The Outside World

[keany-beany]

Soothing thoughts soon entered Caecus' mind. It was good to know someone who could control what they had on their mind like Helkaril. But something was new. There was a beggging to scream, a begging to push into Helkaril's mind. All Caecus could do was give in as he could feel a blast of telepathic energy going from his mind to Helkaril's.  

[Gylfie531]

Her mind weak from allowing Caecus easy entry, the blast hit Helkaril nearly full force. There was a whirl of color, falling into darkness, and she could not see. Her mind's eye whirled through the years, through each of her victim's pleading eyes. Her stomach clenched as she saw the light leave all of those eyes at once. Then it happened again, and again. She saw her blades rise and fall, blood everywhere, all over herself and her victims. Then the blades turned on her, and she could feel the wounds she had inflicted, each and every one. She could feel the blood running down, the cold metal piercing her heart and tearing through her throat, ripping through the tendons in her arms. Her brain freezing, yet burning at the same time. Her heart stopping. Life leaving her. Yet the pain never left. It coursed through her, all the more potent for she had inflicted it herself, with her own blades... Eyes open yet unseeing, she fell back against the wall and sank to the ground in agony.  

[keany-beany]

Caecus felt Helkaril's hand grow limp in his. He had lost sight of what she was thinking, but from occasional thought he could feel she was feeling pain, and a lot of it. Caecus didn't know what he had done, but he had to fix it. Taking hold of Helkaril's hand he felt his powers washing over her. Just like the blast had been given off, the wave of relief was just as easy. It seemed to wash over Helkaril's thoughts, soothing them, calming them down. It was like a flow of fresh water, Caecus could feel the pain washing away from Helkaril. "You ok?" Caecus whispered.  

[Gylfie531]

Helkaril blinked, and the world came back to her. The hand that was not in Caecus' flew to her throat, sure she would feel blood gushing out, but it was gone, as was the pain of all her wounds. She was still breathing rather hard, though, and the memory of the pain was so real... She shivered slightly and sat up.
"I'm fine now," she said, her voice half a whisper. She leaned her head back against the wall. "What was that?" she asked. "It was... wierd. Memories, and pain, and..." She sat up straight at the though, eyes flying open. "It was all just in my mind." She looked at him, unnerved. "Caecus?" she asked warily, almost fearfully. She had never been in that much pain.  

[keany-beany]

"I don't know how that happened, but I'm going to have to be more careful whenever I make physical contact with anyone. If I can make people see memories that they want to forget and make them feel pain like they've never felt before I need to be a little more cautious." Caecus gave a weak smile. At least now he wasn't completely defenseless in the playing field of the mind.  

[Gylfie531]

"Yeah," said Helkaril, smiling back. She sat up slowly, completely drained. "I'm starving," she said. "Let's get that pizza, so we'll be able to think straight again, and figure out how you can control that. It could be very useful in the future." She smiled at him more wholly now, rising slowly. "Food will help," she said, and walked back into the pizza place.  

[keany-beany]

Caecus silently followed Helkaril into the pizza parlor. The first person Caecus touched was the cashier, and through her he managed to get three large pizzas. After taking the pizzas behind the building Caecus sat down, opened a box, and dug in. It wasn't until he was almost done with the pizza that he realized that he was full. "So, what's the plan now that we have a buntch of newcommers?" Caecus asked  

[Faithful Fire]

Amy followed the two into the pizza parlour.'I don't know where they are,' she told her, reverting back to mind speech.'You weren't in the place Taka said you would be, so I just traveled around, searching for memories that involved Taka.'  

[Emerezillion]

Aly walked up after Caecus had gotten three pizzas she was so hungry she could eat four. "Hey, get me three pepperoni pizzas please." Rika whispered as she walked out of the restaurant to wait. "Seven large pepperoni pizzas please." Aly said holding out the debit card. "You gonna eat all that?" the cashier asked, "I can barely eat three pieces of that before I'm full, nah, this is for a little party I'm having at my place." Aly said, lying fluently. "Okay." the man replied. After about ten minutes the man came back carrying seven large pizzas. Aly took the pizzas and walked outside, gave three to Rika who ate the first one in four minutes flat, and opened the other one in front of her and started stuffing her face.

"Because, our captors have armies made of diamond, thats the hardest substance on earth." Orin replied to Krystal. Blue and Dezzie tucked their weapons away and got out of a fighting stance.  

[keany-beany]

Caecus didn't know how this whole thing was going to work. If they were going to travel well they would have to organize their mini flock for starters, there was Aly,Raki, Amy, Jamie, Helkaril, and him. (did I miss anyone?) This was going to be a race to find a meeting point and regroup with the others who were in the School.

Krystal gave a weak smile. "Well, you can probably see right now that I can turn my body into diamond. I can also convert carbon in other things into diamond," Krystal smiled as the grass around her turned into a a huge layer of diamond. "Would that help you gain the upper hand against your captors?"

