Meh… life's pretty dull, huh?
Nazo: MMM! (I duct-taped her mouth shut :3)
Me: *glances over warily* Yeah yeah… I'm already working on BoF! So shut up!
- - - - - - - - -- - -- -- -- - -- - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -
Amber eyes stared out from the shadows of the village. They blinked a few times before focusing on two figures racing through the night. A black, shaggy head cocked itself to the side, watching in curiosity. The two figures, who the creature could tell were teenagers, seemed oddly familiar. It only contemplated this for a moment before they raced around a corner.
The wolf rose to its paws. Its black fur blended in with the shadows perfectly as it prowled closer to the buildings. It stopped and hesitated near the buildings; it had never been this close to a town before. But those two people… they were different…
It finally sighed and padded forward. It watched as the moonlight played across his features and the buildings, before moving faster.
And, for some reason, the three scars on his cheeks seemed to tingle from excitement.
------------------------
"You're never going to catch me! I hope you know that!" Kesh called over his shoulder. He grinned as he saw Faith panting behind him. Her eyes were wide, bracing herself against the wind as she sprinted closer.
Kesh smirked before increasing his speed a bit. Sure, he could've sprouted his wings at that moment and flown away, but it didn't seem fair. And they had already learned never to be left alone at night in an alleyway…
"Hey! Are you giving up so easily?" Kesh soon realized that he had slowed down due to his thoughts, allowing Faith to catch up to him.
She grinned at him before lunging at him. Kesh jerked himself away, narrowly missing her as she reached for him. She cursed as her arms closed around air, causing Kesh to smirk.
"Nope, and perhaps you should work on your reflexes better." Kesh replied. He sped off, grinning as he heard her running after him again.
They ran around the town for what seemed like hours before they finally arrived at the inn's door with sore muscles and ragged breaths. Kesh glanced at Faith warily, who had her hand on the outer wall of the inn and was bent over trying to catch her breath.
Kesh put his hand on the door and slowly pushed it open, trying not to give into his muscles complaints. "Come on…" He mumbled to Faith, before slipping inside.
Faith glanced up at the door. She didn't mind Kesh going in before her. They were both too tired to really care about anything right now.
She inhaled a large amount of air before placing her hand on the door. She only stopped momentarily as she felt a small drop hit the top of her head. Faith looked up, noticing for once that dark clouds had moved in, and it seemed like it was going to storm.
Rain sounds kinda nice, actually… She thought mildly. She pushed the door open and walked inside, hearing the sound of thunder just before the door slammed shut.
-------------------------------------
The black wolf lifted his muzzle to the air and inhaled deeply. The scents of the two people were near, and had stopped running a few meters away.
Still staying close to the shadows, he prowled forward. He only blinked when he felt a small water droplet hit his nose. He glanced up, noticing that darkened clouds were strung in the sky, threatening to rain at any moment.
The wolf growled for a moment before moving faster. He had never really liked rain…
- - -- -- - - - ------------------------
"Good night!"
"'Night Mrs. H!" Faith called back. Mrs. Hogart smiled back and went through the door at the back of the inn – which, apparently, led to a bedroom for the innkeeper.
Once Faith was sure that the door was closed, Faith walked down the hallway and stopped at the door that was about four doors from Kesh's room. She'd heard many times that that was Jade's room. In fact, she faintly remembered Jade telling her that it was her room.
"If you ever want to talk, just come by my room." Jade said.
"Sure! But, um… which one's your room?" Faith asked, glancing around.
"It's the fourth room from your friend's room." Jade replied, stretching her arms above her head. "Just don't forget!"
Faith grinned at the memory before knocking on the door. Nothing came from the room. Faith knocked again, curiosity getting the better of her when she created the most Mrs. Hogart-like voice and said, "Jade, it's me, Mrs. Hogart."
The door instantly opened as a tired-looking Jade came out. She took one glance at Faith before trying to slam the door in her face. It would've closed it Faith hadn't have put her arm in the way.
She winced at the pain before hearing Jade's annoyed tone of voice. "If you're going to just tell me how much of a freak I am; then just forget it!" She tried to crush Faith's arm with the door, but only failed as Faith pushed her shoulder against the door.
