Chapter 7 - The Depth of Memory
Ryne glared at the tree in front of him, sweat dripping from his forehead, stinging his eyes. The Ixa'Takan battle axe felt like it weighed two hundred pounds in his hands. not that he could feel his hands right now. Both his hands were covered in blisters and he'd barely taken two inches out of the tree in the two hours he'd been beating it. Oh yes, this tree was going to pay.
Tenderly, he rubbed his hands together placing them over the small gash he'd made in the tree. He closed his eyes and concentrated, praying to the red moon, gathering it's energies into his body. Finally, he released them with the small word "Pyri". He didn't see it, but he could feel the intense heat eating away at the hard wood. His concentration was broken however, as a loud crack echoed through the forest. He opened his eyes with a large smirk, which disappeared quickly as he realized the tree was falling in his direction. In one smooth motion he dived out its way as it came crashing down on the spot where he'd been standing a split second ago.
Ryne looked down at the tree and sighed. All this work for a tree only six inches in diameter. His hands still smarting, he dipped down and threw the largest part of the trunk over his shoulder, dragging it the hundred meters or so back to camp. He was greeted by the enticing smell of soup and smoke. Absentmindedly, he threw down the tree and strode over the fire where the smell was emanating from. Leos was sitting at the crude table they'd constructed from cargo crates, sucking down soup like a fiend. Jay sat in front of the large wrought iron cooking pot, stirring it slowly. Leos didn't even bring his face up from his soup, but Jay noticed his approach and smiled warmly at him.
"You hungry, tree killer?" She asked, still smiling. Ryne plopped down on a log, smiling weakly.
"Sounds great. as long as I don't have to us my hands." Jay laughed, and Ryne thought he could defiantly get used to the sound. Jay walked over to him with a metal bowl full of a brownish broth. Ryne smiled and lifted the bowl to him lips, almost choking on the stuff. It tasted awful, but Ryne was grateful for something to fill his stomach. Jay looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry it tastes so bad."
"Naw, its fine. I like it." Ryne lied.
"Liar." She said smirking.
Ryne shrugged. "Hey I tried."
Leos was now looking at them, one eyebrow cocked. "Did I miss something?"
Ryne quickly hid his reddening face from view with his bowl of soup. Jay just sighed and shook her head.
"You read into things too much." She stated, leaving the table and returning back to the soup which was now boiling over and sizzling into the fire. Leos shrugged and got up from the table.
"Hey Ry, I'm gonna need your help whenever you're done with that slop." He said as he turned to walk toward their water barrels. "We're gonna need to refill these things again." He finished kicking one of them ruefully. Ryne nodded, sucked down what was left of his soup, fought the urge to hurl, and followed Leos over to the empty water barrels. He hefted a couple over his broad shoulders as Leos did the same.
His muscles had grown stronger in the past three day that they'd been here. His once overly large shirt was now beginning to fit him as his frame expanded to fill it. And since that night three days ago, Jay seemed to be taking more and more notice of it. Ryne still didn't know just how he felt about her. He'd grown closer to her in the past couple of day than he had any girl in his past, but that didn't mean he loved her. Liked maybe, but love was too strong a word for what they had as of now. Besides, he was still reeling over the loss of his mother to really love another woman yet.
Ryne hiked the sliding barrels higher onto his shoulders. He could hear the rushing stream now they'd found on the second day. Soon he would be able to see and feel its cool waters and satisfy the growing thirst with in him.
********************************
Celeste took a deep breath slowly releasing her anxiety with her exhale, echoed by the small metamorph Tylen. She smiled at the silver orb hovering near her head. Technically, he had no need to breathe, being as he wasn't really alive, but over the years she'd had him he'd begun to pick up certain human characteristics.
"Well Ty. this is it." She said, the humidity making her feel as if her words were falling straight into the dirt.
