Sakiko stared at the bursts of light, almost fascinated. I had no idea that Arrika was capable of conjuring up such magic. Detecting another being using only an object was a complicated spell...to her, anyway. She concluded that the thief girl had practiced a lot of things while she was gone - mistrust and anger could spark such motivation in people.

The mage didn't feel the physical strain of the magic being conducted, but apparently Arrika did. She had her eyes squeezed shut, and her face looked taut. Sakiko considered pumping in more of her strength into the spell, wondering if all of this was tiring for Arrika.

But she had no time to do anything. Her lips parted slightly as she saw the light hovering around the room. Her neck suddenly felt too hot, and she clamped her mouth shut. It was creepy...she was already thinking what Arrika muttered hoarsely just moments afterward. He's here. Although she knew it herself in the most vague and general sense, having the words materialized in front of her brought shivers down her back. He's here? In this room?

Her gaze flickered to the watch, which jumped as if shocked by some magnetic pulse. Zeze had watched the entire ordeal with round eyes, and twitched as she saw this also. What was this? Some ghostly apparatus coming to haunt them all? Sakiko didn't have to ask, as Arrika explained,

"He's... he's nearby... Underground, just like we are... But why does the spell tell me that he's coming towards us and leaving us at the same time...?"

What? That made no sense...coming towards us and leaving? Perhaps Kobas was capable of making himself a puppet-like soul to distract them? She knew that Xeon, the necromancer, had utilized similar techniques of splitting his energy and soul to make dead beings come "alive". Maybe Kobas could do the same thing? She feared that the spell Arrika had cast had alerted him, and he had propelled himself into some action to distract them or confuse them in some way.

"He knows where I am."

Sakiko was about to ask which Kobas she was talking about, as she concluded there might be two. Or there may be more...oh goddesses...Arrika was right to be afraid of this man.

Before she could say another word, the Sheikah had quickly melted away from her sight. NO! Where would she go? By herself? She would be vulnerable without all of them here - if not to protect, then at least to fight together. The mage grabbed Zeze's wrist, her gray eyes meeting the electric green ones. She stared at Sovelis, suddenly afraid for Arrika.

"Sovelis, Zapheta....we need to go after her!"

She knew that if she suddenly burst out of the room, she could be lost in the darkness without a guide. Who knew how far the musty tunnels went? Who knew the creatures that resided in the shadows of the pitch blackness? Sakiko had dabbled in aura tracing for the earlier part of her stay in Hyrule, but she didn't know if it would work now. There were so many people...

...But Arrika. She knew Arrika for the longest time. Surely she could trace Arrika's aura!

She opened the door quietly, the creak echoing slightly in the darkness. Zeze held onto her wrist tightly, almost cutting off the little circulation in her hand. The mage stepped into the utter black, her eyes closing to better detect Arrika... Please be safe...please... Without really thinking, she broke into a run, her silvery hair sticking to her face because of the perspiration. She never really did sweat before...

Ooc: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

OoC: I like how you mention your brother.

IC:

Part of Arrika, the intelligent part of her that hadn't disappeared once she realized she had become the prey in this situation, realized that this was a very foolish move. But like a startled rabbit, she did not believe it would be safe remaining in the same place, once the hunter knew exactly where she was.

She dashed through the underground maze haphazardly, pulse and breath quickening. She did not care much for stealth at that point- he knew where she was, and all that she could do was somehow get away.

I need to get to the surface, the last part of the reasonable sense of her mind urged. She tried to Shadowmeld up the walls, and through the ceiling- but quickly gave that up. The searching spell had drained her too much already, and sprinting through the sewers didn't do much for her energy either.

Then, suddenly- someone else was following her. She nearly stumbled when she took a sharp ninety degree turn, as if to shake this new pursuer off. The possibility that it might be Sovelis, Zeze, or Sakiko did not cross her mind.

"Arrika..."

A voice echoed through the dark tunnels.

The thief halted midstep, paralyzed.

"Arrika... Where are you, love...?"

