Campfire Dreams

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy squeezed her legs, signaling Seghen to speed up. He responded, moving his powerful blue-grey legs faster. She stroked his bare, smooth neck and thanked the stars for her companion.

Seghen... thank the skies I have you. If I didn't... Hypocrisy told him, well, I don't know what I would do. In response, Seghen made a croaking noise that sounded familiar and like home.

The two - Sin and Summon; Girl and Ostrich - sped down winding roads that were more like trails. The saddle that was one of Hypocrisy's only possessions rocked back and forth over the ostrich's wide, feathered back. It was custom-fit for Seghen, made of smooth, buttery brown leather with silver stirrups. Her black cloth shoes fit snugly between the two bars of the stirrups. The matching leather saddlebags bounced as Seghen's galloping gait threw them side to side.

Hypocrisy pushed down on the stirrups, telling Seghen to stop. She surveyed the area around her. She had stopped in a clearing to hopefully stop for the night. Holding onto her summon's neck for support, she gently and smoothly slid her legs over his back to land gracefully on the balls of her feet on the ostrich's right side. She traced her long, tapered fingers down his greyish feathers, skipped over the saddle and untied one of the buttery saddlebags. She pulled out her smooth white ermine-fur blanket. Shaking it out, she laid it on the ground.

Hypocrisy went around behind Seghen to his left side, and untied another saddlebag, taking out a length of rough brown rope. Leading Seghen to a thin tree, she tied one end of the rope around a loop at the front of his saddle and the other end to the birch. Satisfied, she stepped back and eyed her perfect chain knot. Her handiwork was excellent. How had she learned to do this?

She moved over to the wooded area surrounding the clearing. Hypocrisy collected a few pieces of suitable firewood and brought them back to her makeshift camp. After she placed the twigs and logs on the ground, she walked back to Seghen’s right rear saddlebag. She pulled her flint fragments from the leather bag and brought them back over to the blanket. She set up a suitable fire formation and struck the flint. A fire appeared. Satisfied, and more than a little tired, she curled up beneath her blanket.

Hypocrisy’s last conscious thought before sleep consumed her was a goodnight to Seghen. Goodnight, my friend.

[project-daemon]

Animosity walked slowly through the forest with Ffion. Treading through the snow he looked up through the icy tree branches and admired the moon.

"You're going to trip over something doing that," the fox said happily, as if wanting Animosity to trip and fall.

"I could," he replied, "but I won't." Bringing his vision back down, he looked forward, viewing a clearing close by. He slowly exited the cover of trees and stepped into the clearing. Looking around he soon noticed what appear to be an ostrich on the other side of the clearing.

"Ffion, go fetch me some some twigs and such for a fire - I'm going to look into this strange animal." Ffion sighed and shook her head as she turned around and headed back into the forest. Animosity quickly, but silently, made his way over to the large bird. Examining it he saw it was outfitted with a saddle and bags. He looked over to see a girl sleeping next to a fire, not to far away from the ostrich.

'Should I wake her up,' he thought to himself. 'I usually wouldn't... but... she doesn't seem like she could be that bad. Sighing, he bent down and nudged the sleeping girl. "Hey, wake up."

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy stirred. Someone was standing in front of her. She could see his shoes. But was this all part of her dream? She blinked sleepily, bringing her vision slowly back into focus. She heard a voice, male, speaking to her. "Hey. Wake up," the voice said. It was smooth, and low. The figure crouched next to her and nudged her abdomen. She could see his face. He had remarkably pale skin, much like her own. A nondescript face, but handsome. He was a little younger than she, perhaps 2 years or so. He didn't look as graceful, but he looked powerful.

Looking at the face of this stranger, Hypocrisy felt something wrong. She couldn't understand what it was. She focused hard and scrutinized his face. Then she realized: his eyes were a bright, bloody red.

Throwing off her ermine-fur blanket, Hypocrisy scrambled backward away from the boy and the fire. A guttural, feral hissing noise erupted from her throat. In the background of the swirl of thoughts in her mind, she could feel Seghen's fear of this boy. "Who are you?" she hissed. She reached towards her right hip as she crouched like an animal, pressed up against an oak. She flexed all five fingers of her right hand and closed them around the platinum garrotte she kept there. She paused, and stuttered a bit. "W- What are you?" she whispered.

