1x1 ｗｉｔｈ Ｗｉｎｄｆａｒｍｅｒ

[fletch]

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{ gender; male | age; twenty-four | sexuality; heterosexual | location; barrowfields }

As of late, Flick had been getting pretty awful sleeps. First, the sleep deprivation he'd had following after the adventures since Bargate. He'd actually not even gotten a wink of sleep after that, considering what had occurred to him and Tatiana. After that, sleep had been a little hard to come by naturally. The only 'peaceable' sleep that Flick could think back to was probably the night he'd returned back to the group though it had been shortlived, as the Balverine had quickly woken him up and therefore cutting his peaceful night a little short. As of now, Flick was actually in a rather deep sleep as though his body was quickly recovering for the times that he'd gotten a poor sleep. He remembered very little of the previous situation. There had been the arrow; the assassins, and then some sort of nauseating pain and then he'd been out. Flick had just slightly recalled the feeling of someone possibly touching his neck, but that had been the only thing and perhaps it had just been his fevered consciousness that had led him to believe so. At some part during what had to be night, Flick was aware that he'd been moved from the harsh ground where he'd been lying before to something a little softer, giving him space between his back and the ground. His head was slightly elevated, thus leading him to believe this was a bedroll of sorts. Flick awoke rather early to an odd pressure upon his hand. Yet, figuring this was nothing, Flick quickly glanced to his right. It was dark, and yet he could see no sky...thus, this led him to presume that he was in an enclosed area of sorts. Carefully, Flick let out a soft huff and attempted slowly to sit up. In response, a dull ache ran along the spot just below his ribcage and Flick was forced to lean back again. His pain tolerance wasn't terrible; this really hurt, though, so presumably the arrow had done some damage. But he was alive. And he...wasn't where he was before. Flick's mind felt so fuzzy that he really could not recall much beyond the partially failed shield spell, the arrow, and that was it.

The pressure in his hand was still there. Flick experimentally opened his fingers on that hand and closed them, startling to find that they closed over someone else's. Someone was holding his hand, much to Flick's surprise. He glanced in the direction of the person gripping his hand in shock to find the red hair and similar features of Alphaess. In the dark, he could not tell whether her eyes were closed or open and therefore it was quite a bit of a surprise to see this. His eyes flitted over her form for a few moments, unsure of how exactly he should react. Considering what had occurred before, perhaps it had been Alphaess who had removed the arrow? Flick couldn't feel anything embedded in his skin under his ribs and therefore, it was assumed that it must've been taken out. It still hurt but presumably a lot less than it would if the arrow was still there. Flick used his free hand to quickly run across the ripped part of his shirt where the arrow had struck. His luck really must be wearing out. This time it had been awfully close. It wasn't one of those 'near death' situations but rather this time, he had literally been shot with an arrow. In the stomach. How many people actually survived that? The arrow must've been a lucky hit--missing his ribcage and narrowly avoiding cracking any ribs, as well as avoiding the lungs and any lower organs that could've been hit. It was extremely lucky; almost too lucky. Perhaps if the arrow had been driven deeper it would've been worse, but he'd gotten lucky. Yet again...

With hazy thoughts, Flick was still confused as to why he'd been shot in the first place. Then he recalled; he'd stepped in front of Alphaess. That was such a strange thought...why? The previous day's events were now coming back. The bandits. Darkwood. The rune. Then, with Alphaess...oh. So maybe that was why he had done it. Still kinda hurt though. As embarrassing as it was to admit, Flick kind of liked the feeling of Alphaess holding his hand, even if she might not currently be aware that she was doing it. It was...kind of sweet, in a way, but seeing as he definitely could not try to not take advantage of this situation, Flick made a quick ploy up in his head. He sat up to the best of his ability (even though it caused him a little amount of grief) and cleared his throat, as to try to wake Alphaess if she wasn't already so. Then, feigning confusion, Flick slipped his hand free of her grasp and leaned away from her as though he was thoroughly confused as to why she was here and who she was. "Wh--where am I?" The question was actually legitimate, because Flick had no idea where they were currently. But he added on to the affect by staring up at Alphaess with a completely flummoxed look in his green eyes, adding: "Who are you?" Bracing his hands down by his sides, Flick glanced about at the surrounding tent as though he was scared and confused...and then he gave a weak grin and looked back at Alphaess.

Slowly sliding back down onto his back, Flick lifted his arms lazily and folded them behind his head in an innocent gesture. "Hey Red." By assumption, this 'place' he was in looked to be a tent of sorts. "Uh...so, my stomach hurts. That's new." He set his jaw, looking a little miffed and confused for the moment. Apparently he was currently holding none of the day's previous awkwardness, as though he'd completely forgotten they'd been having that weird 'ignore me, I ignore you' type of standoff. Obviously oblivious to that, Flick slowly sat up, crossing his right arm over the spot just below his rib cage with a slightly pained expression which quickly faded as soon as he'd sat up and replaced it with a grin. "Why am I the one that keeps getting the blunt of things? I hope this doesn't become a thing." Then, sheepishly, Flick opened and closed the hand that Alphaess had been holding prior. "Well...the arrow shooting part." Then the expression faded and Flick touched a hand over the wound yet again. Still hurt, as much as he tried to put the facade on that it didn't. Luckily Wolfkiller was still at his side, it having been sheathed upon his little 'incident'. Incident? Well, it was more like...on purpose accident that he hadn't entirely intended to happen but sort of did. It was...confusing.

As to where Mordecai and Blaire had gone, Flick was clueless. He crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders slightly, though the wound seemed less like a biting pain and more like a dull, throbbing ache. Honestly, Flick had probably never had a wound as bad as this before. The wound that Hawkin had caused on his right forearm was particularly bad, but it had not been so close as to cause him to faint or nearly cost him his life. Maybe this would scar, or maybe not. That would be two scars in a matter of a short month. If things kept up like this, Flick really could go by the whole 'scarred Hero' thing, but he'd...prefer not to. Scars were cool in a small amount but anything on the face or a multitude on the arms was a bit much for Flick's liking. On others, it looked cool. On him...far too intimidating. That probably meant that Flick had to be a little more careful...jumping in front of a volley arrows was not being careful. Looking to Alphaess once more, Flick inquired: "Uh, care to explain how I got here and...what the hell happened? And, uhm...I didn't like, talk in my sleep or anything, did I?" He sounded a little edgy when he questioned this. Flick had a tendency to talk in his sleep if he was stressed or thinking too hard over a subject. Sometimes when he spoke in his sleep, it would be personal stuff or he'd accidentally reveal things he didn't mean to.