"No, why would I do that?" Faith asked, pressing harder against the door.
She heard a smirk as Jade replied with a, "Oh, I don't know… Probably because that's what everyone else does. 'You're a freak!' They'd say, or: 'You're a disgrace to mankind!' I'm sick of it!"
Faith sighed and closed her eyes. She knew the feeling of being called a freak; she'd heard townspeople talking about +anima like they were trash. She hated it as much as Jade. But she'd never been told that face-to-face before.
"Jade, listen to me, I'm not lying when I say this at all, ok? You see… we're a lot more alike than you think…" When there was no reply, Faith continued. "I wanted to tell you for a while now. And I think now is the best time as ever. I'm-"
"Have you told her yet or do you have to wake up the whole town with your godforsaken argument?" Kesh interrupted as he burst out of his room. His hair and clothing were still damp and his eyes looked slightly tired. He glanced over at Faith and noticed that she was in mid-sentence. "Oh… you were just about to…"
Jade snorted on the other side of the door, getting Kesh's attention. "Yeah… whatever! What are you two talking about?"
Kesh crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the door in a bored fashion. "Hey, Jade. If you don't open this door, I'll open it for you." Faith stared at him as she realized his meaning. She smiled slyly and turned back to the door as Jade's laughing reply came.
"Are you kidding? You can't force this thing open! From where I grew up – in Nepal – we take pride in our stre-" She was cut off as Kesh slid out his talons and kicked the door to where three distinct gashes appeared. Faith peered through one of the gashes, grinning at Jade's shocked expression.
"Will you open up now?" Faith asked. She didn't quite like using Kesh's +anima form as a blackmailing tool, but it worked!
A few moments of silence followed Faith's words before the door slowly swung open. Faith and Kesh shared one small glance before walking into the room. The lights were on, darkening the windows drastically due to the night and rain. Jade had managed to back up fast enough to where she was standing in front of her bed. Her dark green eyes looked at Faith and she only managed to whisper a few words, "Kesh is a… +anima…"
Faith nodded before sighing. "Yeah… we were going to tell you sooner or later, but then this happened. Oh yeah, and I'm one too." Faith opened her mouth and let her vulpine teeth form while allowing her red ears to grow out of the top of her head.
Jade just stared at the two as if they were complete strangers. "So… I…"
Kesh sighed heavily. "Yes, yes, you were wrong and you over-reacted but that's ok! We forgive you." He put on a childish smile, his eyes growing wide to where he looked like a doll.
Faith elbowed him in the ribs, stifling a giggle at his face before saying, "What he means is; we understand why you felt this way, and we're sorry for not telling you sooner." Faith stretched afterwards before hearing Kesh groan.
"Hey, I meant every word that I said…" Faith shot him a glare, before replying with a, "You're not helping, idiot."
Kesh glared back equally. "You sure about that, strawberry-head?"
Faith smirked at his "insult". "'Strawberry-head'? Where the crap did you come up with such a stupid name like that?"
"Well excuse me if I suck at insults! At least my +anima form doesn't suck!" Kesh replied back.
Faith glared back even harder. "My. +Anima. Form. Does. Not. SUCK!" Faith snarled back. "It's just different, flyboy, so shut up!" Kesh was about to reply when the sound of laughter finally reached their ears. They turned their heads to see Jade lying on her side on her bed in a laughing fit.
Kesh stared at her for a moment. "What's so funny?" He asked his voice with an edge to it from him and Faith's fight. Jade inhaled sharply, her face beat red as she tried to calm herself.
"You… two… are… so… funny!" She said between gasps of air.
The two friends stared at her for a while before exchanging bored looks amongst each other. "Oh, sure," Faith said in a dull voice, "We're the most hilarious duo comedians out there. Congratulations on unveiling us… how did you ever know?"
Jade sat up, color returning to her features. "Ok, ok, I get it." She cleared her throat and spoke again, all laughter gone. "Alright, so… you're a fox +anima-" she pointed at Faith – "and you're a…"
"Hawk +anima." Kesh finished for her, already bringing his wings out. Jade stared at them for a moment, marveling at the brown spots that marked his feathers.
