Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna & Mnemaxa]
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Mnemaxa on 30-03-2009, 03:47:40</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 03:47:40</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				By and large, it was a lovely day.&nbsp; She had earned a number of coins (these being gold, rather than silver!), was no longer in service to that blaggard Captain Jannis the Waveslayer (fortunate that, since half of his current crew had been shanghaied!), and she was currently walkign on the hillside paths where she could see the port town without smelling it (and the sun was only just sinking into the sea, at an angle that didn't obscure the veiw!).&nbsp; <br><br>Naturally, that is when the Fates decided to interrupt her enjoying of the afternoon with the typical brutality and mindless violence of the port town, despite the fact she was some fair distance from it.&nbsp; But the voices were definitely those of salty sea dogs, and there was enough anger in them to melt tar from boards.&nbsp; <br><br>"Ya bleedin' wytch!&nbsp; I'll gut ye fur tha'!"&nbsp; The voice was rough and hateful, and she saw movement, not even twenty feet away around the side of the hill.&nbsp; As she rounded the hill, she was treated with a not entirely unusual sight.&nbsp; <br><br>A trio of rough looking thugs had cornered - or hillsided, rather - a young man, not much older than a coming of age at sixteen or seventeen summers, who was one of the strangest fellows she'd ever seen.&nbsp; He was dressed in loose grey trousers of foreign make, laces at the sides rather than the front, and a long sleeved shirt with a high neckline, laces at the throat down to the middle of his chest.&nbsp; He was shaved bald, and wore what looked like dark kohl along his eyes, like a Lantern Girl might.&nbsp; His right arm was bloodied, the sleeve torn wide and blood soaking into the soft grey cloth.&nbsp; The dark violet eyes gazed fearlessly at the rogues, though the heavy bruising along one cheek likely meant his fearless gaze had offended them mightily.&nbsp; <br><br>One of the thugs was a rough man, burly and wielding a heavy looking cutlass that had definitely seen better days, though the blood along it was a testament to the ruthless power which backed it.&nbsp; He was dirty, his clothes tar smeared, and his black bear bristled angrily.&nbsp; A thinner, rangier fellow fingered a wicked looking dagger, and smirked at the young man, content to leave his heavier friend to the bullying.&nbsp; His eyes had the glazed look and yellow cast of the habitually drunk, while his companion's eyes were simple bloodshot from too much drink and rage.&nbsp; The third, however, was lying on the ground, bleeding from the nose and ears, though still breathing.&nbsp; His eyes were dull and glassy, as though he'd been concussed.&nbsp; <br><br>The heavyset brute advanced on the youth, who pushed himself back on the hillock he sat against, dark eyes of violet or deep blue narrowing as he moved.&nbsp; He seemed unarmed, and definitely unarmored, and the wound was bleeding quite freely already, making him even more pale than he already appeared.&nbsp; <br><br>"I'm gonna gut y' like a fish an' see where y' hid 'em, honeypot!"&nbsp; Honeypot was the local slang for someone who took money or writs as a messenger or errand boy, and normally they were protected from molestation by the fact that messing with one generally made the people who hired them very angry - people who usually had a great deal of pull with the port authority.&nbsp; "I want what y' got, and I'll have it one way or t' other!"&nbsp; 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 05:44:05</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She looked upon the scene with disgust.&nbsp; This was just one of the many reasons she was glad to get out of the port town.&nbsp; Sure, she enjoyed pirating, and it was a living, but some of the blokes were just so thick-headed she didn't want to put up with them.&nbsp; That was how she felt now too, she figured to just leave the blokes to their business, it wasn't any of hers after all.&nbsp; Then again, it seemed such a pity to end the day like so.&nbsp; <br><br>She looked at the scene and sighed.&nbsp; "I shouldn't be doin' this, I just got out o' this mess."&nbsp; She muttered as she trudged up to where the thugs could hear her.&nbsp; "Oi!&nbsp; Ye blokes know better then ter be foolin' 'round with dem 'oneypots!"&nbsp; She raised her voice a bit, not to a shout, but enough to come in over the ruckus.<br><br>It had the effect she wanted.&nbsp; The thugs turned from the lad to face her.&nbsp; "Well if it isn't Capn' Jannis' lap wench, what ye doin' 'ere in these parts lass?"&nbsp; Said the smaller bloke.&nbsp; If they thought that stab was going to make her snap, they were dead wrong.&nbsp; She wasn't ashamed of what she was unfortunately for them. "I 'ear ol' Jannis got tired o' t' wench. Right mousey?"&nbsp; From the larger.&nbsp; <br><br>She was going to ignore that.