A Tale of Too Much Bad Luck [Closed]

"I'll be back..." Elwyn told her younger sister, brushing a strand of hair from Nilani's face and back behind her ear. Nilani nodded with a weak smile and curled into her sleeping bag. As she stepped out of the area, she stopped by a tree and glanced back to her sister. She lowered her head and sighed. This was getting harder and harder for the both of them. She wasn't sure how long either of them could keep traveling around, hunting for someone that doesn't seem to want to be found. No matter how much it breaks her heart, Elwyn had to admit that there was a chance she would never find their youngest sister. As the days passed them by, it did feel more and more hopeless.

Elwyn did not fully understand the layout of the Six Kingdoms. She could only understand that she was in Arcadia, near Colburn. Now, whether that was north, sound, east, or west went completely over her head. She walked for quite some time, trying to find someone or something that can give her a hint where a village or town might be. She wasn't lost because because lost implied you knew where you were going in the first place. Elwyn was just traveling. She picked a direction and she went that way. It was the most useless and stupid way of traveling and she knew that. Since she had no idea where Nahbe was, or where her sister would even go, she just traveled in hopes of coming across something.

And she did, but it wasn't her sister. “LIVE AND LET LIVE!” was all she heard. Her attention was caught rather quickly. She turned her attention in the direction of the sound and began following it. She kept hearing some sort of roar, but what was it? She didn't recognize it. She soon came across a large animal, but it was running away from something and in her direction. She was unaware that this animal was called a Taerick and expected it to attack her. When she readied herself, it jumped toward her and then completely over her and continued it's way in the direction she had actually just came. For an animal that large to be running away from something and completely ignore her, there must be something extremely big and frightening in the other direction.

Elwyn walked for about five minutes. She stayed alert, watching everything closely. She didn't want to get caught off guard by whatever was chasing that Taerick. As she got closer, she started hearing a weird sound. On the other side of a tree, she heard someone speak. "I had to open my big mouth." she hurried toward the tree and slowly peeked around it. From what she was able to gather in the short moment she saw them, a giant eyeball was chasing a young blond male with a sword. Elwyn blinked a few times, contemplating whether she should help him or not. Through her few moments of contemplation, she lost them. “Hm...” she groaned and darted forward. She wasn't irritated at having to help, but at her actually having to think about doing it. She ran after them at speeds that most people were not able to match, and this was without her enhancement ability.

Elwyn quickly realized that the two had only gone onto the other side of a couple trees. The young blond man  had been dodging lightning bolt after lightning bolt to get away, pretty much rolling through a crowded maze of trees to prevent himself and a small animal he held from being hit. The moment she caught them, Elwyn noticed the thing missing a lightning bolt after a rock was thrown at it. “That... was not smart.” Elwyn gave the dullest of expressions that she could probably give. She felt that throwing something like that at a creature of this size would obviously irritate it and make the situation worse. Apparently common sense didn't stay with people on the verge of death; understandable. As the thing closed it's eye Elwyn jumped into the air and brought her arms in a circle around herself. The water in the air collected rapidly, giving her enough for this attack.

As the creatures eyes began to open, she was in a mid-air-spin and shifted the control of the water to her leg. She swung her leg around in a round house kick, sending the water flying like a missile toward the beasts entire body. The water hit him right before the things eye opened, sending the beast off to the side and away from both her and the blond man. As the thing hit a tree, knocking it over, Elwyn landed in front of the blond man. She repeated the arm-circling action and collected more water. At this same time, the water she had originally sent toward the large eyeball returned to her and pretty much tripled the amount that she had control over. The creature got up pretty quickly and was going to send one of those shots of lightning toward her, but she really wasn't the type to show mercy on an animal like this. Instead, she punched forward at the air, aiming toward him. Her water shot forward and turned into ice mid flight, stabbing the creature all over it's body and pinning it to the tree behind it.