Faith cleared her throat, slicing through the small moments of silence. "What about you, Jade?" She asked. "What's your +anima?" Kesh slid his wings back into him before looking at Jade.
Jade shrugged and lifted one of her hands, inspecting her fingernails with boredom. "Nothing big, like yours…" Her fingernails darkened and elongated, turning into long curved black claws. Her jaw darkened to where three stripes were slashed on each side, each one twisting into a wavy pattern. She looked up and smiled. "Just a tiger."
Faith stared at her friend. Just a tiger? She thought as she eyed the sharp nails warily. "That's…"
"So cool!" Kesh said staring at the claws with interest. Faith stared at him. He looked interested, but his eyes had the same look that they had earlier that day… the same occupied look…
"Um… thanks?" Jade said. Faith returned her attentions back to her friend in time to see the effects of her +anima return. Jade stood and looked out the window before sighing. "I'm sorry…" She said slowly. "I should've trusted you guys. After all, you are my friends."
Faith grinned at her words before saying. "Yeah, it's alright." Kesh nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He said.
Jade smiled before turning around. "Will you guys get out of my room now? I'm kinda tired…"
Kesh smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who's going to make m-"
Jade's tiger claws slid out as a fork of lightening pierced the sky, sending a wave of white light through the window. "I will." She hissed.
Kesh didn't need to be told twice. He stared at her for a moment before vanishing out the door, muttering under his breath about "not being paid enough."
Jade grinned in satisfaction and slid her claws back in. She turned to Faith and said, "No offense, but same goes to you."
Faith chuckled and walked out the door. "Don't worry, I know." She closed the door behind her before walking into her bedroom for the night.
- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - -- - -
The sound of sharp rain drops pelting against the window greeted Faith's ears as she awoke the following morning. She sat up and stretched her arms out as she stared out the window.
"Rain again, huh?" She mumbled to herself. She watched as a few more translucent drops hit the glass before standing up and making her way to the door, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Good morning, Faith!"
The door burst open with a sharp bang as the tan form of Jade flew in. A large smile was stretched across her face as she flew past the said girl and smacked into the wall.
Faith stared at her for a while before asking, "Um… what was the point of that, again?"
Jade peeled her head away from the wall and looked over at Faith. "You were supposed to be in my path! That way I could've given you a big morning hug!" She pulled away from the wall and brushed herself off. She grinned at Faith and charged at her again, hugging her successfully. "Anyways, did you sleep well?"
Faith groaned from how tight Jade's arms were. "Y-Yeah… I slept… well…" she said as best as she could.
Jade released her, sending Faith to the floor. "Great!" She said happily. She turned and began to walk out the door before looking over her shoulder. "Oh yeah, and don't be late for breakfast; otherwise I'll send Kesh again!" With those last words that made Faith's eyebrow cock, she walked out the door, closing it behind her.
"'Otherwise I'll send Kesh again', what?" Faith muttered as she stared at the door. Shrugging the words off, she turned and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before exiting her room and walking downstairs.
Kesh glanced up as Faith walked down. "'Morning." He said dully. Faith just walked by and grabbed some food.
Kesh watched her for a while before saying, "What? No 'good morning' for me?" He crossed his arms over his chest in a mock pout and playfully glared at Faith as she walked over and sat across from him at the table.
She rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sorry, I didn't know you strived for that much attention." She leaned over the table and patted Kesh's head. "Don't worry, it's alright."
Kesh glared at her even more, all playfulness gone. "You suck, you know that?"
Faith grinned. "Yep; I take pride in it every day!"
The two stared at each other for a while - Faith grinning stupidly, while Kesh glared three different types of murder at her – until the sound of another tray of food sounded in the chair next to them.
"So, what are we going to do today?" Jade asked as she sat down. The three friends looked at each other for a while. A loud clap of thunder sounded outside, causing Kesh to look out the window.
"I think that answers your question." Kesh said, gesturing at the pounding rain outside. "It's raining too heavy to go outside… and judging by the look of it; it doesn't seem as if it will let up anytime soon."
