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 Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:30 pm
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Guardian_Iris generated a random number between
1 and 17 ...
16!
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:42 pm
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:50 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:19 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:30 pm
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Nyruna waited quietly as Commander Sadron ventured onto the land. She stayed a little apart from the others, still not comfortable with the court. Unlike most other female Aernyn, Nyruna had never found in herself much desire to teach or lead or keep a home. More than anything, Nyruna liked to be alone, exploring the great depths and finding new wonders.
Nyruna did not feel herself fortunate in her new appointment. She wished, ardently, now that she had kept those strangely carved stones to herself. That they might be of importance, Nyruna did not doubt, but that such importance was worth her freedom, well, that she surely did doubt.
Had some ancient hand carved the stones for some purpose, did they hold secrets of the past, Nyruna did not care. But such a fuss and fervor had been raised when she brought the silly things back with her from one of her exploratory trips.
Her sister was rather pleased with the development. After all, now Nyruna would have to settle and be ‘normal’. Besides, even the peripheral increase in status was something Shyama craved more than could possibly be healthy.
Nyruna just hoped that as the court lost interest in the stones, they would also lose interest in her. But when the great something fell from the sky, things changed. Here was something totally new to discover. When Queen Táriel announced that she would go to explore this new place, Nyruna was happy to be invited to accompany her Queen.
Of course, Nyruna was still uncomfortable in the company of the others and she allowed the eddies and currents to pull her away from the others as they all awaited Commander Sadron’s signal.
"AYE!!! QUIT BEING PANSIES AND GET YER ASSES UP HERE ALREADY!"
Nyruna heard the others questioning his attitude, but did not pause to listen or respond as she surged towards the beach.
Nyruna took just a moment to look around before continuing onto the land, a moment that showed Sadron with legs. That pulled her up short, but a bit late. As she moved to place herself upon the land, she tried to stop and pull herself back.
What an odd sensation. Curiously like stinging of a mass of jellyfish, Nyruna’s tail changed, and changed back as she ungracefully stumbled, that was new, back into the water. Looking down at her brilliantly orange tail, Nyruna took a moment to review the sensation in her mind. Deciding the pain wasn’t too great, nor too lasting, she again determined to venture onto the shore.
While she had been contemplating the change, Nyruna had floated even farther away from the others and when she made her way, finally, onto land, she could barely see the others. She did take a moment to wonder why the Queen had sand clinging to most of her legs and arms before she realized that there were far too many individuals on the beach.
Who were these strangers, where had they come from, what did they want?
Nyruna quickly put those thoughts behind her. Obviously the others would be too distracted by these others to really explore the land. And surely someone needed to. Besides, just looking at the grouping on the beach made Nyruna nervous.
Sure she would get into trouble, but not ready to let that stop her, Nyruna took a couple exploratory steps. While she missed her tail, she found these legs not too uncomfortable or unwieldy, and with the pain of transition passed, Nyruna smiled and determined that she could easily grow accustomed to this mode of transportation if it meant she would be able to see all these new sights.
Following the sounds of bird song, Nyruna moved towards the verdant green of trees that were nothing like anything she had found in all her previous explorations. This new place was wondrous and might just be enough to make up for being forced into being a part of the court.
Nyruna explored for a short while, plucking a brilliant flower the same color as the orange of her tail and she twisted the stem in among the beads of her necklace for better carrying. A couple dull stones caught her eye, how strange they looked, flat and colorless, not like the rocks in the sea with brilliant colors and shiny surfaces. Gathering them in one hand, she continued to explore, sniffing the strange green plants and then having what would surely look to be a fit if anyone was around to observe as she inhaled a small bug.
Finally clearing her nose again, and careful not to repeat that mistake, Nyruna looked around. Nyruna was unaware she had wandered so close to where the rest of the court had landed, but she could hear the voices clearly through the treeline. What worried her, was the sight of a strange individual with odd protrusions from her back hiding just at the edge of the trees and watching Queen Táriel and the others. Though Nyruna had no care to be part of the court, she surely didn't wish to see anyone harm her queen. Moving as silently as she was able on these new legs, Nyruna tried to get a better look at the strange female.
