A fantastic journey

Name is Jess, I'm 19, I'm writing for myself and for my friends. Questions?

[ikkamalaon]

Good Morning~

This hits her several moments AFTER her entrance.

"LIAM, YOU'RE HUMAN AGAIN!" she shouted, running to the bed and grabbing him, kissing his cheeks and forehead and hugging him to her painfully.

"I... yes?" he returned groggily before quickly falling back to sleep. He wasn't a morning person.

She sighed, slumping into the chair. After her all-night search for the cure for Liam, and trying to refresh her scrolls for the next day, she was too tired to even walk. She looked at her bag which contained the herbs she'd mixed with fish to try to convince him to eat it, still unsure of how much humanity he'd retained and knowing how picky cats are. "Liam you better know I love you, you jerk."

She pulls out a sheet of parchment, and a bit of ink after some searching, scribbling down a note to the queen. She'd have someone in town send it, because she remembered telling her friend she'd be back the night before. Oh, well. Things happen.

It hit her that Greed hadn't the slightest that he was now bound to her, and she once again decided against telling him. A few more people in their group were necessary before she could be sure, and she needed to scout soon. Maybe after a quick nap...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before she was entirely aware of it, it was dark once more. She slammed her hand down on the desk, jolting out of sleep. Both of the guys were already awake.

"We can run through the town, see who's willing to come with us," Liam said.

Greed raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we enough?"

"No. We aren't." Willow sighed. She wished they were, her trust couldn't spread thick enough for everyone in the group. She stands, stretching. "Come on, we'll go into the bars. Greed make SURE you're with us, keep an eye out for anything shady. I haven't the slightest when it comes to things like that, and Liam will be too distracted, likely."

Liam frowned. "I resent that remark."

"Sorry, it's true," Willow said matter-of-factly.

The three of them set out, heading downstairs in the tavern to start with. Willow walked up to Rosalyn, the bartender, and sat down in front of her. She took a deep breath, hoping the girl would be receptive. Rosalyn could be intimidating. Pretty, but not afraid to throw a punch or use mean sarcasm. A Scottish accent and fearless attitude made her perfect for a barmaid, Willow couldn't ever imagine her as a submissive housewife like the other women in town.

"Rosalyn... do you know of anyone that would want to help us out for Queen Theresa?" she asked.

Rosalyn thought for a moment, cleaning the glass in front of her with extra attention. "Nobody here, I don't believe. Unless you'd like to take me with you," she said, looking up to the girl in front of her and searching her eyes for acceptance.

"...do you really mean it? Would you be fearless, willing to fight for your kingdom?" Willow asked, thinking that she herself wasn't fearless so she needed it extra from anyone else joining her.

Rosalyn gave a determined nod. "My father can take over the bar, he always complains about me being back here anyway," she grinned. "I'm about ready to get the hell out of here."

Willow smiled. "Welcome to our group, then," she said over a huge clatter. She turned her head, seeing an already drunken Greed fighting with a pirate from the nearby bay. She walked over, pulling him away by his shirt's collar to his objections. "You stupid drunk bastard don't get yourself killed before you can even start fighting with us, we need you!" she said, glaring.

He crossed his arms angrily, looking over to the smug pirate raising his mug at him before taking another swig.

"Don't even think about it," she said icily. "Rosalyn, pack up your things, we're leaving!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside, the moon was a full orange. Willow sighed, the cool night air a good deal nicer than the uncomfortably warm day before. She pulled her hair back into a tangled bun before continuing to walk, hearing howls.

Her ears perked up, looking around. Wolves? Always when things seem calm, something has to go down. Of course.

[ikkamalaon]

Liam's POV

Meow (where does she even think she's going this late at night)

Purr (I think I smell a rat)

Meeeeow (I can lick my ass and then act all innocent about it like it's a normal thing so being a cat is kind of awesome.)

Mrow (Then again, not really. I wonder if Greed finds me attractive.)

Blink blink (Except for that he only saw me as a human from the point of view that he you know stabbed me.)

Meow (Bugger being a cat sucks)

[ikkamalaon]

The Town Bar

"It's alright, Liam, we have Greed..." she said. It was an attempt to put the man-turned-cat's mind at ease, but even if he understood her words he had plenty rights to be protective. Perhaps even moreso.

Greed nods to the barmaid, a pretty girl with messy hair knotted up in the back and simple peasant clothes. Willow knew her name, from somewhere, but couldn't quite remember it. The rest of the people in the bar keep to themselves, the sound of ruckus from outside immediately quelled at the entrance of a palace official.

Willow felt ridiculously out of place, petting her friend's head and hoping that the barmaid's father was well away today so he wouldn't complain about the cat's presence. How harrowing it would be to rehash the events of earlier in the day.

It was nightfall by the time they had even reached town, so they were immediately attempting to find a place to stay. The fair was in, and people from the surrounding kingdoms were still celebrating, even as the war continued. At night though, the streets were deserted and dark; shady and full of frightening  shadows in alleyways.

