Taj and Aero: Advent of the Feather King

Demetri had no idea that her silence would hurt, that it was sting to hear something from the small avian woman. He looked down, and waited for her to leave, hearing the rustling of leaves under her feet. Surprised would be an understatement when Rose came from behind him and wrapped her small arms around him. If she had looked at his face she could easily see he was stunned. “Rose..” He said softly until she apologized. Why on Earth was she sorry…? It was true he would never want to relive the experience again but he didn’t want anyone, let alone the overly happy Rose feeling sorry for him.

He let her take his hand and looked down to her. She would make a song for him…? He cocked his head slightly. This small woman was a mess; tears rolled unchecked down her normally golden eyes were red and puffy from tears. He opened to mouth to say something; but simply took his other hand and brushed away a few of the stray tears. He looked confused by his own actions frowning slightly. “I do not see the harm.” He said softly.

~*~*~*~

“Of course not, because I did something so disastrous in a past life to deserve this.” She mumbled, finding herself heading towards the city gates, ready to make her way back to the camp and eat. She took to the skies, enjoying the soft glow of the sun setting low in the sky.

~*~*~*~

Tristan was slightly awed by the man’s appearance. He should have expected it with the vast amount of jewelry on the walls, let alone on his hands. “I’d say that would be too nice to him.” He grinned, holding his sword out in front of him and charging the man. Ryleon kept back, keeping his eyes open for any of the thugs came back to attack the twins from behind.

Were she in any other state of mind, Rose would have been incredibly embarrassed by the tenderness that Demetri was showing her. As it was, she turned into his touch and simply sniffled and tried her best not to cry anymore now that everything was looking like it was resolved, though she couldn't help the odd tear that managed to escape. She had been trying to hard to put on a face for others that she hadn't even dared to confront her own feelings on the subject. Everyone already thought she was useless, after all. If she couldn't heal, she reasoned that when this journey began she would have been left at home to pick up the pieces of their ruined life while everyone else went out to find their parents. She refused to confirm the notion that she should have been left behind by breaking down like a child. But maybe just this once it was okay…

"I'll work on that for you then." She mumbled, releasing his hand a little reluctantly. She knew how much he hated physical contact and had probably maxed out on his limit for the day. "I don't know how long it will take to compose a decent song for you, but when I get it done you'll be the first to know." Rose offered him a watery smile and folded her hands together, her eyes wandering along the path that they had taken and then to the darkening sky. "I suppose that we should get back…"

*~*

Camp however, seemed to simply no longer be there. Alex had followed Oriana out of the city, hanging back slightly so that he could admire the way her body moved without being in direct striking range. When they got back to the small clearing from the night before where they had set up the tents, the tents were no longer there. Well, it was there, but it was no longer standing and appeared to be in shreds. As Alex landed he took in the sight of the place, thoroughly disappointed. All of their supplies looked like they had been ransacked, taken out of packs and strewn all around the campsite. There was a mess of footprints all over the camp which made it exceedingly difficult to tell just how many raiders there had been, though for the most part they appeared to all have been human. He stood next to where the fire pit should have been and scratched his head. "Well, someone sure had a fun time going through all of our things. Good thing that we had our money with us instead of leaving it here, or else we really would have been in dire straights."

*~*

Ilario followed after his brother, the two moving in tandem as they had practiced so many times before. At first, their opponent looked stunned by the vehemence with which they charged, then he got his act together and deftly parried the sword strikes of first Tristan and then Ilario. He may have been decked out in glitter, but he was no novice to swordplay. For a while he continued to simply defy the twins any amount of blood, stepping neatly around their attempts to wound him and flicking his sword to parry when dodging wasn't an option. However, he couldn't keep it up, especially when weighed down with all of his ridiculous finery. He tripped on the fur coat he wore, stumbling backward and waving his arms in great circles like a windmill in order to try and regain balance. Seeing the opening, Ilario thrust forward with a straight blow to the man's chest, skewering him right through the lungs.

He looked stunned for a moment, then simply collapsed on the ground, a spray of blood following his fall. He looked up sightlessly at the twins, blood welling from his mouth and then finally moved no more. Ilario wiped his sword off on the man's purple undercoat and then sheathed the weapon, looking rather triumphant. "Another job well done brother." He said in a congratulatory tone, patting his twin on the shoulder.

Demetri could only offer a nod to Roses’ statement that they should head back to camp and moved his hands away from her. Now that it was all said and done, Demetri felt rather awkward. That was probably the most he had spoken since being with the group and even more so to Rose. Not wanting to think about it, he set his train of thought on a safer topic. “When exactly do you lose sight?” He looked to the sky, noting the orange and pink stains in the sky from the setting sun. It would be dark soon.

~*~*~*~

Oriana landed next to Alex with her mouth agape. “Are you kidding me…” She asked more to herself than Alex. Everything of any value was gone, all their gear, supplies and clothing was stolen or ripped to shreds. Oriana rubbed her palm on her forehead and sighed. “This is just great. We are going to have to stay in the city tonight.” She groaned even more, thinking about the steep prices innkeepers tended to have. She took a seat on a log and rested her head on her hands. “We’ll have to wait for all of them to get back.” She mumbled, making her mood even worse.

~*~*~*~

Tristan grinned at his brother, clapping him on the shoulder as he looked down at the dead man. “So lets get our reward here and go see the girls.” He was excited by the thought of seeing the elves again and began looting the gaudy man first. There were many gems and stones on his hands that would prove its worth.

