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**Ser Soup** · 03-30-2014, 01:36 AM

Gerrard stopped as Sephira did, the rest of the group around him as he panted with the thick sweat covering his body. They had barely stopped on their journey to the beach, the journey took several hours, and Gerrard wasn't used to hiking in this unfamiliar terrain. It was a much shorter trek than he envisioned, but he was happy that he was here. Gerrard laid his eyes on the ocean, he had never seen the ocean before, and it was beautiful.
He saw never ending crystal clear blue waters, stretching as far as his eyes could see. He heard the cry of the seagulls as they circled over head. The white sand stood around his ankles, welcoming him to the new environment. There were small ripples of white foam dancing on top of the water, intermingled with the dying light of the sun as it began its descent below the horizon. The view of it was mesmerizing, he locked his eyes onto it and swallowed in the waves with his eyes, following each one as far as he could. The salty scent of the ocean hit his nostrils, and he fell in love at that point. The ocean has always been described as the most beautiful thing made by the Goddesses, and Gerrard knew these rumors were true.
He snapped out of his trance as Sephira barked out orders. She had been irratible on the entire trip, and had uttered barely a word to anyone, she had kept by herself. Gerrard had left her alone too, he didn't want to invoke her wrath, as it was obvious that something dire had happened on her absence from the camp.
Food? His first thought is if there were clams in the water. He had eaten some delectable clams one time in the Market with some money he got from stealing a valuable vase, and it was delicious. The seller had mentioned it came from the salty sea, maybe he would get lucky and find some clams here. Gerrard, with a quick nod to Inga, set out towards the water and waded in. The water was lukewarm, and its depths crashed against his legs as the waves rushed onshore. He had left his pack and some clothing onshore, clothed in only his undershirt and rolled up pants with a small spare satchel in his hands, to gather in clams he may find. He looked around in earnest, and caught sight of a clam. Gerrard jumped in joy and plunged his hands into the water grabbing the slimy animal and stuffing it into his bag. Over the course of 15 or so minutes he filled the sack full of them, and rushed onshore, grabbed his supplies, put on his regular clothes, and waited for the others. The clams were best eaten raw so they had to be eaten within 2 or 3 hours before they go bad.

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 02:37 AM

James had to hold in a sigh as Sephira barked out orders to the group. Her attitude during the entire trek from the camp to the Great Bay had been less-than-inviting. And now, even in the sight of something so magnificent and splendorous as was the big wide blue which extended as far as his eyes could see, the light of the setting Sun a brilliant orange ray shining across the water and reaching to their eyes, even in the sight of the smooth and soft sand being crunched beneath their feet, she didn't seem to be getting any better. He was getting anxious and wanted to ask what was going on with her, but having known her as long as he had he knew better than to approach there. He looked at Jacky apologetically for the way the girl talked to her, but Jacky waved it off and smiled. Sephira had yet to inquire about more than her name, but James was glad she hadn't yet. They still had to figure it out themselves without an angered Stari meddling in the story. Without further ado, he stumbled off in the direction he saw the birds flying to overhead, hoping there would be sweet water where they were heading. All the while, he held one hand in the other, the broken wrist in the burned palm. Sephira hadn't apologized for burning him as she used to. Something had happened, and James wanted to know what. But he would wait to find out.

~~~~

Jacky sighed deeply as soon as James and Sephira were out of earshot. Elwood eyed her curiously. As the night approached them ever so slowly, he could feel his energies begin to drain, the tiredness of everything he'd done that day finally overcoming him. But not yet. He still had enough energy in him to approach the girl who had only just joined their party, sit right by her legs, and stare at her. "So, how do you start up a fire?" he asked cautiously. She giggled in return.
"I guess it's up to you and me to find out."

~~~~

It had been several days. He was tired and irritable from so much emptiness. For some reason, over the last few weeks the inflow of people to Great Bay had withered. He had wondered if it had something to do with the newly-claimed King, but he had known better than to ask. It didn't matter to him anyway At least, not anymore. He could see them clearly. A group, broken and tired from travel, foreigners he could tell by their tattered clothes and long faces. From his hiding spot behind a palm tree, he went through them one by one, ripping them to shreds with his mind to leave only the bare spirits behind. It wasn't hard to find her, sulking away from the group. The slight curve of her back due to the sadness that pushed her head to a soft bow. The eyes that pleaded for solace and the hands that played with the air, seeking redemption. She was prime for reaping. He approached her in total silence, his cloak slithering over the sand peacefully, like the shadow of a cloud. His eyes never parted from her as he saw her succumb to the pain that overcame her and fall to the ground in tears. Perfect... he slithered into his own thoughts. She had wandered far enough and sent the others far away, so there was no chance of any of the rest of her group seeing them. Seeing him. He was a shadow. Wild, and vengeful. As he came to a stop by her, he noticed the sand that had shrivelled to glass by her, and smiled, hidden behind the cloak. He could tell there was more power in her than was visible at first sight. Floating down to sit right by her and removing the cloak, his movements were still so calm even the seagull walking by her hadn't noticed his existence yet. Morphing his expression into one of compassion and understanding, he stared off into the sea and began his act, soothing but spicy enough not to frighten a strong girl as she seemed to be away.
"The waves crashing on the shore, I've always loved the sound, the sight of the foam drifting off to form an even greater wave beyond its own imagination. The water, it is beautiful, is it not? Nothing more beautiful than the quiet soothing of the beach. It repents us from our problems, you know? Nothing more beautiful than it, except maybe the tears from a lonely girl's eyes. Except the sea is destined to crash and break and pull back forever. A girl isn't. She's supposed to be happy, and if she can't be happy, then it is up to humble men to fix that." All the time, Shane never looked at her. His eyes seemed clouded by thoughts, but there was a warm smile on his face, inviting others to him.