[alphanea]

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ Ｔｈｅ Ａｌｐｈａｅｓｓ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦
The Beast known as the Heroine
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【gender female - age twenty four - sexuality heterosexual - with flick, erin 】

❧ Thanks to Erin, Alphaess had managed to get some clean bandages on Flick, and slightly cleaned his wounds with the best she could when it was near midnight. While all this happened, Flick continued to... well, sleep. He wasn't waking up anytime soon. But, at least, he was alive. The arrow was out and his bleeding had stopped. So, it was good for now. She hoped. Oh, Flick. Idiot. Why did he even done that? She could have taken the arrows. That is the main reason of wearing that damn armor. Well, even if she couldn't, a few arrows surely wouldn't kill her. She had been shot with an arrow earlier. It had been on the shoulder, and one on her back, but still, she lived. But he... why did he do that? Debating those thoughts and the effect of the clear exhaustion, Alphaess was feeling... sleepy. She was still in the tent with Flick, sitting on his left, close. Thankfully, due to the time of the day, Erin had left her alone, and she was pretty sure the other two were resting at those nearby tents. She wasn't going to leave Flick... not just yet. Her right hand was softly holding Flick's hand inside of hers, in an attempt to calm herself. This was... strange. She wasn't quite sure why she wanted to do it but... She pulled her knees up to her chest and placed her free hand over them, than resting her head above them. Sure, this was a strange position to sleep, but, Alphaess didn't minded it, or the backache she might have in the morning. Her golden eyes were on Flick. He was asleep. He was going to be alright, he'll be as good as before and continue doing his stupid puns and stuff. Yeah... he'll be fine. Than, the Heroine's golden eyes slowly closed as her head fell slightly forwards, the short red hair falling over her eyes, and drifted into sleep.

❧ Surprisingly, Alphaess's sleep was undisturbed, even though she had stayed tense for reasons. She haven't moved from her position during her sleep, not even the slightest bit. Ah, well, for once in a while, at least she was sleeping at somewhere sleep with no chance of bandits attacking, guards chasing or assassins trapping them. And, it was sort of nice that to see Erin too, though, she was unable to talk to her or do anything. She was too worried for Flick... maybe worried wasn't the correct choice of word here. More like... feeling uneasy about the fact that he had gotten wounded... trying to help her. That was strange. Alphaess's slumber ended with something... someone clearing their throat. A slight groan escaped Alphaess's lips as she opened her golden eyes and blinked them a few times. Where was... right. The tent. Barrow Fields. She was in Barrow Fields. Moving her free hand up to rub her eyes, than push back her hair. Than, Alphaess leaned back and looked to the right... Flick was awake! Without realizing, seeing him awake caused the corners of her lips curled into the slightest of a smile as her gaze rested on him. It was probably very early in the morning, at least something alike as Alphaess had guessed, though there was no way to see outside with the tent blacking the way. The place was quite dark anyway. But, well, something was wrong. She could read it from the confused look on his face. And, he pulled back his hand and leaned away from her, staring up at her with sheer confusion. "Wh-what? Flick, what the heck are you saying?" Equally flummoxed, Alphaess stared back at him. Who was she...?

❧ Hell, no, this couldn't be happening. He just couldn't... Upon his words, she felt something in her chest, hurt by the question. Her face, for like the first time, had worry and confusion. No. He couldn't suffer an amnesia. That was not possible. But, as the second Flick had offered a weak grin at her, she got what he was up to... a ploy. Damn... And she had bought it so easily. Narrowing her eyes in a miffed way, Alphaess gave a snort when he referred to her with his nickname, clearly not enjoying being tricked. She slowly lowered her knees from her chest, now having them lying before her and her hands resting on her sides with her back straightened. "And you're an idiot..." Alphaess added with tune clearly not pleased nor impressed by his little trick on her, raising her hand up lazily to brush the fronts of her red hair. Than, like she had forgotten to add something, she paused for a second and looked back down at Flick, than continued with faking an excited tune: "...Oh, wait, that isn't new." Idiot. Why did he had to do those... things. Like stepping in front of arrows and all...

❧ Though, from what it seemed, Flick had dropped the whole... awkward 'not talking to each other' thing. Perhaps he had forgotten... the whole thing? Oh... Alphaess wasn't quite sure if she should be sad about Flick not remembering, or happy because she wouldn't have to worry about it. It felt strange, but, well, she wasn't going to remind it. Giving another snort, Alphaess glared down at Flick silently. Her expression was mostly hidden by irritation and the slightest bit of anger. "Thought you liked playing the patient." Alphaess said, not realizing that this could... remind him of a scene. Than, a devilish expression crossed her face, as she had remembered something. Quickly, she reached down to her side pick something. Something was inside of her palm as she moved it forwards and placed it gently above Flick's chest. It was the arrowhead she had removed from Flick's flesh. She had kept it... so she could show it to him, just for the propose of showing what she had done later. The small, broken tip of the arrow was slightly painted into a dark color with blood. Flick's own blood. Flashing a grin to Flick, she withdrew her hand and placed it on her side. "So, I've kinda had to remove that whole thing out of your body... from the stomach. You better keep it as a memorial, so you could remember the day you have gotten impaled due to your clever plan." Alphaess gave a slight chuckle for this, she was clearly messing with him right now. Than, she leaned backwards with a confident look, using her arms to carry her weight. "You kinda owe me a new pair of gauntlets." She murmured, raising one hand up to show her blood-soaked gauntlet. Eh, she normally wouldn't mind it, but, since it was Flick's it was kinda weird...