“…Before you two go back to the elves…could we go back to camp and check in with everyone..? Make sure everything is okay?” Piped in a voice from behind. Ryleon looked worried and it wasn’t so much for the rest of the group but for himself and what would happen if they didn’t return. Just thinking about it made him blush a deep red. He looked away from the twins picking up a golden statuette of a panther of some sort looking at the green gems it had for eyes.

Rose looked up at Demetri, surprised at his question. She considered it for a second, looking at the horizon as the two walked back to camp together. "When it's dark." She replied a little absently, lacing her fingers together as she tried to pinpoint precisely when everything went blurry for her. "It's not a sudden cutoff, but gradual, as the sun goes down or up. Right now my vision is only about as good as yours is most likely, but as soon as the sun goes below the horizon and there's very little light left in the sky… that's when I can't see more than a few inches without things becoming blurry and indistinct. If there is a fire, I can see just fine where the light touches, but outside of that ring… You get the idea."

*~*

Staying in the city didn't exactly sound like a terrible idea to Alex, who was far more used to living in splendor like the twins and their socially inept sister were. He hadn't seen a real bed in upward of three months, so being able to lay down on one for the first time would be sweet relief. However, he was aware that they weren't exactly working on a very large budget at the moment and his own means to acquire funds were half the island away yet. "I suppose that we should just gather what is salvageable and buy more supplies in the morning when the shops open back up. There seems to really be no way around it." And really, what other choice did they have?

*~*

Figuring that the now very dead man would probably only wear the highest quality rings that he could find, Ilario slipped the gems off of his fingers and took the rings out of his ears, stashing them in his pockets for later selling. It was too bad the fur coat was covered in blood now. That probably would have been worth a bit. A little unwieldy to carry around, but it easily sellable to a tailor. They would have to find a gold smith to get rid of the rest of it for coin or any other jeweler. Hopefully the innkeepers would accept pure gold rings in payment instead of coins. Who wouldn't?

"Pah, they'll still be there in the morning, right?" Ilario asked absently, examining the walls for something that wasn't tied down that they could easily carry out with them. There was enough random pieces of gold and other fine metals to buy out half the city, he'd wager. They couldn't carry it all of course, but they would take what they could and make sure to keep it all very hush hush from Oriana. She would probably just take it again, and they couldn't have that. "Nah, they'll be fine. We're sleeping indoors tonight out of the cold." He grinned and sized Ryleon up, noting how nervous he appeared to be. "I think you're just trying to get out of your cut of the reward." He said, making sure to let suspicion color his voice. Not that he'd mind if Ryleon up and left, but it would be an opportunity wasted to see their cousin so flustered.

Demetri seemed to be in thought for a long moment as they walked back. It would be such a determent to be blind at night, and looked over the woman. He walked back the rest of the way to camp in a comfortable silence until he came upon a rather grumpy looking Oriana. As he was about to inquire as to why, he looked up to see their camp, or rather what reminded of it. “What…?”

“I don’t know.” Oriana cut him off before he could even ask. Demetri did not want to get tangled with her while she was in such a dark mood and simply went off into the midst of everything to see if he could find anything of use.

Oriana looked to Rose, noting her slightly red eyes. “What? Did he make you cry?” She was just looking for an excuse to take her frustration out on someone and Demetri was a good sounding target, she so thought. Demetri on the other hand shot a look straight to Rose. He had no idea if she would simply tell them or make up a lie but it made his heart race thinking about the reaction Oriana might have to him. He would have to flee from her wrath, he knew that much.

~*~*~*~

Ryleon put the little statuette in his pocket and turned an annoyed eye on the twins. “I need no such reward, besides you two did most of the work. It’d be a good time to go check in with them so they are not worried. You know how Rose gets. More so, Ryleon knew that the rest of the group probably didn’t worry at all. So Rose was his only chance at not being embarrassed to death.

“Come come, Ryleon, you know they wouldn’t worry with you at our sides.” He agreed with his brother, pulling out another gem that was set on a table and pushing it into his already full pockets. “It’s only fair that you get a share in the reward as well.” Tristan heard him mumble something but couldn’t quiet catch it.

"Oh my…" Rose gasped upon seeing the distraction that had befallen their campsite, at a loss for words to say anything else on the matter. Oriana looked simply terrifying angry as she was, but Alex seemed almost unfazed by it all and simply silently walking around the campsite looking for something. What it was she couldn't tell, but he appeared to grow frustrated with the search and simply quit, standing a little distance away with his gaze riveted on Oriana. When asked if it was Demetri that had made her cry she automatically shook her head no, wiping at her eyes as a reflex as if doing so could get some of the redness. "Oh no, it wasn't his fault at all. I just…" She glanced to Demetri once then seemed to make up her mind about something. "I just got to thinking about my parents, is all…" He voice was quiet, almost timid as she made the confession and dropped her eyes to the ground in order to not meet Oriana's gaze.

Though the inner drama playing inside of Rose was all well and good to watch, Alex simply had no interest in it. He was studying Oriana, the way that she walked and how all of the muscles in her body were tensed and ready to lash out. He was reminded very much of a caged tiger he had seen on display once, all feral beauty and danger. She was certainly a piece of art, he thought, appraising her silently out of convenient striking distance as he was. All the better to have at his side… for a time. Alex was unsure how long Oriana would remain his prize once he had broken her in, but for a time she would certainly be a source of entertainment and something to look at.

