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Kamika - Ouja
Vivi Freak - Repto
Squeek! - Nemil
Cutie Eskimo - Ayumi
Smelly Fish - Samiel
Bad Guys
Ouja Idomizu walked out of her town with her bag thrown over her shoulder and her face carrying a pleasant scowl. Everyone stared as they watched her pass by, whispering slightly to each other of what they thought of the female and where she might be going. "Nasty people. . . Can't keep their noses out of anyone else's business," she muttered to herself angrily as she tried to ignore all the lovely eyes on her. Shaking her head, she started to think of how she was going to get to the king's palace. It was a good three days away in the first place. She gave a small sigh but quickly subsided it. If she was to go through with this, then she had to never show emotion. In a small voice, she whispered, "Let's get started."
In another area FAR from where Ouja was and even FARTHER from the king's place, resided the sorcerer Akun Gihen. He held the king's request in his hand and scowled angrily, crumpling the paper up and tossing it into the fire. "He thinks that he can DEFEAT me?" The man chortled at the thought. "Then I will match wits against him at every turn. I will NOT allow a group of. . . KIDS to defeat me. And I KNOW that in the end, I can win over," he gave a huff before spinning around, conjuring his staff up and heading out the door. "Let me go give this KING his greeting," he said with a malicious grin on his face.
The floor was cool and damp beneath Nemil's cheek. Laying there on the dirty, ashy covered ground, the young man looked about his surroundings. A burnt out homestead, in which he'd taken blind refuge in the night before.
A gentle but cold wind blew across his tattered form, and Nemil huddled into a tighter ball. Using the long skirts of his attire to cover his chilled body. The breeze had blown a piece of paper towards Nemil, the edges of it frayed and charred by the recent fire that had left the dwelling vacant.
A letter from the King it seemed, expressing the urgent need for ordinary people to aid the Kingdom. Nemil sighed, and was about to simply let the letter slip from his fingers and back to the wind, when he paused and began to consider the course of action. Perhaps this could be his way out?
Neatly folding the letter and tucking it into the folds of his dress, Nemil rose and proceeded to brush himself off. Now he had a long walk ahead of him...
As Ayumi and Sumi walked down the long hallway, the princess' thoughts were somewhere else, even though she was walking briskly to the king's study room to see him. Her head was bent down, her dark eyes following her every footsteps. Sumi had her hands clasped together in front of her, head bowed lower than Ayumi in respect. But her eyes could not help but flash a few concerned glances at her mistress. Maybe she should not have given her that notice to her mistress even though she was ordered to do so...
The guards on duty greeted their princess, Ayumi just nodded back at them politely, giving them a small smile. They did not dare ask about her well-being, even though they knew that something was wrong. She used to smiled back and wave at whoever she'd pass by. She'd look so cheerful that even in her eyes, there'd be a spark in them. They had seen her like this before, but they had only seen her like act like that a few times, and during those times, she was found in some kind of trouble. They had their suspicions, but did not dare voice them out.
Soon, they were reaching that grand-looking, wooden door with golden, metal plates nailed at the sides, Ayumi suddenly stopped in her footsteps, causing Sumi to nearly knock into her.
"P-p-princess Ayumi! Why did you stop walking?" She sputtered, slightly shock.
Ayumi did not answer directly, she merely replied, "Sumi, tell father I'll see him later. I need to go somewhere else first."
"P-princess Ayumi!" Sumi cried out. She tried to chase after her mistress, but Ayumi was too quick for her. Ayumi had disappeared around the corner already. Sumi sighed heavily. "What would King say of this?" She went to the door and knocked on the door humbly.
Meanwhile, Ayumi raced through the many corridors, and finally reached her room. She caught her breath and went down on her knees. She went to her bed and stretched out her hand, trying to find her arrows. Her hand groped around, and finally came upon a pile of fabric. Her hand quickly started tossing the fabric away and pulled out a quiver of arrows. The quiver was fairly simple, made out of leather and had a few designs here and there, nothing more. And the arrows were carved iron heads attached to a wooden body. Then, she put down her arrows tried to lift her mattress. She breathed heavily, but soon spotted her bow deep inside. She snuck her head below the mattress, and grabbed her bow. She drew away and the mattress landed heavily. Her eyes darted around for a while, before she was sure that nobody was nearby. Her bow was also rather simple. It was smooth at most places, except for a few carvings in the middle. She swung her quiver around her and kept her bow at her side. Ayumi went to the window and gazed outside, scanning the area around her. Now, how was she going to get out?