&nbsp; Mousey had been a name she picked up under Jannis, mostly due to her small stature and tawny colored hair. In most ports she could easily pass as a young boy without a problem, only those who had dealings with Jannis had known she was a girl.&nbsp; That was over though, she earned her freedom fair and square.&nbsp; "Apparently I be stoppin' ye blokes from beatin' on 'oneypots.&nbsp; An' prob'ly savin' yer sorry 'ides at that."<br><br>The smaller one replied.&nbsp; "Oi, ye mean dis wretch?"&nbsp; He kicked the lad hard in the side and she heard a sickening crunch from the blow. " 'e be havin' som'thin' belongin' to us, and it be nun o' ya bother one way or t oth'r mousey.&nbsp; Now ye best be movin' along before we 'ave t' do somthin' we be regrettin' on a pretty lass like ye.&nbsp; I bet we could 'ave lots 'o fun with Jannis' ol' girl eh?"&nbsp; <br><br>The larger one laughed.&nbsp; "Ye want me ter get her 'long with this 'ere wretch?" He hit the boy with the blunt of his&nbsp; cutlass. <br><br>"Nay, the wench be mine, you take care 'o de honeypot."&nbsp; Both of them laughed this time and turned to their targets.&nbsp; <br><br>She may have just been a lap wench, but she had been serving Jannis since she was younger than most kids who were just starting school.&nbsp; She wasn't stupid enough to have picked a fight she couldn't handle.&nbsp; She pulled her scimitar from her belt.&nbsp; It was a bit rusty, as she didn't typically have the luxury of going into town for the purpose of seeing a smithy, but still sharp enough for it's purpose.&nbsp; "I tell ye what lil' man.&nbsp; I won' be regrettin' this."&nbsp; <br><br>The small man dived at her, dagger in hand.&nbsp; She easily sidestepped his attack, hitting him in the back with the hilt of the blade.&nbsp; He staggered for a moment before regaining his balance.&nbsp; "Ye need t' lay off de rum lil' man."&nbsp; She laughed at him. This time when he lunged, she grabbed the arm with the dagger, twisted it behind the man, and broke it.&nbsp; He screamed curses at her left and right for about ten seconds till she hit him with the hilt again in the base of his skull and knocked him out.&nbsp; <br><br>She turned to the larger man and the boy.&nbsp; The thug had landed a few good hits on the lad, but the lad was still holding out, mostly, or maybe he was unconscious, still alive though.&nbsp; At least she hoped he was as she charged at the brute.&nbsp; The large man turned to look at her, and, upon seeing his mate, charged in return.&nbsp; This was the one she thought she might have trouble with, him being bigger and all.&nbsp; Wrong.&nbsp; She jammed her hilt into his throat as he ran towards her and he was down in seconds.&nbsp; <br><br>She walked over to the boy.&nbsp; He was still conscious for the most part.&nbsp; She put on a smile,&nbsp; "Well lad, we best be gettin' out o' here before port authority shows up fer ye.&nbsp; And I'll be gettin' the gallows once they find those two blokes dead.&nbsp; Ye got one though lad, good job."&nbsp; She grabbed the boy around the waste and hefted him over her shoulder.&nbsp; "Lets get ye ter somewhere safe so I can see to yer wounds."&nbsp; <br><br>She carried him around the hill, further from the city, to a small creek in a wood at the bottom of the hill.&nbsp; There wasn't much light now that the sun had set, just what was left from the bit over the horizon, dimmed more by the small trees surrounding the stream.&nbsp; She laid him down in the water and cut his shirt off so the water could get into the wounds, and set off to building a fire.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 06:46:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The boy remained silent, save for a soft, unhappy grunt at being lifted. When he was set in the water, he watched with dark wary eyes as she sliced his shirt free, but he prevented her from tossing it too far away.&nbsp; He was wearing, to her surprise, a tight vest of a strange silvery material with expensive looking embroidery along the edges underneath the shirt, which had been fortunate not to be cut.&nbsp; There were bruises forming along his left side, and the gash in his arm, though deep, was not bleeding much any more.&nbsp; The blood on his face was easy to wash off, and he washed his arm and face slowly and carefully.&nbsp; <br><br>His dark eyes - darker than any eyes she'd seen, started following her as she made a fire.&nbsp; He seemed fearless, despite the beating he'd been given, and he carefully wrapped his arm in a bandage made from the shirt's sleeve.&nbsp; He was carefully plucking threads from the other sleeve where it met the shoulder, making it match, though his long, slender fingers cleverly seemed capable of doing the work without supervision.&nbsp; He seemed curious about her weapon but did not ask or say anything at all.&nbsp; Or make any noises of pain, for that matter.<br><br>After a short while, he glanced at the strange young woman, stood, and turned his back on her to carefully slide free of the vest.&nbsp; Carefully, he used the sleeve he'd removed to bandage his chest, keeping his back to her like a shy boy might, and then carefully donned the silvery vest.