*~*

Once he had filled his pockets with what he could carry, Ilario headed for the door, clapping his cousin on the shoulder and steering him out the door. "I think that Rose has her hands full right now. She's probably clinging to Demetri like a fly to honey and doesn't have the time or brain capacity to worry about where you've gotten off to. You're in our loving care, after all." Grinning, he got out the front door and breathed the fresh air, noting that it was getting dark now. He really didn't feel like finding camp in the dark, after all, and there were two very pretty and very eager women waiting for them to come back. It was just plain rude to keep a woman waiting.

"Do you suppose they will be surprised to see us back so quickly?" He asked his brother with a wink and a grin, then unfurled his wings and took off into the evening sky, following the path that they had taken to get to the overly decorated house in the first place.

As promised, the two women were waiting where they had found them in the first place and when Solaria noticed their flying forms in the sky she waved and smiled brightly. As soon as they landed she hurried to Tristan's side and more or less draped herself over him, drawing circles on his chest with her finger. "You've come back! And so quickly, too! Were you successful?" She asked, rubbing the length of her body against him ever so slightly, her eyes wide an far too innocent as she looked up at Tristan, hoping dearly that they simply hadn't cut and run.

Oriana didn’t look convinced at Rose’s story but let it drop nonetheless. If Demetri really had made her cry it probably wasn’t something he meant to do, he was too dense to realize was ever he was saying was hurtful to his overly sensitive cousin. She looked at Alex and his unwavering stare at her and sat up a little taller. “What?” She said angrily, if Alex was to be her new target then so be it. Fist she was pick pocketed and now they were all robbed. What a terrible day. Deciding to keep her frustrations for later she stood. “I have a feeling the twins and Ryleon have found somewhere to stay the night or else they would be back by now. Let’s go before they shut the gate.” Oriana picked up a few things and her pack with the money in it and stomped off back town.

Demetri looked utterly shocked and was more then thankful that Oriana paid him no mind. She would easily be able to read his expression at the moment. Rose could have just as simply told them the truth, but she hadn’t. With a silent thank you, he followed after Oriana from a safe distance.

~*~*~*~

Tristan couldn’t be happier to have the elf back on his side and smiled charmingly down to her. “Very successful.” His grin widened placing a hand on the small of her back as he looked to his brother, giving him a wink.

Isthena almost did the same thing for Ilario save for the large innocent looking eyes. She was a pleased kitten and it showed all over her face and body language. She rubbed her large breasts up and down his arm. “I’m glad to see it went so well. You are just as capable as I had thought.” She purred into his ear, nipping or licking it every so often. Modest was not a word to describe Isthena. Not at all.

When Ryleon landed it was a good distance from the boys and the elves. He wanted to ensure they would be fine before going off to find Oriana. The only reason he felt the need to was because they were family. How he wished on several occasions his family were more normal. Even for just a day it would be nice.

Alex simply held up his hands when Oriana suddenly turned on him, apparently having sensed his gaze and taking offense with it. Not like he expected anything less. Prowling around like a hungry wolf as she was, he was actually more surprised that she hadn't gone and exploded on someone yet, that someone obviously being himself or Demetri. He was slightly impressed with Rose's delivery of her story, but like Oriana, remained unconvinced that the big man hadn't done something to make the girl cry. She seemed like the type who was only just barely keeping check of her emotions for the benefit of others and not necessarily herself. Oh well, what did it matter to him? She certainly wasn't a worthy target of his unwavering attention like what Oriana was being subjected to. With a covert glance at the others in the party, he simply followed after Oriana and made sure to keep out of striking distance. She was in no mood to mess around, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to push her buttons.

"I fair lady, I know this situation seems rather bleak, but upon the 'morrow I will happily accompany you while we replace our lost items. Perhaps you could make use of my services while we are out together." He was just waiting for the explosion now, and for some reason found that he rather liked playing this dangerous game with her.

Rose smiled in response to Demetri's thanks but said nothing, not wanting Rose to catch the gesture and turn her rage on the fellow. She was certainly in a sour mood, and with good reason. Unfortunately, Alex seemed to completely disregard this face and carried about in his normal manner. She sighed, walking close to Demetri as her vision began to fade, using his much larger form as an object to follow as the scenery became blurry. She would have to talk to him if he was seriously trying to woo her. At the moment, all he was accomplishing was making Oriana more angry which wasn't exactly healthy for the rest of the group. She held all of the money, after all.

*~*

He had already known that the company of the two elves would be a pleasurable one, but now that Isthena was not withholding anything from him he could rightly have guessed that the twins would be in for a very interesting night indeed. Sneaking a grin at his brother, Ilario let his hand slip to Isthena's rear and gave it a squeeze, pulling her body closer to his own. "Certainly. We are more than capable swordsmen, and I believe that you ladies will be witness to a presentation."

Solaria giggled, snuggling closer to Tristan and letting her fingers play over his body. "I will be most appreciative for the show. Perhaps we should find somewhere…?"

"Lead the way ladies. We're buying tonight." Ilario pulled out one of the gold rings he had snatched from their former employer and bounced it in his palm before stowing it once more.

With a smile, Solaria took Tristan's hand and lead the way around a couple of streets, making very sure that when she walked her hips moved from side to side in a tantalizing way. It was her profession to drive men crazy, and for the two boys that had saved their lives she was certainly going to give it her all in appreciation. The inn she stopped at wasn't perhaps the ritziest place in all of Didienne, but it was close, clean, had very large beds and the owner knew them. Without even asking he simply gave Solaria and Isthena a key then went about his regular business, ignoring the men that they were attached to completely.

