Feral Heart

Carina, startled by the sudden appearance of Raven, jumped back slightly and cast a watchful gaze over the disrupted town. The master of emotions, she was able to mask her fear well, but if someone noticed the way her eyes were constantly darting all over the place, slightly wider than normal, they would be able to tell that she did, in fact, feel very out of her element within a situation like that. "And what do you propose I use?" the Lady snapped, not paying much mind to whether it was an insult or not. "I've got no knowledge of any weapon but a bow and arrow, and you can't decapitate a creature like these with a bow and arrow. Not to mention I don't even have one on me." With numerous amounts of people flailing around and alerting others to decapitate these creatures only, Carina had picked up on it and wondered, why? but didn't question the instructions like she normally would.

The cleric realised it was truly havoc, and the festival was ruined. But there was little she could do about it, having a very small amount of skills in combat, and knowledge of healing people more than anything else. Sure, healing was an extremely good skill, but not exactly handy at a time like this. Her restless gaze settled on Raven again, but she had little time to say or do anything when she was pushed aside, quite roughly at that. Brows drew downwards in a look of disapproval, and she opened her mouth to demand an apology, when she caught sight of exactly why she had been pushed aside. Her mouth opened but nothing came out as the mage worked her magic (literally), and sent the creature flying backwards without even touching it. It was then that Carina wished she had some sort of ability with a sword, or magic like Raven, but gave herself only a nanosecond to feel sorry for herself before she shoved those unhelpful wants downwards.

"Oh, Raven," Carina said suddenly, brows furrowing as if she was remembering something. "I met a man, he called himself Alistair, and he had these strange inscriptions all over him, they were glowing red. I managed to get a look at his memories, and he's bound by slavery to some woman. He's both human and elf, and he was engaged to a woman who was never born..." Her frown deepened, still truly puzzled over what she had seen. "He told me to meet him twenty miles south-west of Zale tomorrow, I'm guessing to either be told to back off, or know more. There's just something that struck me as very odd about him, especially to do with his history, I thought you might be interested." The cleric had intended to tell Raven from the beginning, as the mage might perhaps enlighten her on the subject, and maybe even accompany her in secret to meet the so-called Alistair.


Noah smirked as Amber followed him out into the chaos, a brow raised at the dagger she drew. "Looks like it," he responded, nodding his head in the general direction of one of the attackers. "Sure you can handle this kind of thing, sweetheart?" It was more of a teasing, rhetorical question, as the mercenary could tell from the woman's all-business stance that she was well-prepared for combat. He was too, rondel blade a reassuring weight in his dominant right hand. The double-edged blade with a thick midrib glinted in the dull light produced by the inn, accentuating the diamond cross-section and the lethal needlepoint of the blade. The fluted ivory handle was cold in his grasp, but slowly warming to the heat of his hand. He felt more controlled and centered with his weapon in hand, having been with it for most of his life... a gift from his deceased fiance. It was almost as if it was apart of him, much more attached to it than he could be any person or animal. He treated it with the utmost care, and in return it got him out of some very tricky situations.

The mercenary had the intentions of slipping further into the chaos to do his bit for Zale when a man suddenly approached, a man who looked considerably less freaked out than the rest of the town. Pausing mid-step, Noah frowned and watched the stranger as he drew nearer to himself and Amber, and then spoke to one of the creatures not far off from them in a rather condescending manner. Noah felt no sympathy for the creature being spoken sternly to, but he didn't like the look of the male either. What he ordered the creature to do, it was almost as if he was in control, conducting the whole thing. There was barely any time before the creature rose and raced towards the pair, but it was enough time for him to yell back at Amber, "decapitate the creature! I'll go for the guy." It was safer that way, Amber had a whole life to loose, Noah only had minutes of his seemingly endless one. All Amber had to do was decapitate the monster, but it looked like he had to fight the bad guy.

"Hey, you!" he called to the silvery-haired male, skirting around the scene with Amber and the creature slightly to better face him. The mercenary put on a flirtatious grin, the same one he had given Amber, as his blue-grey irises gave him the once-over. "Has anyone told you that you're quite an attractive man? You and I should have a drink together sometime, you have cheeks that I would love to put a blush on." And this was how Noah dealt with most appealing people whom he would wind up killing at one point or another. It was shameless flirting and he really couldn't care less, it was sort of how he got his kicks in life, and occasionally his fun nights at an inn, whether that be upstairs or downstairs.