"Ko- Kobas...?" Arrika replied in a shaking voice, barely above a whisper.
Move, you idiot, move! The sensible part of her screamed, but she was rooted to the spot.

"Arrika..."

Where is he?! She whirled around, drawing a dagger from her side. Her hands shook. It was impossible to tell from where the voice came. It was as if his presence pervaded the entire tunnel.

A shadow moved to her right, and she bolted away.

Ooc: Haha..^_^ '' it's too bad he's not going to post anymore... *sigh* he was actually pretty good... I liked his character A LOT and he could have done so much more with the story plot. Anywayyyy....

I am not sure if I am allowed to do this, and if you want I can edit it later. Kinda funny how the topic "a relaxing pipe" had turned into something like this.

IC:

In the dark, a flicker. Sakiko stopped, her eyes widening as if that would help her to see better. Zeze had been following with catlike grace behind her, and now bumped into the mage lightly at the abrupt stop.

"Wha-?"

"Shh!"

Sakiko hissed the air from her teeth, craning her neck to get better in touch with something...it was an odd feeling, like an invisible illumination in the dark. It had an icy touch to it - it felt strangely dark. She shivered, a creeping sensation of fear invading her senses. Yes, it was an aura she had never felt so closely, observed so shockingly close. It drew the blood from her face, leaving her cold as marble.

"Arrika... Where are you, love...?"

Even Zeze heard it. The bard clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming in the dark. She made a move to run towards the voice, but the prudent grasp of the mage stopped her. Sakiko reminded her with a hoarse whisper the power of the enemy that they were facing. She didn't like it, but they would have to be surreptitious. If that was possible, anyway.

"Ko- Kobas...?"

The haltering voice of the thief echoed throughout the silent tunnels, coated with fear and panic. Sakiko cursed herself for having run the opposite direction from the voice, as it was coming from behind. Zeze withdrew a small dagger that she had strapped to her thigh, and brandished it boldly.

Then, suddenly, a swish of the cold tunnel air whipped Sakiko's face. It was so quick and graceful - a movement that could only possibly be performed by a Sheikah - that Sakiko felt her heart flutter. Arrika! It was too dangerous to call out her name; it would alert Kobas where they were, if he didn't already.

Sakiko pinched the air, grabbing a thread of electric energy pulsing between the tiny components invisible to the naked eye. The mage forced her own body heat and energy into the small thread, murmuring a small spell to aid its search for Arrika. If the thief was close by, the thread would hopefully shock the girl and alert her of where Sakiko was.

Please, by goddesses....

OoC: It's fine.

Arrika was zapped by Sakiko's spell, and consequently collided into a figure in the dark.

Sakiko?! she thought, but wasted no time in leaping forward to stab the stranger.

"Stop," the stranger hissed, blocking her knife with one of his own.

"Seth?" Arrika replied, bewildered but recognizing his voice instantly. She recognized his white scarf before him- it had always been strangely immaculate, and had an eerie glow in the dark.

"Mrrrow..." Sauron, Seth's Twili cat, sniffed at her boots.

Seth and his cat both suddenly raised their noses to the air at the same time, as if catching a scent.

"We need to get out of here," Seth whispered urgently, grabbing her arm and leading her away at a breakneck pace.

Arrika wanted to scream at the two halves of her that seemed to be perpetually at war with each other as of late. She was following Seth, who was taking her farther and farther away from Sakiko, Zeze, and Sovelis- and who knew where his allegiances lay? He could very well be leading her to Kobas, and she, the naive sheep, was letting him.

"I helped you last time, remember? You can trust me again," he said, reading her mind.

The green-haired psychic had grown taller and gangly in the last two years that they had been apart; in fact, he was only a few inches shorter than she. He had lost almost every trace of cuteness and roundness to his face and figure, and like her, had probably been through hell for helping her escape Kobas last time. He had to be 14 or 15 now.

