Avengaea Roleplay (Pre-bonding Character Interactions)

[Xalia]

((Posting bits for both of my characters, one is submitted and linked from the Novos page (Belaria), the other's story is still in the works (Kinsi) but should be done and submitted by tomorrow at the latest. Feel free to have your characters run into either of them! ))

Belaria walked quietly down the hallway of the Sanctuary feeling very alone. She had acquaintances among the other students here but her best friends had left a year ago. She didn't blame Kirius and Ephisva at all, though a part of her felt very hurt that they didn't keep their promise to stay with her. It had been four years since she decided to stay and try to find a bond, but none of the kits had chosen her. Kirius and Ephisva had finished their schooling in three years and needed to go off and find a life for themselves. They'd promised to come back and visit but she hadn't seen them since they left. Life got in the way.

And now there was going to be another mass bonding ceremony. After 4 years of waiting she planned to attend but a part of her knew she'd leave without a bond. So instead of focusing on the upcoming meeting she was trying to focus on finishing her studies. After four years here she was becoming quite the learned individual, she hardly needed to attend her classes, but she did anyway, because it made her feel good, except when it didn't...
((Belaria is about 5'2", human, brown hair with blonde highlights and brown eyes...she's currently wandering the halls with an armful of books...))

_______________________________________________________

Kinsi looked around the candidate dorm room she'd been assigned rather dubiously. Part of her still wondered why she was here. There was so much for her to learn still at home, but she still believed she needed a change of pace. She'd been getting nowhere fast for so long it was hard for her to even think about going home to keep trying. It felt like running away, but maybe this place really would be able to help her. The kits here were natural shifters, maybe they had some insight into why she didn't seem able to shift at will. At the very least maybe getting away from home would mean she wouldn't shift randomly at the most inopportune times. Once again she reminded herself that her mentor had recommended she come here. Maybe not to actually bond, but at least to attend classes and learn and be away from home for a while.

She moved to the door and peeked her head out into the hall, looking both ways, uncertain what came next and still feeling deep down like she was running away from something...

((Kinsi is a Dakani, a humanoid dragon-like race from Kilandaia. She has fiery red hair and her skin is a light yellow-orange. She has rust colored points (hands, feet, tip of her tail, tips of her large ears, and end of her snout) as well as red-orange stripes on her cheeks, arms, legs, and back and she is wearing a dress in shades of brown. She has wings, but her family's wings are spectral and she keeps them hidden unless needed. She's in her dorm room but can be spotted from the hall as she's poking her head out to look around.))

[StarFyre]

((Gah, I have two characters that I really, really need to finish stories for, plus their 'keeper' who was told very-very-forcefully to get his butt out of Akelara for a while. So, since these three will be together for the most part, descriptions first:

Flikk is here: http://www.silveredmagic.com/candis/devyrs/flikk.html Theoretically, he's just here to recover.

Treya is slender and a bit 'wild' looking - like she's used to living on her own. Brown hair hacked off roughly at about shoulder length, browned and weather-roughened skin with distinctive swirly-scars on both arms, her back, and her right leg, golden-brown eyes. She never wears shoes, usually has a dagger at her left hip, and is always accompanied by two Growlers. Mrrak is black with red swirls, Kyar is green with alternating light blue and red stripes similar to the example Growler that I posted. Both are male.

Ansel is very, very short for his age (at 14, he's 3'8"), pale skin, shaggy red-brown hair, red-brown eyes. He's a mutt-shifter - his beast form has a fossa's distinctive body and head, but with a lion's mane and tail-plume, all white fur but for his silver mane (Snow Lion coloration, not albino), short for a lion, tall for a fossa (about 3'2" at the shoulder), and with small wyvern wing-tines on his front legs that are absolutely useless for anything but getting in the way =P His shifting is also under a 'curse' - during most of the day, he has to remain in beast-form))

Flikk ran his hand through his hair and scanned the row of doors hopefully, looking for the rooms they'd been assigned. Ansel was growing restless at his side, anxious to get out of the sight of others, and Treya wasn't taking this change of locals quite as easily as she had adapted to Clan Grounds.