((Pretty short for both of those posts, but I plan for Noah's at least to be longer next time round!))

((I'm so sorry this took me so long. I was away from home for two nights, so I didn't post, and then when I got home at the end of the second day I hadn't slept at all the night before (managed to squeeze in a few hours between 7am and 12pm), so I was far to tired to to much >.> However, I'm back!))

Carina was in awe throughout the whole of Raven's performance. From the time the first coloured orb of light appeared, bouncing with energy like an excited puppy around the mage, to the closing of the spectacle that ended in a brilliant flash of black and red, and the return of two coloured globes. The cleric found herself clapping wildly along with the rest of the audience, astounded at the performance they had just been treated to. She would have to tell the King about this, it had certainly been a sight to see and had grabbed the attention of most of the festival-goers. If her father ever decided to do this again, she would have to find Raven and ask her to come and perform again. The entertainment she had held for them all was a wonder to behold, and Carina wasn't ever easily impressed.

When it was all over and only two of the coloured orbs remained, the cleric began to make her way out of the crowd to stand at the edge of it, analysing the area to figure out where she should head to next. She would begin to make her way to the meeting spot where Alistair was located, but she did intend on telling Raven about him first. There was something incredibly odd about him, and the mage struck her as someone to be good with "odd". With her hands clasped behind her back, she began to move easily through the groups of people, and ended up in the midst of the chaos struck.

Horrified screams overrode the previously merry noises of the festival when the performers all around Carina began to change before her very eyes. Her jaw fell agape and panic surged through her veins as she began to spin around and get a view from all directions, but the sight never changed no matter which way she turned. "What the..." Carina wasn't able to finish her sentence, for situations only got a whole lot worse. They began to use their weapons against the people of Zale, putting them all further under terror. Immediately, the Lady's cleric instincts kicked in, and she began to look around wildly for anyone that was injured. Although she didn't have many supplies on her, Carina did keep a few herbs in her money pouch that would be of use for a short amount of time. Did she stay and help? Or did she go and alert the King right away?

((I apologise for the shortness of that, but I need to get a post up before I loose where I am in the RP >.> Next will be longer.))


"A break from your work?" Noah repeated questioningly, but didn't press Amber much further. He had to wonder what assassin's did for a break when they weren't running around killing people. "Oh, and I'm Noah. Noah Kinski," he added with a flirtatious grin. So far he liked Amber, and she hadn't yet scared him off like she did the other man, so that was a good sign. In the silence he took to looking out the closest window of the inn, and found himself watching the performance a mage was giving upon the stage from his seat. There were flashes of colour all over the place, and a mountain lion-like shape battling against some equine-like figure. It was certainly a sight to see, Noah half-wished that he was out there so he could watch.

Absently drinking from his tankard, he had to quickly return his attention to Amber when she spoke again. "I'm here to attend the festival, really. I'm in between duties right now, and free time is always nice. Even better when you have someone to spend it with." Another grin was flashed in the assassin's direction, he was shamelessly flirting and saw no reason to stop unless Amber told him too. She didn't yet seem terribly irritated, and he was being a bit nicer about it than the previous man had. That, and he didn't look like he was drunk.

Raising is tankard to his mouth again, Noah intended to take another swig when screams and yells from outside caught his attention. Lifting his feet off the floor with admirable swiftness that made his chair shoot forward onto all-four legs again, the mercenary sat bolt-upright in his seat and directed his gaze out the window again, this time seeing a completely different scene to the one he had viewed before. People were fleeing for their lives, scrambling around the clearing the festival was held in like panicked sheep being chased by a farmer's dog. Noah quickly rose from his feet to get a better look, and finally found the source of the trepidation. Noah swore harshly under his breath and moved away from his table, ready to plunge into the action and get rid of the fast-appearing attackers. "Coming to help?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Amber. The flirting and pleasantries would have to wait until later, there was business to attend to now.

Leaving with or without Amber, Noah exited the inn at a jog and halted at the edge of the utter chaos, drawing his knife from its hilt with ease. Gripping it tightly in his right hand, he drew a breath and prepared to head in and fight when someone approached him, grasping his shoulder to get his attention. "Don't cut the bodies," he gasped, red-faced and appearing to be very out of breath. "Go for the necks, decapitate them or something. Just don't cut the bodies." Noah opened his mouth to question why the hell he couldn't cut the bodies when the man ran off again, travelling at a sprint for a man not far off who was brandishing a sword. Shaking his head, the mercenary took another deep breath and, with his knife in hand, eased himself into the disorganisation and fear to strike back on behalf of Zale. He had the upper hand, he couldn't die here... not unless someone tried incredibly hard, and was incredibly smart.

