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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 15:18:37 GMT -5
((Songa is Rain and Kori is my friend who shall remain nameless. Kori doesn't have a Raining Clouds account, so I'll be roleplaying her for the time being.)) Valineh adjusted her hat over her abundant blonde curls. She had just recently run away from home, still a newbie. The aspect of actually leaving a safe haven clashed with escaping her strict, overprotective father. She was nervous, but she would always have Kori and Songa. "It's cold," she whispered to Songa, as Kori had been whisked away by the police. It wasn't a problem, as this had happened many times before. Kori would be back within the hour. "Why did we have to run away now?" Songa was even more of a newbie than Valineh. She, like her friend, had failed to contemplate the difficulties of winter. They had been relying on Kori.
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 13, 2007 15:21:32 GMT -5
Songa exhaled with a shudder, her breath forming in a cloud in front of her. She closed her eyes for a minute, then opened them again and looked sadly over at Valineh.
"Where are we going to sleep tonight, Val?" she whispered. She hugged herself tight, trying to conserve body heat. It was escaping and floating away like a tiny feather on the ocean surf.
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 15:25:46 GMT -5
"Kori made a makeshift shelter just out of town," Valineh replied, shivering. "She said that it's not going to be permanent. Apparently we need to stay in one place when the weather is cold. We'll have a set 'house' during the winter. During fall and spring we'll have a set house, but change every week. And during the summer we'll just move around."
Songa didn't say anything, expecting Val to say more. So Val continued: "Also, she said that she'll have to teach us how to dodge the police, since we're not allowed to go Mapling until we're sixteen."
A long time ago, an archaeologist from Mexico descovered an ancient chamber buried deep underground which was chock-full of a colorless, odorless gas. Called Magic.
He unknowingly released the magic into the world. This caused the land to rise into the air and create a whole new world. Many people studied the art of magic, and before long humans had harnessed and mastered it.
Now, once a child turned sixteen, they were allowed to go on an adventure, using magic to defeat the gruesome, always-spawning monsters that had escaped the chamber. They became Maplers.
Valineh, Kori, and Songa were thirteen. They were illegal. The police were after them. Luckily Kori had been Mapling for four years already. She was an expert. Songa and Val were not.
"Come on," Valineh said, her breath billowing in front of her face. It was so cold it hurt to breathe and her eyes stung. "We don't look like illegal Maplers yet. We can gather supplies for our shelter undetected."
She took Songa's wrist and led her to the Henyses Market. They had just run away from their life of children that lived in Henyses. Now they were unnoticed visitors. That was good.
"Let's hurry."
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 13, 2007 16:01:45 GMT -5
Songa trembled with fear as Valineh tugged her along. She looked down at her feet, hoping no one would recognize her as one of their fellow Henyses citizens - former citizen, she reminded herself.
"I talked to quite a few people when I still lived in Henyses, Vallie," Songa whispered. "What if someone notices me?" Her heart began to beat faster as she thought of the worst that could happen. She clenched her fist and tried to keep her nerves steady.
Hoping Valineh's answer wouldn't be 'yes', or even anything close, Sun ((her nickname ^^)) ran along like a wind. She new that Val was as much a newbie to this as she, though she was even more so, yet she was counting on her friend to protect her and show her the way - and Kori, of course.
You're acting like such a baby! a voice snapped inside of Songa. Your friends aren't your mommy and daddy. Stop acting like such a weak, clingy child; you're thirteen years old, Songa. It sounded like her abusive mother talking...
Songa sighed and flipped back to the picture. She had almost forgotten her feet were moving, and even though it seemed like ages already, only seconds had passed since she had asked Val her question.
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 16:11:40 GMT -5
Val looked at her nervous friend. She didn't blame her for being so scared. Although she was just as nervous, she sucked in her breath and did her best to seem mature.