&nbsp; It did not hide the bandages along the upper part of his chest where the neck of the vest cut a V, but it was enough to make them less visible.&nbsp; <br><br>Slowly he walked to where the fire was, and knelt, unconcerned about his wet clothing.&nbsp; His shoes, she could now see, were a fairly simple sort of sandal; it seemed incongruous for a port 'honeypot'.&nbsp; His belt too, was of a complex leather weave, and the leather was oddly iridescent, with faintly seen scales in the firelight, like snake or lizard skin.&nbsp; He watched her for another long moment then surprised her with soft, strangely accented voice.&nbsp; <br><br>"I am not from this....port authority.&nbsp; I am not from this place at all."&nbsp; His dark, violet or indigo eyes slid over her slowly.&nbsp; "How am I supposed to repay your duty in rescuing my life?"&nbsp; His voice was soft, strangely breathy, and rather high pitched for a boy. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>30-03-2009, 07:11:32</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She hadn't expected the boy to be moving while she built the fire.&nbsp; Let alone bandaging himself.&nbsp; When he had spoke to her she jumped a little.<br><br>"Now lad.&nbsp; Ye shouldn' be up an' about jus' yet.&nbsp; I still need ter look at yer wounds a bit too."&nbsp; She started toward him, but stopped short.&nbsp; Something told her that it would be appropriate to reply to the boy before touching him. "I can tell by yer accent an' clothes that yer not from these parts.&nbsp;&nbsp; What were ye doin' with those three ruffians anyways?"&nbsp; <br><br>She looked the boy over from where she sat.&nbsp; Such strange eyes.&nbsp; She could of sworn she would drown in them, if she didn't know how to swim. Not to mention, she had sailed the high seas for most of her life, and never had heard an accent like that.&nbsp; As if the clothes weren't strange enough for the port town.&nbsp; She was partly entranced by the boy sitting there watching her.&nbsp; When his purple eyes connected with her own, a murky blue green, she shivered then blinked and shook her head.&nbsp; What was wrong with her?<br><br>"Right then.&nbsp; Yer wounds."&nbsp; She stood, brushed the dirt off the front of her worn leather leggings and rolled up the sleeves of her jerkin. She then walked over to the stream to wash her hands. "I only 'ave a bit o' healing meself, so we may have ter get you to a real healer before to long. "
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>08-04-2009, 06:05:39</strong>
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				"They came upon me....as I walked from where I entered this place."&nbsp; The phrasing of the words was not just foreign, but badly foreign as though he understood the language less well than his speech indicated.&nbsp; "I think that I startled them and they did not like me because of that."&nbsp; The cry of witch had been particularly vehement, and such accusations were not lightly made.&nbsp; He didn't have the bearing of a sorcerer, nor the tools of a wizard, despite his rich clothing.&nbsp; <br><br>As she approached him he reluctantly offered his bandaged arm, and let her unwrap it slowly.&nbsp; The wound was not deep, and it bled very little....but she had seen, for certain, that the gash had been wider, and longer.&nbsp; It had been bleeding freely only minutes ago.&nbsp; the dark eyes of the boy looked at her, his face slightly downcast, but those eyes were alive, fearless, and carefully watching her.&nbsp; He was tense, she could see, and not very happy at her examining a wound that had been so much worse minutes ago.&nbsp; 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>09-04-2009, 05:39:02</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She shook her head in disbelief.&nbsp; "I coulda' sworn...either way..."&nbsp; She pulled a small vial out of a leather pouch at her hip.&nbsp; "This is just a caution against infection."&nbsp; She put one drop on the cut on the arm.&nbsp; She busied herself inspecting other cuts and scrapes also putting a drop of the liquid on each of those and rebandaging as needed.&nbsp; She smiled a bit.&nbsp; "Yer a strong one ye know?&nbsp; Never seen one beat like ye and able ter keep the spirit after.&nbsp; No need to be so tense though.&nbsp; I wont bite ye!"&nbsp; She laughed a light merry sound. "Now, how are yer ribs?"&nbsp; She asked motioning to the bruises spreading across his chest.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>10-04-2009, 04:14:35</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				the delicate boy hissed as she dripped the strange oil into the cut, and then relaxed as it soothed the burn.&nbsp; The soft, strange violet eyes watched her administer the potion to each of the cuts - and by and large, most were minor.&nbsp; Two needed bandaging, for which the boy offered his already torn and cut sleeves.&nbsp; <br><br>When she asked about his ribs, he blushed, the darkening of his pale cheeks rather becoming on his youthful face as he glanced down, embarrassed.