The Campfire Song [pg13] [event]

[Iƪƪia]

Illia followed Yama's gaze, looking back at Z with a sigh. She couldn't be sure, but he seemed like he was the jealous type. That was rather unfortunate. In the past, she'd been with guys who didn't care how many others she saw as long as they got what they wanted from her too. However, something told her that Z wouldn't like that idea if she proposed it to him.

"Oh, him? Yeah... He can be... Whatever."

Honestly, he had really been getting on her nerves lately. Sure, he was sweet enough, but he was getting really boring really quickly. This was precisely why she never stayed with one guy for too long. In fact, if it wasn't for all these pretty, little gems he had been giving her, she'd have most likely dropped him ages ago. But for now she'd just have to play along. In front of him, at least.

It was indeed surprising and just a little sad that he hadn't figures it out yet. It wasn't like she had been putting that much effort into keeping her other relationships a secret. She had heard plenty of gossip and rumors about her, but she was banking on the fact that Z would be too stupid and deluded to believe them. It seemed to be working out so far.

She then heard the announcement that they had arrived at their destination. It hadn't taken nearly as long as she thought it would, though she wasn't about to complain.

"Well, of course I'm up to it!"

Yes, of course. And he knew that, didn't he? So why ask? Perhaps he was only trying to be polite. Or perhaps he didn't want to be with her? No, now that was just crazy!

***

Finally! Finally she seemed willing to trust him. It was only a little, but it was something! And he'd take whatever he could get.

Resisting the urge to just grab her right then, he only smiled kindly at her as she hesitantly hovered her hand over his. Then, a voice called out from the front of the group, distracting her. Reluctantly, he too looked toward the source of the noise.

That was it? They were here? Already?!

He looked toward the ground, angrily grinding his teeth together. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Areyna take back her hand, after which he pulled back his own, clenching it into a fist and hearing several bones crack.

This was taking way too long. Way too long. He was starting to get paranoid being around this group. The group... Wait! They probably planned that! That distraction at just that time! They knew... They all knew... And they were watching him.

They knew what he was! They knew why he was here! This was a trap, this really was a ******* trap! And the longer he stayed here, the deeper into the trap he went. Not good, not good. He had to get out of here. Get out now. But he couldn't leave without the phoenix! No, he wasn't about to do that... Well, maybe not the phoenix, but one of the girls at least! But he had already wasted so much time! How could he-

Damn it! What was he supposed to do?!

Hearing Areyna's shaky voice, his head snapped back towards her, his gentle smile returning immediately.

The tour? That had to be a trap... They just wanted him to go along so they could get him alone in the forest and...

"Sure..." He replied, though it felt as though it were against his will, "It will be... Fun..."

He let his voice trail off as he looked into the forest surrounding them, allowing a scowl to creep onto his features. Well, this was all just working out so wonderfully, wasn't it?

***

Tipping his head as he watched the demon, Ivan had to wonder: did he know? Did he know about him? About them? Did he know just what he was getting himself into? Could he see it?

It didn't matter. Even if he knew everything, that was fine. It wasn't as if he could do anything to stop it.

When the announcement was spoken, he instinctively looked back toward Elle. Fine, she was just fine... For now. She had been acting strangely of late and he wasn't quite sure why that was yet. He'd have to keep an exceptionally close watch on her.

Wandering away from the demon, he made sure to keep Elle within his sights. He attempted to read her body language, looking for an explanation for the sudden change in her demeanor. She wasn't hard to read, so he should be able to find an answer quickly. But more important than an answer was a solution to the problem. He might just have to deal with her sooner than anticipated before he lost his hold on her.

Right now, however, he would merely stand back and observe.

***

Ailyth continued to babble on, a mile a minute, until another voice interrupted her. Stopping mid-sentence, she looked over to where Mr. Spider was giving his announcement. They were done? Already? Wow, that was quick! It felt like they had just started.

Then, realizing that Kevin had said something, she turned her attention back to him, panting slightly. Oh, was she talking too fast again? A lot of people told her she talked too much... But she could understand herself just fine!

"Oh! Sorry! I'm just super excited about being here and everything and- Whoa! Lightheaded!" Pausing, she brought her hand up to her head. Grabbing her water bottle from her pack, she took a quick drink before continuing, "Anyway, hey! A tour! Sounds like fun! We have gotta go! You wanna go too, right? Right?!"

With each word she got closer and closer to him until she was right in his face. It was kinda funny how he almost seemed like he was afraid of her. But that was silly! Why would he be afraid of her?

[Elle]

Elle smiled more broadly as she watched Nami. Her enthusiasm was kind of catching. Not that she was about to just break out of her shell that easily, but she was feeling just a little more confident. If the word "confident" could ever be used to describe her.

Placing her hands back in her pockets, her eyes widened in surprise slightly when they came into contact with the small, cold orb. Wow, she had almost forgotten that she had it with her. That wasn't good. She had to be more careful. For some reason, the thought of losing it really scared her. And her natural clumsiness realy did nothing to help her. It would be a tough job keeping that orb in her possession, but she just had to.

Feeling that strange sensatin on the back of her neck again, she spun arounf, meeting Ivan's gaze. Suddenly nervous, she gave him a shy smile before looking toward the ground and turning back around. He seemed to have this weird... "Habit" of staring at her. He did that quite often, actually, and it was very... Very strange.

But... He probably just payed so much attention to her because he genuinely cared about her, right? He just wanted to protect her...

You know he's just using you.

Elle sighed at this. Yes, she knew it was true. She had only been trying to remain optimistic for all this time. Perhaps there was a chance that- Oh, but she had been a pessimist for most of her life, so why bother to change now.