They called Rixis the City of Gold, though she didn't have the foggiest clue as to why. All she could see were ruined buildings, craters, and lots of dirt. With a one minded determination she began to climb the seemingly endless stairs, the hem of her traditional Silvite dress restricting her leg movement. Finally, in a fit of frustration, she asked Tylen to form himself into a pair of scissors and used him to make her dress a miniskirt. She tossed what was left of her dress aside nonchalantly. Her superiors were going to have a fit when she got back to base, but that was a small price to pay for a full range of motion.
Finally, she could glimpse the top of this unending tower. She could see the womanly figure of the Ixa'Takan God Quetya over the edge of the stairs. She smiled as she saw the centuries old painting, wearing the same garb that was still in use, and she happened to be wearing.
Through the dim twilight she could see a greenish glow lighting the surrounding area, that didn't seem to be coming from the moon above. She felt her pulse quicken as he excitement grew. Finally, her head cleared the edge of the stairs and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the very thing she was looking for.
She gazed in awe at the smooth form of the Green Crystal, hovering inches about the surface of its stone casing. Without realizing she'd done it, she reached out and took the stone in her hands and gazed at it, entranced. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality and shoved the stone into her hip pouch.
"C'mon Tylen, let's get out of here before that guardian wakes up." She said, though she knew the Ixa'Takan guardian would probably be out for at least a day maybe two. Ty merely gave his equivalent of a human nod and started his transformation. He was once of the fastest at transforming himself, as he was older and experienced. In moments he hovered before her, in the sleek egg shape typical of Silvite spacecraft.
Celeste smiled and walked through the sliver skin of the metamorphic ship, her mind bonding with that of her familiar friend.
I can sense the presence of another ship near. Tylen informed her, as the joining completed.
Arcadian? Celeste asked, hopeful.
No, it seems to be that of Fynis, Gideon's ship.
Celeste cursed. If it had been any other time, she would have welcomed the oncoming presence of her old friend. But things were different now. She was a Rebel. He was here to stop her.
Evasive maneuvers Tylen, we have to shake them off our tail.
Celeste felt her orders being followed as her stomach lurched into her throat as Ty launched into a belly roll and dove straight down into the lower depths of the Arcadian atmosphere, almost skimming the edge of deep sky.
Celeste could see now the pin prick of light, reminiscent of a shooting star, plunging down after her, at a speed she could never hope to attain. It was useless. She could never escape the coming carnage that was about to overtake her. Her only hope was to get above land and hope that when she was shot down, that's where she'd land. Tylen, hearing these thoughts, complied, shooting straight up, his belly skimming the bottom of the treetops. Through it all, Tylen was forming a plan of his own.
Celeste felt the slow deceleration as Ty began to get slower, as if waiting for Gideon and Fynis to catch up to them. A wave of panic crashed over her, though Tylen send reassurance back to her, soothing her. If she had realized what Tylen's plan was she would have protested, demanded that he not abandon her, and cry to him to stop. but before she realized what was happening she was freefalling through the dense foliage and finally hitting the hard ground, just in time to feel her lingering mind join with Ty shatter, as the sky erupted into flames and she slipped into darkness.
******************************
Ryne was awakened by the sound of a deafening crack and a searing pain in his right hand. For a moment he wondered what time it was, as the sky was lit up as if it were the middle of the day. Ryne scrambled out of his blankets and turned his gaze into the skies above just long enough to see what looked like a comet being tailed by an odd orb which, as if realizing it had been sighted, disappeared at a speed his eyes could not follow, the pain in his hand abating.
Suddenly a wave of heat and debris rushed at him, and Ryne covered his face as thousands of small twigs and stones came hurtling toward him. He could feel them hitting his body, leaving small welts on his already sore hands, until the storm finally died down to the normal gentle breeze that was native to Ixa'Taka. Ryne uncovered his face to see that the sky had returned to its normal shade of black, except for an unearthly glow north of their camp.
With a quick side glace, Ryne realized that Leos and Jaycera were standing on either side of him, Jay with her hands clasped on the small blue stone around her neck and Leos wearing a grim look of wonder with an odd underlying determination. Ryne didn't have to wait long to figure out why.