&nbsp; "They will be fine.&nbsp; They will be healing soon.&nbsp; I have no more power to spare to heal them."&nbsp; He hesitated a moment and then shook his head.&nbsp; "I do not think you will need to worry about them.&nbsp; I can walk.&nbsp; I have no where to stay at this time.&nbsp; I was looking for a place to create a camp."&nbsp; He glanced at the slowly darkening afternoon hillside, and shook his head.&nbsp; There are few places that are not exposed here.&nbsp; I did not have time to search adequately before I arrived."&nbsp; His references to searching before he arrived made no sense, and the idea of someone staying out on the hillsides next to the sea was tantamount to suicide - the weather, while not freezing, would be cold enough to kill an already injured youth no older than herself....
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				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>10-04-2009, 05:22:53</strong>
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				"A place to stay huh..."&nbsp; She looked thoughtful, then started digging through the pouch at her hip.&nbsp; "Ah ha!"&nbsp; She pulled out a few gold coins.&nbsp; "We can grab a room at the inn in the next town over for tonight."&nbsp; She put the coins back in her purse.&nbsp; "I still want to have a look at your ribs before we go though.&nbsp; I managed to pick up a bit o' a talent for healing a while back, snitched it from a ol' lady in Thipudisdelous, or 'owever you pronounce it."&nbsp; She reached for his vest to unlace it.&nbsp; "What's yer name lad?&nbsp; Mine is Alia."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>14-04-2009, 08:19:45</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The youth glanced down at the hands at his chest and slowly covered Alia's hands with his own.&nbsp; His breathless voice was nervous, and a rather becoming blush burned on his cheeks.&nbsp; "I really do not think that is a good idea for you to do...."&nbsp; His hands were surprisingly warm, and soft - strangely soft, as though he'd never worked hard in his life.&nbsp; She could see strange crescent marks along the tops of his fingers - long healed scars, where fingernails should have grown, as though someone had torn them from the quick and seared them.&nbsp; <br><br>The dark violet or indigo eyes lifted, and searched Alia's eyes slowly.&nbsp; "Pryssm.&nbsp; Prism.&nbsp; Or Pris."&nbsp; He seemed to become more uncomfortable the longer Alia's hands remained at his vest, though he finally dropped his hands, clearly unwilling to use force to stop her from removing the vest.&nbsp; "I will be able to....heal the injuries after I have rested.&nbsp; This is not really necessary."&nbsp; The blush deepened, and the youth looked away.&nbsp; "Your touch is familiar."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>15-04-2009, 01:13:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Alia was a bit confused.&nbsp; Having practically been raised by pirates on the open sea, she often saw men play 'who can last the longest wi'out dyin' from scurvy.'&nbsp; But this boy didn't have the looks of the sea about him.&nbsp; He had no reason to want to be hurt, maybe all men were like that.<br><br>She looked down at his hands, the fingers were scarred but the hands still soft.&nbsp; She frowned, wondering what this boy had&nbsp; been through.&nbsp; She looked at her own hands, calloused by ropes and swords, dry from the sea salt that had caked upon them for years.<br><br>"Prism..."&nbsp; She took the easier pronunciation of the first word he had said, barely whispering.&nbsp; She supposed he could be telling the truth, she had healed herself a few times.&nbsp; She looked up, the light was fading fast, but she wasn't about to make him move.&nbsp; They would be fine for a night.&nbsp; "Alright then,&nbsp; why don' you lay down and sleep a bit, then we'll head on to the next town."<br><br>She really wanted to ask him more questions, like where had he come from, and that whole thing about her touch being familiar, that was kind of weird.&nbsp; He was surely a blushy little thing. She curled a piece of loose hair that had fallen out of the bandanna she wore around her finger, a bit lost in her thoughts.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 06:06:36</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Prism looked at her, a long, searching look.&nbsp; If Alia was more superstitious, she could have accused the boy of trying to read her mind, but Alia was more experienced and not so easily befuddled as all that.&nbsp; Still the boy lay down, obedient to her suggestion, and closed those dark eyes.<br><br>As dusk fell, out of the corner of her eye Alia saw something.&nbsp; It was faint, but definitely a glow.&nbsp; the darker it got outside, the more pronounced the glow became, until she could actually look directly at it.&nbsp; On either side of the smooth-headed boy's face, an image, a spectral head lay, also in repose. One was glowing a faint greenish hue, while the other was a shimmering yellow.