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 03-30-2014, 04:17 PM

Sephira tensed as she heard someone approaching her down the beach. She didn't hear the quick drumming of Star or Midnight's four paws, so it had to be a person. If any of the group decided to bug her now...
Yet the voice that spoke wasn't one she recognized. She peeked under her arm to see a man sitting beside her, watching the sea. Fire flickered under her skin, warming it as she forced herself to relax. I am fire. I only destroy. "I suppose the water is pretty. But I am fire, water is my enemy. Even in its most beautiful state, it hinders me and restricts me." She unfolded herself, resting her feet on the sand again and crossing her arms. "I don't need a humble man to bring me happiness, or even a proud one. I just need solitude. So don't consider me rude, but go away." She glared out at the water, smoke curling from her nostrils as she took deep breathes, trying to keep from either crying again or attacking this stranger.

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 06:03 PM

"But, Sephira, my dear," Shade started, unfazed, and finished in a whisper finally turning to look straight at her, "You are alone." He chuckled and his greyish eyes flickered before turning back to look at the sea. "I can see it in your eyes, in the smooth lines that cover your skin. You couldn't be more alone even in a dark cave with no one around. I am not here, sitting by you. Your friends are not walking around back there, having been giving their orders by their mistress. There's only you, and your fire, and the sea. And even that doesn't help you, for you are still alone." He smiled and sighed closing his eyes to enjoy the last rays of Sun on his face. "You're mistaken about your fire. Fire doesn't destroy, it creates. It creates life. But right now, in your solitude, you are only making ashes and despair. It could be much more," he added, waving at the glass that was shining on the sand due to the rays of light, "It could be beautiful. But fire can't work on its own. And like you said, you are alone."

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 03-30-2014, 06:49 PM

Sephira's gaze narrowed at the man beside her. She didn't say she wanted to be alone, especially when he pointed out that she was always alone. She had asked for solitude, to be alone literally as well as figuratively. Fire sparked along her skin before she got it under control. "You are wrong. Fire only destroys. Sure, it can be used for beneficial things. My arrowheads were melted by my fire, shaped and formed by its heat, but the metal they came from had to be destroyed. The glass you see there was sand, and will never again be sand. Even food created from fires heat used to be something, and was destroyed. In order to thrive, fire must burn something. Wood, flesh, even my own flames eat my energy when I give them no other fuel. So yes, fire can be beautiful. But it is the beauty of an adder, just deadly as it is beautiful." She summoned a flame in her palm and heated it so it went through all its colors, yellow, orange, red, violet, blue, white, before dissipating it. "Now how about you explain how you know my name and why you feel it necessary to bother me anyways. I'm not a theologian, nor a philosopher, so all this talk is meaningless to me."

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 07:01 PM

Shane stood up, his cloak flowing behind him. He walked to stand in front of Sephira, blocking the last rays of Sun that were bathing the beach. "If fire needed to burn to create, then there would be no life in this world. But who cares what I say? I'm just wrong, after all. I'm as wrong as you are alone," he spit out stiffly, staring her down. "And I wasn't trying to bother you, Sephira. But you were calling out to me. You need something, and I thought I might help you out. You can't ask how I know this because it would be like asking how I know myself." He crouched down right in front of her, his face close to her own, noses almost touching. He ignored the heat that was emanating from her and smiled smugly. "So tell me, Fire Girl, what is it you wish me to do?"