❧ Alphaess wasn't quite sure if she should... answer his question about how he came here, but... well. It was rather embarrassing, and the others would probably tell him that? Still, it was awkward and embarrassing. Giving a deep sigh, she decided to speak up:"And how yo--" And she would explain, if someone haven't entered the tent before she could. The faint sunlight also entered the small tent upon the person had pushed the flaps of the tent open. The small figure was the bubbly blonde haired girl, Erin. Upon entering, she had realized that rushing in wasn't a good idea and looked up at Alphaess with an apologetic look. "Oh! I'm sorry, I just brought... ugh, this. I'm really sorry." Than, she raised the thing she was holding in her hands. It was a plain white shirt, a replacement for Flick's ragged one. Quickly, Erin had set the shirt down next to Flick. "It's fine, Erin." Alphaess replied in a calm manner, which caused the girl to regain her smile. "Is there anything else I could do for you?" Erin asked, looking up at Alphaess than down at Flick. Alphaess shook her head and offered a polite smile. That was strange for Alphaess, but whenever she was around Erin she... changed. For the better.

❧ "By the way, it's great to see you again! Are you back from a heroic mission? You were so cool, carrying your friend and all that... I always knew you were strong!" Erin laughed in a pleasant way. Alphaess tensed slightly when she mentioned the whole carrying part. "Oh, well, right. Missions, important missions... Erin could you... check if my chest still has any... healing potions?" Quickly, Alphaess pulled out a large black key from her pouch and handed it over to the girl, which accepted it without hesitation and nodded. Than, she quickly turned back and headed outside with a rush. Alphaess shrugged slightly, looking after Erin as she ran out. With a loud sigh and shaking her head, she turned her head back to Flick. Well, she wasn't... really sure what to say about the carrying thing. She hoped that that wouldn't be heard by him but...

[fletch]

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{ gender; male | age; twenty-four | sexuality; heterosexual | location; barrowfields }

Flick rolled his eyes at Alphaess's comment about playing the patient. "Yeah, sure." He let out a soft huff. "I just lo-o-o-ve getting shot with arrows." But he glanced over as soon as Alphaess seemed to be scrounging about for something and, intrigued, Flick watched as she held it over his chest and he looked at it without quite knowing what it was. Though when Flick looked, he could see the sharp stone tip and the edge doused in a dark red colour...blood. Or, more specifically, his blood. Flick made a face of disgust as she set the arrowhead to her side and Flick made a face at the sight of the bloodied thing. Blood had never bothered him but it was different when it was his. "Ew..." But when Alphaess explained, it made the situation a whole lot worse. That thing had actually been...inside of him. How disgusting was that? Flick made a last face at the arrowhead and turned back to scoot slightly up and investigate the bandaged wound. Though, his attention snapped back to Alphaess once she mentioned her gauntlets. They, like the arrowhead, were a mess of the dark substance. Flick wasn't sure whether he should be surprised that she'd...done what she had, or just outright grossed out.

But finally when Alphaess seemed to be asking something, she was interrupted by someone pulling back the flap to the tent and entering. It was a small person and though Flick did not know many children, he recalled this particular person. It was Erin, or 'Beta' as she'd dubbed herself in their first meeting. Flick had never really liked kids but he'd always at least tried not to be a total jerk with them around. But when Erin came out to offer a new white shirt, Flick let out a breath of relief. His was, quite literally, falling apart. The back was still cut up from his bout with Quiver, the front was ragged from various other things and his run from the dogs and the last arrow shooting had nearly done the shirt in. Literally: from the front, the side of his stomach and upper left ribcage area were visible. The shirt could hardly be called a shirt anymore so when Erin set down the replacement, a soft breath of relief escaped Flick. "Thanks..." He said in a slightly softer tone, as though he was doing it on purpose or just outright tired. Flick leaned forward to take the new shirt, though he did not have the time to put it on before Erin spoke up again.

'By the way, it's great to see you again! Are you back from a heroic mission? You were so cool, carrying your friend and all that...I always knew you were strong!' The last sentence kinda blurred out for Flick because he was too startled by the first, and there seemed to be a ringing feeling in his ears. He even missed what Alphaess said next, because soon Erin had taken off yet again to presumably retrieve something. Alphaess had...carried him? Incredibly embarrassed, Flick's shoulders slightly lowered from their earlier position. Having anyone carry him when he was unconscious or sleeping had always been a pet peeve of Flick's. Well, not only was he unconscious but...it was downright strange. He understood he was kind of a lightweight, so there was that embarrassment. It had also occurred once or twice when he was a kid, and he'd passed out near the fields or something by his and Tatiana's tree--where his mother or father would come to fetch him (though after he'd hit age ten, it had only been his father.) It was both a pleasant and bittersweet memory. But why Alphaess, of all people? It was...strange. It sort of seemed like payback for the 'carrying while drunk' thing, but Alphaess still hadn't recalled that. Maybe now was a good a time as any to remind her.

"I guess that's only fair," Flick said at last, turning to look back at Alphaess. "After all, I had to do a similar thing. But...up a flight of stairs. And you were drunk." Grinning a little at that, Flick reached down to the hem of his shirt to pull it up and over his head, casting the ripped and ugly fabric aside. One more tug, and that thing surely would have fallen apart. But now without a shirt, Flick could see the full extent of his bandaged wound. He dare not lift the edge of the bandage but he could still see where it wrapped around and where exactly the arrow had struck. It hurt if he was in a slouched over position or trying to straighten himself but hopefully, it would not be a burden for walking. Flick glided his hand over the taped area for a moment, as though unsure whether to believe that the wound was actually on his body, and not someone else's. It seemed so strange...without wasting another second (and taking heed that Alphaess always seemed a little weird whenever he didn't have a shirt on--really one of the only seldom moments where she actually seemed embarrassed, apart from whenever she 'accidentally' showed human emotion) he took the shirt that Erin had left and pulled it over himself. It was basically the exact same as his previous one, of course there not being much variation in white shirts. It was at least the same size, too, and so with a slight looseness to it, the bandages would not be apparent under the fabric.