"Let's go." He said, that determination coming to the surface.
"What?" Ryne asked, confused.
"Let's go get it." He said again. "Listen, you didn't happen to note its shape and color did ya?"
Ryne thought for a moment, his mind slowing drawing the same conclusion Leos had already reached. "Silver. egg shaped."
Leos reached over and tousled his scraggly white hair. "Good boy, you deserve a treat." He said, mockingly. "Now the way I see it, that Silver thing is our enemy right?"
Ryne nodded. "Yeah."
"And obviously, whatever just got itself shot of the sky was an enemy of it."
Jay smiled, letting go of her necklace. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Right on, Kiddo. Pack your bags kids, cause we're goin huntin."
*********************************
"I'm going to kill you Leos." Jay muttered under her breath, trying to wave a swarm of insects away from her face unsuccessfully, while also trying to keep her balance with her heavy pack on.
"You're going to have to catch up to me first." Leos said smiling from the front of the group. "Why didn't you pack a little lighter?"
"I'm a woman, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."
Jay gave him one of her patented death glares, but dropped the whole subject. Ryne would have laughed if not for the swarm attacking him as well. He tried to ignore them, as they weren't really doing anything but swarming around his head, but they were really beginning to annoy him.
Their trek had begun at dawn, and Ryne had no clue how long they'd been walking through the dense brush, Leos hacking his way in front of them with a couple of Yafutoman katanas that they had salvaged from the wreckage of their ship. Ryne was surprised to see just how many weapons had been on the ship when they pulled them out of the rubble. He himself had taken a particularly ornate claymore, its mass weighing heavily upon his back. Leos had told him that it had been an old family heirloom of the Delasari family, but gave it up to him gladly saying that it was more practical to hand it over to someone who could make use of it. Ryne took it not only because he was particularly fond of claymores, but also because the sword itself intrigued him.
Upon first glace it had seemed to be a quite ordinary blade, though upon closer inspection proved to wield strange runes upon it's blade that seemed oddly familiar to him, though he could not decipher. The hilt itself was also a marvel. The grip, appearing to be made of metal, actually formed to that of the person handling it. At the end there was silver claw, gripping a Silver Moonstone, which glowed whenever Ryne touched the blade. Ryne concluded that it must have been a Silvite blade from a past long forgotten, much like the sword Ramirez bore, the Sword of the Silver Eclipse. Ryne didn't know its significance, but was determined to investigate it once he found his parents. or if he found his parents.
Ryne was so wrapped within his own thought he didn't even notice when the sky began to darken and the sun became a crescent above the trees, the green moon taking over for it and bathing them in its light. Leos, who also seemed to have been taken by surprise by the sudden sun fall, dropped his pack to the ground in a realization that, yes he was tired beyond belief. Ryne followed his example, setting down his own supplies next to where he was standing and immediately fell to the ground, no longer able to ignore the constant ache that was now an all too familiar feeling. Jay however stayed standing to unpack some small brown packages. Ryne watched her curiously for a bit, an eyebrow raised, though he didn't move anything other than that.
She set these down beside her, and then disappeared from view though returned soon with an armful of sticks and leaves. Carefully, she arranged them into a small tipi shape with the leaves housed inside it. He watched he as her eyes closed in deep concentration, and he could feel the power of the red moon, slowly gathering around her, then he felt it release through her fingertips and into the dry leaves, creating a small fire, which she began to nurture with larger sticks and small logs.
Finally, realizing that Ryne hadn't fallen asleep as her brother had, she looked over at him and smiled widely.
"Hungry?" She asked, motioning toward the now open brown packages at her feet.
"Starving." Ryne said, pushing forcing himself into a sitting position. Now he could see the contents of the packages. One was a small stale loaf of bread, the other a block of cheese. "What are you going to do with those?" He asked, not looking forward to the crunch and taste of stale bread.
Jay merely smiled wider. "You'll see."