Willow remembered the girl's name, Rosalyn.

"Pardon me, Rosalyn, do you mind if we could get a room this evening...?"

Rosalyn's accusing glance passed from the thief to Willow. "Aren't priestesses celibate?"

Willow's eyes widen at the presumption. "Of course we are, please don't make assumptions like that. I wish to have two beds if at all possible."

Rosalyn nods finally, looking up the steps. "We've only got one bed rooms, though, miss."

Willow shakes her head, throwing a couple gold pieces down. "That's fine, take us to it."

Rosalyn walked them up the steps as they followed her. Greed had somehow managed to already drink some, making Willow distrust him even farther. He hardly smelled, but what smell he did have was mead. He winked at Rosalyn as the two of them stepped into their small room.

Willow's distrust brought her to wonder if perhaps she had any of the herbs to make a binding potion with her. It's one of the few simple potions she (nearly) never messed up, and her bag was full of little pouches written on in thick, black ink full of herbs. Just a little water, some grinding, and she was good to go. Greed couldn't very well betray her then. Depending on how much he liked her already, she could perhaps make it strong enough to hurt him if she was hurt. She never made plans for strength though, just for the potion to work.

The thief was already asleep on the bed, and as Willow began mixing the dried up herbs into her small bowl, the cat jumped up onto the bed next to him, swishing its tail hatefully and approaching him, nice and quiet.

"I see you, Liam, don't you dare hurt him. We need him," she grumbled, grinding away at the leaves in the rock bowl.

"Mrow" Liam groaned.

"I'll fix you in the morning, until then I say we should probably let him be."

Willow began remembering her times with Queen Theresa. She was fond of her friend, the young queen was both pretty and intelligent. Although, sadly, no one seemed to take her seriously on any count. It was disappointing to Willow that the peoples of a country would so scrutinize their leader. Theresa was a good queen, she was just shy to the public and preferred to use defense rather than offense. Some said that it was making them look frightened, when really all Theresa wished for was peace.

Finally, the potion was finished. Willow wiped at her forehead, sniffing at the drink and running downstairs to add some of the liquor from Rosalyn's personal bottle after asking permission.

She stepped up the stairs, sitting next to the sleeping boy and nudging at him. "Oh, Greed, I brought you some more to drink," she said sweetly, gently petting at his soft hair.

"Hm?" he grumbled, confused.

"Pretty please drink it? I made it myself," she smiled, hoping he would take the bait.

He was far too tired to question her and took a quick swig of the drink. "Tastes like trees," he frowned, as Willow downed the last of it. Greed passed out once more.

Willow decided not to shout in triumph over her trick, but to just let the spell take effect.

Now, though, she needed to sneak out and obtain some more... power... for her scroll.

"Liam you stay here, alright?" she whispered, petting the cat's head.

Where is she going? Power? And will Liam ever be human again? And what of Greed, will the potion affect him or has Willow messed up again? And will poor Queen Resa ever have all of her kingdom back?

[ikkamalaon]

Cat out of the Bag.

Willow walked down the trail in a rage, holding the angry Liam-cat and petting him absentmindedly as she stormed through.

"Coincidentally you still haven't given me your name," Greed said, following her closely, wiping at the dust Willow was kicking up as he struggled to keep up with the small girl. "Hey you run pretty fast for being so short."

"I'll end you, you know," she muttered, stomping harder.

Liam was busy being angsty. It's part of what made him such a good candidate for being a cat, his angst. His tail was bristled up and with every shake he got slightly more irritated, but he decided he couldn't just bite Willow because she WAS carrying him. Instead, he mewed to send the message.

"Sorry Liam," she sighed, cradling him a little more gently. His fur was soft and orange, around the same shade of his hair normally, and he was poofy with big green eyes. She'd be admiring him more if the asshole behind them would stop following. She stopped, whirling around. Her face was bright red, as usual when she was flustered. "Can I HELP you?"

"A name would be nice," he grinned.

"My name is Willow, and you can turn around and leave, now."

"You're a priestess?"

"Yes, I am. Didn't I say to leave?"

"Ah, I can't just leave you here all alone. What if you get hurt?"

"Hurt? By who? You already stabbed my comrade, you're probably the scariest thing in these woods!"

"I may have stabbed him, but you turned him into a cat. Now, really, which is worse?"

By this point, Liam was having to force himself not to claw Willow to shreds. She held him tighter and tighter every time she raised her voice, and she was getting louder with each argument back. He hissed softly in Greed's direction, causing Willow to remember just who she had in her arms. Her grip softens, rolling her eyes.

"Well?" Greed smirked, leaning against one of the tall deciduous trees, scratching his back on the bark before settling. Willow shook her head, a few curls coming loose from the tie in her hair.

"Let me explain it this way. You need protection, right? You were headed toward town, and I destroyed your only protection."

Willow sighed. "Alright. Fine."