Once he'd finished, Flick lowered his hands down to his sides and glanced over at Alphaess. "I'm guessing we're...never going to be even now." He said, in a slightly dubious tone. Glancing to the front of the tent, Flick slowly got to his knees. The movement did not hurt as much as it had when he'd woken. Resting his hands over his knees, Flick glanced over at Alphaess once more. He hadn't forgotten what had occurred the previous day and though it had, undeniably, been awkward afterwards...Flick didn't want it to be. It felt so weird just outright trying to avoid her stare and not saying anything to her, even his classic puns. Unfortunately with a currently hazy mind, Flick couldn't think of one that would pertain to the situation. "For all of that. I'm guessing we're...off to save the world again now, right? Gonna need a lot more bandages." And Flick attempted to get to his feet and he would have--had he not forgotten about the lowness of the tent. As soon as his head brushed against it, Flick winced and was forced to duck slightly. Before he did exit the tent, however, he gestured to Alphaess in his fake, courteous gesture. "Heroine first?"

[alphanea]

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ Ｔｈｅ Ａｌｐｈａｅｓｓ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦
The Beast known as the Heroine
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【gender female - age twenty four - sexuality heterosexual - with flick, erin 】

❧ Well, this whole carrying thing wasn't... uh, Alphaess didn't liked to remember it much. Tensely she reached to touch the back of her neck, than run her hand in the messy red hair. The braided part, like always was in place. While Flick went on, she turned her metallic golden gaze on him and listened. Actually, after last day, Alphaess was finally able to look at Flick directly. She wasn't quite sure if that was because of the effect had been worn off, or that there was a chance that Flick might have... forgotten. She really wished he did forgotten about it right now. It was so embarrassing. Oh. So he had carried her to the bed she had awoken in... ah, okay, she had actually guessed it, but never actually... Great. When she had spotted his grin, she gave a visible roll of her eyes. Oh, so okay, if he did know it now... Alphaess could use a bit of sarcasm and teasing to cover how embarrassed she had also been. "Nah, I don't think so." Alphaess offered the slightest of a grin, distractedly fiddling with her hair, while her eyes were on the ground. Than she pulled her hand away and looked at Flick as he pulled his shirt up, dropping the confident grin from her face immediately after. Though, for a second, she didn't averted her gaze from him and looked down at him. The bandages were around his body, wrapping around the wound tightly. What it seemed like, Flick was kind of thoughtful about this newly earned scar (earned, as Alphaess thought, because it was actually a battle-scar, and they were good. They showed how many battles one had gotten through alive, little remainders...).

❧ Well, it took only a several moments to realize Alphaess was kinda... staring. Quickly, she turned her head to the exact opposite side and placed her grin back on her face.Than, she continued on with a voice, that was almost smug: "It's clearly harder to carry a bulky man such as yourself with all those heavy clothing, than carrying a fragile, petite woman like me, who simply doesn't have anything else than a shirt... and plate armor, among with various equipment and all." While talking, she had tapped the front of her chestplate, making a soft metallic noise. Clearly, Flick had nothing more than a ragged shirt and his sword on, while Alphaess always carried her plate armor and a small weaponry over herself. Well, she was so used to it, she didn't even thought it was heavy. And it wasn't heavy. After Flick had finally gotten the shirt on to cover himself, Alphaess finally turned her head to look at him. "You know, if you don't talk about it, neither will I." Alphaess added, pulling her feet underneath herself, keeping a careful eye on Flick as he got on his knees.

❧ After he had asked about what they were going to do next... honestly, Alphaess had no idea. She shrugged her shoulders by a little. "Eh, guess something like that." She said in a weaker voice, as she was unsure, looking up at Flick as he got up on his feet. However, she couldn't think about a better answer to that. And didn't had enough time to think as Flick made a very polite action and gestured at the exit (which looked extremely silly with the position he was in and the gesture). Alphaess rolled hey eyes, but couldn't prevent the smile forming on her face. Than, Alphaess slowly pushed herself on her feet, having to lower her head the slightest bit to avoid having her brushing to the tent. She was three inches shorter than Flick, which made her job easier. Than the Heroine passed by Flick and exited the tent.

❧ Damn it was bright. As soon as Alphaess exited the tent, she had to raise one arm to block her eyes from the sunlight. Though, it appeared it had been very early in the morning, as the sun was just raising above the far away fields. The soft sunlight was flickering on the large lake that almost surrounded the area, the green leaves of the trees appeared to look as they were burning with the orange-ish gold sunlight hitting over them. The area was very lively: birds were singing, merchants and villagers alive running around, guards wandering around, little kids (like Erin) playing under a tree. That was... nice. Better than Darkwood. Perhaps. Though, Alphaess generally enjoyed the scenery of Darkwood more (as it reminded it of her home) surprisingly, this scene appeared to be a pleasant one to Alphaess right now. Alphaess stepped out and stood tall beside the tent, straightening her back. Before she could react, something approached. Erin. The little girl seemed to be holding something in hand while she stood in front of Alphaess. The blonde haired girl seemed to be dwarfed next to the tall Heroine, but the pleasant smile showed she wasn't intimidated by her looks.

❧ "I couldn't find any of those... but, I've got your gauntlets... thought you might... need to change?" Erin said with an innocent smile and offered the thick black gauntlets up to the Heroine, along with the key that had been handed over to her just several minutes ago. Oh, she must have overheard their conversation. That was... embarrassing. But well, Erin... uh. "Oh, thanks. Just what I needed." Alphaess smiled down to the kid, and did something unexpected; instead of reaching to the gauntlets, she patted Erin's head softly, messing her blonde hair slightly in a good-tempered, loving way. Than with a smile, she reached down and took the gauntlets with grace, quickly retrieving her key and placing it back into her pouch. Than, casually Alphaess slid the gauntlets off her fingers, revealing her bare hands and long fingers underneath. Quickly after removing the old ones, she slid the new ones over her hands. The leather was cold and rather soft. Softer than her old ones, as they were used for quite a time. Than, she turned her gaze to wait for Flick.