Ryne shrugged and watched as she slices the bread into thin strips and did likewise with the cheese. Taking a forked sick, she placed once piece of bread on it, then a slice of cheese, and another slice of bread and held it out over the fire, until one side was browned, and tuned it over until the other side matched it, then tossed the strange sandwich over to him. Ryne fumbled the hot bread and set it down, blowing on his tender hands, Jay giggling. Finally, he got up the courage to take a bite, as Jay was already working on a second one. He wasn't prepared for it to be absolutely delicious. Realizing how hungry he was, Ry scarfed it down in a few more bites and looked up hopefully at Jay, who looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry, we need to ration."
Ryne nodded sadly. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"
"My mom used to make them all the time." She said, taking a bite out of her own, "It's called a grilled cheese."
"Grilled? But it's toasted."
"I know, I always wondered the same thing. I asked my dad once, but all he said was 'Nothing in life is what it seems'." Jay's voice fell a pitch, and she absentmindedly began to clutch the moonstone hanging around her neck.
"Did your father get that for you?" Ryne asked, bringing her out her daze.
"What?"
"Did your father get that for you?" Ryne asked again. Jay stared down at the ground, unwilling to meet Ryne's gaze.
"Yeah, he got it for me just before he died." He voice trailed off as she fought back tears. Forcefully, she tried to pull herself out of it. It had been six years and she needed to get a grip. Ryne bit his lip, unsure of whether to ask him next question or not. Jay finally met his gaze, and Ryne could see her challenging him to ask. For a moment, Ryne was lost in the deep expanse of blue, visible only by the firelight.
"How." Ryne finally managed. "Did your parents die?"
Jay broke eye contact once again, looking straight into the dying fire. She stayed like this for what seemed to Ryne like an eternity, then finally faced him once again, a hardened resolve in her eyes.
"They were killed, after my dad gave me this necklace. We were all going as a family to drop off a load of Yafutoman spice to Valua. My brother was excited because it was his first trip as a crewmember, not just a ship brat. I was happy being the brat though. I remember standing on the bow of the ship, letting the wind rush through my hair, with my mother standing behind me, holding me so I wouldn't fall. We were so happy." Jay's voice dropped off for a moment as tears she's been fighting back finally began to leak through. "The next moment, we were being boarded by black pirates. They ordered all the crew up on deck while they raided everything. Our cargo was light, and apparently this wasn't good enough for the captain. He ordered all of us to stand in a straight line. Then he killed the crew. one by one. taking all the valuables off of them and throwing their bodies out into the sky. We were the last in line, our parents holding onto us. and they shot them. I remember screaming, I remember my mother's weight falling from my shoulders, and I remember that man's wicked smile. He took my necklace and threw my brother and me into the life raft and let us drift. I don't know how long we drifted, but I do remember my brother worrying that we were going to run out of fuel soon. We were found by some Blue Rouges just in time though. As they took us onto their ship, I heard them talking about a Pirate ship they'd just raided, and how much loot they'd gotten off of it. During the night, I remember sneaking out of the cot they'd given me and going down into the cargo bay. In the middle of it all I found my necklace."
Jay was no longer able to hold back her tears, and they came in full force, her slim form rocked with sobs. Ryne took her in his arms and held her as she cried into his shoulder.
"I'm not like that." Ryne whispered softly into her ear. Jay pulled away from his shoulder, her teary eyes shining, a smile starting to cross her face.
"I know, Ry. I know." She said softly, lost in his green eyed gaze. Suddenly, all rational thought was gone, and it was only the two of them, Ryne now cradling her hands in his lap, the moon highlighting his white hair green. Before either really knew what was happening, their lips touched in a gentle caress. The gentle sounds of the forest were nothing when compared to the fireworks going off within them. Ryne finally broke the kiss, his breath ragged. Jay smiled at him, all sadness gone from her, and Ryne was finally able to admit to himself just how gorgeous she really was. Without another word, Jay laid down, pulling her pack underneath her head, and Ryne watched as he breathing became deep and more relaxed as she fell asleep.
Ryne watched her for a moment longer, his lips still tingling with electricity. Finally, he pulled his pack under him and followed her into sleep.
