." Rojo's finger traced the stars and he came to a rather dull one the was poking in through the trees "there!" He stood up, still pointing at the star. "My world is near that star!" He felt proud of himself, and wondered if people there were looking at the sun that was now slowly rising over this world and thinking if anything lived near it. Then the sheer fact of how far away he was hit him. And he suddenly, so very much, felt homesick.

((Longer than expected -_-U))

[Seven]

Devon started to ponder the implications of everything that had happened in this very eventful day. It all seemed extremely unlikely. Even gaining permission to travel through the Mrue Forest was unlikely, as it had been considered so dangerous. Yet here he was, in an interesting turn of events. He silently wondered how much longer Rojo was going to take, and if he should have allowed him to drink that much. After all, he had just met the man, and was unsure about his level of tolerance. Well...that is if the undead can become tipsy...

He shook his head. Indeed, all very strange. If he didn't know better, he might have wondered if this were just some uncanny dream. He wondered if Evening was really going to come back. After all, even if she so desired to, the other Tallamous might not allow her to. He seemed to be her superior, in both age and skill. Had she called him Uncle? He couldn't remember.. Devon would have enjoyed using the few minutes of silence to lay down and rest his tired eyes, but he felt it would be unwise to act in such casual, carefree behavior, considering everything that was going on. It could put him in danger, and more importantly, it would seem quite disrespectful, to both Rojo, Evening, and the newcomer. So he fought the urge to sleep, concentrating on what sounds he could hear, so he could be alert when someone returned.

[Asila]

((All right, time to get this thread moving again. Well, at least a little bit. Forgive me if this isn't my best work. I just want to get it written before my lethargy sinks in again and I wind up feeling to listless to do anything. *sighs and launches into run-on sentence* Stupid depression that always stays with me in some form even though I shouldn't complain because it's very mild now compared to what it's been before. *shakes fist*

That run-on sentence almost rhymed. Clearly, I am almost a leprechaun.))

Ant did not put an end to her suspense immediately. In fact, he let her words hang in the air for so long (or so it seemed to her) that her fatigued muscles began to ache with the tension, her hands curled into fists so tight that the nails bit into her palm, and she nervously bit her lower lip as her human ears shifted back into wolfish ones that she could pin against her head for further expression of her agitation. The day had been an emotional roller coaster ride, with an excessive amount of ups and downs even for her semi-melodramatic self, and the suspense of this moment was almost more than she could stand. If Ant didn't give her the answer soon, she was going to scream!

Fortunately, her uncle gave her his answer before she could shriek loud enough to give her human friends a fright.

"For one moment." He said in a gruff, impatient tone of voice. "I will allow you but a few minutes to bid the humans farewell. You will return immediately after you have finished."

Evening had looked up reluctantly, expecting him to refuse and for an argument to ensue, but as soon as she realized that he was letting her go back after all her skittishness vanished. She sprang forward and hugged her uncle with such enthusiasm that, had he been human and she less exhausted, she would have cracked a rib or two. "Thank you," She whispered, and vanished into the trees before he could change his mind.

Foresan, left in the clearing to await the Tallamous girl's return, sighed. He tilted his ears in the direction of the humans and their caravan so that he would be aware of what was happening between his adopted niece and her unconventional friends. While he waited and listened, he reflected on the girl's power of persuasion and wondered how he would be able to keep her reigned in at all when she could make one feel so terrible by looking as frightened and desperate as she had only moments ago. He sighed, told himself he was in over his head, and waited for her to return safely. And she would return safely, for he would allow no other alternative.

Evening was sprinting back to what she thought was her group of three humans with such careless glee that they would have to be half deaf (or half-asleep) if they missed her approach. She was back in seconds. She had planned on giving both young men a hasty hug before quickly giving them the means to contact her, but she paused, confused, when she noticed that one of them was missing. Looking at Devon, the first thing out of her mouth was "Where's Rojo?" The wolf ears that had been facing forward now tilted back, this time with uncertainty. She wasn't even aware of them.

[Rojo]

To answer Evening's question ((High-five for righteous sedgeway!)) Rojo was currently slouching on the side of the hill, his arms resting on his knees and his eyes glazing over as he stared into the mesmerising rays of the moon. So far far away was a place he called home...and he had come to love it...admitedly in the same way a reluctant owner comes to love a scruffy dog but he missed it so. This was all wrong! The wretched experiment had only supposed to take him a few steps outside the University's gates, or so Pigmoore (may a thousand harpies tear at his very soul) had said. Instead, he had been tossed (Rather uncaringly, Rojo noted) into the middle of a clearing somewhere further away from home than he'd ever been before.