[fletch]

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{ gender; male | age; twenty-four | sexuality; heterosexual | location; barrowfields }

As soon as Alphaess exited the tent, Flick followed shortly after. However he was unprepared for the sudden brightness of the day, as he'd been out for so long. It was akin to a blade of painful light and Flick jerked his arm up to obscure the overwhelming shock of light. "Agh...I've been hit." Flick said in a melodramatic manner, as though the light had legitimately stung him. After a few moments his eyes started to adjust and, slowly, Flick lowered his arm down to take in his surroundings. This was a very large difference in comparison to Darkwood. It was quaint and lively, almost akin to Flick's home: Oakvale. There were children giggling and general pleasant commotion going about. Soon, the young girl Erin approached with a key and Alphaess's gauntlets in hand. What exactly had Alphaess requested again? Health potions. Flick had received one of those from the Demon Door, had he not? He'd clipped it to his--oh. When Flick glanced down at his belt he noticed that the cork and top of the bottle was there but the actual remainder had probably snapped off or shattered at some point. Well, that was to be expected, considering what had occurred since then. If it had not shattered at the bandit camp it had surely done so when he'd fallen unconscious. Ah, that was a waste of a potion and Flick was pretty certain that it would have been a help to him at this point. As it looked, he was just going to have to bare it, which shouldn't be hard enough. It was sore; but after Hawkin, Flick did not think there was much comparison in physical pain as to what had occurred there.

Just as Alphaess was speaking to Erin, something unexpected happened. Two children, presumably about the age of Erin or perhaps slightly younger, bolted towards the group and past Flick, almost taking him out as they did so. Flick had to lean rather sharply to the right to avoid one of the children, a young red-headed boy, from running smack-dab into him. Flick lifted his left arm, too, just to go the extra mile to avoid touching the kid at all. It wasn't like he was...scared of kids, but Flick had never really shown much interest in younger people. Regardless of the conning act he would, however, never do anything that would include stealing from a child. Despite his morals, Flick knew it was wrong. It still did not make him feel any better about what he'd done to the guard before, either. It still was a rather intrusive thought that the guard might've had a wife...or children. ...Not a good thought. Flick quickly banished the thought and stepped up beside Alphaess, glancing across their surroundings. This place seemed like...a nice place to stay for a while, but as nice as it was...Flick partially knew that they had to go back to...whatever they were doing currently. The rune business...then, Tatiana. Flick wouldn't forget about that.

"I'm...gonna need to learn how to use a sword," Flick mumbled unexpectedly and strangely serious for once, not quite looking at Alphaess. It was a little difficult for him to admit, after all. But it was true; if he didn't learn soon enough, that 'thing' could happen again and if it did, Flick might not be as lucky as he'd been before. Hand to hand combat was not something Flick had ever been interested considering up until the point when he'd met Alphaess, he'd only been in two fights. One, he'd had his ass kicked. The second one could barely be considered a fight, but he'd more or less 'won' that one. It was actually a memory that Flick thought rather fond of...considering what the woman had said to him afterwards. "I mean, I like our routine and all but...I kinda like my blood inside me." Then Flick gave the slightest hint of a smile and crossed his arms, glancing out to the surroundings of the camp.

But as he looked, he caught sight of someone in particular. A familiar person: Mordecai. The bounty hunter was crouched by a tent across the path where Alphaess and Flick stood. Before him was an older woman who seemed to be seated by the tent cross-legged. Spread before her on a mat looked to be several small trinkets, but Flick could not make them out from this distance. This would sort of be like the things he used to do as a conman--talking to and then stealing from old ladies. However, Mordecai generally seemed to be speaking kindly to the old woman. About what, Flick had no idea, for they were too far away to make out any possible words. After a few moments, Mordecai actually gave a small smile and then stood up from where he'd been crouched. He rubbed his hands together quickly and glanced over at the Heroine and her apprentice, and then the bounty hunter's dark eyes widened slightly in shock that he'd been seen. Quickly leaving the woman behind, he crossed the path and stopped in front of the two, crossing his arms. "What're you looking at?"

"Nothing." Flick said innocently, giving his shoulders a very small shrug. It was seldom to see the bounty hunter show much emotion beyond grumpiness and seriousness, so seeing him talk kindly to an elderly woman was a strange sight to behold altogether. Mordecai made a face and glanced away, obviously trying to avoid Flick's stare altogether.
"Well...now that you're not dead, I guess we should be moving on." Mordecai decided with a soft huff. He gestured to the opposite end of the Barrow Field camp. "Oakvale is close. We could find shelter there--somewhere with actual beds and food. And maybe people there won't want to kill us." But as Mordecai spoke, Flick suddenly went a little stiller and paled slightly but, to Mordecai's stare, he said nothing. 'People wanting to kill us...' Well, Flick might have a little trouble that way...First: people were still mad at him for the potion thing. Second: there...might be a few women there who wanted him on a pike. He wasn't popular. But Mordecai quickly averted his attention and looked back to Alphaess: "What do you think? As soon as the bandit shows up, if she does, we can get a move on."

[alphanea]

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ Ｔｈｅ Ａｌｐｈａｅｓｓ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦
The Beast known as the Heroine
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【gender female - age twenty four - sexuality heterosexual - with flick, erin, mordecai, blaire 】

❧ Just after Alphaess had adjusted the thick black gauntlets, which were simply the exact same of her own ones, Alphaess gave the old, blood soaked gauntlets to Erin. And, the girl seemed to show no hesitation to take them. "Would you like me to clean them?" Erin asked, looking up at Alphaess with her soft blue gaze, than the Heroine placed one hand confidently above the sheath of her swords and looked down. "No... you may... keep them if you'll like. I don't have much use to them now." Well, she liked those things. Alphaess often brought little things like those to Erin. She was a young girl, who was fascinated with being a Hero. Though, she was... too young. But, well, for one reason, Alphaess knew she could. She had Hero blood in her veins, and Alphaess could just feel it. And... her relationship with Erin was... different. She have known someone. And that someone was important for Alphaess. A promise had been made. And, Alphaess might not be the most honest and loyal Hero, but, she would never break a promise to someone close.

❧ A while after, Alphaess's eyes flickered back on Flick. Oh, what an unexpected change of mind. "So, given up the goal of 'out-magic-ing' me already?" Alphaess gave a smug expression as she looked up at him, seeing he was quite serious, she dropped the look and gave a simple smile instead, having a slightly more serious look upon her face. Eh, considering his past actions, he might had... already out-magic her. Alphaess's Will abilities had never been her strong side. Probably, this made her not the best teacher of Will. But, it worked, didn't it? Yeah. He had... skills. Like she had expected. "Anyway, sure, it would be fun to teach you that." A wolf-ish grin appeared on her face. Training. Oh, what a great opportunity for Alphaess to return the 'favors'. Lately, due to his constant wounds and all, she was... unable to hit him. Just like this morning. She could've hit him for tricking her, if he haven't already had an arrow in his chest. So, that would be a great way to return them. Plus... heck, sword training would be amusing! Especially with her methods. It was going to be fun for her. For Flick, it was just going to be brutal. But he didn't had to know that yet. Though, Alphaess was pretty sure Flick was clever enough to figure that soon enough.