And he? Well, he'd do his duty to his two charges, but with the rejuvenation spell tingling under his skin so forcefully, he just wanted sleep, a meal, and more sleep.

Treya's hand on his arm stopped him in his place.

"Ansel's distracted again," she spoke softly, barely loud enough for him to hear, and gestured back the way they had come.

Flikk turned to look, and sighed as he spotted Ansel staring up at another anthro-dragon. The boy truly was too curious for his own good sometimes.

"Ansel..."

____________________________________________________________


Walking around openly in his beast-form was making Ansel's skin twitch. He could feel the eyes on him, measuring, weighing, trying to figure out exactly what he was. This was why he never went out during the day.

Determined to make the best of it, Ansel clung close to Flikk's side, practically tripping the older man on a few occasions. People didn't need to know he was anything more than a pet, that there were two potential bonders walking down the halls, not just one and her keeper.

When they finally got to the barracks hall, Ansel felt himself relax slightly. Fewer eyes meant fewer stares, and made him feel a bit more in control. It was that relaxation that made him curious, when he spotted the dracomorph peering out of a door, and caused him to split from Flikk's side for the first time in this little adventure.

He approached the other cautiously, not sure how she'd react to his beast-form, and stared up at her in curiosity.

::Hello...:: Ansel sent tentatively. It was fifty-fifty if she could hear his telepathy - he really only had the ability to 'speak' to other telepaths.

He could hear Flikk's slightly exasperated voice call him from down the hall, but he didn't want to leave quite yet. Still, he was ready to run at a moment's notice, in case the other reacted badly to him.

[Xalia]

::Hello...::

Kinsi blinked in surprise as the word inserted itself into her head. All Dakani were telepathic, but as they mostly considered it impolite to rifle through another's thoughts she'd never used the ability or really learned more than that she had it. She knew enough to recognize what it was though so she looked to the two people who had passed her first but as they had yet to turn around she figured it couldn't be them. She dropped her gaze in confusion and it fell on the small Goprin-like creature before her. He was staring up at her with such a curious look on his face that she took an involuntary step back, but then her usual cheerfulness bounced up through her confusion and she smiled. "Hi there! I'm Kinsi, who are you?"

Her gaze swept up as she noticed the other two turning back and her smile included them in the introduction and the question.

[StarFyre]

Ansel was ready to bolt back to Flikk's side when the other took a step back (oh, he had known this was a bad idea!), but before he could, she responded.

"Hi there! I'm Kinsi, who are you?"

He blinked slowly at her cheerful, open greeting, taken slightly aback by it. He almost wanted to smile back at her, but stopped himself - 'smiling' in this form tended to show a lot of sharp teeth, not exactly the best way to make friends. ::I'm Ansel. Uhm, I hope you don't mind me speaking like this?:: It was encouraging that she'd responded. It meant he could talk to someone other than Flikk while in this form... if Kinsi would permit, of course.

_____________________________________________

When it was obvious that Ansel wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to him, Flikk walked back towards him and the young woman he was, apparently, speaking with.

"I'm Flikk," he said as he got within a more comfortable distance. "I hope Ansel isn't bothering you."

When Treya said nothing, Flikk nudged her with his tail. To her puzzled look, he merely arched an eyebrow and flicked his gaze towards Kinsi and back again. She'd asked him to 'civilize' her once more... one of these days she'd react properly to introductions and 'polite conversation', but until she did, he'd play keeper as best he could.

Realization suddenly dawned on Treya's face, and she cleared her throat in embarassment. "Treya'Mica."

[Xalia]

Kinsi's grin widened at Ansel's response, "Nice to meet you all! And it doesn't bother me at all, Ansel. My mother would probably have a felicanth if she knew but she's not here to stop me! Are you all here to bond or are you attending the school?"

