Session Start: Tue Apr 09 19:50:22 2002 *** GMAmy changes topic to 'Grandia: New Horizons | Chapter 24.6: Nathan Lude | Location: Tenkali Village, evening, July 4 | Lude Start' ==Session Start== The rain patters steadily against the roof of the little house where Nathan has been given a spare room to sleep in. The day passed uneventfully and restfully, with no disturbing dreams the previous night, only the heavy rain that made travel impossible... The night is falling now, and darkness surrounds the Tenkali village as Nathan prepares himself for sleep. * Nathan punches his pillow a few times, as if to make the surroundings more pleasant Once settled in bed, it doesn't take long for him to drift off into a deep sleep. For a long time there is only darkness and peace, but then, slowly, his awareness returns... * Nathan opens his eyes a bit, trying to figure out what woke him up It's the middle of the night, but he can hear loud voices from outside, coming from the ground, below the trees. . o O (What now?) It seems to be an argument of some sort... * Nathan grumbles and heads for a window, ready to tell the people to shut up if he doesn't like what he hears Down below, he can see several of the village elders standing around, having a heated discussion with a battalion of armed men in Talachian uniform. * Nathan hunkers down a bit, hoping not to be spotted yet, and listens in The argument goes on for a while longer, though he can't quite make out what they are saying. Finally the elders shrug and head back to their homes, and the armed men march off through the trees... * Nathan watches the two groups separate, and considers things . o O (What are the Talachians up to? Why would they send guards here?) Before he can ponder the matter any further, however, there is a knock at his door. ..! * Nathan moves away from the window and sits back down on the bed quietly Door's open * Feray pushes the door open and breezes in. "Hey there, sailor." Did I wake you? Ah, a midnight caller. Terribly sorry, but I have no refreshments at the ready ^_- * Nathan waves her in Actually, I was woken up by something else * Feray laughs and shakes her head, heading to Nate's side. She looks a little distracted. Hmm...so what's the scoop? You look like the centipede trying to figure out which leg to move first ^_^ * Feray blinks and chuckles, sitting down beside Nate. "Ah, Nate, what would I do without your sense of humor?" Besides laugh less. ;) Grouse more? ^_^ * Feray shakes her head and looks at her knees, frowning a little. * Nathan looks at Feray quizzically What? * Feray raises her head and eyes Nate. "I've just been thinking a lot. About myself and how I joke around with you a lot..." * Nathan tries to figure out where Feray is going with this So we have fun together. What's the big deal? * Feray flinches a little and shakes her head, breathing to herself. The big deal is this, Nate. * Feray reaches out to grab Nate's chin and slides over, tugging his face down to kiss him hungrily but gently at the same time. * Nathan's eyes go wide O_O * Nathan's body tenses up, a lot * Feray releases Nate's chin and runs her hands down his chest, a bit touchy feely, and nibbles at his bottom lip before drawing back. * Nathan proceeds to have a 'deer caught in the headlights' look Whu...whu...whu...wha...? * Nathan proceeds to fall off the bed onto the floor with absolutely no class * Feray arches an eyebrow at Nate. "I would prefer the bed but if you wanna do this on the floor....sure." * Nathan puts a hand to his lips, as if putting things together slowly Bu...you...and...wha...if....and.... Oh my o_o * Feray slides off the bed and quickly slivers over to Nate, brushing a hand up inside his shirt... "Mmm...don't talk...." Err...uh...wha...I uh...um...errr... o_O; * Feray drags her nails lightly over Nate's stomach and bares her teeth in a soft growl. "It ruins the mood....c'mere..." * Feray attempts to kiss Nate again. * Nathan suddenly pushes Feray away with a great deal of force, throwing himself against the far wall, a panicked, feral expression on his face O_O * Feray ufhs as she slams into the nearby dresser. * Nathan now looks more like a cornered animal than a merfolk warrior * Feray picks herself up and grins a bit, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Oh come on, Nate...as if you haven't thought about it...not even once? I mean, if you wanted to be rough..." * Feray stalks forth, a huntress like stance. I can be rough, baby. W....wait....wait a minute! O_O; * Feray arches an eyebrow and licks her lips.. "Mmhmm?" You...we...um...can we talk first? *looks pleadingly at her* Suddenly, shouts can be heard from outside...this time louder than before. ..? . o O (Aw bugger, now what?) The clash and clang of weapons can be heard next! ...! Shoot! Feray grumbles. "Now what?" * Nathan stands up, and inches around Feray a little, and heads for the window Feray goes to the window to peer out, gasps, and suddenly rushes out the door and down the ladder to the ground. ..? Outside, Nathan can see two armies fighting in the forest, the fight beginning to spill over into the village! One looks....VERY familiar. Merfolk. SHIT! * Nathan tears out of his room and outside as quickly as possible . o O (Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Not now!) Down on the ground, Feray is standing to one side, weapons drawn, trying to figure out what's going on and if she should get