Elwyn looked toward the blond man and glanced him up and down. He didn't seem like the fighting type and also seemed to concentrate on saving his small animal over himself. It was sweet, but stupid, at least to her. She understood that it was likely not stupid to him. She took note of his clothing and then noticed the two different colors in his eyes. Not only did he have the two different colors, but they were purple and pink, something she considered rare as hell in comparison to the green, blue, brown, and red she saw more often than anything. “Are you alright?” she crouched down next to him, standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around her knees as she refused to allow anything but her feet to hit the ground. She glanced down to the small animal, recognizing it as a Felli and then understanding his want to protect it much more now. She knew people that had those animals as pets. They were cute, loyal, and often fantastic companions for people who were alone; even she thought of getting one years ago, but never did because of her current position with her clan.

"I think so." he replied. “Good.” was all she said before standing up fully. "Well, thanks for s-"  She glanced back toward the Ahriman, apparently giving this man a look at what type of person she was: an elf. "Another elf...huh." Elwyn raised an eyebrow at him. She was not unfamiliar with the manner some people treated elves. Over her travels, she had come across many people who chose to discriminate against her, her sister, and anyone else of her kind. “Is that a problem?” she asked in an authoritative tone. "Still, thanks." Hm. Alright then. He thanked her, so he must not be too bad. At least he had decent manners to know when he would have been dead if it weren't for an Elf. “You're welcome.” she said as she took a couple steps back to give him room, “You said another elf, like you had seen one before, or recently... Do you mind if I ask what this elf looked like? Or at least if they were a boy or girl?” Her tone was normal, but she was fishing for information. If the person matched her sister's description, Elwyn would request as urgently as possible to be escorted to this elf he was speaking of. Of course, she kept herself calm because this happened before. There was no reason for Elwyn to trust information given to her by a human. Even if she did trust him, there were thousands of Elves. The likelihood of it being Nahbe was actually quite low. There was no sense in getting her hopes up.

"Heh, I think I actually just got scolded by my pet." he said. Elwyn was watching the interaction between him and the small animal and she had to agree. She wasn't able to speak to them, but she could tell an annoyed expression on an animal any day. “I saw that. Why is she irritated with you?” she asked. Who ever said animals couldn't show emotions was an idiot. "I was being rude. My name is Snopy. What's yours, if you don't mind me asking." he asked and she looked toward him with a reluctant expression. She didn't even want to save him before, let alone become his friend. She was in a hurry. Of course, if Nilani were here with her right now, she'd probably scold her for being even more rude than this young man thought he was being. “Elwyn.” she told him in a short, but kind reply. "An Ahriman shouldn't just be in the forest like that." Elwyn looked back toward the beast she just killed and then returned her attention to Snopy. "I hope Nadia is okay." She heard it, but she ignored it. Nadia was not her sister and she could tell that was the woman he had spoken of before. "Sorry, talking to myself. I have to say though, that was incredible to watch. You hadn't shown up, I'd have been that thing's lunch." he said and Elwyn's face turned a very slight pink color. It was nice to be complimented. “The compliment is appreciated. I am glad I happened upon the area in time.” she told him with a sweet smile. She was starting to lighten up a bit, which was great for the both of them.

Having authority doesn't mean you're intimidating. It means you prefer a certain amount of respect, and once he explained himself, Elwyn had received that respect. It was the only reason why she was still standing near him and not leaving him here in the forest while she went off to continue her own search. "Lose someone?” Yeah, Elwyn was not going to answer that. She just continued staring at him until he continued speaking. Well, she had long white hair, she was young...I didn't ask but she was in her late teens, at least she looked that way. 17 or 18 I think. Kinda small, petite build." The moment he explained the color of the hair, Elwyn knew that it was not who she was looking for. She sighed lightly. Oh well. "Actually, have you seen her by any chance? She disappeared on me, and she is a tad naive." he asked and she shook her head. “No, I'm sorry. I have not.” she said regrettably. If she had seen the young woman he spoke of, she would have pointed him in that direction immediately. She may not seem like the nicest of people when you first meet her, but Elwyn had a softer heart than most. The problem was getting through that dense shell of ice that surrounded it.