[StarFyre]

Ansel couldn't stop himself from pawing at the floor a bit in excitement. Kinsi's friendliness was almost intoxicating -- not that many people he knew were cruel, per se, but somehow, the fact that the first person he actively met wasn't just okay with his beast-form, but could talk with him...

::Treya and I are here to bond,:: Ansel tried to answer as seriously as he could, but a bit of his excitement bubbled through. ::Flikk's technically supposed to be our keeper, but he's really here to rest.::

"Thank you for that vote of confidence." Flikk commented dryly, "I'd like to think that I'm perfectly capable of keeping you out of trouble, no matter how much 'rest' everyone thinks I need."

[Yakima]

[[Well, if anything I should practice before the 'real thing' eh...hmmm...where to start with Asher...]]

Tiaos Tabkaran lead the elf down the hallways of the Sanctuary. "This is the Sanctuary!" the Asandus beamed. "Well, this is [okay, correct me if I'm wrong on this one...] Bonding Complex but most of the time only those coming here to bond stay here."

Asher raised an eyebrow at the niteshan. "So you're pulling special favors for me, now?" he asked, trying to make it sound mocking. Tiaos looked at him a moment before shrugging. "Not that I'm not grateful..." Asher muttered, reaching up to steady the tiny, pale blue fire-lizard on his neck. While Tiro was awake, for now, he probably wasn't going to be for long. Asher had tried to leave him at Tiaos' place but the blue had made such a fuss he had finally plopped him on his shoulder.

As Tiaos lead Asher through the Complex, pointing out certain things or letting him look at others, all the while explaining everything from the bonding ceremonies and what certain people, or asandus, did, Asher couldn't help but feel a bit, well, out of place. In a right way. They were walking down the hall when Asher caught sight of a rather strange (not that many things were 'strange' anymore since leaving Sentra) group. The niteshan guard was still rambling on about other parts of the city, well, all of Avengea actually, that he wanted to see if Asher could visit to 'complete his cultural experience'.

"Who are they?" Asher asked, interrupting Tiaos who was going on about one of the human cities in the south. He gestured with his free hand (his other was keeping a now sleeping Tiro cradled in his arm) to the group.

Tiaos frowned. "Not sure...want to ask them?" he grinned.

"Uh...well..." Asher shook his head, but he looked over at them. He was curious but, well, adjusting to his anti-slave life wasn't quite done yet...

[[okay, I think it's a bit lame but I, and Asher actually, would rather not just walk up an interrupt you guys. Asher is an elf from Sentra, light brown hair, grayish green eyes, and a former slave. I wouldn't describe him as classic good-looking but he's not bad looking, more like average good looking. He's just starting to use magic, which alters their appearance after years of use so he's in no danger of reaching that classic-look yet. lol]]

[StarFyre]

((Well, "luckily" for Asher, Treya's a bit, er... culturally uninformed. As are her Growlers (or Mrrak, at least)))

Mrrak was getting restless, like he always did when standing still for too long. Treya kept giving little hisses and growls, and he'd settled back down for a few moments, but the second she took her attention off of him he was fidgeting and pacing again. Kyar, at least, was being his normal pleasant self, leaning heavily against her leg and looking up at her pleadingly for scritches.

Finally, she could stand it no more. She tugged on Flikk's sleeve and gave a meaningful glance to Mrrak. It didn't take more than a moment for Flikk to think it over, before nodding once and signing that she should stay within sight.

"Mrrak, come on," Treya whispered as she slipped off... or tried to. Flikk's tail was coiled around her wrist, and he made a small gesture towards Kinsi. What was... oh! She'd done it again. "Er, sorry. Mrrak gets really restless. Talk to you later?"

She didn't really wait for a response. As soon as Flikk's tail had released her wrist, she and Mrrak were off, leaving an exasperated Kyar to trot along in their wake, and an equally exasperated Flikk to sigh and run a hand through his hair.

It wasn't long before she spotted the strangers further down the hall. Maybe she should practice what Flikk kept trying to drill into her head?

She stopped a small ways away from the two, signaled Mrrak to stay at her side, and tried to recall what she was supposed to say.