[project-daemon]

Animosity let out a disgruntle sound and stood up. He closed his eyes, scrunching up his face in intense concentration.

'Don't kill her,' he thought. 'Don't kill her.' Sighing, Animosity relaxed and looked back to the startled girl. He looked her over properly; she was short, small and pale, with eyes that intrigued Animosity.

"My name is Animosity," he said, trying to sound pleasant, but the hate that was imbued in him was still in his words. "Despite my appearance and general nature, I mean you know harm. Please, calm yourself." Looking at the girl, he tried his hardest to not appear violent, and tried to be welcoming, even if his eyes wouldn't play along.

[crxunch* ;]

The boy - Animosity, he said - looked as though he was mentally arguing with himself about whether to kill her or spare her sorry hide. Little did he know she could probably kill him on one foot with her hands behind her back.

"An-i-mos-i-ty," Hypocrisy tried, slowly and deliberately. She realized she was still crouched against a tree, and straightened. Stiffly, she nodded at him and said, "I'm Hypocrisy. My summon, the ostrich over there, is Seghen. He's generally friendly. Just don't touch the nape of his neck. He gets antsy."


She sighed, and turned to gather her blanket. Those eyes... they made her skin crawl. Seghen, he scares me. I've got these powers, and this great gift, and he stills manages to instill fear in parts of me I never knew could be afraid. The great ostrich turned his head her way and widened his huge black eyes.

Roughly she folded the warm white blanket and stuffed it into the saddlebag. She went around to Seghen's left front saddlebag and fetched a canteen of water. Liberally she doused the embers of her fire. Replacing the cap of the canteen, she dropped it back into the leather pouch.

She walked over to the slim white birch, and worked her fingers through the catch in the knot. Two simple tugs, and the complicated knot was no more. Hypocrisy untied the knot around the saddle and replaced the rope in its bag. "I'm just passing through here," she said, trying to sound friendly, "but it was nice to meet you, I suppose? Surely you'd rather not associate with someone like me." Not to completely change tack, but she almost hoped that he wouldn't... those eyes.

She began to lead Seghen from the clearing when she doubled back to spread the ashes and twigs from the fire. "Can't leave any evidence behind, yeah? It'd be silly not to cover up my tracks, right? If you stay anywhere, especially here, for the night, please remember that. I'd rather not see you ripped apart by who-knows what."

She put one foot in the stirrups and vaulted over Seghen's back. She tried not to show it, but she almost did hope that he would follow her. It would be nice to talk to someone, if he was friendlier than first appearances would make it seem.

[project-daemon]

Animosity looked around. He didn't know what to do. Should he follow her?

'She doesn't seem too bad,' he thought to himself. Sighing, he bolted over to where she mounted her summon, before she could leave.

"Hypocrisy-" he said, but was cut off by the return of Ffion. The red fox stared up at him, and then at the girl on the ostrich, and then back at Animosity. Dropping some twigs and such on the ground, she playfully asked "What's going on here?"

"Ffion, this is Hypocrisy," he replied, then turning back to Hypocrisy. "Hypocrisy, this is my summon, Ffion." The fox sat up and became silent, listening for the rest of their conversation. Animosity shook his head at the fox and looked back to Hypocrisy.

"Where was I," Animosity muttered, "oh, right. Now, Hypocrisy, I do not wish to impose on you, but, would you allow me to travel with you?"

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy looked at Ffion, the fox. She was so beautiful. The way her fur glimmered in the soft light of the setting moon... She was just so beautiful. It was practically breathtaking.

She stroked Seghen's neck, as if reassuring him that he, too, was beautiful. He was graceful in ways a fox could never be.

Animosity's request intrigued her. She had never had more than the company of her summon before. What do you think, Segh? she asked him. He craned his neck to look at her. His eyes seemed to shout, it's your decision! She sighed. I guess it really is my decision, she thought.