Repto stared upwards as he stay in front of the castle of Tomi.
'So this is it,' he thought to himself.
He wasn't sure whether to knock on the door, or just enter. He decided to be polite, and simply knock. He lifted his fist and knocked as hard as he could against the large door.
"I'm here to see you about the letter," he called loudly.
Ouja walked hurriedly on her way. Despite her usual demeanor, she was excited to be able to finally prove her worth. To both the world and her parents especially. She continued down the path until she realized that there had been another body traveling about the same pace as herself just ahead. With observant eyes she noticed that the person had light blonde hair that was cut right around the shoulders and that she or perhaps even a he seemed to have a familiar looking announcement in her/his dress. With widen eyes, she realized that this person may be one of the ones that were heading to the castle as she. Not wanting to strike attention but at the same time wanting to know why another person was also heading for this journey, she made her decision and called out to the person. "Hey! Hey you! Wait up!" She shouted, making her way towards her as she decided to call her.
Nemil's ears perked, and thick lashes fluttered quickly over deep brown eyes as the youth blinked. Turning slowly, Nemil looked down the path to see a young woman making her way towards him at a hurried pace. The young man's heart leap up into his throat, and he began to take a few steps backwards. Like some wild animal unsure of the situation and getting ready to bolt.
Could this be another Bounty Hunter searching for the sizable price on his fair little head? Her attire appeared consistent with one who journeyed hard and long through the wilderness.
Nemil gulped, he did not believe he could take the chance. Bounty Hunters came in all shapes and sizes he'd come to learn, and surely this young lady could be no different.
Turning, Nemil began to run from the girl. Looking for a fork or deviation to appear in the path, too fearful to wander blindly into the trees and thus loose his way indefinitely. Not that his search mattered, for Nemil was already exhausted from his previous flight. Unable to obtain much rest from the ashen floor of that burnt out hovel.
Nemil's dainty shoes caught at the trailing hem of his skirts, neither item made for long distance running, especially in their ruined state. The youth tripped and fell to the ground hard, wind rushing out of his body and leaving him shaken and prone to the paths trodden surface. Tears welled up in the dark brown eyes and he whimpered pitifully, awaiting his fate.
Ayumi blinked. Did she just hear someone calling out? She gazed around her room, but as one would expect, no one was in sight. There it was again. That same voice. If only she could trace that person...then there might be a way to get out...She went to the window once again and searched the area around her. Finally, her dark purple eyes settled on the main door of the castle. Someone was there...she could not make out who it was, but she could see a faint, blurry figure standing outside the door. She quickly went to grab her cloak and wrapped it around her tightly. She was panicking slightly, not knowing whether her plan to escape for the time being was going to work, but she had to try.
She went to her desk and pulled out the drawers and tried to find a paper, pen and ink. If she did find any, the ink was dried out, the pen was broken, and the paper being tampered with before.
Pen...paper...where are they when she needed them? She was getting irritated by each passing minute. Aha! She let out a small gasp and grabbed some fresh ink and a pen. Paper...she was in a hurry. She took out the notice from her sleeve and began writing furiously. It read:
Do stay there for the time being, I need your help now.
Ayumi was about to write more, but she accidentally spilled the ink on the floor. She let out an exasperated cry and grabbed hold of some used paper. She dumped them onto the ink and let the paper soak. She stuck the paper onto an arrow and aimed it near the person standing at the door. Squinting her eyes and trying to concentrate on that exact spot. She did not want anyone to get hurt. Steady...steady...that's it...and she shot the arrow. Her arms and shoulders relaxed and she watched the arrow fly through the air and land on that exact spot in which she had aimed for. She smiled slightly, but it did not last for long. She had to hurry.
Ayumi thought that she had seen that person bending down to read the note, and she wasted no time in carrying on with her plan. She kept her bow and arrow, and concentrated on another spot, a distance away from where that person was. Placing both hands together, having one outstretched, and the other clenched together with the exception of her index and middle finger sticking out. She breathed in deeply and squeezed her eyes shut. (OOC: Just think of Chichiri from Fushigi Yuugi, no da! ^^)
Ayumi let out a small shout and sended a lightning bolt to strike at that spot where she was concentrating on. She flashed open her eyes and caught sight of the lightning bolt flashing, near that spot where she meant for it the land though. She winced as she heard it crash loudly. Maybe she was not ready for such long distance shots. Just then, she heard hurried footsteps outside her room. Yes, the guards were hurrying outside, she could sneak out from the back door now. She took a glance outside, and secretly hoped that her plan would work...and that no one was hurt...