❧ Than, Alphaess had turned her eyes on Erin. While she was here... how much did she had on, anyway? Alphaess moved her hand to her pouches, finding the exact same pouch she had found in the Demon Door. It certainly had a nice amount, so, sharing wouldn't do harm. She was pretty sure Flick had no coins on him, Mordecai and Blaire however would probably have some founds on, but, she knew relying on them wasn't a good idea. Taking the small bag in hand, Alphaess took around the half of coins and offered it down to the girl. "Guess this would help until my next visit." But, surprisingly, Erin just shook her head, refusing. "I don't need that much..." She said in an innocent way and glanced up to Alphaess, than at Flick. "You and your friend would need it more than I do." Than the blonde girl smiled. Alphaess was surprised. That... was selfless. She knew it was only Alphaess that brought her money, and the merchants around that helped her. She had no... parents. Similar to a particular Heroine. Than, Alphaess slowly placed the coins back, but not before grabbing a handful of coins and taking Erin's hand to place them in. "Don't think about giving it back." Though, she had said in a colder way, it was still good-tempered like always. Than, she closed Erin's fingers and pulled her hands back. This time, Erin accepted the offer and placed the coins into the small pockets of her clothing.

❧ Just as Alphaess turned her attention off Erin, she spotted someone coming. Mordecai. However, the bandit was still nowhere to be seen. Have she left during the night already? Perhaps. Bandits weren't known with their loyalties. Alphaess glanced at Mordecai, in an instinctive way, placed a hand on Erin's shoulder in a rather protective way as he approached. When Alphaess ad caught onto Mordecai's glance, Alphaess nodded. Maybe waiting was... unnecessary. They didn't knew is she had left or not. But, before Alphaess actually had the chance to respond, a noise of someone clearing their throat, clearly made to draw attention, was heard. As soon as Alphaess turned her gaze back, she noticed the figure. It was Blaire. The bandit was leaning to the side of some large crates, seemingly trying to stay out of view. That was understandable, due to her occupation. "Oh, do we still have trust issues?" Blaire grinned, reaching up to her hat and raising it slightly up to reveal her green gaze. Okay, the fourth member of the party was (still) here. It was a surprise. "...Of course not. We clearly have no trouble trusting a bandit princess." Alphaess snorted slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. Erin (who was standing right next to Alphaess) was staying silent, and doing nothing more than curiously watching them.

❧ Blaire than pushed herself away from the crates and approached the group. "Sorry 'bout it, but some of us still can't stick into guards' eyes." Neatening her jacket with one hand in a casual manner, she glanced at Flick for a second, giving some sort of an uninterested 'You survived. Fancy that.' type of look up to him. She didn't even cared to look at Mordecai. It seemed, the bandit had more delight and energy today, compared to her gravely and tired look yesterday. "Still don't have a route? Well, ya know, a bandit always has somewhere to do." She had shot up a confident grin to the Heroine, which only gotten responded with a slight huff, irritated with the lively acts of the woman. "Have a suggestion? Speak up already." Alphaess's arms remained crossed over her chest, than she looked down at Erin. The girl had understood it easily and took a step backwards. "I guess I'll go now... Ah, wish I'll see you soon again!" Than, she left. After the girl was out of earshot, Blaire continued: "Since, it seems some of you are starting to get as popular as I am, disappearing from view for a while might be useful..." The assassins yesterday. Alphaess still had no clue who they were, but the bandit might be correct. Blaire had paused for a bit after this, leaving some time for them to think, but, due to her impatience, this pause lasted short, and she spoke once more with a clearly impatient voice: "Short, I know a place where you can do that."

[fletch]

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{ gender; male | age; twenty-four | sexuality; heterosexual | location; barrowfields }

Flick noticed that Alphaess seemed to treat Erin in a way that was rather unlike the way she treated anyone else. She seemed protective over the young girl; obviously enough when she placed a hand over the girl's shoulder upon Mordecai's arrival. The man did not seem bothered or changed by Erin's presence in the slightest, as he hardly gave her a second glance and simply looked at Alphaess instead. Yet he turned to the sound of Blaire clearing her throat, and seemed actually surprised for once that the bandit had stuck around instead of taking off the second she got the chance. She could have easily done so and yet, she stayed. It was rather remarkable, but Flick decided against any comment of 'are we starting to grow on you?' Or something alike. The bandit seemed to give Flick a brief look, but only for a moment of time as though she was hardly interested or just mildly surprised that he had survived the arrow. Soon Erin made her leave and at last Blaire spoke up, catching Flick's interest. She was right; whoever those men had been, they seemed to bare a slight resemblance to the guards that had been at Hawkin's manor. The idea that Hawkin might still be after him (or, them if his original intention had been to catch Alphaess) was a frightening one. He quickly covered his eyes with his hand as though blocking out the sun, but the actual intention was to hide his expression of discomfort at the thought.

"Hiding out would be good," Flick said at last, lowering his hand for a moment. "I don't know about you three, but I get the feeling that we're not the most beloved people in Albion at the moment. Can't tell why exactly, but..." And he leaned to the right a little towards Alphaess to peer past Blaire. The guards that had been wandering about were now slowing, taking interest in their conversation presumably and looking to be drawing uncomfortably close. There were three guards and they seemed to be whispering to one another...one even went as far to meet Flick's gaze and immediately the ex-conman turned back to face the others and obscure his face. Blaire would be the most wanted one currently, but Alphaess and Flick were probably not beloved either. They'd escaped from Bargate, after all. That had to raise some suspicions if the guards were to see their faces. Flick winced a bit and straightened himself to avoid the guard's gazes but it was a little hard to hide, considering he was the tallest of the group.