&nbsp; The boy's own face was limned by a luminous blue light, just barely enough to tinge his pale skin.&nbsp; The other two glowing heads were not real, they were insubstantial and misty, and largely featureless - only vague suggestions of eyes, nose and lips were present.&nbsp; <br><br>The boy's lips moved, suddenly, a faint whisper.&nbsp; "We can trust her....I foresee no trouble....they think she is a kind person....but we can't let her know that...."&nbsp; the whispers were almost in different tones, different voices coming from the same loft lips.&nbsp; The whispering ceased and the boy slipped into a deeper sleep, shivering in the cool air.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 06:35:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Alia blinked and shook her head.&nbsp; "It's been a long day..." She muttered to herself.&nbsp; "I have ter be seein' things."<br><br>She looked to the boy.&nbsp; Yeah he would be fine for a few minutes.&nbsp; She put out the fire then walked back down to the port city.&nbsp; She had 'left' a few things in town that she wanted to 'nick before she moved on.&nbsp; <br><br>It was a fairly easy retrieval she picked up a leather messenger bag left by a cart outside of the print shop,&nbsp; some wool blankets from the stables, she stuffed some vegetables from next morning's market in the bag, and even managed to grab a flask of rum, before figuring she had taken enough donations for the evening.&nbsp; That and two drunken port guards were sitting in the bar she had filched the rum from.<br><br>She returned to the little camp out and threw one of the blankets over Prism while he slept.&nbsp; He looked peaceful.&nbsp; "Ahh he'll be fine, don' worry 'bout it."&nbsp; She sat down, removing the messenger bag and laying it behind her.&nbsp; She took the second blanket and laid back, her head on the bag, hand on her sword, and drifted into sleep herself
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 07:02:39</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She was woken in the night but once - the frail seeming boy had cuddled up against her as she'd slept, and was warm and soft alogn her side.&nbsp; <br><br>The next morning she woke to see him standing on the hillside, looking out towards the ocean.&nbsp; There was a queer look upon the boy's face, as though he was not quite believing what he was seeing for some reason.&nbsp; He shook his head and sighed, touching his fingers to his forehead on some kind of salute or gesture of frustration perhaps.&nbsp; "I think that there will come a time when it becomes necessary...." he said softly, and there was a brief head shake.&nbsp; "We shouldn't.&nbsp; It isn't safe for us, even if she is safe for us."&nbsp; the inflections were faintly different, but there did not seem to be any anger, or pain, or hate, or foulness that she had heard of begin part of possession.&nbsp; <br><br>The youth shook his head and sighed again, looking wistful, before he turned to look at the town.&nbsp; Prism wasn't aware that she was awake and watching him.&nbsp; He gently ran his hands up his chest, not in a manner that he would if he were testing how tender his ribs were, but rather making sure the tight bindings and the vest were in place.&nbsp; As though he were hiding something....not that much could be hidden under the skin tight bandages and the supple leather of his vest.&nbsp; <br><br>Which only made the question of what he was hiding all the more interesting.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>18-04-2009, 07:14:43</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				She watched him for a few minutes saw him talking to himself, and adjusting his vest.&nbsp; Alia stood and walked over to him and looked out over the sea.&nbsp; "I love ter watch the sunrise.&nbsp; Often I feel as if the light o' the new day cleans away the barnacles from the day before, freeing yer limbs to make new mistakes. Though this be the wrong way ter be watching it!" <br><br>&nbsp;She turned around looking towards the top of the hill, away from the ocean.&nbsp; The first bit of light broke the crest of the hill, spilling across the sky like golden ink.&nbsp; She smiled and closed her eyes letting the sun spill over her face as she breathed in the morning.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>20-04-2009, 00:05:51</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The delicate boy turned to watch the pirate greet the sunrise, his strange eyes gliding over her supple form.&nbsp; A strange, slightly confused expression crossed the boy's face and he walked closer to the young woman, one hand sliding along her back with a surprisingly firm caress.&nbsp; The other hand soon followed and the young pirate found herself being hugged from behind by the delicate boy, his cheek laying across her shoulder and the deep violet eyes closed.&nbsp; <br><br>The hands slid about Alia's waist and started to move up a little, but stopped well short of her breasts.