Ouja was startled when the first thing "the girl" did was run away at her calling. 'Well that's odd,' she thought as she started to give chase after. 'I never thought that people would run. . . Oh wait, they did already. Hmm. This is STILL odd,' she concluded in her mind. She watched at the girl fell to the ground which Ouja suspected was from her outfit. Really. Who would think of wearing a DRESS and those SHOES if you were planning on running from mysterious strangers? The logic failed her.
Catching up to the fallen figure, Ouja stood over. Her shadow seeming to cover the petite person's body entirely. Holding out her hand, she asked with a kind voice that she suspected was one of her acts, "Are you hurt?" With the same tone of voice, she continued on, "I was rather confused when you started running from me, especially when I hadn't done much. By the way, the name's Ouja." With a mental gag, she started to wonder what this journey was going to do to her. Really.
"O-Ouja?" the young "girl" echoed softly, blinking those large teary brown eyes up at the stranger. Sitting up stiffly, Nemil coughed out the last bit of her hurt from the fall. She stared at the proffered hand as if it were some foreign, bizarre object. The reaction changing slowly, to one of wariness and fear. Causing Nemil's form to bunch up into a tighter little ball under her skirts.
"Are... are you a Hunter?" Nemil let her gaze move over Ouja's form, again not convinced otherwise. "I-I warn you, if you're a Hunter you'd best forget the bounty and find work elsewhere." She was obviously trying to sound big and threatening, but her quavering voice and trembling body lent nothing to the impression and she simply came off as nothing more than a sad, frightened little girl.
Ouja's eyebrows raised in surprise. She had been mistaken for many things. Thief, it REALLY was a mistake. Murderer, never knew where that came from really. Elf, the superstitious ones thought this up. Witch, ditto to the elf. But a hunter? She didn't even have any weapons! Well, if you counted the knife in her boot as a weapon. . . But nobody could actually SEE it.
In spite of herself, she gave a small chuckle and then added as to not scare the poor girl, "Dear MERLIN! A hunter? Sorry to say but I'm far from one. I rather despise the use of another person just for the gain of money. And . . . MISS," that's the only word Ouja could think of calling the girl for "dear" or "honey may come out weird, especially in HER mouth. "My hand doesn't have anything poisonous or dangerous on it. But if you wish to stay on the ground, to his their own I suppose," she said, looking thoughtful at the statement.
Nemil frowned deeply up at Ouja, keeping back as if repulsed now. Her words had rankled the other to an obvious extent. However, it was begrudgingly that Nemil finally accepted that extended hand and was helped to her feet. She teetered a bit, what with the swish of skirts and the threadbare slippers.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she was slightly embarrassed for her conclusion and the manner in which she had conducted herself. Yet she remained tight lipped against apologizing, taking several needless moments to brush herself off. Though the dirt was already so thick and had become imbedded within the fibers of the shimmering fabric.
"I am Nemil." the introduction was curt, some fire had come back into the girl. She looked down the path, seeing it twist into the beyond. "If I follow this path, I should get to the palace, right?"
Ouja gave a thoughtful look, "I expect so. Although my knowledge of the kingdom is slightly low, if I'm correct, we're about a couple of days away," she turned to Nemil curiously. "I suppose you're heading to the king's palace to help him?" she asked. She pushed her braid back and looked around.
Sumi told the guard at the door that Ayumi would not be able to see the king now, and that she would see the king later. She waited at the door patiently, but could not surpress a frown from appearing on her face. The door opened and the guard told her that the king would not mind waiting, but the princess had to be back soon. Sumi nodded and thanked the guard, adding in her thanks to the king. Sumi hurried off to look for her mistress, wherever she was...
Meanwhile, Ayumi walked down the long corridor, she was beginning to feel uneasy about getting that person in trouble. Looking up, she caught sight of a guard running past her and called out to him, "Excuse me, but what seems to be the matter? Where are you heading for?" The reply she received was what she had expected. Someone was making trouble outside the castle gates. She nodded at the guard, and he ran off. She bit her lower lip and continued walking in the same direction. Her footsteps began getting heavier and heavier...soon, she stopped walking. She stood there for a while, thinking of how to get that person out of trouble.