Rojo had been expecting a roaring adventure, similar in scope to the ones he had grown used to. So far he had held an innocent young lady up at gunpoint, brought dark creatures from another dimension onto the (the word 'the' was intended) bright and kind noble's doorstep and had reawakened memories best left alone. Hardly acts worthy of a Hero. What would his Master say if he could see him now? Probably something along the lines of "Stop being a fool and move on! And put the kettle on, would you." Rojo smiled half-heartedly to himself as he almost heard the old man speak the words inside his own head. But he was right! So what he had made a few mistakes? They were all a certain liquid under a certain crossing platform now. Forget the past, move on and right the mistakes you make.

Rojo smiled to himself again, this time feeling more of his old self. This was a chance to go where no man (or risen corpse, for that matter) had gone before! He would taste new tastes, smell new smells, learn new words, brave the unknown and kick arse! Admitedly he could do all of these things in his Grandma Jeana's attic, but that was beside the point. Rojo stood up, taking in a deep breath of foreign air and loving every single bit of it.
He stood there, on the side of the hill, staring up at the sky, his smile fading slightly.
"I'll be back," he said solemnly to the empty blackness "I promise." Then he nodded his head slightly and turned to walk back towards the carriage.

As he walked he found himself singing the words to an old Dwarven mining song as he went. Not that he was particularily in the mood for mining for precious ores, but when he found himself singing it almost sub-conciously he burst out loudly into song:
"Gold, gold, gold, gold...
It's golden!
It's golden!
Gold, gold, gold, gold...
It's shiny, it's shiny!
Gold is gold and gold is gold,
So gold is the metal for me!"
He walked for some time, still singing the song loudly, much to the concern and worriment of various woodland creatures. He orchestrated some of the lines with his fingers like conductor's batons and was just about to burst into the chorus for a fourth time (which contained the word 'gold' at least three times as much) when he came plodding merrily through the ferns into the clearing with the carriage. His arms fell limply to his sides and he noticed Evening.

"Oh, hello," he said nonchalantly, as if today's events hadn't happened at all and he was greeting an old friend "you're back, are you?" He held his masquerade for a few seconds more, staring mildly at her, then his face cracked into a grin and he winked at her in that mischievious way that always made people stare because you don't expect an adult to be able to pull off such a thing.

[Seven]

Devon moved swiftly to his feet, as he was accustomed to, when he caught sight of Evening again. He would have risen even if he weren't accustomed to it, given the the tumultuous evening. He had been beaming, worry shifting away, for all of the second before words had left her mouth.

Rojo...Damnit! What was he supposed to tell her? Being in this sort of position was always unpleasant, and Devon was afraid he wasn't that spectacular a liar. (He always ended feeling to guilty to keep up a lie...) And keeping the stories of his uncanny friends straight would no doubt prove difficult. Why had he allowed the undead alien to wonder off alone? Especially considering that Evening had said she would be back? (Though in admission, Devon had been half expecting for the Tallamous girl to not return. It wasn't that he doubted her word, just simply that he felt her relative would not allow it.) Of course, he had felt sympathetically toward Rojo, who seemed to be feeling rather sulky after his questioning.

And that's why being discreet had always been taught as one of the virtues amongst nobility. Why hadn't he listened to that advice and kindly ignored his desire to question Rojo? Devon was about to open his mouth to attempt to answer Evening's question, when suddenly, Rojo reappeared! For a second, he looked relieved, and then he returned to smiling.

"Oh quit teasing Rojo, you're not fooling anyone." Despite it all, he could have laughed.

[Asila]

Evening focused an irritated frown on Rojo, the expression complete with pointed ears flattened against her skull. Of course, he probably wouldn't notice, since they now blended in perfectly with her hair.

What is it with him? She thought, glaring. He doesn't have to like me, but can't he at least manage a polite farewell, if nothing else? We may never see each other again... That was a depressing thought. Luckily, she was too angry just now to dwell on it .