Catching his gaze, Mordecai stepped to his left and lifted his hand to promptly smack the bottom of Blaire's hat to tilt it forwards and shield her face. It was obviously intentional to hide her features but probably also spiteful too, just for a little additive payback. "Wherever you want to go, we should start now. If any of you three get arrested, there's not much we can do." With little money, it was probably true. Flick had no intentions on returning to Bargate. Faking his death would not work a second time, nor did he think that the guards would fall for his facade of a fake guard who climbed the towers to summon a Balverine...the more that Flick thought about the deeds he'd done, they seemed awfully heroic in comparison as to how they'd actually happened.

He'd broken into Bargate to free three Heroes and a prisoner with an army of Balverines...in truth? He'd nearly fallen off a tower twice, broken a sword, gotten knocked down twice and almost stabbed in the eye by a guard...Flick presumed that the summaries sounded much cooler than the actual stories. It was similar to Sabre's death, in a way. While it appeared as though someone had mercilessly torched the bandit King with lightning, Flick had merely just tricked the bandit King into showing off a little vanity. In a way, Sabre had brought his death upon himself...Flick had just coaxed him into it a little with the help of a Heroine to originally fend him off. In truth, Flick would have long been dead had Alphaess not intervened when she had and he surely wouldn't have been able to kill Sabre the way he had if she hadn't been there originally. Actually, he would have died long ago had he never met Alphaess--either by drowning in the mud, being eaten by a Balverine, or killed by Hobbes. That was...a lot to think about.

The guards were most definitely taking notice now. One of the three gestured to the man on his right and the guard whirled about to run down the path opposite to them, presumably off to go get help and back up. Flick had no need or want to fight anymore after the previous day. He doubted he could even lift his sword all the way above his head, either. Not without a jab of pain to the stomach at any rate. Perhaps he could ask Alphaess to carry him again. As amusing as it was, Flick decided against mocking her any further. It was just as embarrassing for him as it was for her, after all. Oh...and there was still that whole 'kissing' thing. It had kind of left Flick's mind as of recently but now that he thought about it, his head started to hurt again. Flick shifted uncomfortably at the thought, his expression taking on a slightly troubled one. It felt childish to continuously be thinking about it--kind of like a lovesick preteen. ...But that wasn't the case. Shaking the thought off, Flick dropped the expression and gave a slight nod of his head to Blaire. "So I guess the Has-Been Queen takes the lead now?" He kept his voice down to avoid the guards overhearing. "Lead on, princess."

[alphanea]

❦ ❦ ❦ ❦ Ｔｈｅ Ａｌｐｈａｅｓｓ ❦ ❦ ❦ ❦
The Beast known as the Heroine
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【gender female - age twenty four - sexuality heterosexual - with flick, mordecai, blaire 】

❧ Guards. Their kind never liked Alphaess. But, the way they were looking at thr group was different from the normal 'You disgust me' or 'You call yourself a Hero?' type of thing. Yes. Naturally, Alphaess was quite famous, in the bad way, and most people were either intimidated or disgusted by her look. Though, they did disliked her, they didn't exactly hated her. There was a thin line in between those two things, and the way the guards were acting, they had already crossed that line. Averting her gaze from the guards, Alphaess uncomfortably let her arms fall to her sides. She would pull her hood up, but, that would be suspicious. When Mordecai had moved his hand and smacked Blaire's hat, the bandit muttered a few incoherent words, along with a scowl upon her face, reaching to neaten her hat herself. She shot Mordecai a clearly displeased look, but she kept it short and turned her gaze away. Alerted, she watched the guards under her hat. "Not getting arrested seems like a good plan, for now." Alphaess said, watching the guards with the corner of her eye, carefully, her hand resting on the sheath that hung from her belt in an uncomfortable, threatened way.

❧ As soon as one of the men watching them had bolted off, Alphaess narrowed her eyes and gave a disturbed, but silent growl, her white teeth instantly being visible. She looked down at Blaire and gestured to the road with a short gesture with her hand, supporting Flick's words. Blaire shot up a confident grin and passed by Mordecai--a bit close, as she actually brushed past him with a slightest of a push, in an attempt to return to his childish payback. Than with a quick pace, she had gotten on the path that lead towards Oakvale. Oakvale, sure. Alphaess haven't been at that place for a while. Though, that place held no special meaning to the Heroine. It was just a normal village, full of normal people. After a bit, Blaire glanced back over her shoulders, pulling her hat down and offering a smile. "Thought we were in a hurry." Than, without wasting a second, picked up her pace and continued.

❧ Alphaess simply glanced behind her for a couple of seconds, than turned her gaze to Mordecai and Flick, giving an inquiring look. Should they trust the bandit? After she had tried to kill them... a couple of times. Did they had a better chance? She would rather go with Blaire than mess with those guards and... the Guildmaster. No... Alphaess quickly reached to her hood with one hand and swiftly pulled it over her head, covering her rather recognizable hair-color, than, moved forwards to fallow Blaire, keeping her arms at her sides in a relaxed way. Find somewhere to stay. Than, she would think of something to do next. So, guards were after them, how surprising... really, she knew this was going to happen one day, but, to be honest, she haven't expected it to happen so soon. But, well, as long as they got out of the guards' eyesight, they would be fine.

❧ The scenery was rather pleasant: green trees, sun shining over, birds and butterflies fluttering above... Just if they had the time to enjoy. Uh... just than, something hit Alphaess. Her stomach was entirely empty and rumbling. When did she ate a real meal? After Bargate... that felt like years ago. She had to find... food. Anything. Even something non-meaty. Like... the things called 'fruits'? Yeah, that. She was starving like a rabid wolf. Speaking about wolves, she had also just came to realization that the Balverine wasn't here either. Where was that damn creature... again? She probably couldn't stand it striking an attitude of jealousy again... what was even wrong with that thing? It was probably somewhere, hunting or something... lucky dog, it could fill its stomach with fresh meat while Alphaess haven't even ate the smallest crumb of bread in days! Damnit. Right now, Flick's injury, or anything else about him wasn't even crossing her mind. She was more busy about thinking of a place to find food right now. Blaire was still taking the lead. From the behind, Alphaess could see her crossbow, hung on her back. For someone of her size, she was surprisingly good in combat... Yeah, right now, Alphaess was trying to find things to keep her mind busy to avoid thinking about some particular memories.