&nbsp; Prism slowly slid away from Alia and walked down towards the beach - though, the young lad was clearly going to enter the town, eventually, the way his eyes tracked the way the hills and paths lead down.&nbsp; "There are people in town that i must speak to," he called up to her, his strange voice clear despite the sea breeze.&nbsp; "I will be able to repay you there, for the kindness you have shown me."&nbsp; He glanced back up at her, the blue or violet eyes boring into Alia's with an intensity that could have made a pirate blush.&nbsp; "If you will have me."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>20-04-2009, 04:19:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alia blinked, confused.&nbsp; Then shook her head as if waking from a strange dream.&nbsp; "What was..."&nbsp; She noticed the boy was walking back into the town.&nbsp; "Oi!&nbsp; ye shouldn' be goin' there like all that now. The port authorities are probably looking for us!"&nbsp; She ran to catch up with him, stopping him in the path for a minute.&nbsp; "Here, you'll stick out like a sore thumb like that."&nbsp; She turned and removed her jerkin, handing it to him. She dug around in the pouch at her side and pulled out a length of worn green silk cloth that she wrapped around her breasts while she was still turned.&nbsp; She also pulled out an over-sized suede vest that had been dyed black, pulling it on leaving it open.&nbsp; She turned back around then took off her bandanna and tied it around Prism's own head.&nbsp; Revealing all of her hair, the bottom half of which, had been bleached by the sun, inferring that she didn't remove the bandanna for just anything, providing an interesting dark, light effect, the top of her head a dark brown almost black, and the bottom half of her hair, the tawny brown that gave her the nickname Mousey.&nbsp; She took a leather string out of her bag, tying her hair up in a poof kind of ball on her head.&nbsp; She ran back to the camp momentarily grabbing the blankets and the bag, hiding them under the roots of a tree to come back and get later.&nbsp; She ran back and caught up with Prism again.<br><br>"There. It will at least take a second look for them to recognize us now.&nbsp; Shall we go then?"&nbsp; She asked as she tucked her scimitar under the edge of the vest.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>25-04-2009, 07:49:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Prism watched the quick change with those dark, intense eyes; though Alia couldn't see with her back turned, they followed the more obvious curves the young woman had almost enviously.&nbsp; When Alia tied the bandanna about Prism's head, the youth lifted both hands and placed them palm to palm, as though he were a monk or a noble being crowned or blessed.&nbsp; The boy watched with some confusion as the pirate-born girl cached her meager belongings, and watched how she placed the scimitar under her belt.&nbsp; <br><br>When Alia suggested they go, he nodded once, slowly.&nbsp; For a brief second, his violet eyes caught the sun, and she was shocked to see how large his irises were.&nbsp; The kohl that edged them, to Alia's surprise, was not kohl but actually ink that had been tattooed into his skin; it hid his eyelashes completely, and she doubted he actually had any.&nbsp; Likewise, there was no sign that he was growing any stubble upon his head, or his face - though the latter might be attributed to youth, the former was exceedingly unlikely.&nbsp; There might have been some spell or potion that kept the boy without hair, and maybe changed his voice.&nbsp; He might even have been a castrato, his balls cut to make his voice remain high and sweet, or even a eunuch for men to play with as though he were a girl with nothing below the waist at all.<br><br>The violet eyes slipped away and he shook his head as though he's been reading her thoughts.&nbsp; But such a thing wasn't possible of course.&nbsp; No sorcerer or priest could do that without invocations or prayers.&nbsp; "In town, there will be someone to give me wealth for which to repay you as well.&nbsp; For the shelter you wish to take in our name in the town.&nbsp; I do not know what you value here so I cannot say what form the wealth will take or how much you will require."&nbsp; He was sure footed and made his way down the hills and along the paths easily, despite the injuries he'd suffered the day before.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>26-04-2009, 07:39:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				They walked in silence for a bit, her mind wandering through what she already knew about the young boy who walked beside her.&nbsp; He was so strange, and she couldn't help but wonder about it.&nbsp; And those faces last night, she had chalked them up to exhaustion but what if...and why did he keep talking to himself, different voices even, perhaps he had just lost his mind somewhere back down the road.&nbsp; It wouldn't be the first time it had happened to somebody.&nbsp; She recalled one of the men on Jannis' ship, right after a storm where his best mate had gone overboard, just started doing strange things.