Then he winked at her, and she realized that he had only been teasing. "Oh, you are such a jerk!" She exclaimed, but she was grinning. Which was too bad, because if she wasn't such an open book with her emotions she could have fooled him in a similar fashion. But now was the time to say goodbye, not to try and outdo Rojo's minor prank. She sighed, deflating when she remembered that the games were over. Just when she had been enjoying herself, too.

Or, she had been. Until Ant had tried to kill them. She winced a bit. "I'm sorry that my uncle...over-reacted." She winced again. "I think I know how I can make it up to you. If you'll let me." While she spoke she had looked more at the ground than at them, feeling truly guilty for what had occurred, but she looked up now that she had set the stage for her offer. Would they accept her means of helping them? Or would they turn it down before they even knew what it was, having no faith in her now that the only other member of her race that they had ever met had just tried to kill them?

[Rojo]

"A jerk? Oh, as in jerking your chain! Delightful! How educational." Rojo pulled out a small notebook from one of his many strange pockets (Rule #122: ALWAYS have your notebook with you) and a pencil (Rule #123: ALWAYS have your pencil with you) and flipped to a new page and scribbled something down, then he neatly placed the notebook and pencil back in the pocket.

He smiled at her reaction and then his face returned to that innocent mildness.
"Oh, that?" He replied, almost as if he had forgotten the incident that had happened less than an hour ago. "It's all just a bowl of kraken's eggs now...." (Two can play at a game of phrases, Evening!) "I mean, he only tried to kill us, sending myself into a semi-comatose state and upsetting my Darkling deeply...oh, no, it's all behind us now..." he rolled his eyes and continued in his normal voice "Evening, if I didn't have someone try to kill me every day, I just wouldn't be doing my job right."

At her proposition Rojo did four things simultaneously: very inapropriate thoughts entered his head, he froze then he gave a glance at Devon and stared at his feet for a moment in shame. Then he cleared his throat and looked back up, all shameless thoughts gone from his mind.
"And what, um, kind of help would this be?"

***

Meanwhile, a few dragonlengths away, Shadow the Darkling perched in a tree, watching like....well, in most cases and author would here use a metaphor like "A midnight hunter, ready to strike," or "a dark guardian, watching over the man below," but somehow these do not seem appropriate. A more fitting one follows: a black observer, peering curiously at something pulsing and giving off warning sirens.
Leaning a bit closer to get a better look, Shadow heard the branch beneath him give a crack. For a fraction of a second a look of mild annoyance of what was to come passed across his face showed, then he was falling, pleasantly wondering why the branch had broken. Being a Darkling, he had no physical weight in this dimension. As he had wondered earlier, being a human was so much more simple.

And then the forest floor came up to meet him like a fist to the jaw, and there was a sudden ringing in his ears and white dots blocked out the dark canopy of night above. He lay there for a moment, then he slowly pulled himself up, making an awful rustling on the leaves around him, and then he looked across the clearing directly at Foresan.

[Seven]

Throughout Rojo's comments, Devon had the incessant urge to nudge him into silence. After all, such comments hardly seemed polite, or discrete for that matter. Instead, he continued to smile, as if wanting to silently apologize to Evening and explain that his unusual companion was merely teasing her. Please excuse Devon, if he seems so skittish about Rojo's behavior. But unlike most others, carefree adventurers and plebeians a like, Devon could see the humor, but his nobility also told him that it was entirely inappropriate. Nobles would have never joked in such a fashion, jokes that could be interpreted as insults. They joked about trifles and weather, and at times to express humility, little jokes about their own failings (though never too many; they didn't want to convey self-worthlessness after all), but never their companions.

Still, he remained quiet....up until Rojo started throwing shameful glances left and right. Devon studied the man curiously, wondering what they meant....until he figured it out what Rojo was thinking. Then, in an almost comical, overly-chivalrous fashion, he elbows Rojo with great force, hissing, "Really?" in disgust.

Then he promptly returns to his good-boy, smiling noble self. "Miss Evening, allow me to thank you in advance for your kindness, but you needn't go out of your way to make apology when the fault was not yours." He bows his head before her. "Nonetheless, I am appreciative."

***

Nevod had not been on the same branch as Shadow, and thus avoided injury. Still, he was curious as to why the branch broke in the first place. And more so, he was curious as to whether that creature that his lantern new as Ant would notice the Darkling. Hypothetically, lanterns weren't supposed to be able to see Darklings. But then again, hypothetically, Darklings aren't supposed to have weight at all, much less weight enough to break a branch.