Chapter 17: Looking Inward

"Hey...where's Silvie?" That was the first question that cam to my mind when I woke up this morning, it had been two days since the Dark Knight/ slash Thief Ferdinand Altherege became a member of the Red Wings, a fact I still was not fond of.

"She's out with Anose, again." said Murris from his spot at the table. He was currently arm wrestling with Ferdinand, and losing.Oh right, for the past two days, Silvie would disappear for long stretches of time as would Anose, a fact that REALLY REAALLLY BOTHERED ME.

And the thing is, I still can't figure out why. Why did her proclivities bother me, why did I feel stung when her gaze turned sharply from mine, whenver our eyes met? When she looked glowingly at other guys? Why? CLUNK OWWW! I felt a sharp pain on my head.

"Carlin, would you PLEASE stop spacing out all the time? It's really starting to get creepy." Lauria, she had whacked me over the head with a ladle she was using to make breakfast Faerie Apple Oatmeal.

"Y'know I'm REALLY gettin tired of all the abuse I get put through around here, I mean, I'm you'r LEADER aren't I, I hink I shoukld get SOME level of respect!" I shouted angrily.

"Heh, Respect? Last I checked people had to EARN respect." That was Ferdinand. I whirled on him.

"WHO ASKED YOU YOU Meuniere Mithkabob?"

"Ooohh touchy touchy! NGH! Is he always this chipper, or is it just in the mornings?" He smuggly asked while still struggling against Murris.

"No, usually he's an angsty moody emo Red-boy." said Murris with a smug grin.

"AH DAMMIT! FORGET THIS I'm OUT OF HERE!" And I stormed to the door.

"HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I'm MAKING Broiled Egg omlets! Sausage Rolls! Chocolate milk! and Chamomile Tea! YOU'D BETTER NOT SKIP OUT ON THE MEAL I PUT EVER SO MUCH EFFORT INTO!" shouted Lauria from the kitchen.

"YEAH YEAH! SAVE ME A PLATE I'm OUTTA HERE, BE BACK LATER!" I walked out and slammed the door shut behind me. "TSH! This sucks." I headed out to Ziek Creek in North Gustaberg. Where I could clear my head with a good fight or two.

xex

When I finally got there however, I saw something, heard something...

"Now focus, feel the rythm of yourself and your opponent-" That voice, commanding and smugly superior...

"O-Okay..." another voice, a feminen purr. "Feel the rythm, be the rythm... HAA FUU HYAA!" After the sound of several thwacks and thunks I heard a monster howl. I started to run toward the source of the sounds then stopped short. Silvie and Anose, they were close, VERY close, he was at her back, guiding her body into an attack pose...BUT DID HE NEED TO BE THAT CLOSE?

"Now, see past the monster, see it's center, it's core, and STRIKE!" Silvie stepped away from him, and assumed the attack pose he'd shown her.

"Right! Center! Core! ATTACK!" She stepped forward to a close range to the monster...way too close, WHAT THE H WAS SHE THINKING? ShE COULDN"T HIT WITH FULL POWER AT THAT RANGE!

"SILVIE!" I started running toward her with a spell ready.

"HUH?" SIlvie looked my way.

GRAWR! "EYEA!" She just barely dodged a blow from the monster a Crawler, the reassumed her fighting stance, the same damn range! "YAHH!" and punched, it...barely, from start to finish her punch had traveled just one inch...but apparently that was enough. The creature howled and fell to the ground in a heap...dead.

"SILVIE! WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED LIKE THAT!" I ran toward her.

She looked toward me oddly. "Oh Carlin..." I stopped in front of her. "WHY DONCHA-" She smashed a fist into my face and sent me flying backward. "GROW THE H UP!" CRASH.

"Owww..." I tried to get up.

"ANYWAY, Anose was training me in how to be a Samurai! I'm gonna give up on White Magic and supplement my Monk skills with the Samurai arts. AND WERE DONE FOR TODAY, SO -IF- YOU'LL EXCUSE ME!" I looked up just in time to see her walking toward me..

"WAI-ARGH!" she walked right over me! After she went a ways aay, Anose came up and looked down at me, in more ways then one.

"You know, your gunna lose points with her if you keep up that bull headed attitude of yours." I leapt into a sitting position.

"WHO THE H ASKED YOU! ANYWAY I SAW HOW COMFY YOU WERE TRYIN TO GET WITH HER SO DON'T EVEN TYR TO TALK TO ME ABOUT "POINTS"!" to my supreme annoyance, he chuckled.

"Perhaps I am, but what is it to you? It's not like you have any right of claim over her."

"Geh, ERh, THat THAT's BESIDE THE POINT! I DON"T WANT YOU GETTING COZY WITH "ANY" OF MY TEAM! I WANT YOU AND THAT DAMN ETHIS TO HAVE AS MINIMAL CONTACT WITH US AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!" Anose huffed and close his eyes.

"Why don't you-" He kicked me in the head, and stalked off, "Try looking inward a little, before throwing your verbal barbs around like ballisitc maniac?" And he stalked off. A few moments later, I felt my sotmach hurt.. and hurt, and moan, and growl..

"AGHH AGHHH! FOOOOOOD I NEED FOOOOOD!" I leapt up and shambled as quickly as I could back to Lauria's house, there was noc chance in H I was gunna miss breakfast over this!

xex

I made it back just as brakfast was being cleared away. I SLAMMED the door open, panting, wheezing, and generally sweating a dark cloud hovering around me. "There-better-be-some-for me..." I growled as I stalked forward. The only person in the kitchen at the moment was Lauria.

"Geez someone looks like H." Murris attempted a jab from the lounge room. I sat down at the table in the kitchen without a word, I was too hungry to throw anything back.

"Well I'm glad you could find the time to make it back!" Lauria shot at me, she then opened the food heating unti and handed me a plate. "There, some of everything, and-" she handed me a bowl. "My special oatmeal." I took up my utensils, stared down at the food, took a few sniffs.

"SNARRR RAURGH RAAA RAWWWRRR!" tore into it all like a rabid dog, chewing and eating and drinking almost all at once, to Lauria's supreme horror.

"HEY HEY HEY I SPENT A LONG TIME ON THAT FOOD SLOW THE H DOWN AND AT LEAST TASTE IT!" She shouted angrily.

"GRAH CAN'T TALK, EATING!" I shouted throw gulps.

"Slow DOWN, Slow DOWN... I SAID SLOW DOWN!" she slammed me on the head with a Stone spell. BUT THAT DIDN'T STOP ME! I kept eating until everything was gone, then I sighed longly. "HAAAAAAAA, goood stuuufff." I leaned back with half closed eyes and rubbed my belly. Luaria turned away with a half blush, half scowl.

"Well-well I'm glad you liked it, now clean your plate. Ethis and Anose left awhile ago, we're going to have a meeting and decide where to go from here. We'll see you in there." and with that she got up and walked off, and what a nice walk she had too...

end chptr 17