+ Scions of the Beast +

[Nami]

OOC: Derek you're characters are where you left them with Eric ^_^

Welcome back Lil'Ninja!

IC: Spring smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes, "its Ok." she wanted to hug Evangeline again but didn't. "It's hard sometimes, I know." She glanced at Dalton, "Especially when people don't let things go." she gave him a look.

"Hmm?" She pondered it, "well... I don't know, Chaucer has a lot of things on his mind...speaking of which, where are Eric and Storm?" 'And Jason.' she thought.

-------

Phantom chuckled and Chaucer itched, this was bad, Maxine was losing her cool. "Max..." he said coming toward her.

"Stay!" Phantom snarled, Chaucer blinked startled by that voice coming from Phantom. "I am not a weak being." he said slowly, "I am more powerful than twenty or forty Anichi combined! In my true form I can over-power thousands, my dear sweet Maxine, it is you who puts on a 'macho-bravado' as you say, you try to be strong...but in fact. You are weak." he grinned. "You couldn't even save the man you loved..."

'SHUT UP!! MAX DON'T LISTEN!' Kisho screamed in Phantom's head, but no one could hear him.

Chaucer saw Nathan looking for them and his fear spiked, they weren't far off from the cave, they were close enough to be seen.

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

Clara looked at Nathan and then at Nazari, "take it easy big fellow." she said as Nathan helped Nazari into the cave, she hesitated outside the cave, Phantom was near-by and she wasn't sure she wanted to go in, she wanted to see Phantom... she looked over her shoulder. That power was also near by.

[Lil_Ninja]

Maxine was practically shaking with fury at this point.
Before she could stop herself, her hand was flying through the air. She slapped Phantom so hard, it left a blood red mark across his face, and an awful hurt in her hand. Tears started welling up in her eyes yet again. Words could not express the emotional warfare raging inside of her mind. It was too much for her to bare.
"This is your fault.." She said, which was probably the only thing she could get out without having another breakdown.
It couldn't be her fault! She didn't plan on getting kidnapped, and she couldn't have stopped it! Could she have?..

Conri finally decided to step in. In all honesty, he was beginning to fear for Maxine. How was this brute going to react to her slapping him?
He stepped closer to them, making his presence known. He had his hand on his gun, just in case he needed it. He was showing himself to be a threat without having to physically intervene.

~~

Nathanael saw Maxine slap Kisho. He could already tell something was wrong.
Throughout the years, no matter what stupid thing Kisho had said or done, she never took such action towards him.
He was starting to think Nazari's claim was tangible.

~~

Callie approached Clara curiously. "Who are you?" She asked, tugging on her shirt to gain her attention.

[Nami]

OOC: I'm going to send a PM to Derek, but can we wait to post until Strafe gets back? I don't want to move the storyline without him.

[Lil_Ninja]

OOC: That's fine. :]

[Strafe]

OOC: Nono. Go ahead. I can catch up. I'm going to be back on Saturday, but I have internet right now so... I won't fall too far behind.

-Evangeline-

She looked over at Kisho just as he was slapped hard in the face by Maxine. She blinked. By Maxine? She blinked again. Maxine.

She stood frozen for a moment before she grinned mischievously. There was still hope. Kisho could be hers. "Heheh..."

OOC: So... does anyone realize that Evangeline has only seen Phantom in Kisho's Body, and Not the real Kisho? Hm...

[Nami]

OOC: OH MY GOODNESS! You will be back soon? :3 *shiny eyes* Thank Goodness! Yes, post Saturday!! :3 YAAAY!

[Derek_Is_Me]

Jason jumped out of the dent in the tree that he had been kicked into and smiled widely.'Good kick little brother.' Rubbing the tree gently jason spoke to it,"I am sorry for the pain you have felt my brother. Be at ease." Running over to storm. Jason grabbed ahold of him in a fierce bear hug and whispered in his ear,"I promised I would come back for you little brother so calm down so we can get out of here." Looking over at Eric. Jason said,"Where do we need to go my friend? We must hurry out of here post haste."
---------------
Storm resisted at first but finally gave into the hug and hugged jason for everything that he had."I missed you so much brother."whispered storm to jason.