Jade sighed, staring out the window with him. "I guess you're right…" She said sadly. Faith looked at the two before smirking and leaning back in her chair.
Kesh and Jade looked at her. "What?" Jade said, picking up a bit of food before placing it in her mouth.
"I just never pictured you as the type of person that would cower at the sight of a rain storm." Faith said, directing it towards Jade. "It's just rain; what harm could it do? And, besides, I used to always play in it when I was little…" She grinned playfully at her friend.
Jade stared back at Faith before letting one of her tiger-claws to grow out. It still sort of shocked Faith that Jade was a +anima, but she had managed to at least ignore it and just go with it like Kesh was. Jade drove the blackened nail into an orange that she had picked up and peeled it quickly. The pale-orange peeling fell to the floor as she yanked a slice of the orange off and stuck it into her mouth.
Kesh shrugged. "Well, I don't mind it… but, what about the kitty over here?" He asked. He pointed at Jade, who was now glaring at Kesh savagely.
Faith sighed and gripped onto the bridge of her nose as she heard the sharp sound of Jade's hand slapping Kesh's face. She looked up to see Kesh rubbing his, now red, cheek and Jade pulling another slice of orange. "Don't try me, bird-brain, you could get struck by lightening for all I care."
Kesh looked over at Faith, who just shrugged. "Hey, you asked for it." She said. Kesh glared back at her before scooping some of his fried egg into his mouth.
"Hey! You're a cannibal!" Jade exclaimed, pointing at Kesh as he swallowed. He glared back at her.
"Ok, ok, I get it…" Kesh mumbled. He drained his glass of milk quickly before standing. "Are we going or what?"
"Hey! I haven't even eaten yet!" Faith said, scooping her own portion into her mouth. Kesh watched her with interest while Jade just took a bite out of her apple.
Once Faith had finished, the trio headed out the door. As soon as the freezing droplets hit their skin, they couldn't help but shiver at the shock. Faith instantly began to look around, trying to distract herself, while Kesh acted as if everything was normal. Faith glanced at him. "How can you just look around like it's no big deal?" She asked.
Kesh looked back over at her and shrugged. "I've been in more rainstorms, some even worse than this."
Faith stared at him. "What? How…"
"Ok, what now?" Jade asked, obviously not paying attention to the two's conversation. The two looked over at her and shrugged.
"I 'unno." Faith said, shrugging. She looked around before turning back to Jade. "Hey, Jade, you've been here longer than us. What's there to do?"
Jade thought for a while before turning to Faith and saying, "Well, there's a field that's close to the woods. In fact; it's right next to it! Plus, there's this one pine tree that grows right in the middle of it. It's the weirdest thing… but it's still really cool!"
Faith smiled at the thought before a thought occurred to her. "But, what about the wall that surrounds the city?" She glanced over at the walls that surrounded the town.
Jade looked back at her before answering. "That's the one place that the wall doesn't go around. I think it's because that's how people can hunt without having to pay to get back into the city."
Kesh looked at her before saying, "Are we just going to talk, or are we actually going to go there?"
Jade rolled her eyes at him before turning and running down the road. Kesh and Faith glanced at each other before taking off after her. Muddy water splashed up onto them, coating their legs in a brown, filmy layer. By the time that they had arrived at the field, their clothes were completely soaked. Faith stopped about a fifth of the way into the field and looked around her. All around her was grass, albeit wet, it was a pretty decent sized field. Towards the middle of the field, the ground sloped up slightly to a single pine tree, heavy with rain. Farther back was a large expanse of trees. Faith found herself staring for a long time; it felt like home…
"Oi; you going to move or not?" A voice said a few feet in front of her. Faith blinked a few times - focusing back into reality – and stared at the bored face of Kesh.
She narrowed her eyes at him before running towards him, grass gathering on her calves. "What do you take me for? Of course I'm coming!" She said as she shot past.
Kesh watched her for a few moments before running after her. They both froze as they came to the very center of the field. Where was Jade?