Not quite as quick to jump to the worst conclusion, Nyruna wished to give the odd female the benefit of the doubt, the other did look rather . . . special actually. There was a strange air of authority to this figure, despite her hiding in the bushes.
Taking a moment to settle herself with some semblance of calm and hoping to add an air of authority, Nyruna speaks with just enough volume to reach the female [Iris], "Hello?" |
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:06 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:20 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:15 pm
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"I don't like her," said Aeroniel, flatly, to her queen in reference to the strange little thing that had ran screaming in their direction. Wearily, she glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to Captain Turin and Queen Tariel. Why did she act like she already knew Tariel? That didn't make sense. Tariel had never left the beautiful blue ocean before, and therefore, there was no way that this land-breather could have possibly met her at some point in the past.
The advisor kept close to her queen as Tariel edged towards the newcomer, not wanting to let Tariel out of her sight for a second. That would be the moment that this strange little thing with strange glass sticking out of its back would decide to jump up and attack her beloved queen. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so suspicious of what looked to be some kind of young adolescent, but she couldn't help her. Tariel was the most important person in her society, and anything that seemed even remotely threatening was to be watched very carefully.
"I don't see how you 'know' Queen Tariel," remarked Aeroniel, with a quirked brow and a tone filled with suspicion and instant dislike. "However, if you have something to show us, Tariel and," she widely gestured to Turin, the green and purple 'naiad,' Sadron, and herself, "we would be most happy to see it, as we are most curious about this strange place and why it's here."
Even if she didn't like this strange little creature, she seemed to know something that they didn't, and they would have to at least slightly trust her until she showed them what exactly she was so excited about. Of course, that didn't mean Aeroniel was letting her guard down. Oh no. It was obvious by the look on her face that this strange little thing wasn't taking Tariel to show her by herself, nor was she going to pull a fast one while Aeroniel was on search duty.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:38 pm
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The Captain wasn't normally one for many words, so he'd leave that sort of thing for Lady Aeroniel to handle, as it was her strong point in the long run. His...was protection.
He resisted the urge to react to the odd little flying things, merely scowling as they darted and made faces at the tip of his spear. They'd certainly find it amusing if their 'leader' or whatever that thing was there decided to try anything funny. Still, he held his weapon steady, eyes locked on the odd creature.
Because, obviously, he was going to let down his guard and welcome the threat with open arms 'cause she said she wasn't a threat. Of course. He looked like THAT much of an idiot, really?
Still, the Queen's touch at his shoulder kept Turin from taking further action. For now at least. If the odd creature was intent on leading his queen into a trap, it would be the last thing she ever attempted. So said the Queen's personal bodyguard. He hadn't gotten the position, nor retained it for so long, by being a naive, foolish moron. And the spear wasn't for decoration either.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:31 am
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Contest entry Beltan could not believe his good fortune. He had been chosen to accompany Her Majesty to discover what the significance of the land mass was. He, the newest initiate in the Home Guard. Truly, he was honored among the Aernyn.
Suppressing his unseemly eagerness, Beltan put on a stoic expression and waited for the signal--
"AYE!!! QUIT BEING PANSIES AND GET YER ASSES UP HERE ALREADY!"
Smothering his laughter, Beltan hung back with the Captain of the Home Guard, keeping a lookout while Her Majesty and the Royal Adviser followed Commander Sadron on land. When it became obvious that there was no danger from behind, he moved to join the others. But, as he neared the shore, he felt an uncomfortable sensation steal over his lower body.
He found himself crawling out of the shallows with two oddly shaped appendages where his tail had been. Beltan wasn't sure he was comfortable with this new development but he supposed he had an advantage: he was on all fours and had a lower center of gravity so he didn't immediately topple over and get a face full of sand.
However, this position did not sit well with his warrior's instincts. If the Queen were to be attacked, he'd not be able to go to her aid quickly enough. With that thought in mind, he hurriedly got to his feet..and skipped a couple paces, very nearly overbalancing and ending up in the sand anyway.