[Nami]

OOC: Dudes! I'm so sorry!

IC: Phantom's head snapped when she slapped him and he felt anger boil deep inside his gut, slowly though he breathed and pushed the rage away, this was no time to lash out at her. He chuckled deeply instead, he knew what he had said was eating her alive now.

"No, its not...I am not the one who banished Anichi's to this world... but I know who did." Phantom turned his head with a deep smirk on his face, "and I plan to take my revenge." he whispered ominously.

"Soon enough I will find the crystal and when I do..." Phantom grinned wickedly.

Chaucer stiffened, 'the crystal..' Kisho has shown him an illustration in the journal that was tucked safely in his front pocket of his jacket. It had had some significant meaning... Chaucer didn't like where this was going and now he saw Nathan coming... 'Oh crap...'

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

Spring looked down at the cackling Evangeline and wondered what had made her so happy, she looked and gasped, something was terribly wrong with Kisho. "Oh no." she whispered.

------
Clara looked down at Callie, "I am Clara..." she smiled softly, and knelt down next to Callie, "and who are you little one?" She stroked Callie's head and smiled gently.

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

Eric sighed with relief, happy this was finally over. "Cool, alright...we need to go this way!" he turned and lead the two brothers into the woods, he smiled a little. It was nice to see brothers reconcile like that. Eric would have felt like whistling if he hadn't seen Phantom's dark glinting look.

"Crap..." he muttered, "guys.. this is getting bad." He said looking at Jason and Storm.

[Derek_Is_Me]

Jason looked over at Phantom who seemed to be going crazy."I think we need to run to the cave and get there before phantom does. Something tells me if he makes it to that cave we are all going to regret it."stated Jason calmly.

[Nami]

Eric blinked rapidly, "man I always miss the action packed stuff!" He complained, then looked at Jason. "Hey who's Phantom? That's Kisho!" He pointed and then he realized how wrong he was, the man he saw was not Kisho, the way he held himself said it all. Eric felt the blood drain from his face. "This is bad."

[Lil_Ninja]

Maxine remembered Kisho mentioning a Crystal to her in the past. Wasn't that the group's destination. She briefly looked at Chaucer with a confused look on. She knew he was aware of what was going on.
She looked back at Phantom, restoring her look of anger. "Why are you wasting your time here then, huh?"


Nathanael made his way over to them. He was going to get to the bottom of this.
"What's going on?" He glanced at everyone there, his gaze finally settling on the red hand print on Phantom's face. "Ouch.." He scrunched his face up, just imagining what Kisho must have done to deserve that.
But what... He examined the man's face. That couldn't be Kisho..


~~


"Callie." She smiled at Clara. "I've never seen you before. Did you come from the forest?" She asked, her innocent eyes sparkling. She was oblivious to the the events taking place just outside of the cave.

[Nami]

Chaucer shook his head, it was so slight though that it looked like he might no have done it at all.

Phantom smiled, "because...I was going to take the journal, but...I'm so close." he closed his eyes, "I can feel it. I don't need that worthless piece of leather and paper. I could simply run off and take it." Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked at Nathan.

"Did a woman show up at the cave?" he asked, eyes narrowing. Chaucer opened his mouth to tell Nathan to run but it was too late, Phantom beat him to it.
----

Clara smiled, "Callie, what a lovely name." she paused, "yes I did..." she hesitated, she hadn't taken into consideration the children that would be effected by what Phantom and she had been planning for years. "You must listen carefully." she whispered, "when the time comes...you must hide, or if you see a man in robes...go to him, he will keep you safe." she smiled sorrowfully.

[Derek_Is_Me]

Jason looked over at Eric."I'm sorry eric. He just seems so dark that I just called him Phantom. I don't know if we should help or what. But I think we should though."said Jason calmly.
--------------
Storm stood beside Jason watching the proceedings that were going on between eric and jason.

[Nami]

Eric looked at Jason, "nah man, your right...somethings off, I don't know what but I intend to find out." he looked at Storm. "You and Jason get inside, I'm going to talk to Chaucer." he turned and jogged toward the small group.

