Welcome to Gaia! ::

((You going to be 4th person then?))

Astara looked skywards and waited in the clearing. A flash of brown appeared in the sky and she automatically held out her arm.

Hawk landed on her gloved hand, and looked at her, in a silent moment they communicated with their minds.

"Let's go then," Astara said softly and Hawk launched off into the air flying ahead.

As soon as she was out of sight Astara edged towards the worn path and approached the small town, after being checked she was admitted into the town. She found the inn and sat at the table, dropping her bag under it and ordered a glass of water which was given to her.

She drank and listened to the murmur of conversation around her, wondering what would be her next job.

((I guess you two can bump into me, or I can make my way there.))

Nick turned around and faced Reika as she spoke. She listened to the girl, but kept her senses alert. She knew the guy wouldn't do anything, unless he just wanted to show off. She had been hoping that she had lost him when she entered the forest, but now that she knew she hadn't, she felt bad for having Reika along side of her. She didn't like to get other's involved if she could help it, but she would keep her out of harms way as long as she could.
She watched as Reika stuck her sword in the ground and gave a warning glance, it made her smile. She looked at her for a moment before she spoke, "He. Not an it, but a he. His name is Haru. Yes, he is out for me and yes, this has more significance than I would like to admit. Our history goes a while back. Both of us are in training. The only catch is that the people we seek it from will only receive one of us. He started this little battle when I was on my way to get higher training, but he beat me up, knocked me unconcious, left me where I was and took my place", she paused for a second as she took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, "It still anger's me, but I let it go. I tried to mind my own business, but he wouldn't let it be. I was better than him, but he's taken my place more times than I would have liked and he has exceeded me. I thought it to be a friendly race, but I tend to be more naive than I would like to admit. He, on the other hand, has a sense of humor. He's taunting me by allowing me to sense his presense. There's no telling how long he's been following me", she looked to the ground and balled her hands into tight fists, but relaxed them once her claws started to dig into her hand. Once relaxed, she looked back to Reika, "If you get in his way, he will kill you. That's why I made that deal with him", her expression was sad as said the last part, but she once again forced a smile, "How about we find somewhere to eat. I'm kind of hungry", she then gave a soft giggle.

Nick paused for a bit as Reika walked to catch up with her. Once they were side by side, she continued. As she walked, a song started to play itself in her head and her tail swayed gently to the beat. She had heard Reika's words, but sometimes she replied instantly and sometimes she didn't. She was just odd like that.
After a few moment's, she chased the song away as she spoke to Reika, "It would be no trouble getting you back to where you were. I'm guessing that you missed your boat or something. Seeing as how you were by the dock. Mind if I ask where you were suppose to be going? I mean, I know an island in the South Pacific, but, do you know what island? That's a long way to travel", she took a quick glance at the girl and then went back to looking straight ahead.
She could see the glow of the lights from the town they were nearing. She sniffed the air, smelling the food that was being cooked, and her mouth began to water. It wasn't that she was that hungry, it was the idea of having a decent meal for once. Most of the time she was somewhere in the forest miles from a city or town and she had to catch her own prey and eat it. Needless to say, she wasn't the best cook around and there's only so much one can do with an open fire and no seasoning.

Nick snapped out of her state of hunger when she heard Reika's voice. Her tail hung straight as they walked and she listened. She smiled as Reika mentioned the map and her temper. That might explain the flash I saw, she thought to herself. The smile faded around the edges as she mentioned her life. She kept looking forward as she spoke to her, "What type of academy would make one worry about her life? I thought those places were suppose to help and teach people". She knew a lot and yet nothing about academies. She had visited a couple within her travels, but they all seemd to be full of good fairing people. Certainly not places where someone would have to watch out for their life. Obviously there's more to it than what I know, she thought to herself as she pondered what would be taught in such a place, Maybe the ones who kept attacking my village came from a..."bad" academy.
At that moment, Nick came to a cleared, dirt path that would lead them into town. It was a short path and the guards at the entry were just feet away. She smiled big as she removed the device on her hand and both of the guns on her legs, leaving the holster's. She tucked them safely away in her backpack, just in case. She had found out that some towns wouldn't allow certain weapons, though she kept the gun that was tucked away in the small of her back. It was hidden by her backpack and she doubted that they would notice it. She turned to Reika with the smile still on her face, "Ready?", she asked in a eager tone.

Nick listened to Reika as she explained the workings of her academy. She nodded a couple of times to show that she understood. As Reika moved behind a tree, she turned the other way and gave her back to the tree. Obviously she didn't want to be seen and she could respect that. Everyone's entitled to their privacy, she thought, a small smile forming on her lips. She knew she could say that and have the best intensions, but that her curiosity kept her from being a true believer. Though, she would do her best to not ask about it. She continued to listen to Reika as she spoke. She was still facing the other way as she replied to her, making her voice a bit louder so that she would be able to hear her, "Well that doesn't sound too nice. What's the point in killing someone". She could understand the training being difficult or even close to impossible, but she was always taught to value life. Sure, she would hunt, but only because she needed to eat. Haru had beaten her pretty good, but he wasn't allowed to kill her nor was she allowed to kill him. Though he had clearly demonstrated that there were exceptions to the rule.
She thought to herself for a moment and was about to ask another question when she heard Reika step out from behind the tree. She turned to face her, smiling at her words, and then skipped happily up to the guards. Once they cleared her, she stepped through the gates and into the town. She stopped just inside the gates, as she waited for her companion, and watched as the men, women and children passed by her. This seems to be a lively place, she thought to herself as she glanced back to make sure Reika was okay, Or maybe I've just been secluded for too long.
As she stood there, she caught the scent of something in the air. She closed her eyes and sniffed the air a few good times. Her mouth began to water again at the aroma of something wonderful being cooked. She didn't know what it was or where it was coming from, but it smelled delicious.

As the two travelers walked through the gates unnoticed, Reika thought about her question. "Well, we kill those whom the Shapers deem a threat to us. And when the returning Agents are killed, the prevailing belief is that because they didn't go to complete their training, they have turned their back on us. Although I now know that that isn't true." She sighed and bowed her head. Her head snapped back up. "So let's find an inn. You seem to be thinking the same thing," she said, laughing a bit at Nick's watering mouth. "Can you find the source of the food? Or should I just pick..." She sniffed the air. "Mmm. Smells good." Her stomach growled. "Yeah, let's find that inn. Now." She giggled nervously.

Rieka stiffened as Nick grabbed her arm. As Nick dragged her down the street, Reika had to wonder at how strange they must have looked. As they passed the window, a pair of strange golden eyes greeted her vision. They looked oddly familiar, even though Reika was sure she'd never seen them before. They entered, and the smell of food assaulted their senses. She looked around for the golden-eyed person who intrigued her so.