involved. Behind them, the rest of their friends rush out of the trees, blinking away sleep and adjusting hastily donned clothing. * Nathan tries to get an idea of what's going on, as he joins the group Feray mutters something, shaking her head. Cassidy sighs. "Now what?" Retribution, I think A Talachian guard, hurrying to join the fight, throws an explanation over his shoulder. "The merfolk on the eastern shore were slaughtered in a battle earlier today. We're very close to finishing them off. Grab your weapons and help! These savages murdered countless innocents!" With that, he joins the fray. * Nathan blinks . o O (Dammit!) * Nathan tears off towards the battlefield The merfolk and Talachians are fighting furiously as Nathan approaches, his friends at his back, most of them apparently very frustrated and a bit confused. Some of the merfolk spot Nathan and shout frantically for him to come and help. Some sound angry, to see him with humans... * Nathan shoves his way through anyone and everyone in his path, trying desperately to find the mer in charge Someone who looks like a commander dispatches the Talachian he is fighting and turns to Nathan questioningly. You have to stop this! You're fighting the wrong people! The commander turns to Nathan savagely. "You of all people ought to know that surface dwellers deserve what they get! Three times they destroyed, hurt, or insulted our people. This is the last straw! Are you going to help us or not? You don't understand! It's NOT that cut-and-dry! The people who have harmed us are hiding amongst the surface dwellers! Another soldier shrugs. "Who cares? They're all the same anyway." Several other soldiers shout and jeer. You don't understand! The surface dwellers aren't LIKE us! They do not act as one people! You can't judge them collectively! One of the soldiers on the edge of the fighting makes a derogatory comment. He looks around, then suddenly grabs Feray by the arm and pulls her to him, his knife to her throat. O_O NO! Don't! The merman sneers. "What? Why do you care what happens to a surface dweller, anyway?" Feray snarls at him, and he backhands her across the cheek. She yelps and cups her face in her hands; blood trickles from her nose. * Nathan advances on the merman, murder in his eyes Touch her again, and I will send you back to Rorqual....in little tiny PIECES!! The merman chuckles. "Oh look, how sweet. The traitor is angry!" The soldier looks Feray up and down carefully. "Hmmm, maybe I won't kill her...not right away, anyway. Even surface dwellers are good for some things...." Fine. I'm a traitor. Now DROP her, or I'll show you just how far I'm willing to be a traitor! The merman sneers at Nathan, grinning widely, and with a big flourish, grabs his knife and neatly cuts Feray's throat, then drops her body like a rag doll. NO!! * Nathan throws himself at the merman and pushes him away! Several other mermen jump on Nathan, attempting to pin him to the ground before he can hurt the first merman, who only laughs and wipes the blood from his blade on the leg of his pants. * Nathan screeches in rage, thrashing and lashing out at his attackers! Nathan feels a blade slide into his chest then, twisting sharply. The air around him dims, and the shouts and clashes of battle around him fade into nothingness. There is a heavy thud, and Nathan feels hard stone beneath him. The only sound now is the steady drip of rainfall, muffled by the stone walls that surround him. A crevice in one wall allows jungle vines to creep in, and the dim gray light of morning twilight filters in through the crack. Nathan is distinctly aware that he wasn't awake before, but now he is... * Nathan bolts upright, chest heaving, his whole body drenched in hot sweat. He reflexively puts a hand on his chest where the blade pierced him * Nathan blinks, and looks around his new surroundings in a panic At first he appears to be in a cave, but closer scrutiny shows that the walls are uniform, some of them bearing carvings, worn down with age. He appears to be in some kind of ruins... (huff)...(huff)...(huff)...what the hell? After a moment, a new sound pervades the ancient silence. Footsteps....? They are soft, padding quietly through the hallway of an adjoining room... ...? * Nathan stands, and moves against the wall, trying to calm his breathing (obviously talking to herself, loudly) Keep walking....you'll find someone eventually...or something.......c'mon, Feray, pull it together.. * Nathan blinks at the voice ...Feray? * Feray is silent for a few minutes before her voice comes once more, unsteady. "Nathan?" ...This is going to sound totally psychotic..but...is that really you? Or am I freaking out again? I....I'm me. I guess. How does a person know if they're real or not? Umm...check to see if they're labeled? ^^; * Feray doesn't laugh, her voice still unsteady. "Where exactly are you?" I wish I knew to be honest. I'm a tad lost I think * Feray doesn't answer and there is the sound of a dull thud. She then curses softly. Stupid ruins. Stupid town. Stupid tree house thingies. Keep talking, maybe I can find you. Or vice-versa * Nathan starts moving towards the voice Alright. Um...can I ask you something? (sounds unsure of himself) Yeah? What? Did you...have some kind of nightmare...before coming here? * Feray is silent again for a moment. She then exhales so loudly that even Nate can hear it. She utters a low laugh. "Yeah. A nightmare." ...something