Having suceeded in making herself depressed, Elle kept her eyes down, only looking up when Nami spoke again.

"Oh... Um, sure..." She replied, not really caring what they did anymore.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Z's smile, enthusiastic though it was, took a bit of a blow when Areon basically flipped him off.

What? No water guns? No fun! Z sniffed, crudely, but kept the semblance of a cheerful smile.

"Dude, you need to start having some fun. I think you're making me want to cut myself. But seriously, man, if you don't want to hang, just say so. Don't rub it in! I ah... just wanted to make sure..."

He paused, wondering if he should mention the creepy guy that was his partner's camping buddy.

"That guy," Z lowered his voice and nodded towards him. I'm not getting a good vibe from him. And I don't want to leave her alone with that guy. He's... Just creepy. Really creepy, dude. And he looks edgy too. So......"

Z slid a perfectly simulated water "machine gun" complete with oreo-shaped bullet case and cherywood classic finish out of his bag, aiming it at Areon but not firing.

"I'm sticking around. Deal with it!"

Z squeezed the trigger and a little dribble of water spurted the mopey guy in the face. He then dodged playfully away, beginning to hose down anyone that looked even remotely out in the open.

"Hit the deck, suckers!!!!!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Le Cyll peeked out from his perfectly formulated dream world for just long enough to hear Kendryek's proposal.

What...? Do something? This "do something" was intended for him?

Trap! It's a trap! Don't listen! He wants REVENG-

A spray of water doused the wolf, and he nearly bowled over in surprise.

What the....?

"Yes."

Le Cyll was already moving, grabbing the smaller Kendryek by the arm and taking him farther away from the rest of the group... and the maniac with the water gun... all the while angling the dragon so that if the raving, watery lunatic were to return, it would douse Kendryek instead of himself.

"Dieu si. We must leave this place..."

Almost with the same mechanical stride as the wolf had began to daydream and divorce himself from reality, he now divorced himself from this situation. There was no thought, and certainly no more sound from that annoying little sound in the back of his head.

It must have been hit..

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Coyle growled at Crane's general direction, carefully avoiding the spurts of water from that crazy screaming dragon over there. When he was sure that the bossy had checked into lala land again, he quickly returned to Ivan for another round of blows.

"Oh hey, buddy, where ya headed?"

He appeared to pick up on Elle's presence then, smiling at her in a charming, devilish sort of way.

"Hitting on the ladies, are we? Well, I'd love to leave you two kids alone, but I'm afraid I'm chaperoning for the night! And she's not on the activities list..."

Coyle turned briefly to look at Crane. Yep. Still up in the clouds.

"Oh wow," He said, facing Elle now, "How rude of me! You know my buddy, right? Ivan? Well I'm his pal Coyle. Nice to meet ya."

Coyle shook off the feeling of her fingers on his orb. His orb! You don't touch an interdimensional demon's orb! That' just not right! It's like opening a person up and poking at their heart. It hurts!

"In any case, let's go tour with the natives, pal."

Coyle coughed a bit, winking at Elle as he did so.

"No need to... fraternize... if you catch my drift."

[Oren]

Kendreyk wasn't expecting the sudden agreement that came along with a crazy water gun and the even crazier student behind it. It made sense if he thought about it, but it caught him off guard all the same. He looked back at Areon, worry and pity showing in his countenance. Not even Kendryek would have enjoyed being grouped with such an immature creature. He couldn't even imagine how annoyed the young dragon was. Then again, he would probably do what Le Cyll was currently doing: blocking out the world.

He sighed. It was all for the better, he supposed. Le Cyll didn't like him much anyway and he wasn't quite sure how to get on the wolf's good side. He wanted to, but Le Cyll was like no one he had ever met. When he was younger he'd met someone very similar but back then he hadn't been stronger than the young man and he had been able to gain his trust by matching him. Le Cyll would be different. Much different. It would be more difficult, but maybe the higher power might give him an opportunity. It all depended on His will.

That didn't mean that Kendryek would stop trying until an opportunity revealed itself. That would be futile.

Water hit him in the face and he flinched. He didn't particularly mind being a shield for the wolf. He was being used, but maybe if Le Cyll thought he could be useful he'd tolerate him more? It probably wouldn't work, but if Le Cyll was as smart as he seemed, he'd fit the pieces together eventually. He'd also probably know that Kendryek was working for his own means and wasn't just a helpless tool. He already knew that Kendryek could do anything he wanted...

What a pity. If Kendryek had known more about Le Cyll when they had first met, he wouldn't have done what he had. Then again, if he hadn't, he wouldn't be friends with Le Cyll in the first place. It had been a lose/lose situation.

.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.

Yama smiled, 'pleased'. In reality he was still about to puke and his head was throbbing. Girls did this to him. He didn't know why and, frankly, he didn't care. He detested girls. That was that and that wouldn't change.

But... what about Areyna? She was... different, wasn't she? He didn't get that sick feeling when he was near her. When they had fallen on the pavement... it hadn't been her presence that had made him sick. It had been the attention she had given him... Most times it only took a girl's presence to make him want to stand thirty feet away and forty feet high. But it hadn't been her that time. It had strictly been the unneeded attention.

He glanced at Z, holding his character. "I would take your hand, but... maybe I should wait until that maniac isn't in sight. What he doesn't know wont hurt him, but if he did know... I don't think we'd get to enjoy ourselves fully." He made sure to add little hints and reasons for what he was doing so that she wouldn't ask questions. One could only watch Hendrix for so long and not pick up on his techniques.

He stepped to the side, and bowed slightly, and gestured with his arm for her to 'lead the way'. In actuality, there wouldn't be one that led and one that followed, but it was still 'gentlemanly' to let her 'go first'. It was unneeded bravado, but she'd like it, and that was all that mattered.