It was odd to see a pet scolding it's owner, but still kind of cute. "Not 100% sure, but I am pretty sure she is scolding me for trying to push people away when I meet them." he said and Elwyn raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. “I assume you do that often? If you are trying to avoid people, that is the perfect way to do it.” Elwyn replied. She was keeping a simple, but friendly demeanor at this point. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't being rude or demeaning toward him either. Apparently that called for an introduction; this is what happens when you're kind to people. "Pretty name, never heard it before." he complimented and a small smile inched it's way onto her lips. “Thank you.” she said in a proper manner, not knowing any other way to reply to him at this point. "Very...formal aren't you?" he asked and she nodded once. “I apologize if that is a bother. It is how I have always been.” she explained to him as kindly as she could. She knew that not everyone treated each other so casually. It was just hard for her to come out of her proper demeanor without being in the middle of battle. That was the time that she'd let her guard down enough to talk casually, otherwise she was like this all the time.

"Oh look, the elf lover is here." That was an unwelcome intrusion. Elwyn and Snopy both turned toward a few men who decided they had the right to blatantly insult her kind without remorse. Were they stupid or just plain crazy? Elwyn stood to the side and watched them all carefully, listening to the way they pretty much ignored her and spoke to Snopy as if he were less than they were. Fools. "It's just a Felli." Snopy replied to the ugly comment and caused Elwyn to fight the urge to laugh. It was obvious they were speaking about her, but he cleverly redirected it toward his small pet. If Elwyn could talk to animals, she probably would have heard Ahri cussing Snopy out for even thinking about redirecting such a hurtful comment, but she couldn't. As the conversation moved on, Elwyn became more offended and angry toward these morons. They harassed one of her kind? And if this young girl is as innocent as Snopy described her, then that only angered her more. “That thing?” Elwyn's eyes narrowed as they referred to her in such an offensive manner. They were really trying her patience at this point. She appreciated the way Snopy was handling this though. If it weren't for his calm nature, she would have hurt them by now.

"What you do is up to you, but if you run warn me so I know to also get out of here." Snopy told her and she smiled much sweeter than she had before. Unfortunately for them, she was pissed off. She just didn't show her anger through the look on her face, at least not yet. “Don't worry. I won't be running.” Elwyn assured him while watching him dodge the first punch. It was her way of telling him that she would not leave him alone here. In fact, she was ready to fight. She wasn't able to help him at this moment because the other three decided she was their target. “Idiots...” she said as the first one charged her with his fists raised. Elwyn stepped into him, which was something he was not expecting, and sent three extremely fast punches to his nose, neck, and then the hardest one to his chest. The three punches in succession sent him falling to the ground unable to breath and with an irregular heart beat. The second one came toward her as the first fell, but with a quick turn of her body, Elwyn sent the back of her heel toward the side of the man's head: Down and Out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a fist coming toward the side of her head, so she quickly backed up, causing it to pass by her face. As it reached it's full length, Elwyn grabbed onto the man's wrist and shoved her fist into the back of his elbow, breaking his arm and causing it to bend backwards in a way that made anyone watching wince.

As the one with the broken arm screamed at the immense amount of pain he was feeling, Elwyn placed her hand over his mouth and put a layer of ice to keep him from screaming. He could still breathe through his nose though. "I suggest you learn to hold your tongue against we Elves. We're not planning anything. We stay in hiding because of the thousands of people like you that refuse to accept us as part of the world. You treat us like monsters, like freaks... when all we want is to come out of the forest in be a part of your world. Just like there are bad humans, there are bad Elves, but just like there are good humans, there are good elves. Not everyone is perfect, but we sure don't discriminate against your kind you do ours.” Elwyn, angry as hell at what she had just done, stepped out of the clearing and kept walking. As she walked, small bits of ice formed on the ground and the trees around her. She was obviously angry and because of that, exerting a bit of her own power. She came to a small clearing about fifty feet away and stopped, taking a few deep breaths. “Too much anger...” she mumbled under her breath, taking even more deep breaths. She closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure. She could not lose her temper like that. It was not good for her or her reputation. She had just harmed multiple people in a much more brutal fashion than she normally would have. She did it because of the insults, but that was too much.

Running away was possibly the worst idea she could have done at that point. She was so concentrated on her actual anger, she wasn't paying close enough attention to how Snopy was doing in his fight. "Elwyn!" Snopy called out, catching her attention as she was trying to cool down about forty feet away from him. There were a few trees between them, but all she could see was the little Felli running toward her in a panic. "... Not good." Elwyn darted off toward the little Felli, jumping over the small creature, and continued running her way back toward Snopy. As she passed on large tree, she saw the man reaching down toward an unconscious Snopy. "Stay away from him, NOW!" Elwyn demanded as she came closer. Her words were able to distract him, but only for a moment. When he started moving again, he moved quicker, knowing his window to hurt Snopy was rapidly closing.

