Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rose stared out at the frozen wall of ice the man with strange wings had created- sitting high in her tree she had witnessed the entirety of his actions. In all actuality she should have ran as she had seen he animals had done, such avelanches were deadly but she was not afraid. She had witnessed other such occurences over the harsh winter and knew the town was safe from such things.. for now.
No the real danger lay more in the soldiers waiting outside the doors of the town.
She sighed to herself as she began to climb down the tree as easily as she climbed up- at least now she had finally found the cause of the strange occourenses around the town.

She shook her head as she resettled her winter colored skirts about her trim legs and held her head high- her lavender eyes twinkled from the light of the sun high overhead. Spring was well on it's way- she could feel it in her bones. Almost catlike she stretched her arms out above her head and began to head towards the town. She would pick up her supplies and drop off her latest proofs of assasinations she aquired on her latest round of jobs.
She shook her head slightly as she walked- the auburn moved in the light breeze about her face- as her gray and blue skirts swished around her ankles.
How was she going to get past the soldiers this time? She pondered...
She had gotten herself into some trouble the last time she decided to go out and drink outside the town walls.. which ultimately lead to two soldiers with knives in their hearts- poison coursing through their veins.
She heaved a sigh.
It wasnt like she could hide easily either- not very many 'human' girls sported such markings and tatoos as she did.
"Oh well..." She murmered to herself- slipping around in shadows she skirted the encampment skillfully and entered one of the few and well hidden entrances into the town- known only to those of a shadier nature than concidered healthy.

Knowing full well the stares her appearance drew from the humans living in the town she made a beeline towards the tavern- before she reached the doors however a town guard grabbed her thin little arm in his- suprised she whirled around to face him- the braides in her hair twirled with her movement.

"Well... Our little Rose." The half drunk guard grinned down on her.
"It seems... that you made friends with a coupla soldiers lately lovey... Whadda ya say? I turn ya in or do you want tah make friends wit me? Eh?" The disgusting stench of cheap ale, sweat and barmaids radiated from the man and his breath.

"I... " She tried to pull her arm from his- falling into the innocent child like act like a second skin her lavender eyes widened as if in fear.
"P-please... l-let me g-go sir... I... I did no wrong..."

The guards big meaty hand lifted to carress her face- then jerked her head back by pulling a fistfull of her long hair back.
"They sed a elf girl with blue tatoos 'nd ears as pointed as ah spear... It looks to me you be the only one like that miss-eh"

The head of the table noded while the others took this in and discussed.
"We cannot let foreighners in our land." One said shaking his head. "The city must be maintained!"
"The city is hungry." Another said.
"Their food could be poison."
"They could be here to take over!"
"To replace the council while the elder is away!!!" Another mentioned and soon the uproar was too much.

"Silence, Silence!" The head of the ground said with a sigh. "Gentlemen, he has come to us. Had he wanted to take the city it would have been done. We have no defences." He laughed heartily but the others didn't. "I cannot speak for the council, or for the elder but you have my blessing. Distribute what you will as long as you do not seek compensation until the Elder is returned."
The council argued a bit but none spoke up against the leader of the small group.
As far as they were concerned, discussions were over.

A man laughed, standing up and grabbing his drink.
"She's been here since my fathers, fathers day's!"
"At least a hundred years." One man added.

"She's a healer of sorts. A herbal witch but her talents go beyond just working with herbs to what some say she talks to them." The man shook their heads.
"Roa is not kind. Over the years she's become worse. Bitter but some call her a prophet."
"She's no prophet I tell you!" The man with his glass said. "Roa just knows."
"Knows?" Another jested. "She's a loonatic. Wild woman spouting crazy things. She knows nothing, not a damn thing."
"She is the best healer this town has ever known." The leader annouced but the others paid little attention to him.

"She lives up in the mountains where other loons reside. Some towns people swear she wasa noble woman once but all I see is a crazy 100 year old crone."
"But the way she speaks, no noble woman would be so forward!"
The men went on with rantings of how they met her, stories of how she met their families.

"She healed a boy once who was on his death bed."
"She can call to the trees!"
"Roa can force vines to spring forth from the very earth to do her bidding!"
"That's a lie Gregor, you know she can't do it."
"She can! She Can I swear it! I've seen her do it! She's not just a healer, she really is a witch!" The longer they went on the more slipped out. Little things throughout the past.

"Once my daughter was telling a story about the warrior Queen Wynn from the forgotten city. The loon listened to her entire story and then cursed at my daughter. Cursed! At a child! She's insane I tell you. Insane."



Biting into the apple the lush juices drizzled on her lips and Roa pulled the cool flesh of the fruit into her mouth. It was bitter, not as sweet as last years crop and for the past 15 years they had been falling into a drought. Half the town knew it, the other half refused to believe it.
Taking another bite she chewed slowly, savouring the flavour until finally swallowing the precious sustanance. It was the first time she'd eaten in three days. Food was scarce in the mountains.