[areyna]

Skyler stood in unison with Aori placing his hands partially in front of himself in preparation to catch her just in case she may doom herself to slipping again. Seeing though she was perfectly safe, for the time being, he hunched over stuffing his first aid kit into his pack throwing the bag over his shoulders. He chuckled as she showed her appreciation to him by bowing and he bowed back out of initial reaction. She turned walking ahead for a few moments before Skyler took a few effortless strides landing up by her side. Surprisingly, he really didn’t venture far from the mob of students as he thought he did plus from the announcement the camp lay just ahead. He scanned the crowd real quick for his brother and cousin realizing the area they remained turned out to be exactly where he left them. He wasn’t sure if they at all contemplated where he ran off too because from the looked of things they seemed rather occupied. Taking his eyes off of them he stood on his tip toes to discover how far the entrance to the camp was, they were at the rear of the crowd after all.

“Hey, Aori? Would you like to set up camp and maybe wash up a bit?” He offered, adjusting his pack for a comfortable fit. “I mean, it’s completely up to you. I don’t mind either way.”

She was so very quiet and her spirit appeared fragile to him, he thought through his words carefully so they comforted than embarrassed or intimidated. A talent he handled professionally the way he willed his voice to sound smooth as silk on velvet, or so Areyna told him herself. “I’m happy you know how to calm my nerves.” she shared with him in the past.

“How about it?” he asked, hopefully now he’ll be capable of gently prying a few words from his tremendously reserved partner.

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Nami recognized the sudden mood change Elle gave off after staring at some strange man Nami did not recognize. As one can say, Nami is known for her utter inquisitiveness but she decided to keep the one hundred and one questions to herself.
“Hey Elle.” She began softly. She pointed to the wide grin she wore on her face probably making her look ridiculous but she didn’t care at all. “No sorrowful vibes, come on this event should be an enjoyed one!” Nami grabbed Elle’s hands in hers. “Let’s go meet my buddies! I’m sure you’ll love them! They’re very kind! Except, I’m not sure about my boyfriend, he’s a mystery I must say. Though he is a little rude so don’t let his words get to you if he even says anything!” She giggled and towed Elle through the mass of people weaving among the never ending sea of students. After trudging to the opposite end of where she stood previously, Nami waved her hand in the yelling to demand her friend’s attention.
“Hi guys! I’m back and I brought a buddy!

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A wave of relief washed over Areyna as Hendrix agreed to her suggestion although she sensed he agreed reluctantly none the less. Did he not want to go? She felt bad if he was only doing it for her sake, she didn’t enjoy forcing people to do what she wanted if she really wanted it. No, that wasn’t her nature and it left her feeling uncomfortable. She twirled a strand of her hair with her finger hopping from one foot to the other repeatedly.

“Well, unless you don’t wa-want t-to….” Finally, it came out. “Please…..don’t force yourself to do something you don’t like.” Her voice was low, way low.

She bowed her head a wall formed by her straight black strands of hair while she fidgeted with her fingers. Why, why was having a simple conversation with someone new always a difficult task for me, she wondered. Her friends made it look so easy! Words flow fluently from their mouth; they failed to sound pathetic as her. Like a scared defenseless, wounded bird. Words…they betrayed her, all her life. The effort she expressed in the end never mattered when a road block stood in her way. She brought a hand to her locket, holding it tightly, something she always did when worry or fear consumed her.

“I’I would like to….to go.” She stated again looking at Hendrix with apologetic eyes. “B…but…if…if….you…” this time her voice faltered, fell weakly into the dirt paralyzed in the grass. Her head remained bowed and her lips began to quiver…..why….why….can’t I speak?

“Hi guys!!!” A voice startled her, Areyna flinching from the abrupt noise. She smiled, Nami, how happy she was to see her.

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Areon ignored his partner’s meaningless remarks at first until something useful, or in a sense useful, finally left that annoying mouth of his. Oh, so he gave Areon permission to stay? He scoffed, like he needed the permission…either way he refused to leave his cousins vulnerable side. The warning Z shared was old news to Areon, he knew this Hendrix revealed as a threat, a hazardous threat. A horrid sinister presence surrounded the man. His demon whispered words of caution in his head hissing with frustration at the end of every sentence. Areon couldn’t help but smirk at his demon’s irritation though his gut twisted once greeted by a fresh aroma of fear, the same fear he knew all too well. Areyna. His face pinched into an expression of disgust while his cousin’s fear tempted his dark hunger. Shaking the ugly thought he turned to witness the reason for Areyna’s rise in tension until a sudden splash of water greeted his face in an unpleasant surprise. Areon’s head snapped to Z pointing that a cursed water gun at whoever lived and breathed. He removed the wet wisps of hair plastered on his cheek a scowl dominating his features as tried to keep himself from strangling the kid……no strangle was putting it lightly. With a heavy sigh he made another attempt to approach Areyna till anther distraction screaming from a few feet away made itself heard. Areon didn’t even bother to look, so Nami was back, how quickly she returned and from what he could tell she brought another…lovely…

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Watching the girl whip out her bottle of water reminded Kevin of how thirsty he was. His throat was starting to turn into dry, dehydrating desert with no chance of rain unless he provided himself. He brought his arm behind his back feeling for the cool plastic warped cylinder wrapping his fingers around it pulling it in front of him. He was millimeters from screwing the cap off till the girls voice grew strident with excitement coming closer, closer until she was to close for comfort, centimeters from his face. He blinked his widened eyes furiously retreating two steps away with a nervous moan. She wished to participate in some tour. Did he want to go? Yes? No? Yes? No? He certainly was afraid to say no in expectation that his partner would nag the crap out of him till he finally broke through with a yes. I

“Suuuuure…..” He replied reluctantly inching some more back.