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 03-30-2014, 07:29 PM

Sephira narrowed her eyes. What on earth was he talking about? Fire had to burn, it was in its nature. She didn't get a chance to attempt to understand his comment about the lack of life before he attempted to stare her down. His face was brought so close to hers she could see his cheeks beginning to warm, as one's do when by a fire. But this was a game she knew well. A game of dominance that she played so many times with others, whether they recognized its significance or not. Few humans did, but she had been taught by a wolf to never back down from a dominance fight. It only invited further trouble.
But he was a stubborn one, thinking that she needed something. Something he could give her. But there was nothing that she wanted, except to take back the pain she'd caused Maxwell. And no one could do that. So instead she took a deep breath through her nose and blew it out her mouth, giving this stranger a face full of smoke. "You are wrong," she snarled. "Just as I am alone. Only difference is that I choose to be alone. You can't seem but help to be stupid. Otherwise you wouldn't be playing with fire."

**Ser Soup** · 03-30-2014, 07:47 PM

Gerrard stood there with his clams, which he then stuffed into his larger bag and hoisted on his back. He looked over the camp, surveying the activity of the people. A short strawberry blonde, gathering firewood, soon caught his eye. It had been a while since he had chatted up an attractive female, so he decided to give it a go.
It couldn't hurt, right? Gerrard thought to himself as he headed over towards her.
She appeared to be lifting something, and Gerrard quickly went to the rescue and helped her lift the log.
Looked like you needed some help Gerrard remarked with a grin on his face. Hey, he then said I'm Gerrard, and you are?

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 07:55 PM

"Yes I might be stupid, a tad bit crazy I can assure you. But at least I'm not blind." Shane blew the smoke away and then smiled again. "I mean, lets be honest here. Choose to be alone? That doesn't last long, Sephira. What you do choose is to push the people around you away. I'm sure you've hurt them countless times. That man, James, the one that looks at you with longing eyes and a sadness in his mind, does he know yet how you've hurt him? Or were you planning on waiting to tell him later? That group of friends, how long do you think they'll stick around with you in this sense? And when solitude stops being a choice for you, but a way of life, what then? Fire can't burn forever, Sephira." He still held her eyes in his, cold and steady. "Besides, if you're not a fool like me, then you should very well be aware that while I am interacting with fire, this is not a game, and I'm sure as the Sun sets not playing around."

**amaterasu** · 03-30-2014, 08:00 PM

Jackylin smiled at Gerrard, letting the log rest against the trunk of a tree. "Jackylin," she dusted off her hands on her pants. "If you can grab that you can help me carry firewood back," she offered, seeing no other reason he'd be out in the thin pocket of trees when he'd been walking with them from Termina field. Had she not been given an order, she would have already been resting her legs, given she had such a full day already.

**HyrulianBlackcat** · 03-30-2014, 08:05 PM

Sephira stood, tired of being forced to look up at him from her sitting position. She still did as she stood, for he was taller than she, but at least they were more level. "I drive them away to protect them. If they continue to pursue me, the only reward they'll receive is pain. No, James doesn't know, nor does he need to before he decides he's better off away from me. My only goal is to take Elwood where he won't kill people like Elliot again. After that, who knows. Maybe I'll find somewhere my fire won't hurt someone. Where people won't intrude on my privacy." She turned and started down the beach, but couldn't help throwing over her shoulder, "And you are wrong about one other thing. No matter how alone I wish to be, I never am. Star and Midnight give me the solitude I desire, but they will never leave me. And because I grew up with them, was closer to them than my own family before my fire manifested, they aren't harmed by it. My flames recognize them as friend and parts around them. Only my heat when I am careless ever affects them."

**Ser Soup** · 03-30-2014, 08:08 PM

Gerrard happily smiled back, this basic human emotion was basically foreign to him with how long he had been disconnected from everyone. He lifted the log up onto his shoulder and began the trek back to camp walking beside Jackylin.
"So", Gerrard inquired, "what's a pretty lady such as yourself doing tagging along with our little group?"

**jborgon** · 03-30-2014, 08:19 PM

Shane stood up straight and watched her go with an accomplished smirk on his face. When she turned to look at him again, he proceeded to continue with his smug but delicate tone. "Star and Midnight may be faithful, Sephira, but they are but a cheetah and a wolf. And as you and I both know, animals tend to live much shorter lives than humans. Care for them while they remain, Fire Girl," he finished and watched her get a bit further away before calling out in a much more relaxed voice. He brushed his hair back. "But you see, I was right after all! There is something that you need. And no, it isn't loneliness. You want to get away? Well you're surely not planning on swimming all the way to wherever you wish to go. Are you?" His words were teasing, taunting, but his eyes glinted ever so slightly with a tiny bit of hope.

**amaterasu** · 03-30-2014, 08:21 PM

Jackylin blushed gathered up the smaller branches she had and hugged them close to her body. "I was hanging out with James, back at the Rebel's camp. When they left, he asked if I wanted to come as well, and I had nowhere else to go," She explained, stepping over more felled logs, too wet to burn, but likely good to sit on if they could be brought back. "What's a smooth-talker like you doing here, then?" she asked.

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