~|The Darkness Rises|~ (Rise of the Guardians RP)

[~NeonTanzy~]

((Sorry for general shortness and rushness- I've been quite busy today!))

Bozo had scrunched up his face dramatically during the entire process, somehow believing that Joshua would do something to hurt him even as the pain receded. He didn't trust the boy and only held out his arm willingly so Ignis wouldn't get angry, so was rightfully wary of what would happen next. When he next looked at his arm, he gasped and retracted it, eyeing up the faded scars in awe. He'd always thought healing was a next to useless power as it didn't help you in combat, and Ignis' motto before a fight was simply: don't get hurt. He nearly always abided by that, only gaining minor cuts and bruises so saw no reason to get hurt if you were good at fighting; plus he'd never seen his friend ever get hurt. Still, he glanced back at Ignis to see her thoughts, to see whether she approved. The demon girl had an eerie grin creeping on her face, eyes flickering between the healed limb and its curer.

"That was cool, I'll admit," she said, eyes scanning Joshua once more. "You okay there, buddy?"

***

Spike followed the creature down the palace, watching the buzz of similar beings as she flew past. She found it mesmerizing, just seeing so many of them looking so happy and energetic so was a little sad when she was brought to a very different setting, one with a more still, peaceful feeling. She glanced suspiciously at the being before deciding to look around the new area. She definitely didn't like it as much as the others, though it was still beautiful. She then looked back at the little creature who had brought her there and frowned when she pulled something, totally unprepared for what happened next. The space around her glowed, illusions flashing by her. The feral girl gasped in fear, stumbling backwards to get away. A dog rushed past the two immortals, making the child throw herself onto the floor, cowering in fear. She's met a dog when she was mortal and thought it to be a friend but was proved wrong when she it attacked her for a scrap of meat, latching its jaws on her leg. The memory was horrific, the child still partially traumatised and she found herself bursting into fearful sobs as she lay on the cold, hard floor.

***

Sorrow hummed in agreement, not even bothering to try to return her smile. He had no clue as to why Nera was so happy, not when there was the possibility of them dying from the wrath of a dragon. He just prayed that his companion could surpass the owner if it turned out to be a foe otherwise they would be turned to ash before the sun had set. Even so, he supposed he hadn't had the opportunity to truly test his abilities so decided that they should find this dragon as soon as possible to prolong the waiting. "Alright, um, where do we start? Where do we go?"

((Happy Halloween, everyone! ))

[pugshark99]

Joshua tilted his head side to side, cracking it three consecutive times and then lifted his eyes to view Bozo examining his repaired arm. Pulling a small smile, he nodded in acknowledgment to his work and sighed. He did know that most people looked down on the power of healing. Sure, it isn't the most powerful or amazing abilities you can have, but it can be very useful. You last much longer in battle, if you must fight that is, when you can heal yourself. Glancing back up at Ignis' wide grin, he chuckled softly and smiled. "Thank you, thank you," he answered with a mock bow. "Just sometimes drains you for a moment or two. Depends on how bad the injuries are."

(Happy Halloween!!!)

[SmaugTheGolden]

"Let's just wander around, we may find it, we may not, it doesn't matter that much to me," Nera answered walking off to her right and further into the forest, humming a happy tune to herself as she looked around for any possible sign of a dragon or at least a cave or somewhere for it to live.

>>> Happy Halloween! to all

[XxPhantomCryxX]

(Lol Halloween's already past for me ) Baby Tooth

I gasp as Spike throws herself on the floor, and I run over to her to find the girl sobbing. I lay a tiny hand on her shoulder, and walk over to the dog, passing my hand through it, showing it wasn't real.

[SmaugTheGolden]

>>> Yeah, but may as well say it <3

[~NeonTanzy~]

Ignis let out a small chuckle, unable to retain the amusement not just at Joshua but also with him, finding the boy very interesting. She couldn't help but wonder what his story was, what had made him become an immortal. The elder girl had been extremely lucky seeing a number of immortals turn from human to immortal and wished she'd seen his. Sure, not much could beat Bozo's past in terms of cruelty and hurt, but as far as she could tell he must've had a fairly interesting past to relapse into a particular memory. The more she thought about it the more she became curious about him. His powers proved to be useful, no matter how weak the boy appeared and she was sure that skill of healing would be needed on Pitch's side. Although she was experienced and had never gotten hurt herself, she knew there would be a few people that were inexperienced enough to get injured. Yes, healing was critical in order to succeed. No doubt the Guardians would find out soon enough about Pitch's plans- that idiot Pitch could never keep his mouth shut- and they most likely had more allies than Pitch did. That meant that some people on Pitch's side would have to fight more than one opponent, the possibilities of casualties would increase. Queenie was good at healing, bordering on excellence with her concoctions, but she couldn't heal in emergencies at will. Her potions took time and Ignis knew that that could cost them dearly if someone was at death's door. Joshua, however, had a gift, a gift that needed to be utilized. No doubt if it came down to choice he'd choose the Guardians so the demon girl needed to think of a way to get him over to their side.