"And no, you won't kill me- at least, not today," he added wryly, easily worming his way through the barriers around her mind. "So don't even bother worrying about it." He suddenly flinched, clutching at the scarf around his neck, but he pressed onward. Something in his countenance changed; his shoulders slumped, and he seemed defeated.

"In here," he said, dragging her through an extremely narrow stone passage so quickly it seemed like it was a last minute decision instead of a planned scheme. It would have been impossible for most normal people to squeeze through.

"I thought we were getting out of here?" Arrika asked him sharply. She forced her racing heart to calm. Now that she wasn't alone in the stone maze, her fight-or-flight hormones receeded enough for her to think more clearly.

"We will, soon enough," he replied, tugging at his scarf uncomfortably. Sauron paced back and forth like a guard dog.

She gathered her senses enough to take a look at her surroundings. They were in a very large circular chamber, and she could not make out where the ceiling was, but it seemed to be a very cavernous room. She felt for the thread Sakiko had sent after her.

"Don't," Seth growled.

Arrika stared at him strangely. "...I don't know what you're up to. But I'm getting out of here with or without your help." She made as if to dash away, but Seth latched onto her arm with a sound akin to a shriek. He was a lot stronger than he looked, and nearly wrenched her arm out of its socket.

"Don't go. Listen to me. The watch. My scarf. You need to-" he suddenly fell to the ground, clutching at his neck and gasping for air. "No- no- please, please, I'll do better this time..." He beat at the ground, pleading with ghosts she could not see.

Ooc: I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do...

IC:

Yes!

The mage felt a wave of satisfaction and relief as her fingers felt the spark of electricity. It was definitely Arrika... now... only to follow that thread...

Sakiko nodded to Zeze, and lit the tip of her finger to give herself light once again. Zeze's face looked strangely eerie, the angles of her face illuminated by the dim light. Sakiko looked away, shivering. Looking at Zeze only reminded her of the dire situation.

She began to run quickly towards the quickly disappearing electric thread. Wherever the thief was, she was far away...

OoC: I realize that I can end this in 2 posts... but I think Arrika deserves at least 3 for a proper send off. I'm going to start a new topic in Rauru Town! Come join it (whoever else is interested is free to join as well)

IC:

"Seth...?"

The green-haired psychic lay curled on the ground before her. Arrika was afraid to touch him.

Gradually his screams subsided.

"Okay... okay... Leave me, let me be..." he muttered under his breath.

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Arrika replied, but he hissed.

"No, not you, you idiot. Not you..." He sat up shakily, dusting himself off.

"Seth, please, let's get out of here-"

"-no. You can't. He knows where you are... it's safer to stay here," he insisted, with an odd inflection in his voice. "Sauron," he called, reaching out, and the Twili cat nuzzled his palm. Shadows from the cat formed a glove around his hand that diffused into his skin. He sighed, as if from relief, and stood up with much more vitality.

His sudden change in character unnerved her. Sauron rubbed himself against her leg, shadows diffusing into her body in the same manner as Seth, and she felt an instant wave of calmness.

A low laugh echoed through the chamber, sending chills down her spine.

"Seth- I'm leaving," she said, pulling away from Sauron, but the shadows that linked them stayed firm. She tried to tug her leg away, but the cat yowled, casting a web of shadows over her. Seth remained immobile, watching her with eyes that seemed to glitter in the dark. She growled and drew her knife again, but the dark threads were resistant even to her finely honed steel. She tried to kick the Twili cat, and that was when Seth intervened. He floored the older thief with a swift punch to the gut.

Kobas's laughter rang through the room again, and the click of boots on the stone floors grew louder.

"You traitor. You back-stabbing little piece of shit," Arrika shrieked, throwing herself at the smaller thief, but the webs held taut. She rebounded, as if they were elastic, and fell to the floor again.

"Yes," Seth whispered, in a strangely encouraging tone. "Remember that." He spun on his heel and held his arms outspread, addressing the dark tunnel before him. "There she is, as I promised. Now hold up your own end of the bargain... set me free."