She raised her head slowly, and let out a wide smile as she saw Sumi walking towards her, "Sumi! Just when I needed you!"
The poor, confused maid blinked, looking rather surprised, but she recovered soon, "Princess Ayumi! Please come with me and-" She was cut short in her sentence as Ayumi grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to the princess' side.
"Sumi, there's sometihng I want you to do for me," Ayumi whispered. "Please go to the castle gate, and outside, there'll be someone there. The guards will be there too, so, I need you to get that person out of trouble.And tell them...that I order them to..."
Sumi listened attentively, and when her mistress hesitated for a while, she spoke, "To let that person go? To bring that person to see the king? To bring that person to your room?"
Ayumi considered for a while, "I don't know. Just hurry!" Giving Sumi a light push, she ran off, this time feeling more comfortable and at ease.
Sumi was once again, confused by her mistress' orders, but she had learned from her past experiences not to ask anything else. The less you know, the better, in her case that is. She sighed and headed for the castle gates, trying to sort out her thoughts as she walked with small, hurried footsteps.
Repto kept knocking, though more and more silently. His hand was starting to feel sore, but it didn't seem like anyone could HEAR him knock. He stood calm, and decided to wait for a while. Maybe someone HAD heard. He brushed back his bright red bangs, and just stared deeply at the door, with his penetrating stare.
"Is anyone there?" he called once again, his voice echoing through his mind.
Ayumi raced down the staircase, almost sliding down in fact. She rushed towards the wooden door in sight and pushed it open, careful not to let it slam against the wall. She shut it and headed for the back door. It did not look as grand and large as the front door, but it still had that air around it that told outsiders to stay away, past this door is the castle. Ayumi felt herself opening the back door once more, just like she had always done before, and closed it behind her. She found herself faced with the large forest, and a rather crooked pathway through it. She wasted no time in taking a step forward and treading on the pathway. She continued walking through, her dark purple eyes glancing around her from time to time.
After walking for quite some time, Ayumi finally spotted a figure sitting down on an empty area. She heaved a sigh of relief, and began walking towards her teacher, Iyo Kensa. As she got closer, her footsteps became lighter. She lifted the ends of her dress, so as not to trip over. Once she was behind the quiet figure, she dropped her dress and stretched out her hand towards her teacher.
"Hello Ayumi,"
Ayumi's hand dropped on her teacher's shoulder and she frowned deeply, "Good afternoon, teacher." She sighed and went in front of Iyo. "Why do you always spoil the fun at the last minute for me, teacher? It's unfair."
Iyo, being used to her student's complains, went to another topic, "So, Princess, why are you here?" She opened her eyes, showing her dark brown eyes. "Have you come to me to talk about the notice that your father sent out?"
Ayumi looked up at her, "How did you know?" She received no reply and continued. "Yes, it's true. I want to ask you-"
"My opinion of you going?" Her teacher finished off her student's question, letting out a small smile. "Frankly speaking, I wouldn't mind. That is if you won't get yourself in trouble, and that your father would agree to this-"
Ayumi cut in, "Never! He would never agree to this." She crossed her arms, pouting slightly. "Even if you talk to him."
"I'm not done yet, Ayumi," Iyo nodded at her, and Ayumi kept quiet. "You would also need to find a companion first."
Ayumi replied brightly, "Oh, I can always find others to tag along later! But that doesn't bother me so much...I can handle it on my own, I guess. And besides, father needs to agree to this." Her voice was now low and her eyebrowd were knitted closely, she had her back facing to her teacher and her foot was tapping against the ground lightly. "But that's impossible. How do I convince him, teacher?" She turned to her teacher, but found her missing. "Teacher? Teacher? Where are you?"
While Repto waited for response, he felt a shiver coming his way. He blinked as he felt a slight commotion near one of his arms. He turned and his eyes widened very slightly as he realized what had just happened.
"..."
He didn't know what to say, what to think. Lightning. Electricity. Magic. He then saw an arrow off to the side.
"I guess I didn't notice it until now," he told himself quietly.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Someone had tried to attack him, obviously, but he didn't feel any fright, or any reason to really panic. He hadn't notice any of the attacks until now. He thought himself an alright fighter, so he decided, if anyone would try to kill him, there wasn't any reason for him not to fight back. Without causing too much harm, of course.