"Get off the steps." The guard said firmly but Roa ignored him.
"I said-"
"Would you like a bite?" Pulling a vile of dust from her bag she tossed it into the air. It enveloped the guards face and when he looked down at the apple it was deformed and covered in maggots.
"VILE WOMAN!" He yelled and backed away, the halusinogin(sp?) wearing off immediately. Grinning, she returned to the apple, taking in another juicey but bitter bite.



"Is there anymore you need to know?"
"Wait, wait." One man said rising. He'd remained silent the entire time. "All you need to know of her is that she is not what she seems. All of this, the people in this city, the way she treats us she's just misleading. No one knows her better then the Elder and even he wouldn't dare to claim he knows who Roa, the witch really is. So beware. Avoid her." The rest nodded and the doors to the hall were opened, the guard standing at the entrance.

"See us should you need anything else." The dissmissal was cordial, polite but one all the same as the men returned to their 'work'.

Another town. There was always another town, some place else to go. She never stayed in one place for too long, the names and faces blurred together. This new town looked much like all the others, small and quiet and so of course there would be trouble. Still even with this foresight she continued along the dirt path that would lead her there.

Years of travel across the land had left her skin with a dusty hue and a sharp sense of her surrounding. With each step she took her feet felt the soreness of a person who had not slept for days. The journey was her passion, sleep was a waste of time usually and she loved to travel at night especially. She stood at the entrance of the town, pausing for a moment she reached into her leather pack which hung across her back and pulled a strap of leather from it. The traveler wrapped the leather around her right wrist to hid the tattoo. That tattoo had brought her trouble in other towns and she had learned not to display the Witch's Knot so carelessly these days.

In another place that tattoo symbolized her heritage, a smile played across her face as she remembered the day she had recived it. If she reached back in her mind far enough she could still feel the pain as it was carved into her skin. She had cried, but from joy. Now it marked her for death.

The traveler ajusted the pack across her back and she strolled into the town, her eyes soaking up the details for the moment. She began looking for someone to tell her the name of the place she would in time forget.

"I must admit" Alexander said as he descended the flight of stairs to the ground. "It worked better than I thought it would have. They have agreed to allow me stay until my duties are complete. After that I will be required to move on." He turned away from Roa and looked out to the town. He scanned the people that roamed the streets. The faces of some grim, others were joyful. The town was filled with different stories, lies and truths. The town was it's own that was for sure, even the mistrust could be understood.

"As soon as my men distribute the provisions, we will have concluded our business here. I will trouble you and this city no longer. However... I have been told of your skills in healing. You have quite the ability. You’re also a horologist too. Mind you... it is none of my business." Alexander turned to face Roa again. "I was also told you have lived for one hundred years. Tell me... how do you keep the body of a young woman?" His curiosity had gotten the better of him. He could not resist but to ask. He regretted asking, but desired to know. None of the healing abilities he had heard of had the ability to preserve youth, nor did the use of horology. He was baffled.

"Simply an herbologist ehh? Never heard of a herbologist living for 150 years... but then again in my travels I have seen and heard many bizarre things. You are the least of them, no offence." Alexander smiled slightly and approached her. He stopped roughly two feet away. "I am gracious of your assistance, but I must make leave. The sooner my men can distribute the provisions the sooner my task will be over. I am much indebted to you for your air. Thank you!" He bowed in a true knightly fashion. The way a knight would bow to an upper class woman. "I bid you farewell, Roa of Kaito." He stood erect and about faced to his horse and walked away.

Mounting the large beast, he brought it around to face the way he assumed was the entrance to the town, or at least the way he had came in. He spurred the horse and slowly rode off in a trot. Raising his hand he waved farewell to Roa.

She was just a mile or two from the town when the nauseating smell of blood filled her lungs. It was enough to take her mind off of that horrible clanking that seemed to echo through the mountains. She stopped suddenly and frowned beneath her porcelain mask. One of her hands slowly wandered over to the fabric of her black cloak and soon, her fingers were coiled, holding tightly to the cloth. After a minute of standing idly, she began again. Under her breath, she counted her steps. "Seven........eight....."

"Nine?" The masked woman suddenly looked upwards at a hazy, red aura. He held onto another, but it's aura had faded to black once she looked up. She heard a thump hit the ground and guessed that it was the body the man held. "Mmmm, yes. Nine. You sure are an odd woman. Are you an old hag?"

The woman gave a gruff sigh as she watched his aura transform from it's crimson color to a gray tint. "You sure have a way of charming women. What do you have there?"

"Hm...that is nothing of your concern. You've got a name, hag?" The man dragged his sleeve across his lips while he talked, making his words muffled.

"Tell me your name first, dear stranger." The woman brought up her slender fingers and pushed aside some of her black hair away from her mask. There was a pause that hung stiffly in the air. But soon, the man stated his name in a proud tone.

"Dante Macabre, mercenary for hire." With the tips of her fingers, the woman touched the mask's lips, looking intrigued. She took a single step forward. "Now you, love."