[Ari Phoenix]

She nodded to him, and bowed again. She decided setting up the camp should come first, afterwords she could clean up the mud mess she had, and hopefully repair her skin. She had made the mistake of getting dirty and hurt, she knew, and as such she could only manage to work though this by focusing. She needed to calm herself, but at least this guy wasn't making things worse for her, by being aggressive or threatening. "I-I-I will do my best" She spoke, as she started working on the camp. She didn't know what to do otherwise. She started working on the camp. She needed to keep busy, and decided she would get lost in her work.

She started working on it, and getting lost in it, as she started to hum, getting herself to calm down. She really didn't need to worry about the mannerisms of things around her, as she worked. She focused on the song she was humming, knowing that it would increase her capabilities. She would have to use it as a boost to her confidence. She didn't really need to think much on this, as she wanted to work on this camp, and then clean up. She knew that confidence was the thing she needed most right now. She really couldn't deal with this if she was panicking.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Effectively dragging Kendryek through the entire expanse of the campsite, Le Cyll eventually succeeded in finding a quiet nook at the edge of the clearing suitable enough to hide from that dragon.

That dragon... What self respecting fire dragon wielded a water gun?

Now free of this impulse of his to be clear of fire, Le Cyll noticed several things about his situation: He was soaking wet, he had managed to escape further wetness through use of Kendryek, and he had accepted an invitation to now be alone with Kendryek.

Die... Die... You will die for this... The dragon did not perish with Seth's help, and now he wants blood...

"No."

It seemed odd, to be so fundamentally contradictory to this prickling, raking, riling thing that he had known and trusted for so long; but on this occasion he must disagree.

Fundamentally, this sound wanted to help him. Fundamentally, he wanted it to help him. Fundamentally, he agreed completely with it and trusted it with his life and happiness - as stupid a thing as it might sound.
Fundamentally, many things were simple like this.

And yet... there were complications. This thing was... overzealous. Rushed. Controlling and egotistical. It was much like him, in many ways. It was him, in many ways. But it was wrong this time. It was not to be listened to - never. And this time it was completely wrong.

Kendryek was not vengeful. Why, he could only hazard a guess; but it was obvious. This simply was not a feature prominent in the dragon's personality.

But why...? How?

Listen... Danger...

"I am sorry."

Le Cyll motioned to the clearing where the dragon was still blasting away with his water gun. Kendryek had been hit. He was not sorry for this specifically, but because he had not meant to be so... self preserving, on such a small occasion.

He saved true selfishness for only the most important of perils.

However, he was here now, with this creature that he had wronged and plotted against. It was an interesting predicament, and something he could obviously not avoid any longer.

So he consented, very carefully, to examine the world around him and retreat from the confines of his psyche. It was most likely best, he mused. It would not be quiet now for a long time...

"What specifically did you have in mind for this adventure..?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Guns still ablazing, Z managed a full-scattershot attack of all the people thre (excluding Crane of course!) He even hit Mike, and when that happened, he had to run a little farther than he'd planned, and shoot a little more than he wanted to.

He needed to save ammo for the second strike, after all. He for one was going to have a good time regardless of whether anyone else wanted to or not.

Moping around like a bunch of condemned prisoners... You'd think this was a death sentence!

Carefully dodging his way through the crowd of angry campers, Z eventually swerved back near his partner Areon.

He looked.... not happy.

Z smiled, sheepishly, slinging the water gun behind him on its chest strap and out of sight of the moody dragon-bro.

"Eheh... Not funny? Man, what do you smile at? Girls? Good food? Dead things?"

Sensing that he may be pushing another nerve on the.... nervy dragon, he paused.

"Sorry.... again, dude. I'm just trying to lighten things up."

Unpacking a bag of tasty imported marshmallows, he quickly tore open the plastic and stuffed one in his mouth, grinning around the lump of goey goodness.

"Fere! Iff not ffpeaking anyffore! Ffat ffood for fou?"

In order to prove his sincerity, he stuffed another oversized marshmallow into his mouth.

Ha! Grumpy can't glare at Z if he doesn't talk! Genius!



[/color]

[Iƪƪia]

Illia nodded enthusiastically. It was so nice that he wasn't one of those jealous types who wanted her to only be with them. Not that she would have heeded his pleas anyway, but this just made things so much easier. She had quite the catch here... If only he was rich! Unfortunately, money seemed to be the one thing he didn't have. Perhaps. Perhaps she was wrong, but she wasn't about to ask. She didn't want to seem like 'one of those girls.' Even if she was one of those girls, she didn't want him to know that.

She looked back at Z and decided that he was too involved in his little games to notice if she disappeared for awhile. Good. If he found out just what they were doing... Well, that wouldn't be any fun for anyone. Although it was unlikely that he'd actually get angry at her she still didn't want him ruining her fun.

Turning back, she smiled seductively at Yama as she stepped past him, brushing up against him slightly. Now where to go? Well, it was a forest so just about the only option was to go in the opposite direction that everyone else would go in. With that though in mind, she led the way away from the rest of the group.

***

Ivan couldn't stand not knowing. That just wasn't how he worked. He could have a person figured out completely after only a few words. Someone actually being able to keep a secret from him just wasn't normal, especially if that person was as simple as Elle.

Even her body language wasn't telling him much right now as he studied her, his gaze occasionally flickering to that group that was so close to her. He primarily focused on the strange, newest addition - Hendrix was his name. There was a truly... Disturbing aura about him. He'd certainly have to relay information about this creature.

Then, he noticed the demon's presence once again, and turned to smile at him, chuckling as if they were old friends.