Her newfound rationality fled when Kobas appeared. With a pang she saw he was as handsome as she remembered- no, even handsomer. The hybrid had the best attributes of both his races: the elegant, lithe form of Sheikahs and the burliness of Hylians had combined into a pefectly balanced figure that resulted in the ability to harness both stealth and brute strength.

"That power rests with Rhyss," Kobas replied in a smooth voice, but in a way that ended any form of protest on Seth's part. "Arrika, my love. I'm sorry it had to come to this. Ignorance was indeed bliss, was it not?" he added lightly as he kicked her dagger out of her hand. It clattered across the floor with a sense of finality.

Arrika remained frozen on the ground.

"Now... to finish what I intended two years ago..." Kobas raised his arm, and the room was ablaze with light. Dead torches surrounding the circular room burst into flame, and he hadn't even uttered a word.

Arrika saw that she was lying in the middle of a large geometric array. Lines and ancient markings were etched into the stone floor. "What are you doing?!"

"With your soul, I will open the gate to the heart of the world..."

He circled the room slowly, occasionally bending down to touch a certain marking, lighting it.

"Why me?" she asked. Her mouth was dry and it took a lot of effort to speak. "It's been two years- why not find someone else? At least tell me what's going on!"

"You were still alive during those years, my dear. The bond between us grew stronger than ever- why else would you return to me?" he said, distracted. He muttered short, archaic spells under his breath. The lines etched into the stone floor wavered from pure white light to a deep blue. "A bond like ours can only exist between two- that is why Seth, in the end, belongs solely to Rhyss."

The green-haired boy hissed softly in anger and disgust.

"Did you really not tell her anything, Seth?" Kobas asked playfully. "Even when you helped her run away? Well. She'll find out shortly."

The floor beneath them grew warmer, then almost unbearable to the touch. Sauron skittered away, but the net entangling Arrika remained. She screamed as the floor burned the parts of her skin that were bare.

"You are the seventh soul I have offered to the gate. Nayru, Din, and Farore... Rebecca..."

Arrika writhed on the ground, howling in agony as she burned. The room was flooded with a violent red light, blinding her. Spirits circled them, phantoms and demons unnaturally awakened from their eternal slumber, using the markings on the floor as doors into their world. They pulled at her hair and tossed her to and fro across the array.

What is this dark magic?!

I don't want to die...

Kobas laughed and raised his arms above his head, as if conducting the demons. "I will open the gate this time... This time, I cannot fail!" He glowed a bright blue, a hue that stood out even through the maelstrom. He was so wrapped up in what he believed to be his success that he had forgotten Seth.

Seth had counted on getting some amount of freedom, or power over Rhyss from Kobas. It seemed apparent that the immortal rogue was not going to hold up his end of the bargain. During the ritual the demons spoke to him, offering him deals of their own in exchange for possession of his body. They whispered in his ear gruesome, horrific tales that he could never bring himself to repeat. Some pleaded softly, like a lover, while others threatened to smite him where he stood.

He ignored them all.

Seth had picked up Arrika's lost dagger. He nodded to Sauron, and the Twili cat leaped at him, enfolding him until he seemed to become a shadow. The scarf remained an immaculate white, and static shot whenever it came into contact with the shadow suit. He ignored the burning pain around his neck. With a savage cry he leaped forward and buried the blade at the base of Kobas's neck.

Kobas sensed Seth approach a second too late. The howling of the demons died away as they returned to the unnamed dimension from whence they came, glad to return to their rest. The shadows encompassing Seth's body used the knife as a medium to wrap themselves around Kobas, holding him immobile. Seth left the dagger in Kobas's back, and rushed forward to rip the net from Arrika, despite the floor searing through his boots.

Arrika had fainted, and he tossed the girl over his shoulders. "Sauron!" he called, and the cat, little more than a flash of darkness, pooled at his feet. The two young thieves disappeared just as Kobas ripped the dagger out of his body.

OoC: Edited.

OoC: Goodbye to all of you. I'm leaving HA2 indefinatly. I'll miss half of you half as much as I'd like, and the other half of you half of the time.