Wobbling, but managing to stay on his feet with some assistance from his spear, Beltan surveyed the area, tensed and ready for battle. But the beings he saw moving cautiously out onto the sand weren't threatening and...they almost looked like they could be...related to the Aernyn.
Do Your Best had somehow managed to escape Ros' arms and decided investigation was in order. How was he to know these were potentially dangerous beings? Burbling to himself in his semi-coherent toddler speak, the baby pae struggled through the sand until he was about even with the funny looking stripe-y one and reached up to grab at the haft of the pointy thing it was holding...
Beltan felt a tug at his spear and looked down..
"Grah! They're attacking!" he shouted, stumbling back from the thing and raising his spear.
"Nononono!" one of the bigger pae called out, running forward and scooping up the wayward toddler. "I'm so sorry. DYB was just looking. He didn't mean any harm," Ros explained, holding Do Your Best to her side.
"He doesn't know any better."
Beltan eyed the female suspiciously, the spear still held at the ready. He just couldn't be sure they were trustworthy. Then again, he supposed the child really wasn't a threat. And the female... Well, females in his society were homemakers, not the ones sent out to make war. 'Sides, she was kinda pretty in a weird, finless sorta way..
"Alright. Suppose I believe your story," he began, lowering his spear just a notch. "What's the big idea dropping your island and disrupting our way of life? And what are you anyway? And who are you? And what's with the wings? And," he paused, waving vaguely at the new appendages he'd gained, "What about these things? And who are your leaders?" He stopped at that point because he was out of breath...and questions for the moment.
Roslyn blinked, a little dizzy from the rapid-fire questions he'd so glibly thrown at her. And the sudden end to those questions caught her off-guard. She'd been expecting them to go on for awhile..
"Uh... Well, I can't answer that first question 'cause I don't know the answer but I'm sorry it caused you problems. You could bring it up with the Guardians..." she suggested, smiling slightly. "And we're Pae'il, just like you are." At least, they appeared to be some type of Pae...
She paused for a second, trying to remember what else the strange naiad had asked.. "Oh! I'm Roslyn. But most everybody calls me Ros for short. And this is Do Your Best. He doesn't appear to be getting any bigger. I think his growth is stunted.. And I have wings 'cause I'm an Angel pae. All land-bound Pae'il have legs and every naiad like you who comes out of the water gets legs, too. Makes moving around easier..." She grinned at him as she said it and demonstrated, moving in a circle.
"As for our leaders... I guess the Guardians would be considered as such. I can bring you to them if you'd like," Ros suggested, adjusting DYB on her hip.
Beltan watched her face for any hint of a lie but found none. This..Aynjel Pai had been oddly helpful and cooperative. Bemused, he looked to his superiors and shrugged.
"I think she can be trusted.."
"Sir.. Sir?" he asked, turning to the group...and promptly realizing they weren't paying the least bit of attention to him. These Aynjel Pai things sure showed up in droves and rather quickly. He hadn't even been aware of all the commotion going on right next to him, involved as he was in questioning..Roslyn, was her name?
Frowning, he half-turned back to her and said, "Excuse me for a moment, miss. I have to go see to my duties. Keep a close eye on that little one; things seem to be getting heated," Beltan added, then jogged -as well as one could who'd had about 15 minutes to get used to walking- over to his superior.
"Captain Turin, Sir, I've been questioning one of the indigenous females and learned what I think are some important facts. Unfortunately, I seem to have been lax in my guardian duties; is this creature and her minions threatening Her Majesty?" he asked, pointing with his spear at the excitable young pae and her mellons.
Roslyn watched all this with a slight frown and one upraised eyebrow. Normally, she was shy and quiet. But it seemed like now was the moment to speak up..
"Excuse me!" she said, moving up behind Beltan, keeping him in between her and who she guessed was his superior. "Please stop. She's just being friendly. Her intentions are good. And, anyway, you're the strangers here..." |
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:02 am
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:10 am
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Nyruna noticed the female's change in demeanor as the other noted her appearance. With a slight shrug, "I suppose it is an appropriate question, though, to be fair, I am quite familiar with this area, it is only this new island that has been dropped upon us that has me a bit confused.