"Teacher?" Ayumi looked around her frantically. Where was she? She couldn't have...Thoughts raced through her head, one thought diving inside her mind after another. Then, her thoughts finally came to a stop, as if that one final thoughts had won the race. She went to see father...
Ayumi's heart leapt and she hurried out of the forest. Darting past the trees and anything else that came in her way. She saw an opening and dived for it. The back door stood in front of her and she kicked it open, and quickly shut the door before it could slam against the wall. She went inside the other door and up the staircase.
This time the feeling that came to her did not feel as familiar to Ayumi as when she was escaping. She hardly went through the back door, and everytime she tried to escape for some reason, she was usually caught in the end. Or else her teacher would bring her back to see the king. This time, she was eager to see the king, not to escape from him or this life.
Ayumi reached the top of the stairs and caught her breath, placing her hands over her knees and bending over, breathing heavily. She looked up and gulped. She did not have much time to rest. Her teacher would have been talking to her father by now! And she was only here. She ran down the corridor and off to find her father.
If her father knew of her wish, Ayumi would be in hot soup. Her father would probably get guards to keep an eye on her for 30 days, day and night, not allowing her to go outside at all. She had had that kind of experience before. When her father first came to know of her learning archery from Iyo Kensa, that same teacher. She knew that he would not show his temper very much in front of her, but she could still tell that he was furious and was slightly scared of him.
Ayumi's thoughts switched from her father, to her teacher. I know she is going to tell father. I should have seen it from her smile already! Ayumi recalled that moment and sighed. Why did she have to do this to me? She knows that I do not want her to do this, it is the last thing on my mind! And yet...she does it to me.
And from her teacher, she thought of Sumi, and that linked to the thought of that person outside the gate. Ayumi hoped that everything was alright. She did not want anyone to get hurt, as a matter of fact, she did not want to get in trouble for that either, if she was found out.
Turning around another corner, Ayumi found herself in front of the study room again and leaned against it. She caught her breath, and turned to the side, pressin her ear against the door without any intention. But she had done so, and she heard her teacher's voice. Her eyes widened with interest, as she stood up straight and leaned against the door once more.
Nemil continued to look down the path, shoulders sagging at the news that there would be more dreary walking involved. She didn't think her shoes could handle a couple more hours, let alone a couple more days. What a sad fate, she lamented privately. Taking a few stiff steps, she began to walk away from Ouja.
She did not get very far, as Ouja's question gave her pause. Bowing her head, Nemil stared at the ruined hem of a once fine and marvellous dress. "To help the King? I guess so..." she muttered in a half hearted manner.
Brushing back some of that golden mane, she started walking again. Her thoughts drawn to private plans and inner turmoil. Again she halted, and looked over her shoulder. Brown eyes blinking in sudden thought and clarity.
"Are you heading to the palace as well?"
As Sumi reached the ground floor, and walked outside in the open. She spotted a guard running past her and called out to him, "Excuse me, but Princess Ayumi would like to me to tell you something." This caught the guard's attention and she continued in a hesitant manner. "She told me to order you to let that person at the gates go...and..." She tried to add in as many things as her mistress had told her. "But before that...bring that person to her room...and later Princess Ayumi will bring that person to see the king..." Sumi was rather confused, but she was glad that she had pieced in all of her mistress' orders together.
The guard could not take it in all at once, and only after a while, did he nod at Sumi, "Yes, we'll do that at once." He ran off and Sumi sighed. She turned around and went back inside, going back to her previous search for the princess.
Meanwhile, Ayumi was eavesdropping on the conversation her teacher was having with her father, not that she meant to in the first place, but it so happened that she ended up doing so. At first, she had some difficulty in hearing their words clearly, and in differentiating their voices, since the door was quite thick. But she pressed against the door harder, and strained to listen, and soon she began to make out what they were saying.
"I do respect you a lot, Iyo, but I would not like Ayumi to go around the kingdom gallivanting in such a manner, that would get her into trouble," That was her father. She frowned slightly at his words. They were not entirely true...
"I understand, your majesty," She heard her teacher's voice. "But I do believe that Ayumi would do well enough outside this castle. It takes time, your majesty." Ayumi smiled upon hearing her teacher say that. At least her teacher was backing her up.
