Boredom that knows no bounds

[Dante]

A full moon had risen high above the forest and radiated its pale light between the thick trees of the forest. The ground was covered with dry leaves for months, every moving creature made its presence known by the echo and crackle of ever footstep. Not even a single drop of rain had graced that section of the forest floor in weeks. A chilling wind swept through the thick forest and taking with it a swirling mass of dust and leaves. Dead silence followed the gust of wind. A small stone shelter stood at the base of a mighty oak. The stones had been arranged in a strategic manner. Two large slabs rested upon the trunk of the tree while multitudes of smaller rocks and miniature boulders were stacked and aligned in close proximity.

A fire pit had been dug out in the center of the shelter. The cooling embers showed recent use. Under a mound of dirt and rock were the product of the fire. Five vials of an odorless and colorless liquid lay in a mahogany chest while a place for another was vacant. The sixth vial had been shattered in a great drop. Hundreds of feet the crystal flask fell, soon to be followed by the owner. The owner of the flask, the chest, and the small encampment had stopped three feet short of the ground. A tether cord of vines had ensured the resident that it would not hit the ground. The resident had jerked to a sudden halt as the tether did it's job. The resident swung slowly back and forth. Not a single breath was issued, not even a sound escaped from the swinging figure.

The figure was Dante, a lich in his own way. Moments before the great fall he emptied the contents of the now shattered vial into his mouth and let it soak into his flesh. His hands slipped the tether around his neck then tightened it until the rope-like vine rested smugly around his throat. A swift drop soon followed. In his robes were two gold coins. The coins symbolized hope. Dante was hoping to attempt the river crossing once more.

[Kezaa (retired)]

The distinct and distant crackling of leaves resounded outside the make-shift shelter, grabbing at the attentions of any of the forest inhabitants whom were lying in wait. Slowly, if not calculated, the footsteps of this lone figure treaded through the barren and sour ground, regardless of what restless monsters or spirits he may have been upsetting. The blonde simply did not care.

His shadow quickly stretched into the doorway, further obstructing the sight of the man hanging from the cieling. The body hardly stirred, save for the continuing turning motions the rope had left to stretch out from the fall. Was he already dead? The young man's eyes squinted in the darkness, discerning the almost equally cloaked aparition that hung ominously in the middle of the sheltered room.

How ironic. The vaguely incomprehensible curse of this forest was rumored to separate all people whom enter. Shortly thereafter, they either become one of the inhabitants themselves, or die a miserable death, usually the latter. And here Kez was, wondering this place for nearly a full day, and all the blonde found was the grave site of a man somewhat like himself, a person whom was tired of this life. Though Kez himself was merely tired of the path he was resided to tread on, which was why he was here today. He wanted to know what other choices his life held before him, without Kez even dreaming of them beforehand.

The lower half of the head boy's face was obscured by the thin collar that rose vertically from his cloak, and was also further hidden by the layer of hair that fell in dull, dark yellow cascades over the top of his face, with a mere hint of sapphire glinting through his bangs to offer any hint that he could even see. This was probably what the hanging man saw through his dark, dialated eyes, though it was even Kezaa's guess whether he still had the ability to register the young man a mere few feet before him.

Kezaa's ponytail slid down over his shoulder as he bent down, collecting a shiny object that had fallen to the dead man's feet. It was a coin, unmatched by any coin Kez held in his memory, but brother to the others that were clenched still in the dead man's fist. The faintest hint of a sad smile curved across Kezaa's line of a mouth as he stood back up, and secured the coin back in the man's closed palm.

"Its a shame, that we never got to meet. I hope that when you reach the river Styx, you do not forget this moment. As travelors, I'm sure our paths will cross again in another time. At that time, I could give you the end you wished for. Til then, farewell."

Kez then turned around and walked out, letting the tell-tale crunching of leaves beneath his feet resound once more.

[Dante]

OOC: Actually, the rope he's hanging from is attached to a tree limb, but that's not overly important. Thank you by the way for replying ;D

IC:
A sight of abysmal colors exploded into Dante's vision. Demons and angels were everywhere he looked. Ever part of his being was instantly coming alive. As he turned to take in the view he saw something drastically wrong. There was no ferryman. The demons and angels surrounded him as one mass. Below him was a river of blood and souls. The only thing that kept him from falling into the river of oblivion was the vines around his throat.