Oriana was angry; livid in fact and yet that did nothing to deter the ever so persistent Alex from the annoying words flowing from his mouth. She clenched her fists and kept walking. “You will stay away from me.” She ordered, keeping her gaze on the gate ahead. She wasn’t sure how much she could take before snapping on the man, but she knew it wasn’t much. Her anger always came swiftly and in such high doses that in often times she just found something to take it out on and did so. That was why the profession of slaying pirates was perfect for the abrasive girl.

Demetri walked once more with Rose but at a quicker pace, trying to keep Oriana in site as she literally stormed her way into the city. What point was there to making her so angry, Demetri wondered, was that supposed to get him closer to her snapping? Oriana didn’t see like the type of woman to bend to anyone’s will let alone Alex’s. “He will not be conscious much longer if he keeps on like that.” He commented to himself, knowing that Rose would hear him anyway.

~*~*~*~

Isthena only drew herself close to Ilario when he grabbed her behind, thinking that she may just enjoy herself thoroughly with this one. She continued at her nipping of his ear and neck until they headed out for the inn they so regularly visited. “Good evening.” She purred to the innkeeper as they walked in and up to their room. "I'd like to thank you now." As soon as they were within the door, Isthena literally pounced on Ilario, pushing him down on the bed and meeting his lips in a rough kiss. She pressed her soft body as close to his as she could get, moving ever so slightly to arouse him further.

Tristan let his own hands roam over her slender body and readily agreed to get a move on. Once they got into the inn, he watched with some amusement as Isthena took Ilario down as soon as they were past the door frame and tilted Solaria’s chin up to look at him. A wide grin was set on his face, “Shall we?”

Ryleon simply sat downstairs, happy to have gotten out of his ‘reward’ and leaned back against a chair, enjoying his time alone. It wasn’t long lived though as an angry Oriana came storming into the inn. His eyes widen, how the hell?! “I didn’t do it!” He blurted out before he could even stop the words from leaving his mouth.

Oriana looked surprised to see her brother and then suspicious. “Do what?” She asked, hovering over her brother suddenly. “What are you doing here?” She growled. Oh shit. She was in a bad mood. His gaze flickered to Alex, thinking it was his fault as he followed Oriana in the inn shortly after.

Demetri stood in the doorway, keeping himself out of the way of it all. He figured Rose would follow in to see what was happening and get herself into a lit room. He would much rather sleep outside then deal with the drama of whatever it was going on inside. He figured once everyone was settled he would either sleep on the roof or in someone’s room against the door.

Rose sighed and nodded in agreement with Demetri, watching as Alex continued to pester her very livid cousin. "No… no he will not." yes, she would certainly have to talk to him if he wished to continue breathing. By the time that they finally got within the city limits, she was sure that Oriana would either throttle the man or demolish the first unfortunate soul that had the bad luck to run into her. They managed to get to a nearby inn without anything tragic happening, how she didn't know but was grateful when they finally stopped. Upon entering the lit room her vision was restored to her and she was surprised to see Ryleon sitting there. Apparently he was just as surprised to see them, for he sprang up as soon as he saw Oriana enter the establishment.

For a moment she wondered exactly what is was that Ryleon had done to shout such a loud disclaimer like he had. Her gaze traveled back to look at Demetri, still standing out in the darkness of the street. Now that it was night, the city wasn't nearly so crowded as earlier that afternoon, for which she was grateful. Demetri had fared much better without a big crowd around to make him nervous. He still looked a bit fidgety, like he wasn't exactly sure if he belonged here with them or not. She stepped toward him, standing on the threshold between the light of the inn and the darkness of the streets and examined him carefully in the cast light of the fire place. "Won't you come in? Or…" She looked over his head to the city beyond, unable to see it for the darkness. "Are you going to be sleeping out doors again?"

Alex was smartly keeping out of this one. He had fully expected Oriana to lash out at him, but when she hadn't and turned her rage on her brother instead, he was set to sit back and watch the fireworks. When Ryleon's gaze wandered to him, he merely winked in an overly theatrical way and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the show to start.

Demetri looked down to Rose as she came over, he had comfortable crosses his arms over his chest and was leaning in the doorway. He was far more comfortable now that the streets were pretty much empty but he never would get used to city life ever again. It was bad enough where he had started out but his experiences of being tortured for two years only heightened his distrust for people. “I’ll probably end up on the roof, or someone’s door way” He answered honestly. He had not really slept in a bed before so why start now?

Oriana caught Ryleon’s gaze to Alex but ignored it, shaking her brother hard. “What’s going on, Ryleon and so help me if you lie…” She growled letting the warning hang in the air. Ryleon wasn’t really known for lying and when he got caught he suffered at the wrath of his mother for a long while. There was no doubt in his mind that Oriana would produce as much suffering or more if he lied now.

“Tristan and Ilario killed someone’s boss, for some Elvin whores and are upstairs probably making love to them right this second!” He blurted out, eyes wide as he looked at his sister. He expected to be punched but was let back down on the ground. He scrambled away quickly.

“If that is what they are up to they won’t be going anywhere for the night. I’ll get some rooms.” For whatever reason she was calm now, going over and getting two rooms. “Boys in one, girls in the other.” She glared at Alex to drive the point home, though she knew it was useless and went up stairs after throwing a key to Ryleon. She didn’t want to wait for Rose, only to take a warm bath and go to bed.