"Who are you?" She eventually said, her voice blunt. But no, that wasn't quite right... she glance to the side and frowned in thought. Why did interactions have to be so complex?!

[Xalia]

"I'm not really here to bond either, well, I am, but, I don't know...it's complicated..." Kinsi trailed off, her tone losing it's cheerfulness with every word. She visibly shook herself and plastered the smile back on her face. She'd found a reason not to think about her issues and by golly she was going to stick with it! "Where do you all come from? I don't know a lot about Avengaea yet, but it doesn't look like you're from around here..."

[StarFyre]

Ansel couldn't help it - when he noticed Kinsi's cheerfulness fading, he shifted forward and gave her a friendly headbutt, just like a cat would do to a saddened person. He forced his telepathy to be as limited as possible, keeping Flikk out of the loop as he confided his own bit of uneasiness to Kinsi. ::I'm afraid, too. I know my father bonded, but... I have to wonder, what sane dragon would want a bond that has to stay in beast-form as long as the sun is in the sky?::

More cheerfully, and more publicly, Ansel decided to answer Kinsi's other question. ::We were all sent here by Clan Akelara. I was born there, actually. Flikk's a mercenary working for them, and Treya, uhh...:: He wracked his brain to remember where Treya was originally from.

"Treya's from the world the Myrsilk call Second Home," Flikk smoothly answered. "She's with my mercenary group, for a time, until she decides to settle elsewhere or join us properly."

::Right! Thanks, Flikk.::

[Xalia]

Kinsi had to stifle a chuckle at the very cat-like headbutt. She opened her mouth to respond to Ansel's words but then he continued and Flikk didn't seem to have caught what he said. One eye narrowed for a bare moment before she closed her mouth on what she'd wanted to say. If only she knew how to use her own telepathic powers maybe she'd be able to answer him in kind. Instead she looked back and forth between the two of them until the rest of what they'd said sunk in. "Mer-mercenaries!? Real live mercenaries!? I thought they were only in stories..." Wide-eyed, mouth open in surprise she couldn't help but think, Wow, and I thought I had problems...worst thing that ever happened to me is nothing compared to what mercenaries must go through... Aloud she stammered, "I-I've never actually met a me-ercenary before, in fact I don't think they exist on Kilandaia..." The last came out in a rush and she trailed off, at a loss as to how to continue a conversation with people who suddenly seemed so much more worldly ((or should I say, nexusly? haha! XD)) than she was.

((I'm off to bed...I'll respond again in the morning...and Belaria's still wandering around if anyone else shows up and wants to bump into her... ))

[StarFyre]

Ansel noted Kinsi's aborted attempt to respond to his private words, and sent privately to her again, ::Don't worry if you can't talk to me like this. You can always whisper really soft? These ears are really sharp, and Flikk's too much of a gentleman to try and listen in.:: Ansel waggled his ears back and forth and gave her another solid headbutt, aiming to be as cutely catlike as it was possible for a three foot tall fossa/lion cross to be.

___________________________________________________________

Flikk was a bit floored by Kinsi's statement - mercenaries were only in books? He'd spent the better part of his human life as a mercenary, and Vikktor had practically been born one. As soon as they had gotten back on their feet after leaving the Whorl, they'd instantly formed another mercenary company. Once again, the difference between Nexiian worlds was forcefully driven home to him. Absently, he tugged at the tails of his blue bandanna and watched as Ansel gave Kinsi another headbutt, thinking Good thing Vikktor's not here, he'd boast about us being the Captains of our group, and the poor girl would go into catatonia. But how should I handle this?

He finally decided to give Kinsi a small smile, and respond calmly, "Where I come from, mercenary is a fairly common profession. We're just fighters for hire, after all, and there's always someone looking for fighters. If it makes you feel better, think of me as a soldier without a permanent master." Though maybe this Kilandaia didn't even have soldiers? Flikk had a hard time thinking of any world that had conflict (and what world didn't?) and lacked mercenaries. It was just... unbelievable. As unbelievable as Kinsi seemed to find the fact that he was a mercenary.