Elwyn wasn't going to have it. As she was running, she raised her arms and began collecting the water around herself. Leaping in the air like she had done before, she sent a smaller amount of water toward the man, pushing him back only a few feet. She didn't have time to truly power it up, so there wasn't much force behind it. Elwyn slid to a stop in front of the unconscious male, now standing between him and his attacker. "I said... stay away from him." Elwyn narrowed her eyes at the man. He had seen what she did to those only a few feet away from him, so did he have the guts to actually face her? Yes. He charged her with a right hook and followed with a left. Refusing to move out of the way and allow him line of sight for Snopy, she was able to dodge the first one toward her face, but had to block the second. It really wasn't that hard. This man was unskilled and very predictable. Her hand came out in front of his left and she pushed it to the side, causing the man to fall off of balance.

"You were warned!" Elwyn said as she pushed her foot forward, causing the man to trip over her foot and fall face first. She held onto his left wrist though, preventing him from catching himself as he fell. Refusing to kick a man when he's already down, Elwyn stood there and watched him. He tried to trip her, but she just jumped over it and continued to stare. "Alright bitch." he said as he stood up and she sighed. "Enough." she said and just stared at him, "I'm not angry anymore. I calmed down... Instead of getting yourself killed here, take your friends and go home. I don't want to hurt anyone else." The man glanced over to his friends, then to Snopy, and then back to her. Was he really hesitating? "Go." she said softly, but also with an intimidating underlying tone. "But..." the man hesitated again. "Go." she said the same way, but a bit softer and seemed to get the point across.

The man dropped his fist and nodded to her. She sighed in relief, but continued to watch him. He walked over to his friends, who were feeling a bit better, excluding the unconscious one. The one who couldn't breathe got up to help carry the unconscious guy while the one with the broken arm just walked along. With a single glance back toward Elwyn, the two nodded with a mutual understanding of each other. Though it was resolved mostly with violence, some good seemed to come out of this today. Elwyn turned back toward Snopy to see if he had woken up. If he had not, she'd kneel down and shake him gently until he would. Once he was awake, he'd be greeted with a smile. "Are you alright?" she asked with a soft tone, brushing his hair back to see if he had any injuries. "They're gone. They decided it wasn't worth their lives and moved on." she explained since the other's had already left.

"They were taught a much needed lesson and chose to follow the advice of their instructor and preserve their lives and dignity over trying to be arrogant men who think they can defeat me because I'm a woman." Elwyn stood up and crossed her arms as she explained herself, "You'd think that in a world that fifty percent of women can actually defeat fifty percent of men in battle, people would be more accepting that the social barrier between genders was demolished long ago. Neanderthals." Elwyn stayed quiet for a moment and then turned away from Snopy to giggle to herself. Her explanation was a little over the top, but it was fun to say. Once she regained her composure, she turned back to Snopy and held out a hand for him to take so she could help him up. "Sure am glad that is over with." he said and she nodded. "I doubt they'll be bothering anyone of any race for some time..." Elwyn told him, glancing back toward the direction the other's had gone.

"I guess I should thank you again, once again I have been saved from destruction." Elwyn watched him as he turned away from her. She heard what he said next and could tell it was annoying him. She decided not to speak on it just yet, though. "I hope you don't want much of reward, I don't exactly have much to offer." Elwyn shook her head, "I do not need a reward for doing the right thing. You just need to be more careful." Elwyn was actually about to turn and walk off; she wasn't expecting him to keep talking. The moment he did, she stopped and turned her attention back to him. "Actually, what are you doing here anyway? This is awfully close to Colburn, and as you can see, not everyone is as accepting as I am when it comes to other races." Colburn? Oh yeah, the city she was near. "I'm traveling." was her only response. Just because he wasn't a threat, doesn't mean he needed to know her personal business.