"You will not be recognized," she said firmly. "Even if you are, no one will try to take you back. Everyone knows your mom, and they think that you wouldn't run away for fear of punishment. But since you're so brave, and they don't know it, you'll be completely...um, not under suspicion."
They arrived at the marketplace. Valineh nodded and asked, "Okay. What should we get? Some weapons? Health serums?"
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 13, 2007 16:20:11 GMT -5
Songa swallowed hard, but tried her best to forget about it. She followed Valineh as she led the way through the marketplace.
"Um...maybe we should get a couple weapons - you know, one for you and one for me - and some health...stuff?" She screwed up her face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about this!" ((Speaking from an actual point of view - I don't currently play MapleStory, but I'm learning. =D))
Sun looked from left to right, confused among the hustle and bustle. She breathed out slowly, but her attempts to calm herself were no use - she was just nervous all the time, and her 'paranoid sensor' was working overtime right now.
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 16:27:28 GMT -5
((That's "sensor", Rain. Oh well. I'm too lazy to change it.))
"What weapon do you want? I wanna get a Zamander. They're so fast and useful, and they fit so easily in your hand," Valineh chimed.
Without waiting for an answer, she hurried over to the weapons store and opened her purse cheerfully, telling the owner that the dagger was for her seventeen-year-old cousin's birthday.
"Okay, Sunny! You're turn! What do you think...um, David would want?" she asked Songa.
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 13, 2007 16:38:06 GMT -5
Songa watched warily as Valineh selected a finely-shaped dagger from the array of weapons and bought it, the fake-yet-believable smile never leaving her face. Then she turned to Songa.
"Okay, Sunny!" she chirped cheerfully. "Your turn! What do you think...um, David would want?"
Sun put her head to one side. "Dav-" She broke off before she would be able to get herself into trouble. "Oh, that David. I thought you mean, um...um...what weapon do you recommend, sir?!" She looked at the shopkeeper with a struggled smile.
Songa's heart rate was going faster than a hurricane, but she tried to hide her nervousness as she kept her blue gaze on the owner.
"Well, the Zamander, like your friend here chose, is probably an ideal weapon," the shopkeeper replied. To Songa's relief, he didn't suspect anything even after how stupid she had been.
She nodded and picked up the same dagger Val had from the lot of them. She opened her bag and putting down the required mesos for the item. The store owner gave her back the dagger once the amount had been paid, and now that that had ended Songa could stop sweating like she was on a treeless island instead of in the middle of winter.
She backed up to stand beside Valineh, finally putting her aching cheeks to rest as she took off her smile mask.
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 16:51:50 GMT -5
"Now we need some serums and extra jackets and stuff," Valineh informed her friend. "Would you like to sit this one out? You seem kinda tense."
She extracted some mesos from her bag and smiled comfortingly. "I'll meet you by the Cat Statue. Okay? I'll get that faux fur jacket you wanted."
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 13, 2007 16:58:25 GMT -5
Songa nodded and distantly felt around for a seat of some sort. She found a pole, and just slid her back down it and slumped up against its cold metal surface.
"Um, yeah," she said absentmindedly. "You go to the Cat Statue. I'll meet up with you later." She waved her hand at Valineh in farewell.
Sun sighed and looked at her shaking hands. They were almost blue, she was so freezing. The creases that made her hands unique seemed to writhe and twist before her cerulean eyes, taunting her and making her mind swim.
Songa blinked and the hallucination was gone. She heaved another heavy sigh and wondered without bothering to look if Val had already walked away. What a rest of a life this is gonna be, she thought halfheartedly. But at the same time, that old spark began to rekindle inside of her - the thirst for adventure, and the excitement of venturing into the unknown depths of the world.
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 13, 2007 17:31:47 GMT -5
Valineh quickly finished her shopping, using a weak charm to make the inside of her bag slightly larger than the outside to fit all of the new stuff. She thought about Kori and Songa.
Kori was strong. Smart. Fast. Experienced. She could kill many monsters with one swift blow. She needn't fret about her. She didn't need any help; in fact, it was Valineh that depended on Kori and in no ways vice versa.