((Again, I apologise for the delay and quality of my posts. Next post will be much better, I can assure you.))

When the stranger first showed signs of being irritated, Carina's gaze hardened as a reminder of just who this guy was getting irritated with. Even though the cleric was adopted into the royal family, she still demanded a certain level of respect just like her father did, and just like what she earned in her home kingdom too. The male didn't seem content with being stopped like that, but Carina found it hard to tell whether it was because he had better things to do than stand around and chat, or because she had asked for a name. When it was finally given, the Lady felt her brow furrow slightly. She knew that she wasn't acquainted with every single inhabitant in the kingdom, but with a past as interesting as his was, she felt like she ought to have heard of him somewhere. Even when she wracked her mind for any inkling that she might have heard of him somewhere, she drew a blank. How odd, she thought, but kept her inner thoughts to herself.

Yanked back to the here-and-now when the Alistair fellow began to speak again, Carina narrowed her dark eyes at his words. She could ask questions if she damn-well pleased, especially if he seemed to be a servant to whatever higher mistress he knew, and could be working for a force that looked to harm Lynthia in some way. She opened her mouth to say so, when he cut her off with instructions of his own. Meeting in the Forest for a start sounded iffy, even more so when he asked her to come alone. Carina was confident that she could protect herself to some extent, but if Alistair planned on attempting anything funny, she was aware that she could potentially get very hurt. She had no reason to trust him, like he had no reason to trust her. That didn't exactly scream "this is a good idea!"

Despite all this, Carina felt herself open her mouth and respond with a sharp "fine". The cleric couldn't help herself, now that she had gotten a glimpse of the strange elf-man's past she was hungry for the knowledge of what had actually happened, and who this Alistair really was, because the Lady was partially convinced that there was a lot more to the name than just "Alistair." Before she could warn him about keeping his hands and his weapons to himself, the male had already started his journey into the Forest. Running a hand through her auburn hair and giving a sigh, the Lady just assumed that she would have to trust her senses and risk going to meet him tomorrow to find out what was going on.

Carina was quickly drawn from one situation to the next when the sound of an announcers voice met her ears. Spinning around smartly on her heel and looking towards the North, the cleric realised that Raven's act was about to start. Determined to not miss a moment, she hitched up her dress skirts for the second time that night and began a steady run over to the entertainment sight, shouldering through the decent crowd that had already gathered to settle in the second row. She was tall enough to see all of the performance area and Raven herself, though she wasn't particularly happy about being pressed close to another woman and a pre-adolescent child on the other.

She made it in time to hear the announcer's final words, and join in with the applause from the rest of the audience as Raven stepped out onto the stage. The mage was dressed beautifully, the black floral pattern that decorated the robe striking against the dark indigo behind it, and Carina had to commend her on her choice of clothing for the occasion. The anticipation from the crowd with the announcers words in mind and finally being able to see their entertainer for the night was contagious, and Carina too found herself waiting with a mix of nervousness and excitement for what was to follow.


Noah's attention was momentarily drawn from the attractive young lady beside him to the front of the inn, where he caught sight of what looked like to be a particularly well-dressed mage heading out into the festival. The mercenary gave her a once-over with his bright eyes and then quirked an eyebrow, silently asking, yes? Can I help you?Figuring that the gesture went either unnoticed or unregistered completely as the magic-user soon moved off, he returned his gaze back to the woman who had introduced herself in the mean time.

"Amber? Gorgeous name. Tell me Amber, what's an assassin-like woman like yourself doing at a festival in Zale?" Though his assumptions about her job could be wrong, Noah had been able to deduce quite quickly that Amber had a job that fell something along the lines of assassin or adventurer, which was easy to tell by how close she seemed to be to her chosen weapon, and her frame and figure in general. The blue-eyed male may have thought of mercenary or bounty hunter too, but they tended to have a little more visible muscle to them that Amber didn't quite have. So he went with assassin, which made him wonder how many lives she had taken if she really was one. Perhaps he would ask this attractive young assassin to join in the festivities with him and perhaps get some of that delectable food that was still tempting his nostrils and his stomach, and although he was eager he wasn't quite that hasty.