"Are you a trouble magnet?" Elwyn quickly changed the subject, diverting attention to his situation, "I heard you say that it's been five times that someone has had to save you." She stared at him intently while waiting for his reply. "If you're having that much trouble, then you shouldn't be out here, or you need to train enough to defend yourself. It is foolish to be in the middle of a forest and have no ability to protect yourself." Elwyn's wording may have been a little harsh, but she had to make her point. He needed to understand the idiocy of his choice and how dangerous his situation currently was. In fact, because of his situation... "I'm not leaving your side until you're safe within the city." she told him in an authoritative tone; another thing she received from her clan, "You shall lead the way."

It seems she was right. He was someone who got in trouble often. Since he was obviously not a fighter, it was shocking that he was still alive. "Also, if you don't want me to hear something..." she spoke up after his turning away, "Don't say it. Mumbling under your breath is just a childish way of making those who cannot hear you curious about what you said." She heard what he said; she will more than likely always hear what people try to keep secret. These ears weren't this long for nothing; at least that's the joke she uses toward them. Elwyn noticed the change in speech, but pushed it off. She didn't want people in her business, so she would not ask about theirs. It didn't really matter though; she could figure out why he was so upset. He had just randomly opened up to her and explained that he had repeatedly been saved by others before she showed up. He must have felt very weak at this point, but who could blame him? He obviously wasn't brought up in an environment like she was; lucky him.

Elwyn told him to lead the way and so he did. She began following along, keeping a foot behind him and to his right. As they started, his pet hurried up into his arms. She made no sign of care toward it and continued following him. Once again, he chose to speak out with no detail. Elwyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This is one thing she taught Nilani; if you're going to say something, sat it all. Do not whisper under your breath or speak vaguely. Those who do that are just trying to bring attention to themselves by getting people to show they care by asking "what's wrong". And though it irritated her, he succeeded. "Speaking vaguely is only a way to bring attention toward yourself. If you have something to say, say it all." she told him a little harshly, but at least was partially interested in what he meant so, "Elaborate. What is, as you say, not fair?" Being "fair" was an interesting concept to bring up to someone who's entire path was chosen for them, but it's not like he knew that about her.

Well that was odd; had she actually heard him wrong? She never heard anyone wrong. Elwyn narrowed her eyes and repeated "far" and "fair" in her mind a few times. It's possible. "I must have heard you wrong, which is rare." she told him in an apologetic tone. Her own frustration was getting in the way. She'd normally treat people more kind than this, but their meeting wasn't on best terms and she was worried about her own agenda. Still, it was not his fault and she needed to pay attention to that. "Life isn't fair, never has been, never will be." he said and she raised an eyebrow. "Oh really, and why is that?" she replied. "People are born into this world, they have no say in how they are born or if they are born. Good people can lose everything, while the bad can have everything handed to them. The opposite is also true." Elwyn's eyebrow lowered to normal as she listened to him speak; he made a few good points. At least he wasn't someone whining about everything that's happened to them. It wasn't one of those "woe is me" things. He was just stating facts, which she understood.

 "Nothing anyone can do about it, life will never be fair.  All you can do is make the best out of the cards you're dealt, and if you don't like it, try and force another hand. Admittedly...easier said than done." Elwyn truthfully did not know exactly what she could say in reply to this man. She admired him for his honesty, which only increased when he actually turned to ask her for help. "You want... my help? With what, fighting?" she asked him with an eyebrow raised. "I can't just stay in Colburn, but I don't stand a chance on my own...so please?" he continued and she couldn't help but feel bad for him. If he really wanted her help, she felt obligated to give it to him, but at the same time, she wanted to. "Alright." she said and her expression softened. A kind smile formed on her face and she turned back the other way. "Come with me." Elwyn turned away and began walking in the other direction, back toward her sister, "My younger sister is waiting for me. You can train with her and myself there. She will teach you the basics and then I will teach you the rest, is that alright?" Elwyn continued leading him through the forest, making her way back toward where she and Nilani made camp.

"Sounds fine to me." At least he was an agreeable person; it wasn't something that Elwyn was used to within her own family, let alone humans. It was probably another one of the reasons why she agreed to help him so easily. "You have a sister huh?" She looked back to them as they were walking, still not bumping into anything even though she was obviously not looking ahead. He made that sounds like that was taboo or something; the sister subject obviously upset him. "I can't remember when I last saw my sister...OHH!" Elwyn turned away from him them, wanting nothing more than to facepalm at the moment. "Ahhh crap I probably shouldn't have said that." Yeah, she placed her hand on her face and shook her head at him. She actually chuckled a bit as well, not fully sure how to react to this male. "You talk a lot." she told him, though it didn't sound harsh at all. It was more that she was stating a fact she found entertaining after a few minutes of rather keen observation.