"Oh, of course, partner," He agreed quickly.

Looking toward Elle, he gave her a polite nod before they went their separate ways. The demon was persistent, indeed, and cleverer by far than he looked. It was a shame they were on opposite sides here. Were the situation any different, they could have been good friends.

***

Breathe.

Hendrix steadily inhaled and exhaled in an attempt to calm his nerves. He was just overthinking things... Or maybe he wasn't thinking enough. No, no, definitely overthinking. Well, maybe it was a trap? So what? It didn't matter, nothing could hurt him. Hell, nothing could even catch him. It would be fine, just fine...

Breathe.

He'd manage to get Areyna alone and everything would go his way. And when he was done, he'd just hightail it out of there. No problem. No problem at all. It wasn't as if there was a barrier surrounding the camp site. And in the unlikely event that there was, it was even more unlikely that it extended even onto the shadow plane. No problem, just fine...

Breathe.

I don't need you to tell me when to breathe, He snapped.

Looking around at the group, he noticed Yama for what seemed to be the first time. He was with a... A girl. A pretty hot girl too. And she was... The hell?! That look on her face - it was obvious she was flirting with him! And he was flirting back too... And making progress! What the hell was that about?! The freak didn't even like girls, did he?

Disgusted, he watched as she led the way into the forest; a provocative swing in her hips. That was so ****** up! Why did Yama get to be paired with that slut?! If it had been him instead, he'd have already gotten something by now instead of being forced to act all patient and stuff, not to mention he had to decipher the phoenix's trembling words...

Breathe!

Startled, Hendrix inhaled sharply, panting slightly as he put a hand to his chest. That was just great... He was forgetting to breathe again. He really just needed to calm down and focus.

"No, of course I want to go. I-"

His words were cut off by the enthusiastic greeting of yet another member of her crew. Now this was getting to be a bit tiring. Biting his tongue, he merely stood back and smiled at Areyna as he waited for this hell to finally end.

... Breathe.

Shut up.

[Oren]

Le Cyll stopped in a small clearing not far from the others. For a second he watched the chaos ensuing. Many students were running for cover while others were calmly ignoring the situation and quietly walking off with their partner. He ignored Le Cyll for the moment as the wolf talked to himself. It hadn't taken long for Kendryek to piece together the fact that the wolf heard voices. He didn't seem to like them, or at least one of them. Kendryek almost wondered how no one every really noticed the meaningless comments and rude remarks Le Cyll let slide past his lips. They were said to no one. That is, no one anyone could see or hear. Only Le Cyll could talk to this demon that tormented him.

Kendryek would have kept on ignoring the wolf but the words that came from Le Cyll were definitely meant for him, not the voice. Assuming the apology was about using him for a shield, he said, "Oh, no problem." Running his hand through his hair, he noticed just how much water had gotten on him. He looked at his hand, his eyebrows furrowed. Just how much water did that water gun shoot out? In an attempt to focus his mind, he took a deep breath.

"Well, to tell the truth, I didn't have anything in mind." He shrugged. "I figured I'd come up with something by the time you agreed." Glancing once more at Z, an idea struck him. "And as a matter of fact... I just thought of something. You remember those mushrooms I found in the woods?" He smiled to himself. He always seemed to act most unlike himself when he was around Le Cyll. This was one of those times, but he'd run with it. There was no problem with having fun every now and again, just so long as no one was seriously hurt.

"First things first, though, is that we should change out of these wet clothes. Its still early spring and staying out in the cold is bad for one's health. I've got something that might fit you if you don't want to use something of your own." As he pulled a shirt out of his bag he looked back up at Le Cyll, realizing that the wolf might not quite understand his logic. They both obviously had good immune systems, so why worry about being wet? "Oh, sorry, you see, it's just how I was raised. Besides, being wet is bothersome when climbing trees is involved, don't you agree?"

He was definitely leaving Le Cyll confused, but what was the fun in telling a plan immediately? This way, Le Cyll might actually agree and wasn't able to disagree immediately. It would keep him 'in the game' longer. Christmas had taught Kendryek that the wolf didn't like games, but why not see if this game was of more appeal than the last one?

.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.

Just as he straightened, Yama noticed the piercing gaze that was glaring at he and Illia. It was a gaze he had felt often and, more often than not, pretended not to notice it. He always did, but why let Hendrix know? It would simply ruin things. This time though, there was opportunity for him. He could use this to his advantage.

He could complain.

Illia wasn't walking too fast, so...

As he followed her, even slower, he looked back at Hendrix. He was 100% positive Illia wasn't watching him, so he made a disgusted face and shivered. The nocturne knew of his hatred of women and surely would be wondering what he was doing, but as long as Hendrix was reassured that Yama's taste hadn't changed, everything would be alright.

Then, sure that his message had been taken correctly, he picked up his pace to catch up to the annoying Chimera. He caught up to her and, noticeably glancing back at Z, he took her hand.

"You know, I found a place out here the other day... it was... darker, even in broad daylight, and... I was thinking that no one would fine us there, ya know? A nice quiet place to... play."

He knew his words would effect her and also tell her that she'd get what she was wishing for. She would be so elated, and he was feeling like he could throw up...

He stopped in his tracks, scowling and groaning as if he had forgotten something. "Okay, so I just remembered that I promised my friend I'd stick close to him for most of the day. I would skip out, but he's quite powerful and even more unforgiving." He let his eyes light up again, adding mischief to them as well. "But... I think I can spare, oh, I don't know, ten minutes? That would be sufficient time to play for a little." He smiled as he began walking again, taking the lead. "After all, why buy something when you can try it out for free and come back later for more? My place is always open and I can give you a key if you wish."