[Derek_Is_Me]

Jason smiled fondly at eric."Thank you my friend. I shall do that."said jason happily. Looking over at storm jason said,"Come little brother. We must get to safety."
------------------
Grabbing Jason's hand. Storm and jason proceeded to the cave.

[Lil_Ninja]

OOC: It's starting to die! Nami, any ideas to spice things up a little?


IC: Nathanael wasn't so sure he wanted to answer this new Kisho. "How did you know?" He asked, standing near his sister. It was obvious that she was upset.

~~

Callie looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Hide and seek?" She asked, not understanding. "Why will the man be wearing a robe? Doesn't he have normal clothes?"

~~

Nazari leaned against the rock wall. He breathed steadily, trying to keep himself calm.
Looking around the cave, he noticed two new faces. A young girl, and a Korean looking woman. "Hey you." He called to them. "Who are you?"

OOC: He's talking to Evangeline.

[Strafe]

OOC: The races are a little bit weird, since their backstory's so convoluted, but Evangeline is Korean and Kanako is Japanese. lol. sorry.

Anyways, it's time to turn Kanako into a real character. With cheesy emotional suckage.

-Evangeline and Kanako-

Evangeline rolled her eyes in frustration. Did everyone have to inquire as to who she was and why she was there? She prepared to address the nuisance curtly, as she was not in the best mood after the encounter with Dalton. But then she saw the battered man struggling to stay calm, obviously injured. Her eyes softened slightly in compassion.

"Usually, it's polite to give your name first, but you seem to be too caught up for petty formalities. My name is Evangeline Saint-Claire, and this is my friend Kanako."

Kanako started slightly, as Eva called her "friend." She smiled wistfully, as Eva didn't even seem to notice, and went on talking. It seemed that ever since they had left, Kanako underwent a transformation from her maid, to her mother, to her friend. She was no longer bound to Eva by a paid salary, not even a maternal instinct. The bond was the promise made on the night that she found a little fox crying in the middle of the night, afraid of the future. The promise that she would always protect her, no matter what the cost.

It wasn't like the promise made between soldiers on the battlefield, to make it out alive. It was a childish pinky promise made before innocence was lost, between two girls who had seen nothing of the world. But somehow, that promise was as strong as any battle hymn sung for victory. Because Kanako knew the true battle in Evangeline's heart. It was a desperate plea for a true friend, someone who could accept her and knew her completely. It pleased Kanako to no end to hear that she was something to someone. At least for now, Evangeline had a friend.

For now.

Kanako's face darkened sightly, and she turned a way. "Shitsureshimasu." She walked out of the cave, where a brisk wind blew. She needed to think for a moment.

Evangeline looked at her quizically. That was rather unlike Kanako, she thought. But she turned back to the man.

"Oh, please excuse her, she's a bit sensitive when it comes to blood." It was a lie, but she didn't know what else to say. "But here. Do you need help with that?" She got on her knees and took the bandages the others brought to him, raising them attentively in the question. She would tend to the man first, then see what was wrong with Kanako right after.

OOC: Of course. Kanako needs someone to talk to...

[Nami]

OOC: Who shall talk to her hmmmm? I have an idea! xD

IC: Clara smiled sadly down at Callie, "He will wear a robe because he is from an ancient time." she looked over her shoulder and bristled at Jason and Storm's approach. She held Callie closer, protectively, she had any hackles they would have been raised.

------

Phantom smirked at Nathan, "I can smell her." He blinked curious, 'Kisho, have you given up already?' when no reply came he shrugged and looked back at the group. "This is getting interesting..." He looked over Maxine, Chaucer, Conri, Nathan and his eyes spotted the oncoming Eric. "Another party-crasher?" he muttered narrowing his eyes.

------

Eric had fully intended to go all the way to Chaucer, but the sight of the Japanese woman stopped him, he blinked, oh yeah, she was that woman who had come with the girl. He took a deep breath trying to steady himself from running.

"Hey...are you...ok?" he asked, huffing a little.