Rose smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering against the cold of the night. "Take care out there, alright? I know you've probably been doing this for a while but… I worry about you a little bit, especially here in the city since I know you don't like it…" She turned slightly when she heard Oriana announce that the boys and the girls would be in separate rooms tonight. She wasn't really looking forward to spending the night with a cranky Oriana, but could hardly see how it was avoidable. Ryleon she could spend the night with in the same room, but Alex she didn't trust at all. "At least you know where we are if you run into anything… You'll probably have a more peaceful night that I will at this rate."

Though the news that the twins had taken on a mobster and won was a bit surprising, Alex wasn't at all surprised that they were off right now fornicating with a couple of whores in this very Inn. The world was a small place, after all, as he was learning with each passing day. Without even bothering to hide his interest in the way that Oriana pounded up the stairs, a small grin crossed his face and he drew breath to call up after her. "Dream of pleasant things, o my lady fair, and would it that we were to meet in the realms of neverland." With a cocky grin, he blew a kiss at Oriana's retreating back and waved patronizingly to her.

In response to Rose's concern for him he simply took his hand and gently patted her head. "I'll be okay." He reassured her and opened his wings, taking off into the dark of the night. He circled around the building a few times to ensure himself that there was no one out stalking the group or any floating lights as evidence of the creatures coming after them again. Once he was sure everything was safe he landed on the roof, laying out on his back and got himself comfortable for the night.

Orirana spun on her heel to face Alex, standing at the top of the stairs she took of her shoe off and threw at him as hard as she could. Not caring to see if the object made its target or not she turned back around, heading for her room. "Alex I will dismember you if you follow me!" She called back, slamming a door closed down the hall.

Ryleon looked from the staircase where Oriana was and to Alex, finally resting on Rose. He had the same thoughts as his sister, in that he thought it was a terrible day. He did get a small reward through and he took the gold panther statuette from his pocket to admire it. He smiled, thinking his parents would like it.

A heavy sigh escaped Rose as soon as Demetri left her presence, a soft little blush coloring her ivory cheeks. Well, at least today had been a good day for him. He could say more than three syllables at a time now which was most certainly a measurable improvement from when they had first met. However, the sound of mayhem going on in the background drowned out the warm fuzzy feelings that were trying to accumulate within her person and she turned just in time to see Alex catch Oriana's shoe that she had chucked at him and examined it briefly before plopping it on the table in front of Ryleon.

"Give this back to her when she's a little less pissed." He said with a grin, waved, and then made as if to head up the stairs after Oriana despite her very dire warning. He was stopped however by a pair of hands clasping around his forearm and turned to see to his surprise that Rose had latched onto him and was giving him the death glare. "Oh? Have you finally become jealous of all the attention that I've been giving to your cousin?" He asked, offering the smaller woman his most charming smile.

Rose however was unfazed by the look she was getting from Alex and simply tugged on his arm. "No, far from it. We need to have a talk. Right. Now." The dead seriousness in her golden eyes made Alex think twice about simply disengaging himself from her and heading up the stairs anyway. So, he shrugged and followed Rose as she lead him out of the inn, into the street, and around back into a very dark alleyway. It was a wonder that she didn't crash straight into something given her inability to see at night, but somehow she managed, finally coming to a stop close to the back of the inn near the kitchen entrance.

Immediately she whipped around, her hair a spray of gold in the moonlight and pointed at Alex, her finger hovering mere inches from the tip of his nose, her gaze focused resolutely on him despite the fact that all she could make out was a blur in place of his face. "You are causing trouble where there need be none, Alex."

Arching his eyebrow, Alex folded his hands into his coat pockets and simply examined Rose for a few seconds. "I haven't the slightest as to what you are talking about."

"Oh you know very well what I am talking about." She shot back quickly, dropping her hand and standing straight as a board, her fists clenched at her sides and back completely rigid. "Your taunting of Oriana needs to stop. I do not know what you intend with her, but if you are truly looking to earn her approval as you so often claim that you are, then this foolish childish act needs to stop. You are making her miserable, and the rest of us along with her. What is more, you aren't even treating her like a person! It is as if to you she is little more than a trinket that can be bought."

At this Alex really did take some offense, his voice dropping slightly but showing no other outside hint that Rose's words had struck a nerve. "Surely you are not so naive as to think that people can not be bought? Everyone has a price."

Rose glared at him hard, her fist trembling as is she dearly wanted to strike him and was only just holding back from doing so. "You truly are as conceited and moronic as I had first pegged you for. I will not claim to know in what twisted house you learned this folly rule in, but people can not be bought, especially in my family. Oriana is a girl of principle and determination, and she will not be swayed by any fool-hardy cocksure lad with a heavy purse who deems her worthy to fling his gold at. Your attitude was perhaps tolerable at first, but it had grown wearisome. Continue to treat her as you would a horse at auction, and I will see to it that shoes are not the only things that will be flung at you in the future." Rose sent him one more wilting glower then simply pushed past him and disappeared back into the inn, leaving a very confused and irritated Alex in her wake.

Once inside Rose headed up to her room, sparing Ryleon a glance and a word that his roommate would be in soon. She paused outside the room door with her hand hovering over the door handle for a silent moment before daring to open it and step in, dreading to see what sort of state that Oriana would be in.

Ryleon frowned at the shoe that was plopped in front of him. “I don’t really want to give this back to her.” But his comment fell on deaf ears as the man started his way up the stairs after his sister. His frown only grew deeper, but Rose stopped him claiming the need to talk to him this very moment. She looked serious, and Ryleon wanted nothing to do with these strong-headed women. He just sat back in his chair for a moment, grabbed the shoe and made his way to his room, retiring for the night.