There was no doubt in Yama's mind that she wasn't too happy, but hey, she'd get a key and then she could have as much fun as she wanted.

And then he'd rip her precious jewels right out from under her.

[Elle]

Elle glanced up shyly when Nami said her name, and forced herself to smile. She probably wasn't going to be much fun. She was already emanating a depressing vibe and they had only been talking for a little while. Well, Nami was the one talking. Elle had just been listening mostly. Listening and acting boring and depressing.

Then, hearing someone speak behind her, she turned around to see another guy walk up beside Ivan. He introduced himself as Coyle and he seemed... Familiar. She'd probably just seen him around school. Or wait, was he at that ball? Something about him seemed rather threatening, and... Was he friends with Ivan?

Nervous, Elle only nodded, not saying a word as she looked between the two of them. Then, of a sudden, she was being dragged away by Nami toward her group of friends. However, she wasn't certain if she should be grateful or anxious. If it wasn't one thing, it was another...

[ωΘĿƒ]

Before even hearing what Kendryek had to say for himself concerning these plans of his, Le Cyll could begin to feel the slow, creeping dread that crawled its way up his spine. Ah yes, his old friend...

It was odd, this. He really did notice himself speaking aloud when no one was there, and he must imagine someone somewhere might have noticed. He certainly thought Kendryek did. However, he found it more unsettling than could be explained to hear these audible, understandable voices. They were a fairly new occurrence. Only a few months ago had it started.

Come to think of it, they started when he had first chanced upon the dragon Kendryek...

Not to mislead you now. Le Cyll had always shared space with something. He had simply assumed it too stupid to use language as a means of communication. Instead it used headaches, or the more common feelings of nausea or loathing. Something so crude yet effective was always how this thing had voiced its displeasure at him, and it did so in such a way that he knew exactly what it wanted, while simultaneously keeping him in a perpetual state of discomfort.

Childish, it was; but this is how he thought of it - a being beneath him and separate from him, yet somehow attached to him and feeding off of him in a way not unlike a tapeworm or bot fly larvae.

Very early on, he had actually assumed this thing to be him, but now he was not so sure... Why would he do this to himself? He was not masochistic in an introverted way. Although he did enjoy his petty pastimes far too much, he did not find it useful to practice them on himself.

Why would he? Everyone else was expendable. He wasn't.

But this thing... it spoke now. The thing that he had at first thought just a mindless parasite feeding off of whatever emotions he had left now was revealed to be somewhat sentient. Instead of a parasite, he now assumed differently. If this thing indeed possessed speech, then it might be possible that it was not feeding off of him, but rather using him.

How terrible. He did not play the puppet in anyone else's game. He was the gamemaster.

This thought, surfaced only recently, was now one of his primary concerns. What exactly was this interesting new voice trying to say? And why did it use language? And why did it bring with it a myriad of other voices, all using language?

It could be that he needed no language before, when he existed only in the forest where no one would hear him when he spoke. Or, it could be that this thing did not like Kendryek.

He did not like Kendryek either... but why such a drastic change due to Kendryek's appearance?

Le Cyll bore the feel of the loathing sensation patiently, ignoring it with an ease only developed with practice.

He will kill you... Watch him...

Le Cyll blinked, looking at Kendryek. A powerful, persistent, and tenacious fixture he was in Le Cyll's life now, but what was so special about him?

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Kendryek was something to be understood, classified, and subdued. There was nothing more to it.

Yes. Good...

"I am fine, thank you."

When the maniac dragon had hit him, it had been mostly near his head. It had plastered his poor hair to his skull, but other than that it had barely wet his clothing.

Le Cyll ran his fingers through the drenched locks, obsessively straightening and combing out the water wherever he could, and simply reshaping the rest of it when his hair refused to dry. Within a few moments, it was almost exactly as it had been before. Hearing Kendryek's mention of the mushrooms, Le Cyll stopped fixing his hair and recalled what had become of his own sample of the fungi.

He had left them in the school lab, and sadly they had been lost. It was difficult to share space, wasn't it? He needed his own, personal lab. One like he had before.

That will make you happy... A sterilized space of your own...

He already began to make his list of supplies as he responded.

"...trees?"

Oh. That was a problem. Wolves did not climb. Not even in their human forms. It was something very... hard for him to do.

"I do not climb trees. I do, however, fly up them."

Having given his consent to do this thing, he did not mind attempting this tree-gong-into business. It did not stop him from wondering, though, at why exactly they might need to climb up a tree.

And yet Kendryek seemed the kind to have a well-thought out plan. This might be interesting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Smiling like a kid at his successful endeavor, Coyle led Ivan cheerily over to where the funny centaurs were. Strangely, when he approached, he found Crane with them, and chatting in some strange language he did not know.

Good thing, then, he didn't have any of those language boundaries. Coyle understood meaning in language, not words. What Crane was saying was this:

"Yes, and you'll have to keep a close eye on them... Hmm? Oh no, they won't be much trouble... Yes, I'll have that spell down in a short while... Oh no, nothing serious. You understand."

Making an effort to ignore Crane, Coyle could only curse to himself ins disgust. Great... A spell. What the hell could go wrong when Crane casts a spell? The answer: everything he wants to go wrong.

"Damn..." Coyle spat, then looked at Ivan skeptically. He might just be able to throw the bothersome guy under the proverbial lawnmower when Crane's little "spell" took effect. Yeah, that'd cause some well needed chaos around this place. It might not make the centaurs too happy though. Probably why he was talking to them... He didn't want to get any proverbial blood on the pavement. The centaurs would have to clean up whatever mess Crane made out here.

Back at the castle, Crane could do whatever he wanted, but here wasn't necessarily his domain. Whatever it was Crane was setting this camping trip up for, it wasn't intended to be as permanent as a good old fashioned beheading.