"Jade!" Faith called, looking around in the thickened rain. The sound of the rain slapping the already-drenched grass responded to her words. "Jade?"
"What?" Faith turned around to find Jade standing there with mud caked on her long pants.
Faith looked at her for a while before saying, "Nothing… what do you want to do?"
Jade grinned childishly. She lurched forward, stretching her arm out to lightly slap Faith's soaked arm. "Tag! You're it!" She said triumphantly before bolting off.
Faith stared after her for a while before grinning evilly herself and looked to her right – where Kesh was standing. He looked back at her for a moment before putting his hands up and backing up slowly.
"H-Hey, you don't want to go after me…" He said slowly, the tips of his wings peeking out from behind his back. "I don't taste good!"
Faith laughed before bringing her arms out and hooking her fingers into a claw-like position. She leaned forward and snarled, "You are not getting away with your wings!" And with that, she leaped towards him and swung her arms. Kesh snapped his wings out and took to the air, leaving Faith to swing at air and a few brown feathers.
She glared up at him as he hovered above the ground. "Get back down here now!" She shouted. She jumped up at him, swiping her arms at his legs, only to fall back to the ground.
Kesh grinned at her and stuck his tongue out at her furious face. "Too bad! Looks like you're going to have to try harder!" He turned and swooped lower to his left. His wings cut through the downpour as he twisted away from Faith's swiping hands.
"Get your ass back here now!"
"Aw… looks like Faith is actually getting mad!" Kesh made a thumb up sign as he soared away, yet again, from her hands. "Kudos for you!"
Faith growled. "Oh, believe me! You've never seen me mad!" Her vulpine teeth, ears, and slightly sharp nails grew as she tried harder, only making Kesh laugh at her faulty attempts.
All the while, Jade stood a few meters away. The rain slithered down her body as she just stared at the two as they flitted around the plain, paying absolutely no attention to her. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked as she watched Kesh twist and dive away from Faith like a broken airplane, while Faith was growling and snarling all colorful language at him in frustration.
Jade just turned around and faced the woods. The rain created a light–blue haze that drifted over everything that was a good distance away, leaving only the darkened outlines of the objects. She squinted as she tried to identify different outlines. Trees were the main thing in her sights… but… there was something else.
Jade squinted harder. Had she seen that right? As she peered into the thick mist, the shape began to take form. There was something there! It was smaller than the tree, that was for certain, but it was slightly larger than what she thought it could be.
The form began advancing, a bit faster than it had been before. Its shape resembled that of a dog, only larger and fluffier. Jade instantly tilted her head back a bit and called out to Kesh and Faith. But they didn't answer.
"Hey, guys…?"
"Come here you idiot!"
"Not over my dead body!"
Jade looked over her shoulder, glaring at the still fighting images of the two. "Hey, idiots!"
"You know what, Faith? I think you should rename yourself to 'Fail' instea-"
"I'll rename you both to 'Failure' if you don't shut up and listen to me!" Jade finally snapped. The fighting instantly stopped. Kesh stopped his flying techniques, hovering above the ground as he glared at Jade. Faith just stood with one arm still up in the air from swinging violently at Kesh.
"What?" They both said in unison. Jade rolled her eyes and pointed at the spot that the shape was at.
"There's something there." She said. She turned her head and froze as she realized that the animal had emerged from the mysterious mist and to about three feet away from her.
It was a large black wolf.
- - - - -- - - - - -- -- - - - - - - -
The wolf stared up at the girl in front of it. She seemed to be about fifteen… maybe a bit younger. Who knows? The wolf was never good at guessing ages…
He stared at her shocked expression, watching as she just looked at him with curiosity and fear. The wolf cocked his head and glanced himself over. Was he really that scary? He didn't think he was…
He looked around again before finally setting sights on the two that he'd been looking for: the bipolar girl, and the annoying boy.
The wolf sighed and brushed past the tan-skinned girl, ignoring the words that seemed to have to do with him. He didn't care about her. No, he cared about the two right now.
- - - - - - - - -- -- - - - - -
It's... It's… Faith thought as she stared at the wolf as it advanced towards her. A few questions surfaced in her mind, mainly about how it actually found them.