OoC: Goodbye, Sovvy.

Also, new topic, The Golden Thread at d9.

IC: Kobas screamed, a high, otherworldly sound that would send shivers down the bravest adventurer's spine. He howled from frustration rather than pain. The knife in his back had been little more than distraction. A few minor demons remained, and they leeched on the blood pouring from the wound between his shoulder blades. He mercilessly beat them off and impaled them with the silver rapier at his side, then ground them into dust.

Kobas...

The gate had not fully closed, and its presence filled the chamber with a deep, booming voice.

It seems you have failed again. How will you compensate us this time?

"You want a soul?!" Kobas screeched. "Here!" He flung open his arms. "Take me. Take me! Tear me to pieces, again and again!"

You have failed us seven times. Seven times you have offered us worthless souls.

The number was auspicious, ominous. To attempt the ritual and open the gate again now would be twice as dangerous. He had counted on sacrificing his old protege on this failed seventh attempt, but it had only backfired.

"I'll kill this one. Find a new one," he replied, feeling his limbs grow numb, whether from the presence of the gate or realizing the cost of his latest failure, he did not know.

No. It must be this one.

"What?" Kobas was in disbelief. Hadn't they just deemed Arrika worthless?

The gate laughed. It is the fraction of your soul you have just offered us that we find unworthy.

He bristled at the insult, but kept silent.

Bring us her soul this time, Kobas. Or we will have all of yours.

The cackling of other invisible phantoms filled the room, then died away. The gate had closed.

Seth and Arrika may have gotten away again... but not for long.

His impulse was to scour Hyrule for the little brats. Then he had a better idea.

He stalked off through the tunnels, searching for the two girls who had accompanied Arrika here.

He found them quickly. One was a silver haired mage and the other had a very energetic aura, in as constant movement and change as the sea or a flickering flame. He stalked them silently. He did not mean to kill them, only take them hostage.

Gone.

Sakiko stopped abruptly, her last footstep ringing through the tunnels. She regretted it soon afterward, realizing that she must be quiet and stealthy to help Arrika and herself. Oh, and Zeze too. She almost forgot about the bard who was faithfully following her like a puppy.

But yes - about that thread, the magical thread that had been leading her to Arrika - had disappeared. She chewed her lips, knowing that something like this was highly unusual. Unless...Arrika had died...? No! That was impossible.

No, it was very possible.

Sakiko stood very still, like a statue that had been misplaced inside a dark tunnel. Arrika. Dead. Dead! Her mind wavering, the light on her finger whispered away, curling like smoke into the blackness. Zeze whispered fiercely, "Saki? What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

The mage forgot how to speak, her mind like a blank sheet of paper.

Ooc: Come back soon, Sovelis. We'll miss you like crazy.

OoC: Today's a holiday, isn't it?

IC:

It had been extremely easy to track down Arrika's friends; they made as much noise as stampeding cattle.

He silently withdrew a garotte from beneath his cloak, and at the same time created a shadowy barrier that did make the dark tunnel look any different. The clumsy girls were bound to run straight into it, unless the mage sensed it at the last second.

With a low growl he dove at one of the girls, wrapping the garotte around her throat. It happened to be Zeze, but he wasn't picky. He made sure not to wind the weapon too tightly. He only meant to choke her into unconsciousness, not kill her. Then again, accidents did hapen.

"...Sakiko...."

A small whisper tickled her ear, so softly that Sakiko's ear twitched just trying to pick up the sound. It was so distant, and it was a voice that she didn't recognize. Yet the aura of the hand that held it... yes, she could faintly remember it, from what seemed to be years and years ago.

She had no idea whether it was a friendly voice that beckoned to her, or a trap - but she had to take a chance. Arrika, for some reason, was not alone. Whether to be comforted by that or not, the mage had yet to decide.

ssssssssss

A thin sliver, like a miniature snake, wound around Sakiko's wrist, tugging towards the right. It pulsed with energy, and the mage couldn't help but gape at it. It definitely wasn't Arrika; this energy was young, masculine. Hoping that it wasn't Kobas, she followed it quickly. She whispered behind her so that Zeze could hear,

"Follow!"