But Songa made her nervous. She was very scared, even more scared than Valineh. And who could blame her? She was about to enter a freakishly different world, and unlike Valineh, she had had no "Kori" in her civilian life, whispering to her about wonderful adventures and ways to make the best of it. She worried that Mapling would be too much for her.
Then she shook her head, internally scolding herself. It was Songa she was thinking about! The adventurous, fiery rabble-rouser with a knack for trouble and fun. She was a rebel who loved the world. She would get the hang of this in a snap and that would be that.
Grinning, she fantasized about her adventures to come. Hello, life!
She walked over to the Cat Statue to retrieve Songa. She nodded, and wordlessly, they walked back to the shelter.
An hour later, Kori was back. ((Hey, Rain, it's your lucky day. You get to roleplay Kori!))
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Post by x♦Rain♦x on Oct 14, 2007 11:44:11 GMT -5
((Yay me. ^^))
*Songa trailed after Kori and Valineh, hugging herself again. Why does winter have to be so cold?! she thought to herself. We really picked a bad time to run away. She meant to say that out loud, but she thought better of it before she spoke.
~Kori walked cofidently in front of Valineh and Songa. She wished Songa would try to keep up, but she wasn't as strong as Valineh, and she knew this must be hard for her. If only her mother hadn't lowered her self-esteem so much. It'll be difficult for her to get used to this life.
Kori looked at Valineh. "I suspect you said something to Sun?" she said quietly so Songa wouldn't hear. "She needs some reassurance."
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Post by Jaime the Space Cadet!!! on Oct 14, 2007 12:08:07 GMT -5
"I told her she was brave," Valineh whispered back. "And she is, or at least will be. But I don't think she believes me. But I don't think we need to worry about it. She's the type who will get nervous at first, then firm up."
Kori smiled. "Good. Because the last thing I need is some laggy companions."
Val shrugged. "Kori, I promise you she'll do better than I did at first, okay?" When Valineh had first run away, she had been completely clueless. She would make mistakes left and right. Kori, unable to standthe aspect of having such a noobish partner would sometimes yell at her, then regret it. But Val didn't blame her. Kori had been so far ahead, and suddenly she'd had to slow down. So Val "paid" her friend with the ores of jewels that monsters occasionally dropped when defeated. It was actually a thank-you for her tolerance.
"Whatever," Kori shrugged. "Okay, it's getting kinda late. You two, help me with the beds."
The trio laid out their sleeping areas. The beds were close together and deep into the shelter for maximum warmth, but it was still pretty cold.
The shelter was on the outskirts of Henyses Forest, on the west side. The trees somehow gave off a little warmth, as though everytime they had been touched they absorbed one or two degrees. This made it an ideal place to hide out, since it was far from the police station.
Kori, in her early Mapling days, had found a large boulder near the edge of the forest, surrounded by trees. It was summertime, but she had been clever. As soon as she found it, she started hammering away at the side that faced the inside of the woods. Sometimes she would rouse up a pack of monsters and herd them at the rock in a frenzied stampede. By winter there was a large depression, and by the winter after that it was a small cave.
Then she broke down some trees and made a fort, using the rock as a wall. She never stopped hammering. When Valineh came to travel with her, the rock was no longer a stray boulder, but a camoflage for Kori's carved home.
Now it was big enough to house all three girls, and still so sturdy they could lie in the very deepest part of it and not have to worry about a cave-in. It was much, much warmer than the outside, especially with the wooden door/camoflage. But it was still so cold they had to burrow together and use everything as a blanket.
"Goodnight," everyone finally said. Kori went straight to sleep, but her two teammates stayed awake, both thinking they were alone in this world of conciousness. They were scared. Finally they fell asleep a few hours later, but only because of the stories they'd heard.
The stories of a group of girls that had the most fun anyone could have in the wild. The stories of their own precognition.
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