[aireona93]

((I really want to RP, but my schedule is evil, and you guys seem to be posting pretty fast. I might have to sit this one out, just so I don't mire the story down with my slow posting. XD! I really love reading this stuff though!))

[Xalia]

A quick smile flitted over Kinsi's face at Ansel's words, but she was a little too absorbed in the fact that she was facing real live mercenaries to remember what it was she'd wanted to say. In fact, she didn't even know what she wanted to say in response to what Flikk said. So, since her mother wasn't here to glower at her for speaking without thinking she just let words flow from her mouth...

"It's not that you make me uncomfortable, I mean, well, the thought of mercenaries /does/ kind of make me uncomfortable, but just because there are none where I come from. The Gods don't allow any fighting and my mother kept me pretty well closeted anyways, so..." Kinsi fumbled over words for a moment then decided to latch back onto Ansel. "So, you didn't say you were a mercenary, what do you do at Clan Akelara?" Under her breath she added, "Gods do I feel like a simpleton..."

((Aireona - if you want a slower RP you can always have your characters run into Belaria and we can keep their pace much slower... I'd hate for you to miss out because we're too excited! XD ))

[StarFyre]

((^^;; Sorry about that, Airy. I'm pretty much a 'housewife' at this point, since Joe's let me focus on what I really like doing, which is writing, instead of getting a job. Thus, I have no life =P ))

Ansel's ears flicked forward at Kinsi's whispered words, but he decided to let them drop. He didn't think it was the sign of a simpleton to not know how to react to something completely unexpected. In fact, he didn't know how to react to the whole 'the Gods allow no fighting' thing, and he knew for a fact that Flikk was just as floored, if not moreso. While Ansel hadn't been born into war, the fighting between Akelara and Koshi Keidai had been going most of his short life, and he'd grown up in a battle-ready, tight-knit community. Sure, there were those in the Clan who were more sheltered than others, but everyone knew there was a war on. How could anyone not, when people were constantly coming back injured, or sometimes not coming back at all?

::Well, because I'm still young, I've only just begun my full training, but I'm going to be an explorer!:: Ansel announced proudly. ::The world Akelara is on, Nyracii, is mostly unexplored, so there's plenty for people like me to do.:: He left out the fact that explorers, especially his mentor Shonakasen, were being used more and more as dedicated scouts to keep track of Koshi Keidai. Shonakasen was trying to change that by introducing a proper scout-force, but it was slow going.

[Yakima]

While Asher was toying with the idea that maybe the should just leave, as Tiaos seemed to be eager to leave, one of the members of the group detached them selves. At the girl's side was a creature Asher had never seen before. However, her blunt question made him smile, just a bit.

"Asher Wren," he said, stopping his bow halfway through. He winced. It would take years to undo that. "And you?" he asked, trying not to take another glance at the creature. Just one look at those teeth and he knew better then to attempt to get on it's bad side.

[StarFyre]

((They do have rather intimidating teeth, don't they. And Mrrak isn't exactly sweet and loving c.c ))

Treya watched Asher in fascination as he started to bend at the waist, then abruptly drew himself back up. She'd never seen that action before. The Devyrs saluted, on occasion, but never bent themselves in half. Did it have some meaning distinct to this man's culture? Maybe she'd ask Flikk if he knew anything about it later. She did notice, however, his small, flickering looks towards Mrrak, even as he answered her question and asked one of his own.

"Treya," she said, answering his question, then asked one of her own, "Have you never seen a Growler before?" She accompanied her question with a small gesture towards Mrrak, who was back to pacing and eyeing those around her with suspicion. Kyar was still taking his sweet time walking to her, and she knew exactly why -- in Kyar's mind, his person had stopped, still in view, and was in no obvious danger. Thus, there was no need to hurry his pace along, especially since his brother Mrrak was at her side.