Ryne glared at the tree in front of him, sweat dripping from his forehead, stinging his eyes. The Ixa'Takan battle axe felt like it weighed two hundred pounds in his hands. not that he could feel his hands right now. Both his hands were covered in blisters and he'd barely taken two inches out of the tree in the two hours he'd been beating it. Oh yes, this tree was going to pay.
Tenderly, he rubbed his hands together placing them over the small gash he'd made in the tree. He closed his eyes and concentrated, praying to the red moon, gathering it's energies into his body. Finally, he released them with the small word "Pyri". He didn't see it, but he could feel the intense heat eating away at the hard wood. His concentration was broken however, as a loud crack echoed through the forest. He opened his eyes with a large smirk, which disappeared quickly as he realized the tree was falling in his direction. In one smooth motion he dived out its way as it came crashing down on the spot where he'd been standing a split second ago.
Ryne looked down at the tree and sighed. All this work for a tree only six inches in diameter. His hands still smarting, he dipped down and threw the largest part of the trunk over his shoulder, dragging it the hundred meters or so back to camp. He was greeted by the enticing smell of soup and smoke. Absentmindedly, he threw down the tree and strode over the fire where the smell was emanating from. Leos was sitting at the crude table they'd constructed from cargo crates, sucking down soup like a fiend. Jay sat in front of the large wrought iron cooking pot, stirring it slowly. Leos didn't even bring his face up from his soup, but Jay noticed his approach and smiled warmly at him.
"You hungry, tree killer?" She asked, still smiling. Ryne plopped down on a log, smiling weakly.
"Sounds great. as long as I don't have to us my hands." Jay laughed, and Ryne thought he could defiantly get used to the sound. Jay walked over to him with a metal bowl full of a brownish broth. Ryne smiled and lifted the bowl to him lips, almost choking on the stuff. It tasted awful, but Ryne was grateful for something to fill his stomach. Jay looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry it tastes so bad."
"Naw, its fine. I like it." Ryne lied.
"Liar." She said smirking.
Ryne shrugged. "Hey I tried."
Leos was now looking at them, one eyebrow cocked. "Did I miss something?"
Ryne quickly hid his reddening face from view with his bowl of soup. Jay just sighed and shook her head.
"You read into things too much." She stated, leaving the table and returning back to the soup which was now boiling over and sizzling into the fire. Leos shrugged and got up from the table.
"Hey Ry, I'm gonna need your help whenever you're done with that slop." He said as he turned to walk toward their water barrels. "We're gonna need to refill these things again." He finished kicking one of them ruefully. Ryne nodded, sucked down what was left of his soup, fought the urge to hurl, and followed Leos over to the empty water barrels. He hefted a couple over his broad shoulders as Leos did the same.
His muscles had grown stronger in the past three day that they'd been here. His once overly large shirt was now beginning to fit him as his frame expanded to fill it. And since that night three days ago, Jay seemed to be taking more and more notice of it. Ryne still didn't know just how he felt about her. He'd grown closer to her in the past couple of day than he had any girl in his past, but that didn't mean he loved her. Liked maybe, but love was too strong a word for what they had as of now. Besides, he was still reeling over the loss of his mother to really love another woman yet.
Ryne hiked the sliding barrels higher onto his shoulders. He could hear the rushing stream now they'd found on the second day. Soon he would be able to see and feel its cool waters and satisfy the growing thirst with in him.
********************************
Celeste took a deep breath slowly releasing her anxiety with her exhale, echoed by the small metamorph Tylen. She smiled at the silver orb hovering near her head. Technically, he had no need to breathe, being as he wasn't really alive, but over the years she'd had him he'd begun to pick up certain human characteristics.
"Well Ty. this is it." She said, the humidity making her feel as if her words were falling straight into the dirt.