She stood up on Seghen's back - quite a feat on an ostrich - and let the wind whip her hair. She had loved being alone, but Animosity didn't seem bad, and definitely would make things more interesting. She wondered what his power was... "Well, Animosity, I would be honoured if you and your beautiful summon would join us. I'll be sure to keep Seghen at a walk. Hopefully you'll be able to keep up," she said. She was making a pitiful attempt at playfully teasing him. She was sure he would catch her meaning. She dropped back down onto the saddle, feeling more than a little silly.

"I'm not going anywhere in particular. If you do indeed want to follow along, I'd be glad for the company. Let's go, before the sun comes up." Hypocrisy picked up the reins and urged her summon to walk, expecting Animosity to follow.

[project-daemon]

Animosity couldn't help but be slightly impressed when Hypocrisy stood straight up on her summon; he had balance, but on such a rounded and small surface as that of the saddle on the ostrich, even he would be bound to fall.

As the wind blew through the girl's hair, Animosity felt something as he watched her. For the first time, it was hate that he felt... but he couldn't gauge exactly what he felt at this point, being so out of touch with most other emotions for so long. When she agreed to have him along, he was genuinely happy.

"Thank you," he replied, "and don't worry-" Animosity let a sly smile creep across his face. "- I'm sure I'll be just fine." As he began to walk along side Hypocrisy, Ffion jumped up onto his shoulder, and then perched her front legs on his head. Animosity pouted up at the fox.

"What?" she laughed at him.

"Nothing," he shook his head lightly, as to not jostle her off. Not wishing to wait to find out, he turned back to Hypocrisy and said, "If you don't mind telling me, Hypocrisy, what is your power?"

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy almost laughed as she looked beside her to see Ffion, beautiful and graceful, perching on Animosity's head. The expression on the Sin's face made her want to roll on the ground until she couldn't laugh anymore. It had been so long since she had laughed that hard. The grim expression on her face was practically frozen there, but now it lifted and was replaced with a smile.

He asked her what her power what. She was almost surprised. She had only just been thinking about asking him his. Maybe that was it?... She didn't know. But she did know that she looked like a fool ooc:\\WITH HER PANTS ON THE GROUND. I had to. I had to. Sorry. sitting on her ostrich thinking to herself as her new companion waited for an answer.

"I create physical sound waves when I scream. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I can. I practice every day. My sound emanates some sort of sonic boom and throws an opponent back a few paces. I'm working on strengthening it, you know? If you don't mind paying me the same respect, what's yours?"

[project-daemon]

"Hmm," he hummed, "that's an interesting power. It has it's uses, but, forgive me for sounding prideful, I believe more power to be of more use. You see, I can manipulate shadows." He grinned a slightly sinister smile.

"And I don't just mean I make shadows move where ever I want them too, but I can turn them in physical matter. For example." He held his left hand a little from his face, flat out, and hovered his right hand over the left. Looking at the shadow cast on the lower hand, he made the shadow rise up in a small spike and then stop. Taking his right hand, he grabbed the spike with his index finger and thumb, lifting it up and waving it around to show Hypocrisy.

"As a bonus," he added, "during night I can turn shadows into a thick sort of fog or smoke. If you're wondering why I could make this shadow solid, it's because it was on a small scale, so it took little energy or light at all to make it." Letting go of the spike, it simply vanished immediately. "Of course, this means that I cannot make large objects out of shadows during night, but I can create a quick smoke screen if I need cover. Another interesting thing about my power that I've learned: the shadow objects themselves are, in fact, 100% physical and real, so they cast a shadow as well, which makes for easy duplicating - and! I can even repair damaged shadow objects with easy, because I can simply move part of the shadow into the damaged area and voila!"

Finishing his mini speech, he felt rather proud, but then said, "Oh, I'm sorry if I bored you or sounded like I was insulting your power - I just like my power and sort of like to talk about it." Ffion snickered.

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy brought Seghen's admittedly slow pace to a dead halt. She looked at Animosity, speechless. She didn't know how she was to respond to that. An entire speech, completely belittling her power. She didn't really care that he apologized for doing it, it still hurt.