awful happened in it, I'll bet Of course. That's why they call it a nightmare and not a happy fun dream. * Feray's tone is sharp. No need to bite my head off ....sorry. Just...freaked out. ...yeah. Me too. Sorry if I'm being defensive and all No, it's alright. So, wanna talk about it? Seeing as how we're never going to find each other and die horribly, horribly alone in these bloody corridors. * Feray mutters that last line. ...I guess I'd better. Otherwise I'm just gonna end up tap-dancing around the subject * Nathan exhales Oh geeze, where do I start with this...? At the beginning. (lowly) Oh boy...okay...find that backbone again... * Feray kicks the wall on her side of the corridor again in frustration at the recent turn of events. Um...okay. Please don't laugh at me for this The dream started in my room, surprisingly enough. There was an argument outside that woke me up. And then...um... ...you came to my room...to talk to me about someting Oh yeah? * Feray sounds distracted and little distant, more muffled as she stumbles into a room on her side of the walls. Um...yeah...it was...about...oh man... * Nathan take another deep breath ...you...kissed me * Feray doesn't say anything. * Nathan pushes on, knowing that if he stops he'll not be able to finish You came onto me extremely aggressively. So much so that...I...got frightened of you * Feray sounds bitterly amused as she mutters something to herself. I was scared that...I was going....to get...hurt again (trails off) * Nathan covers his face with one hand . o O (By Rorqual, I sound like an idiot) So...the whole thing was interrupted by a fight outside. The merfolk were attacking again, killing anything in their path Everyone ran down to look or help. The Talachians were fighting back, and the merfolk were being slaughtered. Apparently they had been cutting a bloody swathe across the continent ..... Go on. I tried to fight my way to the Merfolk commander, and try to talk some sense into him... Somehow I'm guessing it didn't work. *wry tone* * Nathan starts laughing, bittery, "But I guess I forgot who I was dealing with. I mean, who in their right mind would listen to the words of a traitor after all?" * Feray pauses, her tone warming a little. "What happened next...?" They wouldn't listen to a word I said. They didn't care about any details. All they wanted to do was make someone pay. They didn't care who. And then...and then...one of the merfolk grabbed you...and...put a knife to your throat I tried to make him stop, I really tried...but... * Feray is silent once more and you can hear her scuffling about on her side of the wall. ...he...and then...they turned on me. I couldn't fight all of them, I just couldn't * Feray grunts softly, as if she's working hard at something. "You died?" ...yeah. I died. Couldn't do anything about anything. I was just along for the ride * Nathan leans against the wall, feeling very tired * Feray pauses for a moment and then coughs hard. ....where.. *hard cough* ....where are you now? * Nathan pushes off the wall and bangs on it a few times. "I'm here. Assuming that helps at all." Okay. Hold on a moment. ..........................alright. Move back. ..? * Nathan does so * Feray is silent for a moment before she yells out a halfhearted battle cry and a loud crunch comes from the other side. The wall on Nate's side cracks slowly, splintering. * Nathan sees what Feray is doing, and guesses she's on the other side of the wall Stand back. Let me take a whack at it Alright. I have a big rock statue thing, though. Don't hurt yourself on my account, sailor. * Feray steps back from her side. * Nathan inhales, and aims as powerful a kick as he can at the crack! The crack grows wider, and a section of wall crumbles... * Nathan steps back again, "Your turn." * Feray slams the head of what she can only assume is some sort of holy figurine into the wall again! A large portion of the wall shatters, leaving a space big enough for Feray to climb through. * Nathan waits for the dust to settle, and then peers through the hole * Feray pats the head of the figurine. "Sorry, buddy." Hey Hey. Watch out, I'm coming through. Right * Nathan steps back a bit more * Feray starts to attempt to squeeze herself through the hole, wincing as the long red scratch on her shoulder rubs against the jagged outcropping. Her hair is untied and she's still looking a little waterlogged. * Feray manages to get through finally and exhales softly. You OK? * Feray nods a little, gazing at Nate for a long moment with an uncomfortable expression. "Yeah. I'm alright, I suppose, as much as can be." * Nathan looks at Feray in an equally awkard manner. "Yeah, I should know better than to doubt you, right?" * Feray nods a little and exhales. "Alright. I was following Mitsuo's tracks....if these corridors keep going the way they do.....we'll probably run into them..." * Feray averts her gaze. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea * Feray nods again and wraps her arms around her waist, starting forward once more, gazing at the floor in front of her. * Nathan watches Feray a bit, then follows quietly As the two set off try to find the others, the rain continues to drip down outside, its patter muffled by the stone walls of the ruins. ==Session End== *** GMAmy changes topic to 'Grandia: New Horizons | Chapter 24.6: Nathan Lude | Location: Tenkali Village, evening, July 4 | Lude End' Session Close: Tue Apr 09 22:24:53 2002