[Xalia]

"Wow, being an explorer sounds like fun! I used to love scampering around the gorge near my home when I was too little for my mother to have a hope of 'taming' me! I used to find the most interesting things...of course they were only interesting because I was young and didn't understand what they were..." Kinsi chuckled.

[StarFyre]

((Good job, you got the boy started =P ))

::It is!:: Ansel bounced a bit in place, excited to talk about his passion. ::Shonakasen - she's the leader of the exploration team I'm part of - says that there's a continent on Nyracii that's mostly desert, with huge mountains so tall that even dragons can't fly directly over them. And the third continent has these long strips of deep jungle all along its coasts, and the islands off its coast are all covered in jungle as well. No one knows what's in those jungles, because we haven't had the time to explore them. There could be anything!::

[Xalia]

Kinsi grinned at Ansel's excited bouncing. "There could even be whole societies of people who've never heard of you or you of them! Kind of like a little world inside your world..." Kinsi trailed off to think about that, completely unaware that that was how her society actually functioned. A world inside Kilandaia that functioned without knowledge of the rest of the world and that the rest of the world was mostly oblivious to.

[StarFyre]

Ansel nodded. ::Shonakasen thinks there are. Maybe not in the desert or those mountains, though that area's so large I don't think we'll ever managed to explore all of it, but maybe in the jungles, or on those islands.:: Ansel paused to think, then continued, ::At the very least, there's so much to do that it will take lifetimes to complete. I like that, the idea that I could keep going, never exploring the same place twice if I didn't want to, constantly finding things that no one else has seen or touched.::

His fur rippled at the thought and, driven by his curiosity, he again looked up at Kinsi and asked, ::So what do you do, or want to do? What's your world like? I've never heard of a place where the Gods forbid fighting, so it doesn't happen. Is that all they forbid?::

[Yakima]

"No, actually," Asher replied, glancing back at the creature at her side. "I'm from Sentra. We don't have dragons or anything like that. I'm here to..."

"He's here for a cultural experience of Avengea!" Tiaos said, coming up next to the elf when it was obvious that he was distracted. For all the fuss he had made in looking like he wanted to leave, he didn't show it now. "Tiaos Tabkaran," he said. "City guard. It's my day off. So..." and he glanced at Asher who only grinned, very use to the niteshan taking over conversations. "I heard they're holding another big bonding ceremony?"

Tiro stirred in the crook of Asher's arm. Blinking his faceteed eyes, the fire-lizard crawled out sleepily and looked around him. He seemed to freeze in terror at the site of the growler.

[StarFyre]

Treya nodded, gesturing vaguely behind her to Flikk and Ansel, "Me'n Ansel are here to bond. Or, at least, that's what the people at Akelara said." She turned her attention back to Asher, "Would you like to pet Kyar? Not Mrrak," she indicated the one pacing at her side, "He's being bad. But Kyar likes people. And scritches. Scritches better than people, really, but people give him scritches, so he loves people too."

Mrrak saw the little fire-lizard and instantly stopped pacing, his ridge of spines becoming fully erect as he stared at Tiro, like a cat suddenly fascinated by a fly. Treya didn't even glance down at him, but reached out and pinched his nose closed until the black and red Growler whined and relaxed his spines. The glare she shot him sent him skittering back behind her again, where he resumed pacing. It was clear, 'bad' as Mrrak might be acting, that Treya still had him completely under control... at least to the extent that he wasn't going to be chomping any one or any thing without her permission.

[Yakima]

"I see," Tiaos replied, beaming. He looked toward Asher but didn't say anything. "I heard the rumor, which was one reason I brought Asher here."

At her offer to pet the other Growler, Asher polietly refused. "That's alright," he said though Ti He watched as she subdued the growler after it's interest in Tiro. "I'm not fond of pets," he muttered, glancing at Tiro. "I only have him for messages when he's older. I was kind of forced to take him.

Tiro hungry.

Asher chuckled. "You're always hungry," he muttered. "You're just going to have to wait till we get back." The pale blue slumped a bit but began to crawl up his shoulder where he promptly hid behind the elf's light brown, shoulder length hair. "He's still a baby," Asher explained. "Are these...full grown?"