Wrapping her gray robes about her to prevent her tell-tale white skin from glowing in the dark, Sakiko allowed the golden thread to lead her.

"Yes! Success!"

Zeze jumped with excitement at Sakiko's newfound discovery, but her feet did not have the opportunity to land. Instead, she felt a pair of strong hands grab hold of her in midair, wrapping about her like metal chains. Before she could scream for help, she felt a constraint on her throat. It choked her, squeezing her slender throat until she felt the last wisp of oxygen escape her body.

She slumped, unconscious, into the hold of the attacker, her emerald eyes glowing no longer.

Kobas had been so graceful that Sakiko had failed to hear anything. The darkness was so engulfing that she had no idea whether Zeze was following or not; she probably was.

Suddenly, the tug on the thread stopped, and Sakiko was left in the sickening silence. She held in her breath, waving her hands in the empty air as if the thread was suspending in the thick, dark air. When she finally realized how stupid she was being, she opened up her hands so that her palms glowed white. A bulb of light appeared, dimly lighting her surroundings.

She was at the end of the tunnel; a solid wall surrounded her, and barricaded her from going further. Sakiko silently cursed the thread; indeed, it had been a trap. How foolish of her to follow it with such blind faith!

Without warning, a loud woosh filled her ears. A gentle breeze swept past her, brushing her long strands of hair back. Sakiko's eyes widened as she saw curtains of gold surrounded her. It swirled about her feet like smoke, slowly rising and embracing her being. Warmth kissed her icy skin, and soon, she lost all sight of darkness. Gold filled her eyes, gold blinded her sight...

Sakiko closed her eyes, feeling the threads of time and space warp about her. She felt squeezed, stretched, shrunk...however, she managed to remain standing, letting the golden curtains support her.

And as quickly as everything had appeared, it all disappeared. Sakiko stumbled slightly, and opened her eyes to see a quiet forest-like scenary, peacefully quiet - unlike the oppressive silence of the tunnels.

Ooc: I guess we'll switch to d9? ^__^;;

OoC: We can keep the goings on of Zeze and Kobas here.

IC: Kobas lunged forward after Sakiko, only to be blown back by a golden curtain that had appeared out of nowhere. He howled in frustration as the mage girl disappeared. He punched the stone wall of the passage, causing the bricks he had struck to crumble to dust. He breathed heavily and struck the wall a few more times, causing the entire passageway to rumble as if there was an earthquake. He forced himself to calm- he could not afford to make any more mistakes.

He thought of that little green haired thief who had dared to ruin his plans yet again- if it weren't for the brat's psychic abilities and Rhyss' fondness for him, he would have killed him a long time ago.

He drew a small glass orb from his pocket. "Rhyss!" he barked. The orb grew foggy and unfocused until a image of the handsome mage appeared inside it.

"You called?" Rhyss responded dryly, his voice muffled, as if he were inside a fish bowl.

"Your little pet stopped me again- I was so close this time, Rhyss! Find out where they are," Kobas hissed.

"Got away again, did she?" Rhyss replied uninterestedly, as if oblivious to the rogue's anger and impatience.

"I've got no time to waste," Kobas said. "Find them!"

"Why can't you?"

Kobas's fractured soul reached out for its missing part, the sliver contained inside Arrika's silver pocket watch. He couldn't find it. "The little brat figured out how to cloak the watch. It won't last, though."

"A clever one, my Seth, isn't he?"

"I've got no time, didn't you hear? They'll take me if I can't find the girl."

Rhyss yawned and stretched. "Alright, Kobas, alright..." The mage disappeared for a moment. "Hmm. He's blocked me off as well. Not well enough to shield himself entirely, though," he replied when he returned, with a small, somewhat sadistic smile on his face. Wherever Seth was, the pristine white scarf had just choked him, but only enough to render him unconscious. Just for a few seconds, so he knew that his treacherous actions did have their consequences, and many more to come. "What's the plan now, Chief?"