"You dry folks have an oddly assertive curiosity, do you not? We have barely arrived, and yet so many strangers flock to accost those who landed openly upon the beach. And then there's you, laying in hiding. If I were one of the guard, you would have a spear to your belly right now.
"But, if you mean no harm to my Queen or my people, we could, instead, have an informative conversation in which I discover the reason for this great mass of land being hurtled from the sky into our waters, and you find whatever answers you were hoping to discover with your spying."
Nyruna truly hoped that they could have a real talk, after all, exploring was wonderfully delicious, but why waste time re-discovering the known when the answers could be easily gained through conversation. And then she could get back to discovering the unknown. Surely even on land there were places that had not been explored. Nyruna truely didn't understand the court, after all, instead of playing with the mass of indigenous peoples, shouldn't they be asking questions? It had never really occurred to Nyruna that the people here might not speak an understandable language, so her questions were already formed and waiting an individual to ask. She hadn't expected to be able to get to her questions so quickly, knowing the Queen and the Court would be the first to speak to any emissary of this island they might find. This was a rather pleasant development.
Until it occurred to Nyruna that now she would have to be the voice of her people, if not to the whole island, at least to this one female. As much as she hated being at court, she was it's representative and could not afford to cause antagonism between this island and her people, a war would be bad for the Aernyn. Realizing this, she wished she had worded things a bit more diplomatically but hoped the female would not take her curtness amiss.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 9:47 am
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Diana giggled at the Queen's question. "No, I'm not the messenger,Iris. I'm Diana." She then looked around at the others, they obviously still had distrust for her, but she didn't care. Excitement always overrode other thoughts.
"But, even though I'm not Iris, I do have important things for you all to see." She addressed everyone the new naiads, the old ones and anyone else who was around. "Come, come!"
Diana's mellons flew next to her, keeping an eye on the bright pink guy and his spear. They were mellons with out Pae'il to guardian. They were abandoned, lost or injured. Diana helped them all, as was her place and pleasure to do. These mellons would now protect her as she protected them.
The young girl and her mellons led them into the island. They were headed for the heart of the Isle. The lake was their destination.
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:37 pm
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:38 pm
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"I'm Diana," she said. Who in the great blue ocean was Diana? She was acting like they should have known her already. Aeroniel had never heard of this girl, and nothing justified the way she ran at them like some kind of crazed bloodthirsty grey shark. Still, she did seem to have something worth showing them. If anything, she was leading them on a path that would allow them to see what exactly had crushed their homeland.
So, with a sigh and a huff, Aeroniel marched foward, following the strange little girl with odd glass protrusions and a bunch of immature little mellons swimming through the air around her. Whatever she was showing them had better be worth their time and not a trap. The woman's eyes were wide and alert, glancing from left to right to make sure that nothing was going to jump out at them from the green coral or the landweed below their feet.
Everything about this isle felt dry and sticky, and Aeroniel didn't like it. She wanted her ocean back. The advisor glanced wearily at the distant shore before turning back towards the weird thing that was leading them whatever which way. Why did what they need to see be away from the waters she so loved and adored? Aeroniel wanted to be back in the ocean, in their undestroyed castle, or really, anywhere but on top of all this landweed. It wasn't even wet like the seaweed of home.
But yet, at the same time, this land was so interesting. The intellectual in Aeroniel couldn't help sometimes taking longer time in her scanning of the surroundings so she could get to know the surroundings instead. Those strange green and brown growths out of the ground were tall and almost cotton like, and Aeroniel found them most curious. The small animals and ran or swam through the air from tree to tree were of all different shapes and colors, much like the ones from the beautiful ocean except they had feet and fur and feathers. They all even had tails, a feature the Aernyn were so famous for.
Perhaps this place wasn't so different after all. It was a bit like an inverted ocean with some similarities... though she still didn't like it. It was unfamiliar, unknown, and most of all, it was away from Aeroniel's beloved ocean. She turned to her best friend and whispered, with a chuckle, "This place is very interesting, but I do so hope we see our waters soon enough."
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