They called Rixis the City of Gold, though she didn't have the foggiest clue as to why. All she could see were ruined buildings, craters, and lots of dirt. With a one minded determination she began to climb the seemingly endless stairs, the hem of her traditional Silvite dress restricting her leg movement. Finally, in a fit of frustration, she asked Tylen to form himself into a pair of scissors and used him to make her dress a miniskirt. She tossed what was left of her dress aside nonchalantly. Her superiors were going to have a fit when she got back to base, but that was a small price to pay for a full range of motion.
Finally, she could glimpse the top of this unending tower. She could see the womanly figure of the Ixa'Takan God Quetya over the edge of the stairs. She smiled as she saw the centuries old painting, wearing the same garb that was still in use, and she happened to be wearing.
Through the dim twilight she could see a greenish glow lighting the surrounding area, that didn't seem to be coming from the moon above. She felt her pulse quicken as he excitement grew. Finally, her head cleared the edge of the stairs and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the very thing she was looking for.
She gazed in awe at the smooth form of the Green Crystal, hovering inches about the surface of its stone casing. Without realizing she'd done it, she reached out and took the stone in her hands and gazed at it, entranced. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality and shoved the stone into her hip pouch.
"C'mon Tylen, let's get out of here before that guardian wakes up." She said, though she knew the Ixa'Takan guardian would probably be out for at least a day maybe two. Ty merely gave his equivalent of a human nod and started his transformation. He was once of the fastest at transforming himself, as he was older and experienced. In moments he hovered before her, in the sleek egg shape typical of Silvite spacecraft.
Celeste smiled and walked through the sliver skin of the metamorphic ship, her mind bonding with that of her familiar friend.
I can sense the presence of another ship near. Tylen informed her, as the joining completed.
Arcadian? Celeste asked, hopeful.
No, it seems to be that of Fynis, Gideon's ship.
Celeste cursed. If it had been any other time, she would have welcomed the oncoming presence of her old friend. But things were different now. She was a Rebel. He was here to stop her.
Evasive maneuvers Tylen, we have to shake them off our tail.
Celeste felt her orders being followed as her stomach lurched into her throat as Ty launched into a belly roll and dove straight down into the lower depths of the Arcadian atmosphere, almost skimming the edge of deep sky.
Celeste could see now the pin prick of light, reminiscent of a shooting star, plunging down after her, at a speed she could never hope to attain. It was useless. She could never escape the coming carnage that was about to overtake her. Her only hope was to get above land and hope that when she was shot down, that's where she'd land. Tylen, hearing these thoughts, complied, shooting straight up, his belly skimming the bottom of the treetops. Through it all, Tylen was forming a plan of his own.
Celeste felt the slow deceleration as Ty began to get slower, as if waiting for Gideon and Fynis to catch up to them. A wave of panic crashed over her, though Tylen send reassurance back to her, soothing her. If she had realized what Tylen's plan was she would have protested, demanded that he not abandon her, and cry to him to stop. but before she realized what was happening she was freefalling through the dense foliage and finally hitting the hard ground, just in time to feel her lingering mind join with Ty shatter, as the sky erupted into flames and she slipped into darkness.
******************************
Ryne was awakened by the sound of a deafening crack and a searing pain in his right hand. For a moment he wondered what time it was, as the sky was lit up as if it were the middle of the day. Ryne scrambled out of his blankets and turned his gaze into the skies above just long enough to see what looked like a comet being tailed by an odd orb which, as if realizing it had been sighted, disappeared at a speed his eyes could not follow, the pain in his hand abating.
Suddenly a wave of heat and debris rushed at him, and Ryne covered his face as thousands of small twigs and stones came hurtling toward him. He could feel them hitting his body, leaving small welts on his already sore hands, until the storm finally died down to the normal gentle breeze that was native to Ixa'Taka. Ryne uncovered his face to see that the sky had returned to its normal shade of black, except for an unearthly glow north of their camp.
With a quick side glace, Ryne realized that Leos and Jaycera were standing on either side of him, Jay with her hands clasped on the small blue stone around her neck and Leos wearing a grim look of wonder with an odd underlying determination. Ryne didn't have to wait long to figure out why.
"Let's go." He said, that determination coming to the surface.