------

Phantom chuckled, "sucked in by a woman." he muttered, then a shiver of power shot through him, he groaned and held his head, the Crystal was so close, so close that it ached inside of him, he need to be near it for his soul to separate from Kisho's body and manifest its own again. "Clara." he murmured. Then he lifted his head and spotted Clara, his muscles bunched, ready to take off.

OOC: Spice it up? hmmmm... well, as soon as things move past this point, I intend to spice things up! :3 Yay!

[Strafe]

-Kanako-

The wind blew her dark hair across her face, and drowned out the sounds of the arguments and anger happening around her. She made no move to brush the hair out of her eyes. She just wanted to think, or more realistically, she wanted to not have to think at all and just stand, staring vaguely into the distance. I seemed appropriate to do so, considering what must be done. She remembered the time when Evangeline came up to her and said, "Not everyone is bound by ou--"

"Hey...are you...ok?"

She started slightly as the voice surprised her. She looked back nervously, clasping her hands together cautiously. It was a normal looking man, though he seemed to care little of cleanliness. Kanako instantly tried to suspect what animal the man could be, but couldn't think of anything by his appearance. Instead of the foreign, tense instinctual aura the other Anichi gave off, the man seemed a bit plain. He seemed loud for a person, but there was no threatening air abou him. It was a bit comforting to her and she relaxed slightly around the familiar feeling presence.

"Oh. Excuse me. Yes, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." She turned back to continue brooding, but she felt drawn to the man somehow. Something about him seemed tame, safe, at least compared to everyone else, especially Kisho. It wasn't as if she could ask him about it, though. That would be rude. So she continued staring into the distance, hoping the man would say something so she could talk about what she was thinking.

OOC: Ergh. She's Japanese, so she has that frustrating cultural personality of pretentious reservation. She can't say anything wrong on purpose...

[Nami]

OOC: Aww, poor Kanako ^_^ Whoa, I forgot Eric has a lip-ring ROFL! *just re-read his profile*

IC: Eric blinked rapidly, well aware of her taking in his grubby condition, he felt a little embarrassed to look like this in front of a lady, but there was nothing to be done now. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh. Excuse me. Yes, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

Eric watched her turn away and cocked his head, "well, its human nature to worry about the people around us. Or maybe that's just my nature." He straightened a bit more, he had been slouched over from running.

"So, what's wrong?" He put his hands on his hips, one eyebrow raised in question as his dark brown hair blew across his pale face.

[Strafe]

OOC: We're all standing quietly, letting the wind blow our hair this way and that.

-Kanako-

She smiled grimly. Human nature. That was ironic, coming from the man who was probably not human. Why else would he be traveling with Anichi if he wasn't one himself? She looked back respectfully, turning to face him completely, and averting her gaze from his eyes so as not to be caught staring.

"No no. I don't want you to trouble yourself." The truth was that she really really wanted someone to talk to, of course. "I just don't sleep very well is all." That was also a big lie. "Oh, but I haven't introduced myself." She bowed politely, and gestured to Eva. "My name is Kanako Inoue, a maid of the Saint-Claire family." She hesitated. "Well... I used to be at least." Her polite expression dimmed and faded to a weary, pained expression that she couldn't hide.

[Nami]

OOC: so awesomely dramatic! *o*

IC: Eric listened intently, "huh.." He held his stance and watched Kanako as she introduced herself, "Well, nice to meet you Inoue-san, I am Eric." his lips quirked in a smile, "and don't ask me to speak Japanese, I know very little." he chuckled.

"Not sleeping well is a sign of stress, and stress is a sign that you have a lot on your mind..." his eyes were trained on Kanako, "you know, I'm OK with listening, in fact plenty of people have told me that I am the best listener alive!" Eric grinned broadly, showing off normal white human teeth.

[Strafe]

-Kanako-

Her frown softened as Eric addressed her with the honorific. She nodded lightly, acknowledging his lack of the Japanese tongue. "That's fine."

He grinned, and his teeth were not sharp. Kanako was slightly taken aback, but she caught herself so she didn't show it. So Eric was human. The feeling was probably the greatest relief she had felt in a very long time. Noticeably, Kanako relaxed. But the weight was still there.