Man... he loved it when Crane beheaded the naughty kids...

"So partner, let's follow the leader!" Coyle said, going towards the biggest centaur.

The creature moved off into the forest a bit, careful not to lose the following kids as it did so. In faltering English, it pointed out the different plants and animals around it.

"This is medicine weed. It cures sore bones. This pointy leaf paralyzes even the wolf. And this is track good for finding wild unicorn to hunt..."

Coyle would have been listening, but he was too busy wondering how he could tie all this together... Crane and Ivan. Crane and Ivan.

Crane might just be useful, if he used his "spell" on Ivan...

[Oren]

Kendryek shrugged at his denied offer. Le Cyll wasn't that wet, anyway, but Kendryek... He pulled off his shirt and looked at it. It wasn't absolutely soaked, but it was quite wet, and water enhanced smell. Pulling on a shirt he had grabbed from his bag, he trotted over to a tree and took of the many bags he had on him. He usually didn't carry so many, but the seven sitting by the tree were momentarily unnecessary. Whispering a few words, the bags dissapeared again. Such handy little bags. If they were on the ground and invisible, they were also unmoveable unless the right words were spoken. Thankfully, only he knew the words.

Pulling a small vial out of the only visible bag he had on him, he smiled. "This," he held it up, "is from the mushroom. After quite a few tests, on myself first and then others, I concluded that it has a nice little habbit of knocking anything out for about three hours, depending on the ammount administered, of course."

Looking over at Z, he mused, "I was thinking..."

He looked back at the wolf. He was smart enough to put two and two together. "Climbing tree's might not be necessary, but I have learned that most people don't look up. Then again, we don't have very normal people here. Either way, I can hide effectively just about anywhere around here. I would expect you to have the same skill."

His last sentance definitely wasn't a question. Le Cyll would take offense if it was, not to mention that if it was a question he would already know the answer.

"I assume you would like the honors of falling that maniac, so here." He pulled out a blow pipe and a needle. "I also assume you know how to work this. It isn't a typical weapon. It shoots over 100 feet, magically, of course, and it can see its target, shooting at the perfect speed. Cheeting, I know, but it comes in handy in such times as this. It's not extremely sensative if you don't have a target in mind. Once you do, though, the smallest blow will send the needle flying." He offered them to the wolf, adding, "And don't shoot it at me. As I said, it works by magic. It obeys its owner above its handler and will shoot you if you try to shoot me."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Water. He needed water. Now, which bag had water? Surely he kept the one on him that had the bottle. He knew he was going to have to explain his plan, so he should have... Oh! There it was, sitting by his bags. Walking over, he grabbed it, taking the lid off and gulping down half.

Looking at Le Cyll, he raised his eyebrows. "So, what do you think? You in?"

[ωΘĿƒ]

Le Cyll's eyebrows raised. He had never heard Kendryek speak so... very much. It was a bit disarming at first. Then, it simply became bothersome. What was he trying to accomplish by this? Some kind of test? A ploy to ensnare his more unappreciated tenancies? He did, obviously, want the dragon child to befall some kind of perilous and perhaps torturous death, but did Kendryek know this? Would he do anything if he knew this?

See?!? Such lies... Kendryek is baiting you... Snaring you... Clever hunter that he is!

The high, wailing sound of the voice gave him pause.

Really...?

Yes! Yes! Watch him! He will betray you!

That didn't sound...

WATCH HIM!

"This I can do," the wolf nodded, wincing a little at the sound. So loud... but bearable. This was much better than those coercive sensations. Much more easily ignored. It made this voice sound... frantic. Unreliable. At least without its words, it knew the perfect way to communicate at all times. Now though, the words were skewed. They displayed an incomplete form of communication that manifested as... unlikeable.

Not that he had ever liked writhing in pain before. He would skip that, thank you; but this was even more easily found out to be a bad idea. At least with the simple, crude feelings he had no way of arguing. Now it was so simple to tune this voice out.

Taking the blow pipe, Le Cyll need not even look at it to know how to use it.

"I am familiar with this kind of weaponry, and I would never dream of using it on you, Kendryek."

Yes, not that foolish... Not that easily tricked... Never trust a weapon that is handed to you by another...

That was... slightly more helpful than the screaming. Le Cyll agreed.

Now scouting out a location from which to use this device, Le Cyll spotted a nice fork in the tree above him.

He did not climb, but he did use trees in hunting. Kendryek was absolutely right - no one looked up. He had slain many a deer simply because they assumed that danger might come from the same level as them.

And that made for easy hunting. Le Cyll shifted out of his human form, taking the blow pipe in his mouth and leaping cleanly and quietly with one flap of his wings up to the tree's forked trunk. There he nestled in until he had a stable base, and shifted back to use the pipe.

But... what would Kendryek be doing while this was happening? It was actually a good question, and one he might have been more astute to have answered before he agreed to this whole endeavor.

Looking back down at the dragon, dutifully ignoring the piping sounds of "I told you so" in his head, Le Cyll gave a questioning glance. Then, without further thought, he knew a way to remedy this situation.

"If you aren't going to shoot the crazy little dragon, then you might as well get him into a clearer path for me."

It wasn't a question, but it was posed as politely as possible to be accepted or denied. After all, if he was going to tempt Crane to punish him by darting other schoolmates right under his nose, it might be better to have someone with him when that rather unpleasant gavel came banging down to sentence him.

Chuckling to himself, he also thought it funny. That dragon wasn't "crazy" but he did enjoy using the term liberally. It was just another example of hsi profound love of irony.