&nbsp; He worked in the kitchen at the time and instead of the normal slop for dinner we usually had, we ended up with his left shoe and half of his thumb.&nbsp; Shortly after Jannis' had left him behind in port and she hadn't seen him since.<br><br>"So..." she said a bit hesitantly.&nbsp; "If this guy is in town waitin' fer ye...'ow does 'e know yer' comin'?&nbsp; Ye seemed ter imply that ye were comin' from elsewhere."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>26-04-2009, 08:07:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The boy paused, as if the question had taken him aback.&nbsp; He waited for a moment, as though debating the answer, and then continued on their way.&nbsp; "It is not so much that he knows that I am coming.&nbsp; He knows who I am and that is what will make him give me the wealth.&nbsp; He has other things for me, that would look like wealth to others but are not wealth to me.&nbsp; They are...."&nbsp; And here his voice changed, a slightly different accent, though still his own voice.&nbsp; "Regalia."&nbsp; Then it changed back, his tone more gentle and less formal.&nbsp; "Regalia, yes.&nbsp; Like....objects of religious value.&nbsp; They are, in a way, I understand it."&nbsp; <br><br>He glanced back up at the sailor, curious.&nbsp; "I am....something like a religious person.&nbsp; I am not a religious person, but the one I meet will act like that.&nbsp; It is how they see me."&nbsp; He shook his head.&nbsp; "I do not know your language this well."&nbsp; And there it was, another slight slip of the tongue which wasn't a real slip of the tongue, hints that he knew her language well enough that he understood that what he was saying was wrong but he was getting guidance from someone else.&nbsp; "Will we expect problems form other people there?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>28-04-2009, 05:01:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once again the boy's words just blew her completely off course.&nbsp; Sometimes she wondered if she was listening to the same language she thought she was hearing rather than him having trouble speaking it.&nbsp; So from the way it sounded whoever this guy they were going to see was going to view Prism as a prophet of some sort.<br><br>The port town was drawing nearer and it dawned on her that he had did the voice thing again.&nbsp; "Ye erm..."&nbsp; She thought better of it.&nbsp; "Never mind, jus' thinkin' out loud."&nbsp; What was it that made this boy make her so stupid around him, it was just weird.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 07:16:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The trip down to the town was surprisingly uneventful.&nbsp; Slightly disguised as the boy was, his curiosity and his bright, eager eyes marked him as a definite outlander.&nbsp; He shied away from those who showed too much interest, staying closer to Alia as they progressed.&nbsp; Unfortunately, it was not Prsim who was accosted, but Alia.&nbsp; <br><br>"Oy, lassie....the Captain wants a word wit' ye.&nbsp; Ye'd best t' come along nice and easy like."&nbsp; It was Long Tom, Haggard, and Captain Jannis' first mate Black Jim.&nbsp; they were all three old toughs, and the most dangerous of Jannis' crew.&nbsp; "Seems he was a mite 'set that ye didn' want t' ship out again."&nbsp; It was as likely to be lie as it was truth, and getting shanghaied into another six to twenty months of shipboard wenching was just a slikely as her getting her throat slit.&nbsp; <br><br>Prism looked at the trio of men, and then around at the others - not merely the workers and the townsfolk, but also the local guards who seemed to be taking an interest in other things than the boyish girl and the feminine boy.&nbsp; He spoke up.&nbsp; "They're lying.&nbsp; They're going to kill us."&nbsp; Black Jim didn't let the comment faze him at all, but Long Tom's sickly smile and Haggard's flinty glare backed the boy's words up.&nbsp; Oddly he didn't seem afraid of the toughs....but that was what had nearly gotten him killed with the others.&nbsp; <br><br>"And who be this pretty boyo?&nbsp; Somethin' to whet yer appetites, missy?"&nbsp; Haggard, so named because he looked like an old deck hand on his last legs, though he was as tough and strong as old leather soaked in whisky.&nbsp; "Or mebbe yer diddling him?&nbsp; He looks like one o them...whatsis...."<br><br>Long Tom muttered darkly, "Catamites."&nbsp; He reached down, fingering the hilt of his cutlass as he watched Alia.&nbsp; He was the most dangerous of them, and not likely to underestimate Alia just because she was a woman.&nbsp; <br><br>'Yar, one o' them.&nbsp; Maybe he'd kleep th' cap'n better company than yew, Ally."&nbsp; Haggard grinned malevolently.&nbsp; The guards had turned the corner, and Black Jim pulled a heavy longsword from his belt, while Haggard stepped forward, pulling a wicked wave-bladed knife from his belt.&nbsp; The most frightening thing was Long Tom stepping back and starting to mutter dark oaths and strange words, the beginnings of a spell.....