There was no response from her father at first, but soon she heard him say, "That may be true, Iyo. But going outside the castle may also endanger her life. You shoudl understand how I feel about what might happen to her then. Nobody will be able to help her, she'll be on her own." Ayumi's smile was being replace with a deep frown. Endanger her life? Did he have to make it sound so serious? She was not that useless...
Her teacher's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Well, I don't think you need to worry so much about that. She told me that she would find a companion first before she sets off." Ayumi blinked. Did she say that to her teacher?
Inside, Iyo raised her right hand, and flicked it, causing the door to open suddenly. Ayumi let out a shout and came tumbling inside, and landed with her back facing upwards. She sat up and rubbed her forehead tenderly. She gazed around, her father staring at her, while her teacher was still facing the king, bowing slightly.
"Um...good afternoon, father and teacher..." Ayumi greeted meekly, embarrassed that she had been found out. She curtsied and looked up at her teacher, and then at her father, smiling weakly. Her teacher knew that she was there all the time...
Iyo smiled slightly at her student, and then turned to face the king, "I believe you can ask her now, your majesty."
Ayumi took some time to find the right words, and finally answered, "Father, you don't need to worry about me so much. I'll be just fine. I can always contact teacher if I'm in danger. And if you really want me to find a companion, I will."
The king did not know how to reply, he saw Ayumi's determined expression, and Iyo's firm one, and finally spoke, "I suppose you can go, Ayumi. But you must find a reliable companion. I don't want you to go down the streets and bribe someone to act as your companion for a few days. Do you understand that, Ayumi?"
Ayumi nodded, "Yes, father." Her father had seen through her mind, for that was exactly what she was planning to do. She smiled gratefully at her teacher. Iyo smiled back and excused herself from the king and Ayumi, before vanishing from their sight. Ayumi curtsied again before the king, before going out of the room. The king sighed and leaned back in his seat.
Ouja nodded at Nemil's question. "Yes I am. I suppose if it's suitable for you, we could travel together?" She asked politely, a lesson she learned the hard way from Satoshi. Unintentionally, her hand traveled to her head as she remembered just HOW she was punished. When she realized what she was doing, she quickly dropped her hand and face Nemil. "I expect that if we'll be traveling together, it'd be best for us to learn more about each other. And if we're not to, then I'll just be on my way."
Nemil eyed the young woman suspiciously, still not entirely certain just what to make of Ouja and now of the offer she was putting forth. Travel together? Nemil looked down the path again, biting her lip as she saw it stretch onward for an indeterminate length.
"We... may travel together..." she muttered meekly. This woman seemed strong, so surely if they ran into any trouble, she'd be able to take care of it. While Nemil fled the scene, of course. "I... I don't know about getting to know one another though."
Ouja gave a nod, agreeing. "Yes that's true. I hope you won't be insulted if I decide to stay quiet throughout the whole trip." She started to walk onto the path. "Now, we should be heading there, shall we?"
Nemil shook her head, golden hair swishing about her dirtied cheeks. "I don't mind that at all." she replied softly. Moment's after Ouja had begun to walk, Nemil began to take her pace a diligent step or two behind.
Ayumi's footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as she walked away from the study room. She could not resist a smile from appearing on her face, and did not try to hide it from the world. She was so thankful to her teacher for her help! Ayumi merely went to her for her advice on whether she should go for this quest, and her teacher gave her more than that! Not only did she give her her honest opinions, she also helped her by talking to her father about it and actually persuaded (Though Iyo Kensa would deny that she was persuading the king, she was talking it out with him instead and trying to make him see her point of view) him to let her go. Ayumi laughed a bit at that thought, and turned around the corner and soon reached her room. Her teacher sure did not seem the type of person who would offer her help so willingly, but still, Ayumi was grateful to her.
As her hand touched the door, she suddenly remembered something that had slipped her mind. Sumi! Where's she? What about the person at the gate? What happened? Sumi! Ayumi was about to run off when Iyo Kensa appeared in front of her. Ayumi jumped and nearly fell over. She blinked at her teacher in surprise, her mind being confused and muddled up.
"T-teacher! What are you doing here?"
"I don't think that is the right thing to say now, Ayumi," Iyo replied. "Especially after what had just happened..."
Ayumi's mind had cleared a bit, but not entirely, "Oh yes, of course! Thank you so much, teacher! I don't know how you did it, but I'm so thankful to you!" She then asked Iyo. "Did you cast any spell on father? Would it work? I don't wish to get in trouble-"
"No, I did not," Iyo cut in firmly. "What makes you think in such a manner? I have the urge to go to the king now and make him go against his words, but I won't."