She still didn't quite know how to respond. It came to her attention that she had been sitting on an ostrich at a complete standstill gaping her mouth at Animosity for quite some time.

"That sounds... useful..." Hypocrisy said, letting her voice trail off. She kicked Seghen to get him to walk again and continued babbling about nothing in particular. "I don't know the region, so I guess we're just ambling... we might pick up the pace if we want to find a place to camp by the next dawn. It's just a suggestion, you know?

"If you want, I can demonstrate my power for you next time I practice. Which should be sometime later today."

[project-daemon]

Animosity looked down at the ground.

'I really must have insulted her,' he thought to himself.

"Look," he said, turning back to Hypocrisy, "I'm sorry, okay. I know I must have sounded like a complete jerk, but... well, do you know what it's like to have no one ever be proud of you? To, even if you're good at something, be ignored... mocked... used...." His voice trailed off. Closing his eyes, he clenched his fists and a few tears escaped his eyes. Ffion used her tail to wipe them away.

Angrily and shamefully, he swatted the fox's tail away. Looking away from Hypocrisy he muttered, "Yeah, let's just find a place to set up camp." He picked up his pace to a brisk walk and continued forward.

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy glanced at her companion. Before he had seemed so strong, but now his facade seemed to have melted and dissolved, leaving him bare and vulnerable. He seemed to have a story he didn't want to share. Ffion's face was pure compassion, if there was such a thing on a fox.

He had begun to walk faster, so she urged Seghen to a bit of a loping, long-strided pace.

"I'm sorry to have upset you. I feel as though I once knew what that was like, but since I woke up in this place I can't recall. I'm certainly proud to have a companion as powerful as you seem to be. I'm honoured that you chose to continue my journey with me, as you could have left me by the fire, or even killed me. I suppose I'm just a little upset that my power can't really be used offensively. I hope you understand. I know that wasn't kind of me."

She hoped this was enough, by way of apology. She didn't want to upset the first companion she had in this world besides her summon.

ooc:\\ I IS SORRY TO HAS UPSETTED YOU!

[project-daemon]

Relaxing, but keeping up his pace, Animosity. sighed and looked back to Hypocrisy.

"Thank you for understanding," he said. "I am most humbled by you allowing be to travel with you; I assume that I can be rather... difficult... at times, and I am pleased that you found it in your heart to look past that. And don't worry, I believe that with the right amount of training, your power could be a formidable force."

Soon they came to the edge of another clearing, but the path was blocked by a large thicket. Not wishing to look for way around it, Animosity summoned up his scythe. Ffion jumped nimbly off of his head as he began slashing quickly, but in a controlled manner, at the thicket. In a few moments, the thicket was nothing but leaves and scrap. Stepping through into clearing, he spotted an area he believe suitable, and cleared it away.

"Seeing as I woke you up last time," he stated, "it would only be fair that I at least set up the fire this time. Ffion, twigs and such... if you may."

"Of course," the fox muttered, rolling her eyes. Lifting up the back of his shirt a little, he revealed a small pack strapped across his lower back, just above his waist. Reaching into a small pocket, he took out some strips of flint as Ffion returned with wood for the small fire. He nodded and took the wood from his summon. Setting up a fire formation, he struck the flint and the wood caught fire.

"There we are," he smiled at the fire. "I'm normally horrible at this, but I actually got it on the first try this time."

[crxunch* ;]

Hypocrisy slid off Seghen, gathering her things and tying the ostrich up as before. She had not realized, but it had become dark once more. Shaking out her white blanket and placing it on the ground, she looked at Animosity. He had built a fire, and his cheeks were shining with pride at his accomplishment.

She laughed and said, "Many thanks for making the fire. My supply of flint is getting low. Perhaps we'll come across some place to get some more."

She checked beneath her black jacket. Five shuriken, all still there. She always performed a pre-sleep check of her weapons. She felt on her hip for her garrotte, and was comforted by the cool platinum. Hypocrisy walked to her blanket by the fire and laid down, wrapping herself in its warmth.

"It's funny, I'm not quite tired yet. Possibly because we didn't do much today except walk. If you're ready for sleep I'll respect that. But I'll probably go for a walk if you fall into dreams."