A sky of fire met his eyes as he gazed up. The inferno in the sky could go on for an eternity. His colorless eyes dropped down to the mass of the ethereal beings. The angels sprouted wings of bone and flesh while their faces melted away into a horrifying sight. The faces upon the angelic beings told only of pure agony and torment. The demons were coming closer with fangs bared and claws at the ready. The demonic flood halted immediately as a blond figure parted the crowd.

The river of oblivion even changed its path for the blond man. His hands dove deep into the softened ground and pulled out a coin. Dante recognized the coin immediately. It would be a payment to the ferryman if he ever met him again. The coin was inspected by the man, then folded kindly back into Dante's palm.

"Shame... meet... Styx... this moment... travelers... paths... cross again... wished for..."

The words shot into Dante's mind from every direction. His mind was reawakening to the world of life. The demonic presence was fading fast as Kezaa began to walk away. With every crunching leaf another entity or envisioning of evil dissolved into black. The angels soared into the sky upon their wings of planar guidance. They returned once again unto the realm of shadows.

A carrion bird soared through the night sky. No longer ablaze but dark and quiet. The crow descended rapidly into the forest. As it broke through the canopy the bird spotted its prey then dropped onto Dante's shoulder. A single nip was all that it took for the bird to see what the blond man had not. The beak of the bird plunged shallowly into Dante's flesh. The skin torn from his cheek bone melted into what appeared to be soot. The wound quickly made itself undone and was replaced before the flesh itself had even melted away. The crow watched in horror as its assumed prey's eyelids burst open to reveal the blood red eyes. In an instant the bird took flight. In its terror, the crow shot over Kezaa's head. Only by the chance that the bird had a slightly shorter wing did the crow miss hitting Kezaa's ear.

Dante's hands dove through his cloak in an instant. A long, silver dagger was extracted from a hidden sheath. The blade shot through the vine to drop the formerly hanging man to his feet. The severed section of the vine quickly enveloped itself in frost while it withered. The knuse around Dante's throat fell to the ground as it too was severed. "Don't go, please." The words came through Dante's open mouth before he realized he said them. His hand clutched the dagger firmly before it routinely replaced it into the hidden sheath. "Please, all I ask of you is a name." He called off to the slowly fading figure. Kezaa had been the first person he had seen in many moons.

[Rezna Lardale]

The dark creature flew towards the girl with the speed of a demon. The black wings almost grazed the ground as the startled creature escaped out of the confounds of the forest. Green eyes followed every one of it's bizarre movements, every beat of his fearful wings. The bird uttered a terrified caw before it headed for the black skies above.

Slowly, the girl turned her gaze to the dark opening of the lifeless forest. Evil dwelled there, evil that scared the most vile of birds. No light dared sneak through the dead limbs of the wood. Yet in her eyes focused not on the darkness but the moonlight that ran free between the trees. Some unknown force played and toyed with the girl's mind, pulling her into the darkness. The bird's mournful cry reached her ears once more as she closed the distance between her and the forest.

A path opened before the blonde girl as she stepped into the opening out of which the poor animal escaped only a few seconds ago. The brush and foliage created a natural maze of deadly traps and mind boggling turns before her.

This sight brought a rueful smile to her pale face. Any other person would have considered the dangers of entering that world, but Rezna Lardale had seen this maze before. Every night she seemed to follow it to no end. Now she was awake, and she was determined to make her weary body finish what her mind alone could not.

Her footsteps echoed through the seaming empty wood as she took random turns into the depths of the forest. Her eyes scanning every corner for some sort of danger yet her hand never flew to her wand. Somehow the ever dangerous wood seemed to almost welcome her.

A twig cracked under the force of someone's weight and it broke the trance that had taken over the Hufflepuff. She stopped in her tracks, for once alert, eyes looking for whatever had made the noise. The darkness moved ahead of her, and soon that darkness took the shape of a human being. However, to her surprise the person was hurrying away from her, farther into the gloom. By instinct she hurried in the retreating person's wake.

[Kezaa (retired)]

A sudden breeze blasted by the blonde's head, sending his eight-inch pony tail fluttering gently next to his ear before resting down again. Kez flinched only slightly, tilting his head in the opposite direction. A breeze like that usually signified the need to dodge a projectile; he was even attacked by a banshee once in such a manner. The graveyard definitely was not always a quiet place. But its also a totally different place than this.