[Iƪƪia]

Behind her, she could hear that the tour had just started and she couldn't help but chuckle. How boring... Illia had no interest in any of that or whatever else you were supposed to do on a camping trip. It all just sounded like such a waste of time, and she always preferred to put her time to good use.

Purring slightly as he took her hand, she allowed him to lead. He seemed to have a better idea as to where to go anyway. However, he stopped suddenly, and began to go on a spiel about how he'd forgotten about something and suddenly didn't have as much time for her.

A scowl darkened her features as she listened. That excuse sounded awfully planned out... Although by the end of the pitch, she was feeling a bit better. Something still seemed weird, but maybe she should trust him? Although what did it matter, really? What was he going to try to accomplish by his lies, would he try to take advantage of her? Impossible, seeing as how she was giving him what any man would want.

"Oh... Well, that's alright, I suppose..."

Of course, now she'd have to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her time on this boring trip. If it were possible, she would certainly die of boredom.

***

Ivan watched the demon run off, but made no attempt to follow. He would much rather hang near the back of the group. That provided a much better vantage point for him to observe the others. Walking near the front wouldn't be so bad, of course, as his other senses worked excellently as well, though he would still be robbed of his sight, and he'd rather that didn't happen.

One fine thing about his line of work was the need to be able to communicate with many different types of creatures and cultures, and one of the interesting things he picked up from the chimera did so pique his interest. A spell, was it? Though he'd had a feeling that this wasn't simply a typical camping trip, his thoughts were just confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Although what it was about he could only guess. The disturbing shadow-creature, most likely. Yes he, himself would probably be fine. It wasn't as if the chimera could possibly know about him. No, he'd been much more careful than that. If even the demon was ignorant to his plans, the pet's master couldn't possibly know much. Hopefully.

[Oren]

Kendryek smiled slightly as the wolf took the pipe from his hands. He wasn't sure if the wolf believed him about the magic, but what did that matter? All of his weapons were magical. Eventually Le Cyll would have to realize that. First his bags, then his kunai, and now a random blowpipe. He should be catching on by now. It really was meaningless to ask if the wolf could use the pipe. Anyone could use it given the appropriate directions.

The part about him not even dreaming about shooting Kendryek seemed to be laden with sarcasm. Rolling his eyes, he took another sip of water. Oh, how he hated talking. It was so very bothersome. It was necessary but so annoying! Besides hurting his throat, it made him slightly irritable and quite fed up with any interaction with people. Such a strange reaction to just talking...

He looked back at the group. They weren't too close, now, but they were close enough to have a good shot. But Le Cyll wanted a better one? It wasn't a completely insane request... but it wasn't a necessary one either. The wolf would have to have pretty bad aim for that magical blowpipe to miss its intended target.

Besides, he hadn't been planning to only take out Z... That Hendrix guy looked like he could use quite a few of those darts in his neck...

But what was the matter with helping out Le Cyll a bit?

Sighing, he popped his neck both ways before nodding. No more talking. Not for now, at least. That was mainly due to the fact that he'd have to talk to Z in order to get him to move. He groaned. What a bother...

He reached the clearing the others were in and stood at the edge, hoping to be an unnoticed blob until he came up with an adequate plan.

He smiled slightly as he watched the creatures dodging the different spurts of water. Z hadn't hit almost everyone. Only the ones getting in line for the tour were too far away. That meant that Kendryek was currently out of range as well. He stepped to a tree beside him and leaned against it, thinking of how exactly he was going to lure the dragon out of the group of people.

Maybe he could... no, that wouldn't work. And that would get him wet again. Anything he could think of would give away who had done the nice little deed. He looked to have become bored and turned to walk back to where he had left Le Cyll.

I can't think of anything. Sorry. he told the wolf. Such a waste of energy... He chuckled silently, not using his vocal cords in even the slightest way. Talking really did get him in a bad mood. Just a few minutes ago he was full of energy and ready to have a little bit of fun. Now, on the other hand, he was sort of fidgity and quite restless. It was frustrating him in a way.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to a tree and started to scale it. He moved faster than he normally would and was near the top in only a few seconds. Grabbing a branch to the tree beside it, he jumped over, landing lightly. He moved like this until he was almost back to the clearing.

That was so much better! Some of his energy was now gone and his senses were now on alert. Sneaking around in the trees typically did that to him. For one, it was sneaking. Two, he was in the top of a tree.

For the record, my friend, I have more than one target this fine afternoon.

.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.'.~.

As expected, she wasn't thrilled with this new development. Once again, he looked back at the crowd they had left. That stupid dragon was still acting like a maniac. He chuckled and said, "I don't see how you stand that creature. Then again, he is quite impressionable, isn't he? I would also suppose he has a rich grandaddy."

He was making fun of the immature idiot, obviously. He smiled at the beautiful chimera as he continued to lead her away from the camp grounds. "Such an idiot will get you anything you want, no?" It was small talk. He was flirting with her, nothing more. It all sounded perfectly normal.

"But... what if I told you that, as an apollogy, next time I see you, I'll bring you something better than anything he has?" He smiled at her, his face expectant for her approval and excitement as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

He continued walking, still smiling and flirting with her. "I mean, I don't have a rich grandfather or anything, but... I have a lot of people who owe me favors. I wouldn't mind calling in a few for you... Only if you want them, of course. I mean, your boyfriend sure knows how to pick jewels, but unless he's given you a pure emerald from israel with a face about five millimeters across..."

That would get her. That would definitely get her. She loved her jewels more than anything, and this was the best way to snare the hopeless puppy. If he would give her physical pleasure and large stones, she would be his within the week.

At the thought, another shiver threatened to sneak through his guise. He was ready to kill something! Though, he was, in a way. He was slowly crushing that dragon's heart. Even better, Z didn't even realize it.