She leaned towards Kesh, who had landed next to her and was staring at the wolf with the same shocked expression. "Kesh?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't that the…"
"Yeah."
"The one that…"
"Yeah."
"Do you think that it…"
"Yeah."
"Oh…" Faith stared at the wolf some more, into its deep amber eyes, before leaning back towards Kesh. "Can you fly us away from here?"
"No."
"What? Why not?"
"Do you remember last time? You were way too heavy! I'm not doing that again!"
Faith glared at him. "Well then what am I going to do?"
"Simple: You're going to stay here while I fly off."
"Oh you're so nice!"
"Oh you know I – Oh my God! It's coming towards us!" Kesh instantly retracted his arms close to his chest and lifted one of his legs in a protective manner.
Faith stared at him. She noticed out of the corner of her eyes that the wolf had the same expression. The wolf just leaped the remaining distance and stood in front of Kesh. His amber eyes stared into him before he said in a deep, growling voice, "Um… I'm not going to eat you, if that's what you think."
Silence surrounded the three – four – as they stared at the wolf. He… Just … Talked? Faith thought as she stared at it. She heard a stubborn sigh from Kesh as he relaxed, changing to where he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I didn't think that… I just didn't know that wolves could remember well." Kesh said, staring back at the creature as if it was perfectly normal to talk to a wolf.
The wolf rolled his eyes and stared back. "You and that girl should know that I'm not a wolf." The words made Faith stare at him quizzically. What did he mean?
As if to answer her question, the wolf began to transform. His midnight pelt melted into his skin, changing from a dark blackish-blue to a light brown. His eyes darkened considerably and obtained a ring of white around the, now black, irises. His body began to change too – into a more humanoid shape, until it was completely human. And, finally, the hair on his head stayed as a messy black, fluffed out around the edges.
Faith was slightly shocked to find him actually wearing clothes. She thought that he wouldn't have any clothes on at all. She dismissed the thoughts hurriedly and just glanced over his average pants and white – cotton shirt. He looked like an average guy.
"You're a … +anima?" Jade finally spoke up as she walked around the "wolf-boy" to come stand by Faith. The boy watched her with silent, intelligent eyes, seeming to take note of everything she did.
He nodded then, looking over the three friends. Faith looked back at him. "Um… why did you attack me that day? You know, when Kesh and I were traveling."
The boy looked up at the darkened clouds before saying, "You startled me, that's all. My parents died when I was born, so the only company that I get is hunters. But then… I saw you and that boy-" He gestured at Kesh "- and I thought that we were alike." He grinned slightly. "And we are!"
Jade nodded, even though Faith could tell that she didn't understand a word about what they were talking about. Faith continued, "Ok… sorry about your parents, by the way." The boy nodded. "And, well… what's your name?"
The boy stared at her before saying, "Luke." He reached over and scratched his arm while shivering from the icy drops that clung to their skin and hair. They'd been standing in the rain for so long, that they got used to the feel of the weather.
Jade stretched her arms above her head. "Come on; let's go back to the inn. I can ask Mrs. Hogart if Luke can stay in a room, and we can eat something." Her eyes gleamed at the word 'eat' before she looked back at Luke. "Would you like to stay with us?"
Luke shrugged his shoulders, black hair ruffling in the growing wind. "I have no where else to go." He walked forward to where he was next to Jade. He stared at them, as if waiting for something. Jade nodded and followed his lead, walking with him across the field towards the inn.
"Wait!" The two looked back to see Kesh and Faith still standing in the same spots that they were before. Faith stared at them before saying, "We still haven't decided the winner to tag, yet!" Who won?"
Jade sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "Kesh won. There, happy?"
Faith's expression told her instantly. She was not happy.
Kesh instantly started laughing. "Looks like I won!" He stuck his tongue out at her, only to retract it as Faith's sharpened fingernails narrowly missed it.
"Let me show you how to reward you winner!" She chased after him as he took off down the field and back towards Bruckford, laughter coming from his smiling mouth.