His quicksilver sapphires darted after the path of the carrion bird, watching it burst through the canopy and into the deepening sky above. A stream of moonlight flowed in through the opening, casting a somewhat dangerous glow upon the blonde young man. Engrossed in this moment, the moonlight seemed to glow with a new quality, as if to kiss at the air which normally was not touched or influenced by any heavenly bodies. He could almost swear that moon spirits and faeries sneaked in through the opening, as if to survey the surroundings of a new place to venture. This moment of illumination was broken again though, when he heard the soft thud of of the man's body on the ground behind him.

The man before him, puzzled Kezaa dramatically. There were a lot of odd creatures and entities, scattered all around the outskirts of MH. But this man, Kezaa sensed an emptiness, like something was lost. And yet he would come back from the other side, merely to know Kezaa's name. Knowing that there were men like that here, other than himself, Kez suddenly didn't feel quite so lonely. Afterall, there weren't a lot of people that could give a direct rebuttal to the Grim Reaper, and merely postpone their death for another day. The wry smile that was on his face spread a little more, and he lowered the thin collar to speak to him.

"My name is Kezaa, my good man. I'm the Head Boy at the school." saying this crisply, he turned back around to the man, and stretched out a hand to offer him help to his feet. he strangely felt a sense of calm, staring into those stark red, pupiless eyes. This, however, was again interupted. An even younger girl with long, flowing blonde locks akin to the original luster his hair used to hold, ran hard into his shoulder. A mock expression of hopelessness found itself on Kezaa's features, and he stretched out his other hand to the young student.

"Are you okay? You know students shouldn't be in here."

[Shae]

"Young lady, the school is that way, and you should not have come here." The ghostly figure said as she faded into view.

It might startle some to realise that the figure did indeed fade into view, like there are fade outs in muggle movies, so this girl faded in, slowly seeming to become more solid. Even more startling, the figure was also a real ghost, and was hovering about a foot off the ground, which is normal practice for a ghost, and particularly helpful to one of diminutive stature such as this one.

She had purple hair, bright green eyes, a sharp, if slightly hollow, tone to her voice, and a faint smile.

"I was killed in this forest, young lady. I should hate for you to suffer the same fate." She said to the young girl behind Kezaa.

Looking up from the blonde, the phantom's smile grew a little.

"Hello boys." She said, keeping her arms at her side as she drifted over to them.

She had met them both before, and knew Kez enough to trust him. As for Dante, she had met in the Three Broomsticks, just after she had died, and hadn't seen him since. That didn't mean she had forgotten his name though.

[Rezna Lardale]

Rezna gasped a little as she felt her body collide with that of another and the force sent her reeling backward onto the moist ground. Looking forward, the girl's green eyes refocused on the being which she had previously not seen through the darkness. Before her stood a student by the looks of him, and the words Head Boy came to mind although that part she could not remember clearly. His look was one of annoyance as he extended his hand to help her up.

"I know," she replied in a barely audible voice. Gently shaking her head she raised herself from the earth and came to stand upright while placing a good five foot distance between herself and the boy. She figured she had acted rashly coming inside the forest, but it wasn't too late to bring about a little caution.

Glancing down the boy's other outstretched hand lead her to identify a third figure in the darkness of the forest. Green eyes fell onto the red ones of the man who stood limply along side the first. The coldness that lay in those bottomless eyes, eyes that held no emotion in them radiated from his body and gently touched the already pale skin of the girl. The man could be taken for a living corps, especially at that time of night. However, a corps would have been more threatening when compared to the man she now watched.

Before she could really react to her situation, her attention had been draw away again by a cold voice behind her. She could tell by the gentle echo it produced that no human had uttered it. While still facing both of the men, she drew her gaze to the floating specters.

Rezna listened to every word the other spoke and assumed that indeed her mind was playing no cruel tricks on her. Looking at the translucent figure before her, she wondered why she was not afraid. She also wondered what had brought her into the forest, for she would not have done so had she a clear mind.

She stood still and unmoving, her green eyes absorbing information while her brain tried desperately to understand all that went on around them. Too many questions were burning in her mind, enough to send her into the oblivion of the mindless. Still, the girl fought for control over herself as she looked at those around her.

[Kezaa (retired)]

(OOC) *Pokes at Dante* Yoo-hoo, you gonna reply? I'm sure we could continue replying like this, but this is your thread, afterall.