"Oops, sorry girl." Elwyn stopped for a moment, noticing that he had dropped his small pet. Once he picked it up again, she continued walking and sighed again. Some how, he was keeping a smile on her face. That wasn't something that happened for a long time. "Sorry about that, I got lost in thought. It kinda happens a lot." Elwyn waved her hand at him, still walking. "It's fine. There is no need to apologize." she told him, "I assume you talk to yourself often because you do not have many to talk to, right? If so, it is understandable." Elwyn realized then that they were coming on the abandoned hut she had left Nilani at when she started this little adventure. She passed by a tree and continued walking for a bit, unaware that her sister was currently sitting behind a bunch of leaves in the tree above them. "Welcome back, sister." a soft spoken voice was heard. Most people would jump when someone spoke out so suddenly, but Elwyn was sort of used to it. A moment later, a dainty little woman hopped down from the tree, landing as light as a leaf falling from the tree.

"Hello, Nilani." Elwyn set a hand on the smaller girl's head. "Sister, who is this?" Nilani asked in that soft voice that can be compared to a whisper. "This man is named Snopy. We will be training him in combat." Elwyn stated and then motioned for the both of them to follow her into the hut. Though it really wasn't much at all, it was abandoned after all, it was enough for them while they traveled around the area. They'd be heading to Cieria next, likely taking Snopy with them if he truly wanted to train along side them. "I see." she said and then looked toward Snopy. She glanced him up and down a few times, seemingly observing him very closely. "Do you have any powers, Snopy?" she asked him, looking straight into his eyes, almost to the point where it felt awkward. "Nilani... Be kind." Elwyn told her and Nilani nodded, walking off toward another room, "As if you could not already tell, she's the quiet one in the family. She's not usually so upset." Elwyn sighed and then sat down in a chair, inviting Snopy to sit as well, "So... this sister you haven't seen in so long, tell me about her."

Snopy talked and Elwyn listened. Snopy talked and Nilani listened. Snopy was likely unaware of the fact, but Nilani was standing around a corner, leaning up against the wall, and listening to him tell of his sister. Elwyn was able to keep a straight face the entire time and so was Nilani; her sister taught her well. His sister had just vanished on him without a trace and even though he searched for her, she was never found. Elwyn's expression softened completely toward him. She looked onto him with pity for only a moment before she closed her eyes and lowered her head. She took in a deep breath, held it for a few moments, and then looked back to him again. "Yeah, I know." she spoke softly toward him and then turned in her chair to look back toward the wall. Clearing her throat a bit, Nilani stepped out from the other side of the wall and looked to Elwyn for a moment. The two shared a stare for a moment and then Nilani nodded in acceptance to Elwyn. Elwyn nodded back to Nilani and watched as Nilani actually did step away this time, leaving the two of them to talk to one another.

"Night is falling." Elwyn said and stood up from the table. She motioned for him to follow. The hut was not the best, but it did hold them enough. There was a small kitchen, two bedrooms, and an outhouse. Elwyn showed him where all of these things were, but stopped at the bedrooms. She turned to him and smiled softly, "Rest well tonight. If you're training with us, you will be needing all of your strength. On days that we do not travel, you will train. During the times we rest, you will train. Due to your age, you're going to need a crash course. My sister and I have trained to get where we are since we were young children. Do not expect an easy ride, Snopy. You will either be able to do it, or you won't. We will wake you in the morning. Your training begins tomorrow and that... is when we will decide whether you're cut out for it, understood?." Elwyn waited for his reply. If he did not agree, she would nod and they'd be gone in the morning. If he did agree, she'd smile, say goodnight, and then point him toward the other room, where a bed was already set up and ready for him.

From there, Elwyn and Nilani would share the larger bed in the main bedroom. The two would change into pajamas that they kept in a small bag, lay down, and go to sleep, waiting for tomorrow to come.

~ Thread Closed