Jade sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on the grass beneath her. "Well, Luke, you'd better get used to that, otherwise, you'll be in hell from how much noise they cause!"
The two ran down the street, leaving Jade and Luke behind, as they took the same route that they took when they were racing to the inn.
"You'll never catch me! Because I'm a winner!" Kesh said over his shoulder as they drew closer and closer to the swinging sign of the inn.
Faith growled. "Oh yeah? You cheated!"
Kesh shrugged but kept running. "So? That's the price to pay if you want to win!" He increased his pace as Faith lunged at him.
Faith's reply was drowned out as Kesh focused on the inn's oak door. It was so close… only a few more steps away!
Almost there…! He thought as his heart beat accelerated considerably. He reached his arm out for the wall… his fingers stretching as far as they could…
He gasped as he felt two arms lock around his neck, dragging him to the ground before pressing him into the street. A puddle swarmed around his head as he felt Faith's foot press against his back. Kesh glanced up to see her panting body standing over him. She grinned down at him. "Don't… move!" She said between breaths.
Kesh groaned as she removed her foot and walked inside, leaving him in the puddle. He stared at the door before smirking. Don't move, huh? Well that's too bad!
He shifted his weight and began to stand, only to fall back to the ground. He clutched his, now bleeding, nose and looked over at his "attacker." A frying pan. He narrowed his eyes at it and glared at the smirking face of Faith, who was standing in the doorway. "I told you not to move." She said before closing the door.
Once she'd closed the door, the cheery voice of Mrs. Hogart came to her. "Faith? Who was that outside?"
"Oh that was just Kesh." Faith said as she walked over and grabbed a hot bowl of soup from the bar's counter. "He said he wanted a frying pan, so I gave him one!"
"That was nice of you!" Mrs. Hogart said as she walked from around the counter and to her room. "I'm turning in early, so tell Jade to keep watch for the rest of the day, will you?" Faith nodded, giving the innkeeper a bright grin. Mrs. Hogart grinned back and walked into her room.
Just as Kesh came bursting through the door.
Faith turned around in her chair to look at Kesh dully. Although, she couldn't help but smirk at his face. It was twisted into a snarling image, complete with a frying pan in his hand and a bloody nose.
"What. The hell. Was. That. For?" Kesh said through his gritted teeth. He closed the door behind him and stalked up to her. He placed the pan on the table before glaring holes into Faith's skull.
Faith just stared at him before saying, "I told you not to move…"
Kesh glared at her. "Oh! Shut u-" He became quiet as Jade and Luke walked in, each one of them dripping wet. Jade instantly went to the counter and grabbed two bowls of soup before sitting down where they were.
She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Well, apparently I'm going to have to do the night-shift…" She mumbled. Faith stared at her for a while.
"How did you know? Mrs. Hogart just told me to…" Faith thought it over before saying, "She's done this before, hasn't she?"
Jade nodded. "Yep." She looked around before sighing. "Anyways, I think we have an empty room open. It's diagonal from mine. So – in plainer sense – its' about two doors down from yours, Faith." She spooned a small amount of food into her mouth before standing. "You guys go ahead and get some sleep, I'm going to just go ahead and start work."
Faith stood. "You sure?" She asked as she ate her own portion of soup while standing.
Jade nodded. "Yeah. I'm used to it. You guys go ahead. Good night!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and walked back behind the counter and out of sight.
Faith sighed and just brought the bowl to her mouth and downed the rest of her soup before going upstairs. "I'm going to bed… good night guys!"
"Good night." Kesh called. Luke just nodded before turning to Kesh. Faith didn't hear what he'd said as she went to her room and changed into a dry pair of clothes. She snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes, listening as the rain began to grow fainter and fainter with each passing minute…
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15 PAGES LONG!!! XO OMFG!!!
Wow… Very long!
I was on a slight-hiatus stage for this chapter, so it kinda came later than other chapters. I hope it's ok… I didn't like how I ended it so quickly, but I finished it at 11:09 pm, and I KNOW that I will NEVER finish it again if I don't finish it now!
Now Luke's in the story! YAY! :D Luke is like the Senri of the story, only he talks a bit more…