[Maí Lé Rosà]

{ooc}: Hmm...I'm in quite the mood for a toy. -smirks-
If you plan to leave, you had best do so soon. -delays her possible reply a day-
Simply due to laziness...Oh, and suspense. -grins-

[Rezna Lardale]

(OOC: Mia, I mean you no offense when I say this but, I'm not posting in this thread out of pure stupidity. It is for a chance to recapture my own fleeting creativity as well as for Dante's request. Therefore, I don't plan to leave this thread anytime soon. I mean, if you really want to let your character have her fun, by all means, go right ahead.)

[Maí Lé Rosà]

{ooc}: It's 'Mai', and very well then.

{bic}: Upon one of her walks, the demoness couldn't help but pick up the scents and sounds of the dead by her ever so sensitive senses. Clearly someone was knocking on Death's door, by the shrill cry of angels that weren't angels, demons that haden't fed on a soul for decades, and the flaming unnatural world of Hell, to say the least.

It sent her boots in a gentle scuff across the hard earth before she stopped short, a pang of an uncomfortable emotion sizzling through her insides. Fear? Perhaps. The low, flowing material of her black dress swam steadily around her thighs as she paused in her walk, the momentum of the stop carrying her ivory tresses along too. Something was playing with her memory, and she intended to find out what it was, despite her fear.

Turning on silent heels, the demoness set a course for the voices nearby, her dark corsétted gown keeping her nicely in shadow, while her scarlet orbs studied the four up ahead. Her eye was immediately drawn to Dante, who lay on the ground, the remains of a noose on the earth before him, and that only served to push Mai to look up, and spot the withered vine hanging above him too. She shivered.

A delicate frown creased her brow and she looked with an easy sympathy on the demon she knew fairly well, why would he do such a thing? Was he about as sick of this world as she may be? Brushing these thoughts aside, Mai now drew her attention to Kezaa, who'd been in the same state as Shae was presently last time Mai had seen him. And Shae, the demoness didn't bother to hide the small curve of her cherry lips at the thought of that phantomess.

Although Mai was her murderer, the two still held an unusual bond.

Finally, the demoness came to appear in the translucent body of Shae, standing right behind her at only a few measurements higher. Although she was still in shadow, the features of the demoness were quite visible, and her pale face brought a spotlight to her warm, red wine eyes.

With an immediate glance at the girl among the company, Mai stepped out into the moonlight, revealing an unreadable set of expressions, as she came to kneel by the girl, studying her green eyes closely. With a sinister tilt of her head, she lifted her heated hand to caress with her thumb, the fragile cheek of the darling girl, before running her spiderlike fingers testily past her jawline.

Mai hadn't uttered a sound since her appearance.


{ooc}: If I'm not welcome I'll piss off, and Dante, come reply. ^. ~

[Shae]

Oh yes. There was a bond, one of the most unusual bonds that might possibly occur between two beings.

The ghost's bright green eyes softened, and her own lips curved up slightly when she saw the Demoness, it was almost a smile to match the one on her Ladyship's face.

"Ah, the same fate. I did warn you child." The dead girl looked at the living one.

Though she had no wish to see a young life snuffed out before her own eyes, she was curious to see how this would progress.

"I think she has some lovely eyes, Mai. A bit brighter than my own were, but somehow no less haunted I think." She said, peering over her killer's shoulder at the girl.

Life was such a pain, the girl had been glad to shuck her shell and become a phantom, a mere frozen embodiment of what she once was. Though, admittedly every form comes with it's own troubles.

Looking up from the exquisite Demoness and the girl who looked to be her next victim, the dead girl met the gaze of the gentlemen who were also present at this conjuncture.

"Kez, it looks to me like dangerous times are swinging around again. I wish you and your family a long and happy life, but I think it will not be that easy."

The icy form drifted over to a branch just a little way above Dante.

"Take off that silly thing, come and sit. Talk with me, I'm very good at listening." The dead girl reached out her hand to Dante.

This was one she knew she could touch, she had done it before, they had been on the same plane of reality, not quite in either, but somehow in both.

The ghost let her bright green eyes become dreamy and her smile left it's vice behind to become soft. Her hand remained out to Dante, waiting for him to take it.

[Dante]

OOC: Sorry all, I forgot to mention that I was going out of town for the weekend. To be honest, this thread is magnificently written ;D I couldn't have hoped for better.