She sighed, and warned him politely. "Okay. I guess I can tell you, but I don't see how you can help." She took a deep breath, then looked nervously into Eric's eyes.

"I'm afraid. Afraid of the Anichi, afraid of the future, what will happen to me, what will happen to Evangeline. I'm afraid of tomorrow, because I don't know what's happening now."

She looked away. "You see, I was a maid of the Saint-Claire family. A hired hand, someone who should be detached from the family because I am not part of the family. I had no business in their affairs. But the Saint-Claires hate Anichi, and did not know what their adopted daughter was. Over the years, I came to love Evangeline. She was such a bright, lovely child. But it all changed when she changed, I could not let her be found out, so I helped her hide it. But she couldn't understand why she had to hide, and was hurt because she had to hide from her parents. She became cold, and after a time, she wanted to run away."

"But I had my place, a stable job that I could rely on. I was always told never to let that go, because that is all I am worth. But because I couldn't control myself, I forsake my duties and ran away with her."

"When this affair blows over, I will surely be punished, maybe even arrested." She looked back at Eric and smiled sadly. "I kidnapped a child, Eric. I am a criminal. And because I have no one to return to, I am nothing."

[Nami]

The words floated around Eric and penetrated his brain, he furrowed his eyebrows trying to understand it all, he knew what she was saying, but he couldn't figure how she figured she was a criminal for saving a girl who might have otherwise been killed, by her own family no less. Eric's finger rested on his lip as he thought about this.

Slowly, like a jig-saw puzzle being put together by an amateur, the thoughts clicked and the conclusion revealed itself like the wonderful masterpiece of the finest jig-saw puzzle you can buy.

Eric looked straight into Kanako's eyes. "You are not nothing." he said his voice calm, "you saved someone, you rescued a little girl, even though you feared the beast inside of her. What you must have gone through every night you were alone with her, a fight between fear and love." He sighed, "I know that feeling. But you didn't do anything wrong. And naturally most people are afraid of the future, even Anichi, they have a lot to lose if they are caught."

"Kanako-san, whatever happens will happen, there is no use fretting over things we can't control, sure we can walk down that path if we choose, but what happens after that no one knows. Which is why I'd like to spend my time in the present and not worry about tomorrow, because the things we do today can impact tomorrow! And if we are always worried about tomorrow and we never see today...how can we possibly stand to make a difference in the world if we are always looking at something we can't see."

"Even if you can't go back to that family, I'd be more than happy to find you a good paying job that is stable and reliable."

Eric stepped toward her, "No matter what happens after all this, you are not a criminal, and I won't let anybody treat you as such. You did what you thought was right. And that is good enough for me." he smiled softly.

[Strafe]

-Kanako-

She looked at him worriedly. He was so forward, that it caught her off guard. But there was no pretense in his voice, no hint of falsehood. She could see in his eyes that he meant every word that he said, and that scared her. It wasn't good to be so honest. And it wasn't good to make such large promises. What was even more terrifying was that Kanako wanted to trust everything that he told her. She wanted to believe that she had done the right thing, that things would turn out for the best.

But the other half, the half that had kept her above the water for all her life, told her that she had made a grave mistake. Justice never prevailed, and she could only look out for herself by carefully calculating every detail. That was the motto she had always known from her youth. No one told her so plainly, but that was the reality she had lived in. At least until she came into the service of the Saint-Claire family and met the little Korean girl they had adopted.

Evangeline was petty and spoiled, much too full of herself, and lacking in reservation. In a much milder sense, Eric was like Evangeline. He spoke his mind, even when it meant he had to make difficult promises. He said what he truly believed and stuck behind it. But at the center of all of that he was pure and honest at heart. He didn't just seem like he was. Kanako knew he was. It was dangerous, but she admired it greatly of both of them. It was something she thought she would never be able to do.

She had been silent while she thought, staring down at the ground plaintively. She looked up. Eric was close to her now, but his presence wasn't obtrusive or threatening. Even so, she felt the habitual impulse to step back politely at the closeness, and gently let Eric know that she was fine and could handle things. But she found that what she really craved was human contact, a shoulder to cry on. She knew in her heart that she could not handle life on her own.