(( I'm thinkin of having a fight at the lake, with Orin, Destiny, Bule, and the confused Krystal on one side, and the mini flock on the other. this would just add a little action to thinks. the problem is that everyone would have to be on))  

[Gylfie531]

Helkaril began thinking her replies to Amy, as she seemed to prefer this. It was better that no one overheard them, anyways. Yes, we weren't in the right spot because we decided to split with them for a while. But now, I can see the strength we had with greater numbers. If we hope to settle down somewhere, we'll need more pairs of wings to begin a search, anyways. Plus, we need to start these rookies' training, and those who we taught to fight before aren't exactly experienced. Taka, I know, can handle a sword, and I can as well, so with the two of us teaching it will go faster than with just one. We need to get this mini-flock ready to fly. I'm sure you'll all be done eating soon, and we can be off. Helkaril took one of the two pieces of pizza remaining in Caecus' box and ate it slowly, distastefully. She was no longer hungry, not with the prospect of meeting up with the rest of the flock. What would they think of them? Traitors? Deserters? And how could she stand being around so many again? That was what had driven her to leave in the first place; not wanting to endanger them. Why, then, had she even agreed to this? So you could slip away, she answered herself, closing these thoughts off from Amy. So you could leave, once they were trained, with no reason to worry about them. So you could be alone, and free. She knew it was true. Abandoning the half-eaten slice of pizza, Helkaril stood.
"Meet us out back of this place when you're done. We'll take the road to the forest and leave from there." Striding outside, she relayed the same message to Rika, Aly, and Jamie, who were outside. Then she walked out to the back, sat down against the wall, and put her head in her hands. A headache had been buzzing in her ear all day, and now it blossomed into a full-force storm. Leading the mini-flock stank. She was half glad to go find the others just so she wouldn't have such responsibility. She didn't mind; it was just that she didn't want to lead them astray. She didn't need more guilt, more undeserving deaths, to weigh on her heart. Pulling loose one of her knives, she studied it carefully, turning it in her fingers without cutting her skin. The metal was so cold... Cold as your heart, she thought. Closing her eyes, she wept bitter tears. You know you can't feel, she told herself. Don't feel, and you don't have to know pain. That is what you were taught to do. And it's kept you alive. Don't feel. Don't feel. Don't feel. She thought it over and over again. Breathing slowly, she stopped the tears before anyone came back and saw her, and stood, making her face as stone, her gaze as ice. Good, she thought. No heart, no soul. Just a blade, to cut through the night. Mouth closed into a thin line, she stood, waiting, and sheathed her blade. A small fire sprang up, silver flames dancing, and flittered across the branches of an old, dead tree, not harming it in the slightest. It reflected the white wood marvelously. Then she moved it to somewhere a few feet off the ground, where the others could see it, so they would know where she was, and let it hover there, a beacon in the night.  

[keany-beany]

Caecus saw the brillant light in the near distance and knew Helkaril was off thinking. Slowly getting up he wandered over close to the tree, but not into the sight of Helkaril. Slowly making water from a small nearby creek float around the fire, dancing in a brillant way. Water and fire want to be together, but they cannot. This explains why fire flares the way it does when bits of watter are added to it. But Caecus kept the droplets of water just out of range of the fire so that the stunning white light made them look like glowing gems. These glowing gems danced around the fire twirling faster and faster until they finally stopped, freezing together to form a rose. Helkaril would know he was near from all of this. A frozen rose and a burning tree had been in both of there recent pasts.  

[Faithful Fire]

Amy followed Helkaril.'I was taught karate and tai-kwon-do,' she told Helkaril.'They were going to teach me how to handle a sword before Taka and the others rescued me.'  

[Gylfie531]

Thank goodness, Helkaril thought back. It would have been rather a nuisance to have to teach so many. One less will help; you can defend yourself somewhat, so while the others are training, your swordpractice may have to wait. Then, from the corner of her eye, Helkaril caught a glimpse of a glinting object in the tree where her flames had danced. Walking to it, she saw that it was a rose, and knew it was Caecus. Her heart like ice, she made the petals shrivel up and peel away, darkening in hue, until it appeared as if it were dead. Turning away, she thought to Amy, Collect the others and meet me one mile out into the forest. I'll leave a silver flame burning so you'll know where I am. Don't let Caecus follow me without the rest of you. Taking a running start, she leapt into the air, flying away over the tree and the dead rose. As she passed over it, she set the tree aflame, this time encouraging the flames to bite at the wood, which was dry and easily caught. Striking out into the sky, she flew hard out over the trees, then dived beneath the canopy, rolling as she hit the ground and coming to her feet at a standstill. Staring up at the sky overhead, she sent up dancing display of silver light, forming into a mirror of the rose Caecus had just frozen. Frowning hard, no tears left to cry, Helkaril made the rose whither and die. It fell from the sky. The petals landed on the trees, and stayed there, glowing brightly. Only a thorny stem was left, and that she let fall right over her. Walking to the shadow of one of the trees, she faded into the darkness, and watched the silver flames eat the forest alive. When the smoke got to her lungs, she turned and began to run through the forest, heading directly opposite of the way she had come. She had to get away. As far from the mini-flock and the lights as she could. She needed darkness...