Ayumi winced slightly upon hearing her teacher's words, "Sorry, teacher. I didn't really mean it, my thoughts hadn't been cleared yet."
"I know," Iyo nodded at her. "Now, where are you hurrying off to? You have other things to attend to now, Ayumi."
"Um...yeah, I know I promised that I would find a companion, but not right now," Ayumi said. "I have to go and see to something else..." Seeing her teacher's serious expressions, she quickly added in. "It's really important! I have to go immediately! Please, teacher! I'll go in search of a suitable companion right after I'm done with it!"
Iyo sighed, "Very well, Ayumi. Go now and hurry back to me later."
"Thank you for understanding, teacher!" Ayumi was about to disappear around the corner, when she stopped and turned to Iyo. "Um...hurry back to you? Why?"
Iyo raised a hand, "You'll find out later." And then she vanished.
Ayumi frowned and muttered to herself, "I hate it when she vanishes off like that..." She turned around and ran off.
Repto was completely unsure of what to do. He glanced at the door, and pushed it, hoping it would open...
"Anyone here?"
He sighed and glanced at the arrow... to see a piece of paper.
"Hm?"
Updated--I had saved it by the groups that were rping together for my own benefit, but I'll save them chronologically from now on. Sorry about this.
Ayumi turned around and ran off. But while racing through the numerous corridors, she brought upon some curious glances at her. She sighed and slowed down. If she continued running at that pace any further, the maids will start gossiping, the guards will start whispering amongst themselves, the royals will discuss among themselves and soon the king will hear that: The Princess Ayumi has been running at a dreadful pace, your majesty. It's most unmannered of her. She's a princess! She should walk in a graceful manner and have a certain air around her. Not run around the palace like some ignorant child who seems to be chasing butterfiles! I'm sure you've done your part to keep her under control, your majesty. It's her fault for not keeping the rules in mind. Don't worry, your majesty, let me handle it. I assure you, you'll hear good news in a few days, your majesty.
Ayumi's face was now creased with wrinkles. She sighed and soon they were all gone. Why can't she have some freedom of her own? Everywhere in this palace, whatever she does, she'll get pinpointed somewhere and it'll be reported to the king. Even at not standing or sitting up straight can receive some advisor of the king to tell her off. Once, she was so tired that during a court session, that she slept through the whole event! Only when Sumi managed to poke her in the waist, did she wake up. But the 'waking up' part was the problem. She jumped in her seat and knocked over a couple of drinks, causing the king and herself to be soaked in the ruby red liquid! By then, her face was just as red as the liquid itself! But no, just being deeply embarrassed was not enough for the royals. Once the king has left to change clothes, they started coming after her with their whiny voices and draggy lectures. They didn't even give her the chance to change her clothes!
Ayumi's face was now black. She raised her head, only to see a royal! She inverted that frown of hers upwards and greeted the royal. The royal greeted her back and started asking her about her studies. Oh no! This is the royal who loves to ask her about her studies, and then if he finds that she has any problem in anything, he would personally take charge in teaching her that particulat subject! Oh no! How could she forget that balding head of his, those beady, little, dark eyes and those long, bony fingers of his? She should have just greeted him and run off. Getting complains for that wouldn't matter to this! She remembered the first time she had a lesson with him. He had taken over teaching her history. She was swaying along with his droning voice, that she feel asleep. He had to shout at the top of his lungs before she opened her eyes. Since then, he kept a close watch on her, and she never did dare to steal a wink of sleep. And ever since then, she did pretty well in her studies. But that was the reason why he kept asking after her. He wanted her to maintain that kind of results. He always told the king that she slept throughout her lessons, that's why she was doing so badly (not that badly, in fact!), so he had to teach her.
But the only reason why she slept was because she was sneaking off at night to Iyo Kensa's place to practise archery! The more Ayumi thought about it, the more irritated she felt. It was gnawing at her heart and mind, urging her to be rude to this bald man. Inside her mind, she was thinking, 'I'm a princess, I'm a princess...', and it rang in her mind a number of times before it finally softened.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm in a hurry now," She cut in politely. "Would you mind if I leave first?"
"Hurry? Where to, your highness?"