It would be hard, but maybe it was time to drop the pretenses and learn how to trust someone. She took a deep breath and looked into Eric's eyes calmly, without a hint of fear. "Thank you."

She meant it.

OOC: And now we can comment on just how awkward Kanako just made the situation. How exactly do you respond to that?

[Lil_Ninja]

OOC: Time for me to jump in!

IC: Callie wasn't quite understanding what Clara was trying to tell her. "So... He's really, really old?"
She noticed Balto had finally found their group again. A low growl echoed from his throat as his ears pressed against his head and his neck lowered. He didn't like the fact that this stranger, Clara, was near his master.
"Balto, it's okay! She's a good guy! Or rather.. Girl!" She giggled, looking up at Clara. "Because you are definitely not a boy!" She smiled, then motioned for her wolf to come closer. Callie pulled out of Clara's grip so she could do some introducing. "Clara, this is my wolf, Balto! Balto, this is Clara! You don't have to worry about her, okay?" She hugged the massive wolf's neck, and he seemed to relax, but still stayed alert.

~~

"Oh, no, It's okay-.." Nazari didn't have time to decline to Evangeline before she started helping him. "Ah-..Uh, thanks.." He wasn't used to being so helpless. He hated the feeling of it. "Well, Evangeline Saint-Clair, my name is Nazari. It seems you tagged along when I was on my little.. Side trip." He grimaced at the shooting pain in his side when he readjusted against the rock wall. "So what's your deal, kid? How'd you get mixed in with our misfit group?" He used "our" loosely, since it really wasn't even his group. He was basically a tag-a-long like herself.

~~

Nathanael could tell that this "Clara" meant something to this stranger that once was Kisho. Something more than he even knew. Which worried him. He looked upon her with eyes he once had for Maxine. And he knew that Maxine saw it also.
"Who is she?" He asked, almost in an angry manor, but he kept his tone civil.
He glanced at Maxine, a sting of sadness pricking at him. He knew this was killing her to see. This man must have been the creature Maxine had mentioned to him a few times before. She called it "Phantom", of he recalled correctly. And somehow he was released, which also must be eating at Maxine. It must be tied with her vanishing, which she would, of course, beat herself up about. He knew she was way too hard on herself, and she knew it too, but she couldn't help it.
He couldn't bare to think about where this would leave Maxine's emotional state..

[Nami]

OOC: I shall respond as any sane person would...which is odd, because I'm not sane! :3

IC: Eric waited in silence until she met his eyes, and he saw in them a sense of calm, she was going to trust him. He had been uneasy, her eyes had been mistrusting before when he had spoken, she must have struggled with her inner-ideas until she'd come to a conclusion. He smiled, she was an odd girl, but he didn't mind, she was someone who needed help, even though she put up walls to keep people away. He knew a lot of other people who were like that.

Eric brushed his curly locks from his eyes, "You're welcome." he said genuinely, "don't you feel better now?" he asked in a whisper, leaning toward her as if it were a secret.
----

Clara nodded at Callie, "he is." she froze when Balto came up, she hated dogs and they hated her, her whole body was ready to spring away from him until Callie calmed Balto. She narrowed her eyes but smiled.

"Hello." she said calmly, though inside her feline instincts were ripping her apart. "Perhaps, we should go back inside, so he is less defensive yes?" she led Callie back into the cave and her eyes landed on Nazari and a young girl, she smirked and shifted her eyes over the other residents, seemed there were two young men, a woman who was talking to them and another man, odd, an odd man. He smelled...well...weird.

OOC: That would be Dalton. :3

IC: Chaucer couldn't get a grip on the situation and it was bothering him, Phantom was about to go berserk and who knew what Max would do, now that Nathan was here things were heating up. This wasn't good, too much anger in one place and things would go sky high.

Phantom looked at Nathan, "she is...my soul-mate." he said calmly, his eyes hiding whatever emotion they may have held.