❧ Another hour had passed with silence. The scenery seemingly changed the slightest. They were at the borders of the village of Oakvale. Well, the village was small, but, still, Alphaess was pretty sure the guards could still find them in the village. But, surprisingly, when they were about to get into the village borders, Blaire strayed from the path, taking another route into a more forest-y area. Alphaess slowed her pace down, and looked back to the two men with suspicion. Where was she taking them? Blaire must have noticed this, so she spoke up: "Don't tell me after living in Darkwood for so long, you're afraid of a bit of trees." She didn't even looked back and continued straight on. There was only one thought in her mind: This better not be a trap. And the Heroine continued into the off-route path after the bandit before waiting for the others. If this, indeed was a trap, Blaire was going to pay for it. And, the blade striking her would be Alphaess's sword at that second.

❧ Just after a short trekking, they were soon before a rather large building that seemed to look like any other tavern at Oakvale... but this one was quite a bit on the outer rim of the village. Surely, the guards probably wouldn't be visiting this place much. Or anyone else... this place seemed to be falling apart! The stone walls had green moss covering over them, and the roof was... not in the best shape. There were many weeds and other foliage surrounding it, hinting that the place haven't been use for a long time. One or two windows were broken, and the doors and windows were crossed with planks. The entrance was elevated with some sort of wooden balcony-type of thing in front. This should be a joke. However, it was not. Blaire continued on and approached the building, but instead of going for the door, she walked up to a large, metallic cellar door, located at the side of the large building. As the bandit had attempted to open the doors, Alphaess decided to speak up at last: "Really, is this what bandits call a nice place to hide? This place is a junkyard." Despite Alphaess's accusing growl, Blaire only gave a smile and continued on trying to open the door. The thing seemingly was stuck, to Alphaess's relief. "Have no patience? Just give me... a moment." Blaire tried to pull it open once more, but either due to the door being stuck up well, or that she lacked muscle-power, the door remained closed. Than, Blaire glanced back at them briefly, her fingers trying to pry the door open. "Just trust me for two seconds for a change, it'll be... Damnit."

[fletch]

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{ gender; male | age; twenty-four | sexuality; heterosexual | location; oakvale }

To Blaire's intentional shove, Mordecai scowled and adjusted his hold on his bow before catching Alphaess's look. He made no attempt to respond to it, however, seeing as they had very little option here. Surely Blaire was a liar, a thief and a double crosser...ehr, where was that thought going? Flick was not sure what he'd been trying to think there. But seeing as Blaire had her hat and Mordecai and Alphaess had their hoods, Flick had no way to hide his face, and his hair was far too short for any sort of obscurantism. And due to his height, it'd be hard to hide...there was a chance the guards would not see him due to him not being as 'popular' as the other three, but considering what had occurred...Flick did not want to take that chance. So when they walked by, he promptly went behind Alphaess and ducked down a little until they'd passed by and out of sight. Only then did Flick straighten himself and move a little ways away. More...walking. Great. Flick was certain his legs would fall off at some point, but it was not like they had a ton of options here. Horses? Nope. The only animal they had access to was a Balverine and Flick would die before he ever got close enough to touch that thing. Riding a Balverine...what a weird thought.

The silence that followed was not really an awkward silence (thankfully) but more just a natural one, as Mordecai and Alphaess both seemed more naturally quiet people. Blaire...well, maybe not. And Flick was a little too preoccupied. The arrow wound would hurt for a while...in a matter of a few short months, Flick had been injured more than he'd ever been in his life. First it had started with a few minor scrapes and bruises in Darkwood, which quickly elevated to cuts from Quiver, burns from failed magic, and eventually the Hobbe swing to the back of the knee. Then, of course, Hawkin. He still had a few visible marks on his chest and back from that, though they were mainly obscured altogether by his shirt. The only visible reminder from that ordeal was the mark on his right forearm, starting about the elbow and curving up to just before his wrist. Now with the arrow shooting, what exactly was next? If the wounds continued to escalate, Flick wasn't really wanting to be losing any limbs. Maybe he'd try to be a...little more careful from now on.

The scenery had changed, and at last Flick looked up. Oakvale...his home. Or, rather, his former home. Blaire unexpectedly strayed from the path to the village and seemed to be heading towards the more forest-y area. Flick actually vaguely knew his way around here as well. Climbing trees and finding snails and the like with Tatiana...but Flick did happen to catch Alphaess's slightly suspicious look. Why was Blaire taking them away from the village? But...what else would she have to gain for their capture now that she was a runaway bandit? Flick frowned in response, but didn't say anything aloud. He was generally not a suspicious person, therefore he had no trouble with following shortly after the Heroine and bandit, with Mordecai slowly coming after. Soon, the group came across something new: a tavern. Well, that wasn't new...but the way it looked was sort of like a tavern in a lot of ways. There was overgrown moss on the walls, some windows were broken or boarded off...it looked downright creepy. Flick had never seen this place before, or perhaps he'd never been allowed to wander this far. ...this was weird. When Blaire approached the door to try and open it, it seemed jammed shut.

Apparently impatient, Mordecai stepped up beside Blaire and suddenly pushed her hand away. "For Avo's sake..." He muttered in a low, angry tone. He reached out and seized the handle, giving it a sharp twist and turn. Well, it worked...sort of. The handle snapped clean off to basically leave an empty hole where it had once been. Mordecai growled frustratedly under his breath and reached into the hole to tug the door open. When he'd done so, Mordecai gestured to the open door. Clearly he was not going first due to a fear of kidnapping or something alike, so it was presumed that he wanted one of the other three to go first--preferably Blaire.

"Looks like one of those places your parents told you to avoid when you were a kid." Flick commented in a slightly hushed tone. "Cobwebs and creepy crawlies and creepy witchy-old ladies." Flick tensed when he suddenly felt the feeling of something brushing against his back and he glanced over his shoulder to the best of his ability. As if upon coincidence, a fat gray spider was seated on his shoulder, its hairy legs inching over to his neck. The response was instantaneous: Flick yelped and backed into a tree, making contact with the bark to rid himself of the bug. When he pulled back, the feeling was gone, but that had not been great for his injury. Ouch. But it was a small price to pay for ridding oneself of an ugly, hairy spider. Flick had no fear of bugs in general but...when spiders touched you, that was creepy as hell.