((Edits are going to be made to Noah's application within the next day or so, hopefully. And an added history should be up soon.))

It looked like that Raven had not set up for her performance, which was fair enough considering it wasn't yet dark, and so Carina veered away from the sight to head east, there was nothing of particular interest there that was visible to the naked eye, but the cleric had no doubt something would occupy her time for a while longer as she waited for the mage to prepare for her display. Although Carina's head was raised and held high in a dignified manner, she hadn't exactly been watching where she was going, and so she didn't see the man rushing towards her at high-speed, and definitely did not expect him to smack his head right into hers.

Carina gave a small cry of pain, reeling backwards and away from whoever had just rammed right into her, when her pain rapidly dissipated into a memory flash. It was only short as the contact between herself and the stranger was immediately broken, but a flash nonetheless. In her mind she saw a man who was born of both human and elf descent, and a family held captive by a strange woman Carina had never seen before, later in life a bond was created between himself and the woman that made him her servant. The flashes were running at such high speed Carina could barely keep up with them, she must have smacked her head hard for there were many more images than she had expected. But of course, her ability was unpredictable, sometimes she would get mountains of memories, other times only mere scraps. Sometimes she would experience the memories for herself, and sometimes she would just watch. This time it seemed to be a mixture of the latter of both, a lot of memories but no experience.

The memories halted after brief images of magic inscriptions and a wedding that never happened, a lady he fell for that was never born. When it was over, Carina gasped and doubled over, a hand placed over her chest as if to slow her breathing. When the cleric finally looked up again, the man was looking at her as if he was just figuring out who she was. When his head lowered in respect and he forced out an apology, Carina could only shake her head and reach out a hand to grasp his wrist, as if to stop him from leaving. She opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again, releasing the grip she had on his wrist, but not shifting her gaze from him.

"Who are you?" the Lady demanded, straightening up to hold her head high in the same proud manner again. Her head was still spinning with the aftermath of the memory filing, but she otherwise looked like nothing was wrong with her. Inwardly, though, she was thinking this really wasn't her night. First, she comes across a mage with a rather puzzling past, and then won't elaborate on it, and only after leaving that would she knock heads with a man who appeared to be not quite what he seemed to be. See, this was why she stayed away from things like this! She would have to mention it to King Jair, and blatantly refuse to keep an eye on a project of his next time, she did not want history repeating itself.

((I hope you don't mind what happened there, JD. Also, if you want me to correct or alter anything, let me know!))


While Noah waited for his presence to become known to the pretty lady sitting next to him, he took a swig of ale from his tankard and observed what the rest of the inn was up to. The bartender was working off his feet at the rate he was dashing around the wooden counter, abiding by request upon request for a drink. In the corner of a bar, there was a group of less-than-wealthy-looking men cheering and spitting half-hearted insults and jeers at one another, swinging their own drinks around so much it sloshed over the rims of their tankards and dampened everything from their own pants to the floor of the inn below. Traffic constantly occupied the stairs leading up to the rooms of the inn, and down again to the bar, a range of different males and females lugging stuff up to their temporary bedrooms and others coming down to see what the festive activities were really like. Sitting at various tables were loners like himself and Amber, couples, groups, colleagues and family. A small group of children played with something wooden in the corner of the inn, while their parents kept an eye on them while they tried to finish their own drinks and keep the flow of the conversation up. A couple or two were looking far too close to be acceptable in public, and Noah himself at least had the decency to get a room when he was in such a mood.

It wasn't long before Amber finally noticed him and spoke, her toothy grin earning a flirtatious one in return from Noah's mouth. "I'm looking at what every man in this room would be looking at if they had the sense," Noah replied smoothly, raising his tankard to his lips to take another sip, one eye still trained on the lady beside him. He wasn't as blatantly obvious about being attracted to Amber as the previous man had been, but he did make it clear enough that he would happily take her tonight, whether that be back to his room, or to the festival outside...

"What's your name?" the mercenary asked casually, setting his drink down so he could link his fingers behind his head and reline backwards the tiniest bit more, giving anyone who cared to look a pleasant view of the muscled chest and torso he sported.

((And apologies for the shortness of that, still learning about Noah as a character myself but hopefully I'll get into the rhythm soon.))

((Oh my god, I lost my whole post because FH logged me out >.< Sorry this is taking so long, I'm gonna have to re-type it.))