IC:
Dante's gaze slowly panned around the clearing as he caught a glimpse of a blond haired girl. She was unlike any he had seen in the forest previous to that night.

"My name is Kezaa, my good man. I'm the Head Boy at the school."

The boy who had made the demons vanish was named Kezaa. The name was familiar yet unknown to Dante. He had heard the name hundreds of times before but could not place it. When Kezaa's rank was told, Dante recognized the man immediately for who he was. While Dante was a student at the school he had heard of Kezaa for being a brilliant student and wizard. After Dante had his life changing "experience", he heard much more of Kezaa. "Kezaa, it is an honor to meet you. I am Dante."

Dante watched the blond girl collide into the Head Boy as he listened for anybody else. A hollow whisper flowed into his ear. The voice was everywhere and nowhere all at once. For an instant He pin-pointed where the sound had originated. His eyes shot to the side to see a shadow disappear. Another whisper crawled into his mind. This time it was closer. A figure darker than the shadows moved out of sight. Light appeared to pull into or bend around the silhouette. Dante began to scan for it but stopped when he heard a ghostly female's voice.

He heard not her words but only her voice. His eyes watched as she appeared in the way that only a few could. "Hello Shae. It's been a while." Dante remembered the ethereal girl from a tavern, they had met only days after he came back from the grave. "How is death treating you?" A slight smirk crawled onto his lips as he said this. He always found a pinch of entertainment whenever he poked fun at death.

Dante watched the interaction of Kezaa and Rezna. It had been a long time since he had any contact in that nature. Many moons had passed since Skarlet and he had been together. That could have been because Dante had tried to kill her, but he would never know. He hadn't seen her in ages, she probably left the school. Mai Le Rosa had been present when Dante was attempting at killing Skarlet. She had been so helpful to him in past times. Skarlet had probably figured that Dante was trying to kill her when he made no move to defend her from the demoness.

As he pondered upon the past a new shadow had arisen. The demoness that Dante was thinking of had appeared into their midst. She had probably heard something or smelled someone. He could never be sure with the demonic types. Their senses much more finely tuned than his own. Most of the time he only heard or saw his prey before his presence was known. Demons on the other hand had a knack for seeing, hearing, smelling, or even at times it was like they could sense the very soul of their prey.

Her elegant red eyes were what Dante saw first. Her features were slowly taking in by the soulless man. He appeared to be savoring every moment that she was in his sight. As a brief memory of their last encounter flashed through his mind he smiled inwardly. Dante changed his thought sequence abruptly as he remembered that some demons were gifted with telepathy. His right hand dropped down to his side to where only a small nick on his leg remained.

Dante broke his gaze away from Mai and tracked the ghost. He watched her as she moved near him to a tree branch. He would never ask why she was present, or even in the forest, but he did not mind. His eyes did not break away from Shae for what seemed like an eternal minute. With his eyes still on her he calmly called out to Mai, "Gorgeous evening isn't it?" When his eyes pulled away from Shae something else appeared into his vision. The sky re-lit into an oblivion of fire once more. The demons and angels flashed back into his vision. A few new demons accompanied the old. The angels dissolved into fire and blood while all but one demon froze into blackness. An inky black blighted out the sky of oblivion.

A demonic whisper flowed through the air. It was a tongue that had not been spoken widely for thousands of years, yet Dante understood it perfectly. Many who spoke the language had died with the language, only a few dark mage lords had carried with them the knowledge of the words.

"They who were, They who are, They who have yet to be.
They who were, They who are, They who have yet to be.
They who were, They who are, They who have yet to be."

The words snaked into Dante's mind. Only a hint of their meaning had come with. A tall figure of shadows stood tall behind Mai. The figure had not been seen for close to a year. Previous to that over ten thousand years had traversed the road of time. Over a dozen feet tall stood the being. A cloak of eternal darkness draped from the head of the shadow to its feet. The cloak was akin to that of Dante's. No features distinguished the shadow from anything else except for one. The nine inch long nails that extended out of the sleeve. Dante's outward expression shifted from amusement to curiosity and a minuscule amount of anger. No words left his mouth as he stared at a point only a foot behind Mai. He began to wonder if the demoness or Shae could even see the shadow, he knew that Kezaa and Rezna would not see it for sure.