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ryieahna</strong> on <strong>04-05-2009, 18:40:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				They had paid the guards off, it figured.&nbsp; Which meant anything she did to them inside the town whether or not in self defense, would be a charge against her. <em>Damnit all t' 'ell.</em>&nbsp; She leaned down a bit to draw her sword, whispering into Prism's ear "Go find yer friend, I'll meet ye back at the campsite."&nbsp; She pulled the old scimitar out, not checking to see if the boy had left or not.&nbsp; Long Tom was a sneaky spell caster, and she would need to get him out first.&nbsp; Black Jim was standing back letting Tom do the work, well if they wanted to play that way.&nbsp; <br><br>She pulled the bit of magic she knew and drew it into a channeling for Tom's spell, using her sword as a diffuser.&nbsp; She would capture it and return it, hopefully.&nbsp; &nbsp;"I paid me debt t' Jannis, 'e 'as no need fer me.&nbsp; Ye boys shoul' just go 'long yer merry way."&nbsp; She backed up slowly as she said this, working her way back out of the port town.&nbsp; <br><br>Tom fired, literally.&nbsp; She was able to channel the flame into her sword, but the heat of it burnt through the leather around her hilt, blistering her hands.&nbsp; "Shit!"&nbsp; She cursed under her breath as she shot the fire back at the two, ignoring the pain in her palm.&nbsp; <br><br>"Eh heh heh lil' Ally mousey is gonna play tough eh?"&nbsp; The two charged her, she ran, pulling herself up onto the rooftop to get a height advantage.&nbsp; She couldn't kill them until she got out of town, not if Jannis had paid off the authority for her head.&nbsp; And he would, despite his seeming boredom with her, she was his best wench and he knew it.&nbsp; Nobody would service him like mousey, and if he couldn't have her, no one would.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Betwixt Heart and Minds [Ryieahna &amp; Mnemaxa]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mnemaxa</strong> on <strong>15-06-2009, 12:47:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As they charged Tom started to call up more magic and then there was a weird flicker of light behind her, and noise like a metal chime being struck once, and then Tom staggered back, his men pulling up short, a look of shock and fear in their eyes.&nbsp; A two inch long rod of gleaming crystal protruded from his chest, and blood slowly soaked into her shirt around the finger-thick shaft.&nbsp; He tried to breathe, failed, and dropped his knife to reach over his shoulder, clawing at his back and his belly at the same time.&nbsp; <br><br>The delicate boy slowly stepped forward, into Alia's line of sight from her vantage on the rooftop.&nbsp; Prism's hands were held out in front of him, one palm up, the other palm out.&nbsp; Glittering flecks of crustal shimmered along his hands, fading slowly into the silvery light there.&nbsp; His deep, violet eyes looked serious and he stepped sideways away from Alia, into the road.&nbsp; Alia suddenly recalled the fat man calling the lad a witch, and the near dead man who'd been bleeding from the nose and ears when she'd first found him.&nbsp; <br><br>Long Tom slowly fell to his knees as the trio watched him, and then fell onto his face.&nbsp; The inch of gleaming, bloodied crystal that was sticking out of his back suddenly became three inches as he drove the stub in his chest through his body.&nbsp; The pale boy stared at the other two men, his hands still and controlled, his eyes clear and bright.&nbsp; The look on his face was as fearsome as any Alia had ever seen.&nbsp; Haggard glanced at Black Jim, and Black Jim crouched a little, stepping back warily.<br><br>The boy spoke no words, did not mutter or cry out the secret oaths to demons or angels, invoked no outland god; yet another metallic chime sounded and a flash of white light erupted in his hands, along with a puff of glittering motes.&nbsp; Jim yelled, and grabbed at his arm, which had a thick sliver of that crystal lodged straight through it, possibly in the bone from the way his arm bent around the foot-long shaft of crystal.&nbsp; He still held his ground, but Black Jim and Haggard were seriously looking like they no longer wanted to.&nbsp; Haggard lifted his knife, and started moving towards the boy....
			</dd>
		</dl>
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