"Yeah, that comes with some powers apparently. I know a couple of people who have the same problem," she commented airily. Something then caught her eye and she suddenly noticed Bozo's existence, starting a little. She raised an eyebrow and just looked at him.

"What?" he snapped.

Ignis then ignored him. "Joshua," she said, testing out his full name on her tongue. "Do you know anything about the battle last year?"

"Ignis- no, you're not- you can't just...!" sputtered Bozo, panic rising the pitch of his now flustered voice.

"The one with Pitch and the Guardians?" the other immortal pressed, eyes ready to analyse Joshua's reaction.

***

Sorrow exhaled heavily and shrugged. "Fair enough. Why not?" he muttered under his breath before following his companion further into the forest where it looked more dense and gloomy. As Nera hummed happily to herself Sorrow kicked pebbles on the ground moodily, shoving his hands deep into the pockets in his worn jeans. He attempted a couple of times to strike up conversation but the words died in his throat, feeling too awkward to share his opinions. He didn't want Nera to-

Crack!

Sorrow gasped, a jolt of pain striking his head almost like he'd been punched with a fist of iron. He stopped moving and clutched his pain filled head which was now ringing. He now began to feel every punch, every kick that he'd previously endured earlier that day. There was a flash of red and a deformed face screaming at him for answers as he shook.

"Bozo, help him loosen up."

He cried out at the voice, the memory of his beating surfacing dramatically. It all played out at once, not giving the boy a chance to take it in coherently. He was vaguely aware of calling for Nera as his knees sunk into the dirt.

***

Spike flinched at the touch, peeking out through her hands as the tiny being revealed the dog to not be real. The feral child gasped, now thinking that the creature had played a very cruel trick on her. She sniffed miserably, rubbing her eyes as she hiccuped. She decided she didn't like the little immortal with the feather and snarled viciously, bearing her set of tiny sharp teeth in aggression.

[XxPhantomCryxX]

Baby Tooth

I shake my hands wildly, trying to say it wasn't a trick. I pointed to the picture of the girl's face and then to my head, saying it was in her memory.

[pugshark99]

Joshua came to the realization that it seemed as if Ignis was studying him quite carefully. There was a distant wondering of what she could be thinking, but he deemed it unwise to ask at the moment. Perhaps it would have an answer he did not want to know anyway. Arching an eyebrow and narrowing his eyes very slightly in thought, he considered the question while observing Bozo's reaction to her words. "Well," he began, sighing softly, "I did not take part in it, if that's what you're wondering,' he replied. "I stuck... mainly to my own company during that time, away from all the mayhem. So I never really took a side, so to say, in the matter, if that's also what you're getting around." Josh didn't seem too uncomfortable with the topic, but did slow down during the second part of his reply, as if thinking something over. Giving Bozo a glance, he took in his panicked state and tilted his head to the side. "What's upsetting you?" He asked curiously, before returing his attention to Ignis. "Why would you ask what I know about this? Was the event of a lot of importance to you?"

[SmaugTheGolden]

>>> Wait what happened to Sorrow?

[~NeonTanzy~]

((He's basically having violent flashbacks of the encounter with Ignis and Bozo. Sorry if that wasn't clear enough.))

Spike rubbed her red-rimmed eyes and stopped growling, momentarily stunned. She took a second to process what she was told but then realised the message the little creature had attempted to convey, looking at the dog in a new light. So it was a memory, nothing more than a thought; it couldn't hurt her. The little girl furrowed her brow in confusion, not quite grasping the idea of something being there and also not. Hesitantly, she edged closer to the dog, staring intensely at its form. Despite what the being had told her she raised her hand as if to touch it, her eyes asking the winged hybrid if it was safe.

***

"I'm just curious, that's all," Ignis lied casually, keeping her expression cool though a little bewildered. "I'm not a spy or anything so don't freak out, Joshy. It was just conversation."

"That's not what it sounded like."

The elder girl resisted the urge to burn her friend alive and turned to him with a questioning look upon her face. "It's exactly what it sounded like, Bozo."

It appeared that the younger immortal had only just got the message. "Oh... Yeah, just, ah, conversing."

Ignis breathed out heavily, knowing that was probably the worst lie ever uttered by anyone. When they'd done talking to Joshua she was going to sort her friend out somehow without ripping his deformed head off. "Quick question, Joshy... Did you believe any of that?" she asked dejectedly, seeing no point treating him like a complete fool.

((I really don't do Mondays. I can't write well on Mondays. This post was bad because of Mondays. Bad Mondays... ))