[StarFyre]

"Yep. I've had them since I was five." Treya reached a hand out to stroke Kyar's muzzle as he finally made it to her side and promptly sat down to lean against her again. "I had a third, Rana, but she died protecting me when I was little." Her voice was even and unaffected. It had happened so long ago, and she'd lived through so much more, that Rana's death had dimmed in her mind. Besides, she still had the brothers.

"What is that, by the way?" Treya finally gave in to her curiosity, indicating Tiro. "He's so tiny. How big will he get?"

[Yakima]

"I'm sorry," Asher muttered, wondering if these Growlers fromed special bonds like so many of the creatures from this 'Nexus' thing, or if they were more like dogs. When she asked about Tiro he gave a short laugh. "It's a fire-lizard, from Pern, where I ended up after a wayward spell." He frowned. "Not that I have much to return to either way, on Sentra or Pern..."

[StarFyre]

"Fire... lizard?" Treya struggled to put the concept together in her mind. The little creature didn't look that much like a lizard, much less like it had any relation to fire. It sorta reminded her of the dragons from Clan Vecira, that she had seen from a distance. They weren't very lizard-y, either.

His last words, though, definitely caught her attention. "Why don't you have anything to return to?"

[Yakima]

Asher grinned. "That's what they call them. Somehow the dragons their were created from them but I never understood all that." He glanced up at Tiro who blinked at him serenely. "Most don't talk but he does, like the dragons their. Right now he isn't useful. He just eats and sleeps all the time."

He frowned at her last question but managed a nonchalant shrug. "On Sentra I was a slave so I really don't want to go back. And on Pern, well, I don't feel like I fit in and my reason for staying...well...she and I...I guess we just didn't understand each other like I thought." He looked away then, watching two asandus pass them by in the hallway. The last thing he wanted to think about was Naara. She was better off without him. "It doesn't matter," he added, managing a smile and stroking Tiro. Somehow it brought him comfort. "Their is a place called Treval I think I might go to after Avengaea," he grinned. "It sounds as interesting as this place."

Tiaos laughed. "I highly doubt that," he winked. "Though you really should finish telling me about Sentra," he muttered. "Their are some hings about your homeworld that actually intrigue me."

Asher scowled. "Not the slavery, I hope. Or necromancy."

"No, just how your magic works," the niteshan grinned.

Asher sighed then looked at Treya. "Does your world have magic?"

[StarFyre]

Treya looked more closely at Tiro, frowning in concentration, then looked down at her hands, fiddling with approximate scale of Tiro and the dragons she had seen. If Tiro was yea big, and the dragons she had seen were yea big.... Nope. Still didn't make sense. She did, however, chuckle at his comment about Tiro doing nothing but eat and sleep. "All babies do that. Mrrak was so cute when he was little, all cuddly and demanding, nothing like the hulking brute he is now."

She didn't particularly understand the concept of 'slave' - she'd read about it, but had never run across a society that practiced it. But, from the way Asher was twitchy about the entire question, she figured she should just drop it. Flikk had taught her that much at least!

At the question about magic, Treya nodded, "I'm from Second Home. Everything's practically soaked in magic there, even the natural wildlife can occasionally do little things. I do a bit, though Kinai thinks I could do more if I practiced."

[Yakima]

[[last one tonight...computer is being retarded with the internet thing anyway. ]]

Asher didn't understand much about the 'Second Home' part but he could relate to the last thing Treya said. He nodded as she finished. "Sentra has issues with magic, especially my race using it," he said. "I didn't know anything until I found a diary in an old bed and started to figure it out." He frowned at the memory. More days he wanted to forget, in truth, but he had learned so much. "Magic for elves is natural but we still need to learn it. Humans don't want us to learn magic because my entire race are slaves." He shook his head, waving a hand. "Long story. Lots of war and evil stuff that happened almost four-hundred years ago."