[Lil_Ninja]

OOC: Oh no he didn't! Lol

Haha, yeah, Dalton is an odd one! XD

IC: Callie nodded. "Okay! Oh, and don't worry, he likes cats!" She smiled, referring to Clara's anichi. She followed the woman inside of the cave, and Balto walked next to them. He was calm towards Clara now that he was assured she wasn't a threat.

Dalton noticed Callie approaching with someone he hadn't met yet. He walked up to them with a bright smile on. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to!" He said to Callie, patting her head. He then directed his attention to Clara. "Forgive me, but I do not believe we've met yet. Allow me to introduce myself! I'm known as Dalton Braddock, a detective and adventurer!" He offered his hand to her as he waited for her name.

~~

Nathanael's expression turned to surprise at Phantom's reply. Had he heard him correctly? He turned to look at Maxine, and he could tell she was equally shocked, if not more so.
"I-uh.. Don't know how to reply to that." Nathan muttered, feeling the tension building around him. Things were about to go bad, he could feel it.

Maxine was still in shock. Her expression was blank, and her mouth had fallen open. She felt as if he had plunged a knife in her heart and began rotating the blade. It was too much for her to comprehend at once.
Her breathing quickened as she tried to regain her composure. It's not Kisho, Max.. It's not him.. She repeated in her head, but every time her eyes found his face, she could still see him, despite how hard she tried not to.
Without a word, she turned her back on them, and walked down the hill, her arms folded and her heart throbbing.
She headed for the mouth of the cave. Not to Clara though. She passed the mystery woman and headed further in the cave without a word to anyone, though she heard her name being called out. She didn't even give heed to Nazari.
She found her backpack in the dark cave and knelt next to it, unzipping the mouth to reveal a worn teddy bear on top. With tenderness, she picked it up, tears filling her eyes. It had been a gift from Kisho when they were children, a treasured bear she had kept with her for 20 years. But now, it was just a painful memory. She dropped it on the ground, zipped her backpack up, and pulled it on to her back. She left silently, escaping into the nearby woods.

~~

Callie called after Maxine, but she didn't reply, or even turn to look at her. Balto exchanged a worried look with her as she went to see what Maxine had dropped.
"A teddy bear?" She picked it up, studying it. It was a faded brown color with two black button eyes and a stitched on mouth. Callie thought it was pretty cute, and it smelled nice too, like Maxine, so she held on to it as she walked back to Dalton and Clara. Maxine didn't want it anymore, right?
"What's wrong with Maxine?" Dalton asked, only getting a shrug in return from the little girl. He watched her leave, worry shown in his eyes. He sighed and returned his attention to Clara. "If you didn't know, that was Maxine. The most mysterious person I've ever met."

~~

Conri felt sorry for Maxine as he watched her leave them. He couldn't even imagine what she was thinking right now, let alone feeling. He stepped closer to Chaucer and whispered to him, "Shouldn't someone go after her?"

[Strafe]

-Evangeline-

She sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her forearm, since her hands were a bloody mess. "I'm not quite sure how I got here, actually," she said casually, while turning the bandage over his arm. "We got lost in the forest while looking for the nearest road, and as it turned out, we ran into these people..." She looked to the side momentarily. "As well as Kisho." She shrugged, as if to say it was no big deal. "But in any case, I'm here right now, going with these people since I really have no where else to go."

-Kanako-

She nodded happily. "Of course." She looked back at Eva, who was struggling to put bandages on the wounded man. She smiled kindly, and looked back to Eric. "I guess I really should be going back now. Thank you very much." She bowed slightly, then turned, walking to her mistress, or rather, her friend. But she turned back halfway, as if forgetting something. She looked at Eric pensively, and began to open her mouth. "Ano... well... never mind." she decided against it, and waved, smiling freely, turning back to Eva. She knelt down to help her put bandages on the man.

Evangeline nodded. "Well, I guess she isn't too squeamish." Kanako shot her a questioning look, and Eva shrugged. "Never mind that though. Again, this is Kanako."

Kanako bowed slightly, nodding her head forward to Nazari. "Hello," she said awkwardly. Unlike Eric, the man gave off the tension that was characteristically animal.

[Nami]

OOC: XD This is getting so emotional! :3 I'll post when I get home X3