By then, Ayumi was already backing away from him, "I don't have time to explain now. Sorry, sir. I'll talk to you another time, sir!"
Ayumi walk off, briskly. She did not look back and quickly turned around the corner, before slowing down her pace. She hoped that that conversation before didn't earn her another lesson with him...
As Ayumi brisk-walked (OOC: Yes, not run, not walk, brisk-walk...Oo) down the corridor, her thoughts flew down to the scene at the gate. She was imagining what might be happening down there right now. One word entered her mind: Chaos. Since it seemed that nobody had been in the palace with a stranger in captive, or Sumi with a stranger at her side, then most probably something was brewing down there. And of course, it was not pretty. Ayumi sighed and turned around a corner.
What would the king and teacher think of her if they knew of this matter? How would they react? She may lose their trust! She shook that thought away and tried to clear her mind of all thoughts. Hopefully, nothing big was happening, and that she could reach there at the right moment to solve everything.
She neared the main door of the palace and suddenly, another thought slipped into her mind. How was she going to solve the situation? Her two palms were flat against the door, and she froze. Great...well, I did try to solve the situation... She groaned as another thought connected to the previous one. But I was the one who created it... She felt like kicking the door, but held herself back as she knew that somehow, her teacher was watching her every move.
She settled with a firm push of the door and dashed down the stone slabs (OOC: Uh...you know...stairs...^^;;) and towards the gate. It was closed. That could only mean one thing. Everything was going on outside. Well, at least the people in the palace won't notice much...I hope... She tried to open the gate but was left breathing heavily. Irritation lurked inside her as she tried to push open the gate once more. She then remembered that there would be guards watching the gate. But she sighed as she thought that they would most probably be outside. No one can hear me from outside...Okay...one last try...
Taking a deep breath, she pushed at the gate. Surprisingly, the gate opened without much effort exerted on her part. She nearly fell over. Gaining her balance, she looked above her and squinted as the sunlight pierced through the trees. Thank you teacher... Ayumi's eyes landed on Sumi first. She went over to Sumi, who welcomed her immediately, and asked her what was going on. Apparently, everything was in a mess. Well, at least that's an advantage...
Ayumi left Sumi and managed to slip through the guards. Don't they know how to make way for the princess? She reached an empty space and saw guards surrounding her. She held back the urge to roll her eyes as she saw that they were all staring at her. Yes, I was the one who created this mess, thank you... She sighed and turned around, only to face the stranger. She looked at him blankly. Nothing came to her mind.
Blinking, she gave a small nod and quickly turned to face the guards, "Why are you are standing there? Didn't I give orders to let this stranger go?" As usual, they only take orders seriously from the king... No one responded. "Well then, what are you all waiting for? Leave us now, I can take of of this. Don't worry."
Only now did someone say, "But-"
She cut him politely, "Don't worry, I'll call for you if I'm in need. I'll take care of this." And do not report this to the king... She waited impatiently as the guards slowly drifted away. She heaved a sigh of relief as the last one disappeared behind the gate and beckoned Sumi to come to her side.
Turning back to the stranger, again, nothing came to her mind. She was slightly annoyed by that fact but soon brushed it away. She gave a polite smile, and quickly turned to Sumi, arching an eyebrow. Sumi shook her head and looked down humbly. Ayumi narrowed her eyes on Sumi and turned back to the stranger. I'd better hurry, any guard could've reported this matter to the king.
"Hello..."She felt a bit awkward talking to a common person, she had not done so in years. "Sorry for causing so much trouble for you..."
Repto looked at the new girl who had just came up to him, and soon realized, that she must the princess of the palace. Not bad for someone as slow as he was usually.
He gave a small nod, and held out his hand. "Hello," he saluted with a smile, "I'm Repto Harada. I came here to speak about the note that was sent around. I forgive you for all the ruckus, since really, it hasn't bothered me at all." All of a sudden, he turned quiet, and thought for about fifteen seconds or so. "Oh, wait!" he suddenly realized, then gave a laugh, "If you're the princess, then..." He crouched to his knees and bowed low, still laughing, "I'm so sorry, I'm just not very bright!"
In reality, the only reason he didn't do this any sooner was because he didn't exactly think royalty as any higher than man, and therefore doesn't deserve any more respect. But anyways, he didn't like making anyone angry, and if you've been a princess you're whole life, he figured some bowing would respect her enough.
He looked upwards, "Are you here to bring to me to the King?"