"What?" Ryne asked, confused.
"Let's go get it." He said again. "Listen, you didn't happen to note its shape and color did ya?"
Ryne thought for a moment, his mind slowing drawing the same conclusion Leos had already reached. "Silver. egg shaped."
Leos reached over and tousled his scraggly white hair. "Good boy, you deserve a treat." He said, mockingly. "Now the way I see it, that Silver thing is our enemy right?"
Ryne nodded. "Yeah."
"And obviously, whatever just got itself shot of the sky was an enemy of it."
Jay smiled, letting go of her necklace. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Right on, Kiddo. Pack your bags kids, cause we're goin huntin."
*********************************
"I'm going to kill you Leos." Jay muttered under her breath, trying to wave a swarm of insects away from her face unsuccessfully, while also trying to keep her balance with her heavy pack on.
"You're going to have to catch up to me first." Leos said smiling from the front of the group. "Why didn't you pack a little lighter?"
"I'm a woman, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."
Jay gave him one of her patented death glares, but dropped the whole subject. Ryne would have laughed if not for the swarm attacking him as well. He tried to ignore them, as they weren't really doing anything but swarming around his head, but they were really beginning to annoy him.
Their trek had begun at dawn, and Ryne had no clue how long they'd been walking through the dense brush, Leos hacking his way in front of them with a couple of Yafutoman katanas that they had salvaged from the wreckage of their ship. Ryne was surprised to see just how many weapons had been on the ship when they pulled them out of the rubble. He himself had taken a particularly ornate claymore, its mass weighing heavily upon his back. Leos had told him that it had been an old family heirloom of the Delasari family, but gave it up to him gladly saying that it was more practical to hand it over to someone who could make use of it. Ryne took it not only because he was particularly fond of claymores, but also because the sword itself intrigued him.
Upon first glace it had seemed to be a quite ordinary blade, though upon closer inspection proved to wield strange runes upon it's blade that seemed oddly familiar to him, though he could not decipher. The hilt itself was also a marvel. The grip, appearing to be made of metal, actually formed to that of the person handling it. At the end there was silver claw, gripping a Silver Moonstone, which glowed whenever Ryne touched the blade. Ryne concluded that it must have been a Silvite blade from a past long forgotten, much like the sword Ramirez bore, the Sword of the Silver Eclipse. Ryne didn't know its significance, but was determined to investigate it once he found his parents. or if he found his parents.
Ryne was so wrapped within his own thought he didn't even notice when the sky began to darken and the sun became a crescent above the trees, the green moon taking over for it and bathing them in its light. Leos, who also seemed to have been taken by surprise by the sudden sun fall, dropped his pack to the ground in a realization that, yes he was tired beyond belief. Ryne followed his example, setting down his own supplies next to where he was standing and immediately fell to the ground, no longer able to ignore the constant ache that was now an all too familiar feeling. Jay however stayed standing to unpack some small brown packages. Ryne watched her curiously for a bit, an eyebrow raised, though he didn't move anything other than that.
She set these down beside her, and then disappeared from view though returned soon with an armful of sticks and leaves. Carefully, she arranged them into a small tipi shape with the leaves housed inside it. He watched he as her eyes closed in deep concentration, and he could feel the power of the red moon, slowly gathering around her, then he felt it release through her fingertips and into the dry leaves, creating a small fire, which she began to nurture with larger sticks and small logs.
Finally, realizing that Ryne hadn't fallen asleep as her brother had, she looked over at him and smiled widely.
"Hungry?" She asked, motioning toward the now open brown packages at her feet.
"Starving." Ryne said, pushing forcing himself into a sitting position. Now he could see the contents of the packages. One was a small stale loaf of bread, the other a block of cheese. "What are you going to do with those?" He asked, not looking forward to the crunch and taste of stale bread.
Jay merely smiled wider. "You'll see."