Kobas looked back at Zeze, who was lying on the floor behind him. "I've got a hostage. One of her friends. No doubt she believed they would be enough to protect her. Hah!" He lowered the orb to the floor, so Rhyss could see the bard.

"She looks like a man," said a new, female voice.

"Mind your own business, witch," Kobas snarled. Mirielle had pushed Rhyss aside, wherever they were, to peer into Rhyss' orb herself.

"What's wrong, Kobas? Failed yet again?" Mirielle replied in a simpering voice, complete with perfectly arched eyebrows and full, pouting lips. She was beautiful, and she knew it- but hers was a cruel kind of beauty. "I was going to help you, you know- but maybe I won't, since you're being so mean to me."

"Go back to the cave where you crawled from," said Kobas.

Rhyss regained hold of the orb while Mirielle could be heard bickering in the background. "She'll help," he assured Kobas.

"Wasn't asking her for it."

"We'll try and track them down. Good luck, Chief." The mage's handsome image disappeared, and the orb grew foggy again.

Kobas put it back into his pocket; it was another one of Rhyss's inventions, which were always very practical. He turned his attention back to Zeze, who, to his relief, was still alive. It would have been another setback to lose both hostages. Maybe Arrika, Seth, and her friends had chosen a safe destination to flee to beforehand. As if any hiding spot in Hyrule- or that matter, the entire world, would make them safe from him. He pulled Zeze up roughly by the front of her shirt and shook her. "Wake up, girl."

"Rhyss!"

Zeze opened her eyes slightly, and a fuzzy vision greeted her. Her mind was still spinning, and she couldn't make out anything except for what seemed to be a man yelling at his hand. Must be a dream... The bard closed her eyes again, and the noises of the outside world dipped in and out of her ears until she couldn't really make out if she was dreaming or not.

"They'll take me if I can't find the girl."

Zeze blinked, this time a somewhat clearer vision replacing the opaque film over her eyes. What was he talking about...? Her head dropped, and she closed her eyes once more. Why did everything have to be so damn loud...

"Wake up girl."

Upon feeling herself being shaken, Zeze snapped wide awake. This time, she knew for certain that she wasn't dreaming. A blue haired young man - quite handsome, might she add? - was shaking her roughly, his face coated with malice and...was it panic? Well, it wasn't pleasant. She rubbed her eyes, and spat,

"Don't shake me! Just because your face is alright lookin' don't mean you can behave like a boar. Speaking of manners, you'd think that chokin' someone to death is a highly impolite way to kidnappin'. I'm guessin' you're Kobababa."

Did she just call me a boar?

Kobas stared at her, mouth half-open in confusion, and losing all of his momentum.

"It's Kobas!" he growled after a long, awkward silence, slapping her across the face. "Now tell me where Arrika ran off to. I may decide to spare your life."

He had intended to give her the old "we can do this the hard way or the easy way" speech, pull the bad-cop/good-cop routine. Playing nice usually had the desired effect and being very aesthetically pleasing did have its advantages. But he had jumped straight to cold interrogation once the impudent girl had shown the gall to mock him.

“Ok, Koppaz. Don’t spaz. You dig-az?”

Zeze hadn’t really felt the stung of the slap; Kobas’s hand had landed on the tattooed side of her face, and she had felt much more sting of the needle to numb it sufficiently. However, it was safe to say that her pride was stung. She had planned to pull the good victim/bad victim routine on him, but she had decided to jump to plain mockery once he had decided to slap her.

"Now tell me where Arrika ran off to. I may decide to spare your life."

Zeze stuck out her tongue boldly and spat,

“I don’t know where – and even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. Now tell me you’re going to dye your hair. I may decide to spare your life. What’s that? Blue? Don’t you know that’s so fifty years ago? Don’t tell me it’s natural, because then that’d be so-o sad. Whatcha think you are? The sky? Well, tell ya what, buddy, you might be fat enough. Just sayin’.”