"Hmmmm....mercenary you say? Let us make a deal, good sir. Let's have a little duel. Have you heard of a group called the Runners?" A nod came from his aura. She felt he was about to say something, so she quickly went on to cut him off. "If I win, you join the Runners. No pay involved. You win, you get my name. What do you say?"

"I get your name and to see your face. If I fancy your looks, you will let me have my way with you. To that I say 'deal'." The revised deal only hung in the air for a second or two before the woman hastily accepted with a nod. The hand that still clung to her cloak finally released the cloth. Her hand snaked over to her neck, where she uncliped it. The black cloak slid off her shoulders, revealing her fragile body, and fell to the ground with a soft noise. The man laughed loudly. "You are a fool! Look how little you are. You should take off that mask of yours and look at me. I'll give you one last chance to take back that offer of yours." He watched the lady stand still for a while before shifting his weight to his left leg, impatiently. Then, suddenly, she was after him. A kirk's dagger, made of a light-colored wood, was already in her hand.

Dante jumped backwards quickly, a large grin on his face. He liked her style of fighting. Her lean body gave her the upper hand when fighting a larger person. She was graceful and quick. His hand suddenly shot outwards and grabbed a hold of her wrist. With a great force, he pulled the woman close to him, then grabbed her neck with his other hand. As he let go of her wrist, he raised her up in the air, then tossed her aside as if she were a child's toy. While she was in the air, her dagger had come loose in her grasp and fell with a clank against the ground. She landed on her back, but hit the ground roughly and ended up skidding a good ten feet away from where she had landed. Another laugh came from Dante. It seemed he was enjoying this.

She heard his footsteps come closer to her, and soon, he was right above her. "Poor thing. Well, a deal is a deal, I suppose." Slowly, he made his way down on her, positioning himself to sit on top of her small frame. A couple of his long braids dangled just an inch or so from her mask.

The woman sighed softly. "Cairynn Kalas."

Dante gave a nod of approval. "Well, my pleasure Lady Kalas....Oh, I should probably tell you something, just so you aren't so hard on yourself about losing. I am a dhampir...that is something that usually isn't mentioned when my name is heard. Tis a secret, so do try and stay hush about it, my dear."

The woman seemed to tense slightly. "Well, that is quite unfair then. I assumed that you were a human being. But I suppose that explains the rotten smell of blood and that body. You've got the right to feed as we humans do."

"Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups, no?" The dhampir gave a hearty smile. "So let's see why you are hiding your face, shall we?" Dante reached down and gently grabbed the bridge of the mask's nose with his thumb and fore-finger, then lifted the mask off of the woman's face. A loud gasp broke through the air. He held the mask just above her face, a look of awe on his own. "My Lord! Y-you are a stunning human!" The woman was biting down on her lip, her eyes closed tightly. She dreaded his next request.

"Open...open those eyes of yours."

Slowly, she did as she was told. Her light gray, pupiless eyes staring into his own deep blue orbs, however, she could hardly make out any details of his face. The light had already started to give her a headache. "Amazing...! How were you given such-"

Suddenly, her fist collided with the side of his face. The force of her small fist was enough to send the dhampir off of her and her mask through the air. Quickly, she rolled over and positioned herself so that she was sitting on his chest, just as he was positioned earlier on top of her earlier. However, she had an upset look on her face. Not only that, but she had another kirk's dagger, this one made from a dark wood, in her hand again. Dante didn't even see her draw it out. The tip of the blade was pressed gently against his neck. "Most men who see my face don't live to speak of my beauty."

The wide-eyed dhampir frowned slightly. It was a stupid thing for him to fall into her plan. He knew now that Cairynn had planned for him to be distracted by her visage. "Well then...it would be an honor to lose to a woman as beautiful as you. Do as you wish, but remember that I am a dhampir. My heart is underneath your thigh."

"Hah! 'Well, a deal is a deal, I suppose.' You made me a deal. Welcome to the resistance, my dear stranger. My name is Cairynn Kalas. I am the founder of the Runners." There was an emotionless look upon her face as she withdrew her dagger from his neck.

"I suppose this means I can't bed you." He sounded disappointed.

The traveler wandered through the town, which had fewer people then she had expected. With each step she felt her weariness grow up from her feet and into her stomach. She put a hand on her hollow belly and made a face, sleeping was a pointless activity but eating was not.

Again the young traveler reached into her pack and this time pulled out a small green draw string bag. The bag felt heavy, the traveler shifted back and forth with a smile and shook a few of it contents on to her hand. Her smile faded. Her bag was full true, but of currency from the southern kingdoms and she doubted it was worth much here.

"Well, if I get mugged my attackers will be in for a surpise." The traveler said bitterly and perhasp too loudly, a passerby gave her an odd look.

The traveler smile wearily and stuffed the bag back into her pack. She lifted her face to the sun and closed her eyes for a moment before she continued her exploration of the town.