~*~*~*~

Oriana let the hot water of the bath she was in relax her muscles and she let out a sigh. Alex just bugged her to no end and he never seemed to really notice. Persistent, yes, she had admitted to that before, but he found every button of hers to push and did it over and over again. She shook her head of the thoughts, soaking in the water for a short while before getting out, drying herself off and putting on her undergarments. She had slung an arm over her face while laying on the bed and let herself stew in her angry emotions.

She only looked up once Rose entered the room, prepared to strike if it was Alex and relaxed visibly. God he would get a kick out of seeing her like this, speaking of…why had he not come to see her yet? It wasn’t that she minded, but it was just odd for him. She simply covered her arm back over her eyes and laid there.

The next morning dawned cool and clear, the noises of early morning inn activity raising Rose from her sleep. She yawned widely and sat up, stretching her arms and running her fingers through her long hair, exceedingly grateful that she was clean, warm and had gotten to sleep in a real bed. She would miss it once they left the inn and continued traveling, but the brief respite was probably welcome for all of them. Slipping out of bed, she hissed when her feet hit the cold wooden floor but otherwise said nothing, simply dressing herself for the day and tying up her long golden hair so that it would stay out of the way. Today was all about replacing their lost supplies and fully intended to accompany Oriana on this particular journey. She wanted to keep Alex away from her still very irritated cousin, and what better way than to simply be at her side, guarding her more or less? She knew that the flirtatious imbecile had no interest in her and so would use that fact to her full advantage.

*~*

Alex simply stared after he had woken up, bleary eyed and not entirely sure where he was or what was going on. He was never much of a fast waker and never had been for as long as he could remember. Mornings and him simply did not work well together. He spent quiet a few moments simply laying in bed all wrapped up in his blankets and staring blankly at the floor, watching the sun creep through the window, flicking on and off as clouds passed in front of the sun. He was still stewing about what Rose had said to him last night and had thoroughly ignored Ryleon's presence all night, falling to sleep almost as soon as he crawled into bed and made himself comfortable. How long had it been since he had been in a real bed? Far too long… and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

*~*

Solaria was up when dawn broke, a habit that had become accustomed to her despite however long she may have stayed up the night before doing business. She looked around at the room, spying the tangled mess of sheets and bodies, her gaze traveling down to her bed partner. A devilish grin broke out over her face as she disengaged herself slightly with the blonde twin she had bedded and moved over top of him, placing a series of warm kisses on his neck, her body brushing against Tristan's in all the right ways. "Time to wake master…" She purred against his neck, her long black hair trailing over him now that it had come out of its intricate weave during all of their playing the night before.

Oriana groaned as she woke, for whatever reason she had a headache and touched her side to realize she never dressed herself the night before. Shrugging it off, Oriana opened her eyes to see her cousin up and about already. Sitting up, Oriana rubbed a sleepy from her eye and stretched her arms high over her head. “Morning…” She mumbled, trying to start the day off better than the night had left her before. She dressed herself quickly to combat the cold air in the room and ran her fingers through her hair. Soon satisfied that she was good to go. “I’m heading out as soon as possible so I can avoid Alex. We need to replace everything and I won’t be able to concentrate with him hanging on me.” She picked up her pack and headed for the door.

~*~*~*~

Ryleon woke around the same time Alex did, the light streaming in the room seeming impossibly bright. He rolled out of the bed, getting himself dressed and noted Alex not getting up. He shrugged, picking up his own pack and headed out of the room. He almost didn’t want to know how the twins faired last night…perhaps he should make sure they were both alive?

~*~*~*~

Tristan moaned happily as he woke to the warm kisses and Solaria’s body laying over top of him. “I like this wake up call…” He commented, opening his eyes to meet her own and placed a long, lazy kiss on her neck.

Isthena opened her eyes to find herself half way on Ilario still and grinned. He was an interested man to take to bed. “Sir Ilario, the sun has risen.” She whispered, rubbing a hand on his manhood and placing kisses on his neck not wanting to move from him really. Their shared body warmth was nice.

~*~*~*~

Demetri on the other hand woke rather early on the cold roof and was sitting on it as he watched the sun rise. He would never tire of seeing the large orb of light fall and rise each day. It had been two years since he had seen sunlight and had grown a strong appreciation of its warm embrace. He simply sat on the edge of the building, waiting for one of the group members to come out.

Rose returned Oriana's mooring greeting with a nod and pleasant smile, relieved to see that she wasn't instantly in a foul mood as soon as she had awoken. Of course Rose didn't exactly have anything to carry, so she simply followed Oriana out of the room, her expression falling a little at the mention of Alex. "I'll come with you today." She piped up just incase her cousin hadn't already figured on the blond girl coming with her. "I didn't get to see much of the city yesterday… And I think that I may provide some protection against Alex for you." Here she really did smile, but it was a hollow one, devoid of humor and more filled with malice than any sort of joy. It was an odd look for Rose, but for whatever reason it seemed to fit, especially with her still being angry over Alex's treatment of her cousin. Simply yelling at him hadn't been enough.

*~*

Alex watched with a deadened stare as Ryleon made preparations to leave and eventually sighed, reluctantly managing to roll himself out of bed. He hadn't dreamed the night before but had the distinct feeling that if he would have dreamed, something unpleasant would have occurred to him in that dream. He wasn't sure why he was so rattled by Rose's speech the night before, but was determined to not let it bog him down today. Slowly he managed to get his boots and jacket on, shrugging off the chill of the morning with a roll of his shoulders. He almost forgot to grab his sword, doing so at the last minuet before leaving the room. With a crack of his shoulders he was up and awake finally, trailing a little after Ryleon and heading down the stairs to relax some more and wait for everyone else to assemble.