OOC: Mai, I'd never turn you away
EDIT: Sorry for the length, I got carried away ;D

[Rezna Lardale]

(ooc: I'm glad you like it, Dante. And Mai, sorry for the error.)

bic:

Rezna had little time to react to the dark shape that had materialized in the darkness. The red eyes burned into her body as the seeming cold finger of the demoness scorched her flesh. To the girl, the other's gaze was cold, heartless almost, and enough to fill anyone's soul with fear.

As the nail moved down her jawline, her breath seemed to still in her chest. The blond girl fought down her fear with utter mental strength. Her mind countered the shape on the ground beside her to be inhuman, an animal almost. That is to say, the demoness had the abilities of an animal. Her instincts were beyond what any mortal man could dream of, as were her senses.

This was something Rezna's mind had decided upon in seconds and so she knew that any fear that she was to show would be evident to those red eyes. Thus her own green ones simply mirrored the other's unfathomable glare without any inch of emotion.

Leaning her head backwards, the girl broke contact with the one on the ground as she rose to her feet, her wand finding its way into her deadly grasp. Her only weapon now was a little piece of wood, one that she was unaccustomed to using in a battle. However, she had spent months preparing for a battle, and this was perhaps to be a small taste of what she had imagined she'd be facing.

The wand was practically invisible to those around her, the girl made sure of that. Besides she wasn't about to use it, not unless she was forced to. Her heart was beating twice as fast as it normally would from the adrenalin that was coursing through her body. Still, looking around, the girl's green eyes found those of every person around her.

They stayed for a long time on the red ones on the ground, for they were indeed the most troubling. Still, taking a chance to look away, Rezna glanced at the ghost and her green eyes and their far off gaze. Unnerved, she glanced at the head boy of her school, perhaps hoping to see something other than a threat in it's depths.

Yet she did not look at Kezza for along time, turning instead to the figure who had spoken last. She met his gaze as evenly as she had with that of Mai. There was something unique, lifeless almost, in those eyes that made Rezna fear of drowning in their abyss. Suddenly, Dante broke away as he turned to look at something behind Mai, something that was invisible to the girl's green eyes.

Turning her piercing eyes toward those of Mai once more, she let them stay there. No thoughts voiced themselves in her head, perhaps it was best that she not think. Every moment that passed carried Rezna down a path of impulses, instincts, and dangerous encounters. Any wrong move could end up to be her last, and she did not plan on making mistakes.

Images of people who she had left safely in the castle jumped through her mind, but she pushed them away. She knew that he would suffer something worse than death if she did not return, and she planned to be there for him, in the end. Her curiosity and lost mind had lead her into the darkness of that so called 'gorgeous evening' and she knew that she needed to return, somehow.

Words sprang into her mind, but she voiced none of them. There was no point to words at that moment. The right moment would come, and Rezna would not let it go by.

[Kezaa (retired)]

See the creature, Kez indeed could not. But there was a feeling the blonde was not sure how to place. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end, as if he felt there was something watching over the group itself, if not from a mere few meters away, then perhaps from from somewhere in the dense foliage. Somehow, though..... he felt that this probable threat was indeed closer than appearances would reveal. Surveying the scene, his sapphires froze upon a pair of footprints, indented in the thick, seven inch grass which were behind the demoness. Regarding the demoness's apparel, her shoes had thick, perhaps sharpened heels underneath. It was almost for certain, at that point. The segmented weapon brushed against itself underneath his cloak, belying the interchangable sounds of the branches scratching against each other up above.

Kezzy's attention shifted from the watcher, assertively resolving to take the assailant's head off if anymore foot indentions appeared in the grass. That reassurance aside, his gaze trailed towards the more visible threat. Mai, the demoness whom he had caught a mere glimpse of before, had taken something of an interest in the younger blonde before them. The demoness was quite reputed for her malicious acts in the forest, derived from the rumors that floated around the campus.

It seemed everything in that small clearing had frozen in the moments that followed, as Dante accompanied Shae next to a tree. The young student broke away from Mai's outstretched fingers, a determined stare darting to everyone in that party, just as Kez was. But then, who could blame them? They were both somewhat out of place, particularly the young girl. What her intentions in the forest tonight were unknown, but he felt somewhat assured that she would be able to take care of herself.

With nothing else to say or do for that split second, Kez froze and non challantly awaited Mai's answer to Dante's question. Or any other development, for that matter, that would dare rear its face to anyone there.