Ryne shrugged and watched as she slices the bread into thin strips and did likewise with the cheese. Taking a forked sick, she placed once piece of bread on it, then a slice of cheese, and another slice of bread and held it out over the fire, until one side was browned, and tuned it over until the other side matched it, then tossed the strange sandwich over to him. Ryne fumbled the hot bread and set it down, blowing on his tender hands, Jay giggling. Finally, he got up the courage to take a bite, as Jay was already working on a second one. He wasn't prepared for it to be absolutely delicious. Realizing how hungry he was, Ry scarfed it down in a few more bites and looked up hopefully at Jay, who looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry, we need to ration."
Ryne nodded sadly. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"
"My mom used to make them all the time." She said, taking a bite out of her own, "It's called a grilled cheese."
"Grilled? But it's toasted."
"I know, I always wondered the same thing. I asked my dad once, but all he said was 'Nothing in life is what it seems'." Jay's voice fell a pitch, and she absentmindedly began to clutch the moonstone hanging around her neck.
"Did your father get that for you?" Ryne asked, bringing her out her daze.
"What?"
"Did your father get that for you?" Ryne asked again. Jay stared down at the ground, unwilling to meet Ryne's gaze.
"Yeah, he got it for me just before he died." He voice trailed off as she fought back tears. Forcefully, she tried to pull herself out of it. It had been six years and she needed to get a grip. Ryne bit his lip, unsure of whether to ask him next question or not. Jay finally met his gaze, and Ryne could see her challenging him to ask. For a moment, Ryne was lost in the deep expanse of blue, visible only by the firelight.
"How." Ryne finally managed. "Did your parents die?"
Jay broke eye contact once again, looking straight into the dying fire. She stayed like this for what seemed to Ryne like an eternity, then finally faced him once again, a hardened resolve in her eyes.
"They were killed, after my dad gave me this necklace. We were all going as a family to drop off a load of Yafutoman spice to Valua. My brother was excited because it was his first trip as a crewmember, not just a ship brat. I was happy being the brat though. I remember standing on the bow of the ship, letting the wind rush through my hair, with my mother standing behind me, holding me so I wouldn't fall. We were so happy." Jay's voice dropped off for a moment as tears she's been fighting back finally began to leak through. "The next moment, we were being boarded by black pirates. They ordered all the crew up on deck while they raided everything. Our cargo was light, and apparently this wasn't good enough for the captain. He ordered all of us to stand in a straight line. Then he killed the crew. one by one. taking all the valuables off of them and throwing their bodies out into the sky. We were the last in line, our parents holding onto us. and they shot them. I remember screaming, I remember my mother's weight falling from my shoulders, and I remember that man's wicked smile. He took my necklace and threw my brother and me into the life raft and let us drift. I don't know how long we drifted, but I do remember my brother worrying that we were going to run out of fuel soon. We were found by some Blue Rouges just in time though. As they took us onto their ship, I heard them talking about a Pirate ship they'd just raided, and how much loot they'd gotten off of it. During the night, I remember sneaking out of the cot they'd given me and going down into the cargo bay. In the middle of it all I found my necklace."
Jay was no longer able to hold back her tears, and they came in full force, her slim form rocked with sobs. Ryne took her in his arms and held her as she cried into his shoulder.
"I'm not like that." Ryne whispered softly into her ear. Jay pulled away from his shoulder, her teary eyes shining, a smile starting to cross her face.
"I know, Ry. I know." She said softly, lost in his green eyed gaze. Suddenly, all rational thought was gone, and it was only the two of them, Ryne now cradling her hands in his lap, the moon highlighting his white hair green. Before either really knew what was happening, their lips touched in a gentle caress. The gentle sounds of the forest were nothing when compared to the fireworks going off within them. Ryne finally broke the kiss, his breath ragged. Jay smiled at him, all sadness gone from her, and Ryne was finally able to admit to himself just how gorgeous she really was. Without another word, Jay laid down, pulling her pack underneath her head, and Ryne watched as he breathing became deep and more relaxed as she fell asleep.
Ryne watched her for a moment longer, his lips still tingling with electricity. Finally, he pulled his pack under him and followed her into sleep.