*~*

Smiling, Solaria shared that long lingering kiss, continuing to rub her body against Tristan's in order to wake him fully. She didn't know what their plans were for the day nor when the two would be leaving them, but if they were up for a little pre-breakfast fun, then who was she to deny him…?

Ilario grinned, suddenly being pulled from a dead sleep as he was and kept his eyes closed though he was truly awake now. "The sun isn't the only thing that's risen…" He mumbled, trailing his fingers along Isthena's body until he found what he was looking for and squeezed hard, feeling his lower extremities beginning to fill the elf woman's warm palm.

Oriana contemplated Rose’s word for a moment and actually smiled. “I don’t see why not, I’ve not been solely in your company for awhile.” The thought of being with another female useful left a bad taste in her mouth, even more so Rose but to get away from Alex for the day sounded nice. She walked down the stairs and groaned to see him already down there. Instead of talking to him, she simply kept walking past him and out the door. She squinted in the early morning light and waited for Rose before walking down the busy street.

Demetri saw Oriana leave but suddenly his heart pounded, the streets had filled so quickly and were now covered in people. He sat on the roof like a cat and looked down to decide what it was he was going to do. He refused to keep Rose from the city once more so perhaps he could just sit here all day?

Ryleon noted his sister coming out of the room and walked down, standing next to Alex. He watched Oriana walk right past them without saying anything and have a shrug to Alex. “How you keep determination to go after her is beyond me.” It was almost a hope that the man would give up on her but he doubted it.

~*~*~*~

Tristan wrapped his arms around Solaria pulling her in closer to him and kissed her soft yet slightly swollen lips from the night before. He had not enjoyed the company of a woman in long while and was planning on enjoying it all day long if he could.

Isthena smiles, “No, you are right.” She whispered, giving him a small squeeze as she placed more long and lazy kisses along his neck and shoulders.

Seeing Alex so early in the morning was not something that Rose wanted to do, so like Oriana, she simply ignored the lurking male, literally turning her nose up at him and walking closer to Oriana's side to make sure he knew full well that the two were together for the day. Once outside she kept stealing glances behind herself to see if Alex was following them and was relieved to see that he was nowhere to be seen. Well, that was one monkey off her back… She looked up and around at the rooftops to see if she could spot where Demetri had perched for the night and when she did she smiled and raised her hand to wave at him. For a fleeting moment she wondered if he would join them, then decided that he probably wouldn't. The crowds were picking up now, so his fear of people was probably running at full tilt. With a little sigh she walked just slightly behind Oriana, relying on the older girl to part the crowds, which she actually did fairly well.

*¡!¡!¡*

Alex was drumming his fingers on the table and silently watched the two girls leave, doing nothing to indicate that he would follow them out. Ryleon's presence made him look up from his self-absorbed state and register his words, a slow grin coming to his face that never quite reached his eyes. "Ryleon my dear lad, when you find yourself a woman that is as splendid as your sister, you can do very little but to continue going after her, no matter how often you are spurned." He stood then, heading for the door and went out into the city streets, spreading his wings and flapping up to the rooftops where he could get a better view of things and instantly spotted Rose's bright yellow hair among the milling crowd below. He almost took after them, but saw Demetri crouched like a cat that wasn't sure if it should come out of it's tree or not. Only just barely managing to repress a sigh, he waved at the man and took off, floating to the next rooftop to follow the girls that way instead of on foot.

*~*

Rose and Oriana had made great progress that morning in buying things that they needed, though unfortunately at ridiculously high prices. That was the big city for you, she supposed… But once they had nearly everything but some cooking supplies and food Rose was feeling confident that they would get out of there with some money to spare, which was a great relief indeed. While they were wandering the streets looking for the last of the necessities she spotted a dress shop that seemed to be somewhat empty at the moment though had a very cute dress on display. With a smile on her face, she tugged on Oriana's arm and pointed to the shop. "Oriana! I want to go in there. Not to buy anything, but just to try on a dress… I've never seen you in anything other than man-clothes and pants. Please…?

Ryleon rolled his eyes, and watched Alex leave. He was going to get his teeth kicked in by Oriana. She had been in a foul mood and was never known for ignoring a person rather then confronting them right up. Perhaps she was holding herself back for some reason or had reached an actually snapping point with him; refusing to take part with him anymore. With those thoughts in his head, Ryleon took to the streets, not even noticing Demetri above him, keeping an eye on the group.

~*~*~*~

Demetri couldn’t do it, no matter how inviting Roses’ wave was to him, he could not make himself move from the rooftop and into the crowd of people where he was deathly afraid that he would be killed or captured. When that sort of fear took over, the knowledge that one could fight left their memory.

~*~*~*~

Oriana was pleased with their progress over the day, and while not so much for their prices she knew she couldn’t avoid in the large city. At the mention of going in a dress shop Oriana’s face scrunched in displeasure…but the girl had been with her all day and not once made a rude remark to her. “Just don’t get your heart set on anything.” She warned, but agreed to go in, walking into the small shop. The dresses were actually well made and many of them had ruffles or lace delicately made into them and Oriana hovered around Rose while she looked around.

Rose was thrilled that Oriana had actually connected to be dragged into the shop and try on at least one dress. She was sure that given the proper attire, her normally very boyish cousin could pull off a very womanly look. She was in great physical condition of course, though didn't have much in the chest area as far as that was concerned. Still, they made dresses that could compensate for that. She wandered in with Oriana in tow, inspecting all the dresses that she came across looking for just the right one that she was sure would put Oriana in a more flattering light. Eventually she found one that was perfect with plenty of ruffles and was a deep red color. With a smile, she thrust the dress into Oriana's hands and convinced her that she should wear it, her cousin eventually reluctantly agreeing to it. After a few moments of uncertainty with how to actually get the garment on Oriana finally emerged from the dressing room, looking as pretty as Rose had imagined her in it, though the girl looked far less than pleased. "You look wonderful! If only you attended any sort of social event… You would be the talk of the dance floor."

*~*

Outside Alex had been following the girls all day, keeping to the roofs when he could and avoiding the gaze of guards at all times if possible. Once or twice someone told him to get down and he did so immediately until he was out of sight by the person who had commanded him to vacate the roofs. Eventually though the two took a most interesting detour and while gathering the least amount of suspicion as possible, Alex made his way down to the street and to the front of the store, looking in the window. He arrived in time to see Rose impatiently waiting outside the dressing rooms in back, but then was flabbergasted to actually see what it was that Oriana had been forcibly dressed in. The red gown clung to what he had assumed were nonexistent curves, flaring at the hip and was short in front, revealing her well-formed legs though was modestly long in the back. She looked a little put out to be dressed in something quite so girly, but that for whatever reason made her look all the more attractive in the outfit. He could only stare at her, at a loss for words that the trousers prone Oriana he had come to know actually did have a body under all of that.

Oriana knew there was a blush on her face as she came from the dressing room. It took her what felt like forever to even figure out how to put the damned thing on and that only made her sure that dresses were just too much of a hassle. But she had to show Rose, or else the girl would probably storm into the small room and force her out into a better light to look at her. “I don’t see how you wear things like this…I feel so…. exposed…” She said the word but felt like it really didn’t make the cut.

She looked around the store, her blushing fading slightly until she caught site of Alex staring at her. “Oh no…” Her blush returned ten fold and she ran back into the dressing room to the comfort of her well-worn pants. What was he doing there?! After a long while of trying to get the dress off again and in one piece, Oriana poked her head out of the room and to the window where she saw Alex staring at her. Not even a little bit did the blush disappear from her face.

“Rose…He won’t let me live this down…” She sounded almost like she was pleading and yet blaming the girl. It was her pick to come in this store and she had forced her to try on the garment…but to her knowledge neither of them knew that he was following them or near by for that fact. Why would he look into a dress store? Ugggghh.

Though incredibly pleased that her cousin had actually tried on the dress and that it actually looked good on her, Rose did feel a little sorry for the fact that she was way out of her element when it came to these things. "Oh, you know, you get used to it if you do it often enough." She replied with a warm smile, painting the image of Oriana in a dress into her memory forever. It was probably the only time that she would get to see the young woman do so. Uncle Talos' side of the family was certainly not known for it's indulgence.

When Oriana gazed out of the store and her face turned to an expression of slight horror, Rose looked outside as well and felt that same chill of embarrassment when she saw the dreaded man standing so casually just outside of the shop. She gaped at his presence, wondering how in the seven hells he had found them in here and was only vaguely aware that Oriana had ducked back into the dressing room. What was perhaps even more shocking than his general presence was the fact that he was staring not leering, or making a snide face, or looking like a pompous ass. He had no expression at all actually, as if he had genuinely dumbstruck by the sight of Oriana in a dress. Was that even possible for him?

When Oriana came back out and looked so distraught Rose had to think fast to try and reassure her. Alex was still standing out there, though he looked less befuddled than before and had moved out of sight, probably just out of the way of the windows. "Oriana, you looked gorgeous in that dress. It doesn't matter if he tries to pester you for it. He's probably just even more envious now that he can't have you. You have nothing to be ashamed about for this." She was resolute with her words, putting on a confident air as she spoke.

Oriana sighed sadly, this wasn’t her. She didn’t hide from people, let alone males. “Thank you, Rose.” She had meant it, walking over to her cousin and putting a hand on her shoulder to assure the girl that she was alright despite her terrified features from before. “If he says anything I’d care not to hear I will simply beat him until he can no longer speak.” She promised Rose, stepping out of the shop and finding Alex not far away from it. He had an odd look on his face though that she couldn’t exactly pin but felt it was nothing important.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded to know, putting a hand on her slender hip and waiting to hear some stupid remark about her wearing the foreign garment. She looked down suddenly, the blush returning on her face as she thought about herself wearing the dress.

Not only could Alex push every single on of her buttons but now he made her feel off balance and while she could attest it to wearing something she had probably never put on her body before she doubted it slightly. Pushing back a lock of her hair, Oriana waited for Alex’s answer.

Demetri had somehow made his was off the roof. He had a momentary bout of courage and was now walking about the mass amount of people in the streets, trying to find one of his friends. He had tried searching from above but to no avail and decided to search on the ground. But this was hard; he felt panic welling up within him despite the cool façade he put on. More then once people moved in rather close to him and he could have sworn they were going to attack him. His heart pounded painfully and he reached his breaking point when a woman pretty much leapt on him, scaring the life out of Demetri, begging for some lose coins. He pushed her off without a word and ran, flat out ran into the nearest empty alleyway and slumped against a wall. He found it hard to draw breath and his lungs burned painfully. He couldn’t do this.