Liam looked up from her arms, angry, and frowning inwardly. The man who stabbed him is their protection. Great.

Meanwhile, Greed was busy rummaging through his own bag. "There's nothing really harmful in here if you'd like to put him in here."

"Liam is fine where he is, I think he's angry enough over the events of the last twenty minutes. Putting him into a bag would just make him angry."

"Suit yourself. Can't you just re-read the scroll and turn him back?" he muttered, stringing his bag back onto his back. It jingled with gold.

"It doesn't work like that, the scroll will just burn up. It just has power enough for once a day..." she sighed, patting Liam on the head again. "At least you're a nice looking cat, Liam."

He purred.

Willow turned, walking the opposite direction and finally allowing her new ally (?) to join the two. She sighed, scratching Liam's ears. It was going to be a long day.

[ikkamalaon]

Beginnings.

An ancient royal bloodline in turmoil, a frustrated queen, a headstrong priestess, a questionable ally, and a thief.

"Your highness," Willow muttered as Theresa paced frustratedly back and forth across the room.

The two girls were in the queen's parlor room within the sizable castle. Willow, a short, chubby girl with long brown curly hair, thin lips, and an upturned nose sat at a card table in the corner, looking mildly uncomfortable. Her grey blue eyes followed the queen back and forth across the room like a pendulum.

The queen, a slim, dark haired girl with dark brown eyes, walked the room as if trying to keep the floor down where it belonged. Her un-queenly stomps echoed throughout the halls, it had gone on periodically for several days now. Her purple dress trailed the floor, just too long for her. Although she was tall, she was wearing her mothers dress, and her mother had always been just a few inches above most of the castle ladies as it was.

"No, that can't be right, there's not a chance in hell," Theresa sighed, braiding her raven hair frantically as she stepped, stopping at the window every time she passed by it, sighing and stomping her foot, turning on her heel again.

"Your highness, is there any way I can help, the guards are worried about you..." Willow said uncertainly. She was a priestess, not a soothsayer.

Theresa stopped finally, staring out the window. "We'll need a brute squad, we'll need an army. Why don't we have the army?" she lamented.

"Your highness, if it's a brute squad you need p-perhaps I could... collect some people?"

"Willow, you're barely old enough to be a proper priestess. How on earth could you gather a brute squad that wouldn't betray our kingdom?" Theresa whirled on her close friend, the somewhat antsy girl with long brown curls pulled back from her face. The only person who ever actually did much work around the castle.

"I can find them, your highness, I promise. I shall bring back by sunset at least one person to help defend your rites, mark my words," she nods, her eyes begging for the approval.

Outside the window, as they spoke, several new castles were view-able on the peripherals of the horizon... the same horizon that was supposed to belong to the queen. Her parents' deaths inevitably brought about the worst type of kingdom diffusion... some people supported their fair queen, some not only blatantly opposed her but decided to steal her land for their own. These people were presently frustrating the queen into near illness.

"Fine, Willow. Hurry back, though. Before dark. You know how dangerous it is."

Willow nodded, rushing down the stairs of the castle and grabbing a cloak. One of the guards elbows her sharply and she glares at him, realizing suddenly that it isn't a guard at all. The wizard, so-called by himself.

"What is it you want, Liam?" she sighed.

Liam, of course, wasn't his real name. It was a nickname the castle had given him, one letter away from Liar. It's what he seemed to be, a step away from a liar. Too clever for his own good.

"My name is Olaf, today, dear Willow," he grinned wickedly, tipping his hat by taking it entirely off his head, allowing doves to fly out. Typical. "However, I'd like to know where you're going, and if I could come along. Never know when you'll be ambushed in the woods."

"I'm going to town to search for strong-looking gentlemen to form a brute squad. Queen Theresa needs our help, as you know, and everyone else around here is lazy. I'm taking the liberty of going myself," she nodded proudly. He flicked her nose, her mouth forming a rigid, angry line at this.

"Well, suppose I'll have to come along. You can't even fight," he smirks, throwing his arms behind his head.

"Of course," she sighs, knowing this is the truth. She could shoot a bow, but her arrows wouldn't be enough if someone snuck behind her. "Come on then, Liam, we'll go together."

As they stepped outside, the rush of early summer air passed through. Not quite enough to chill them, but enough to cause Willow to pull up the hood of her cloak, and for Liam to shiver slightly.

The road through the woods was still well-lit, but deserted. So many had either left or had holed up in their homes that no one ever seemed to pass through the empty road any more. The trees that lined the sides were still bright with spring.

Suddenly, from somewhere just above them, a dark figure leapt from an overhanging branch. His clothes were dark and he took a good jab at Liam's shoulder, bright red blood spewing from the wound.

Upon seeing this Liam fainted. So much for "helpful" Willow thinks, the man coming at her and seizing her, knife to her throat. He pulls down the hood of her cloak and she catches a glimpse of his eyes, bright green. Well, this is it, I suppose, she gulps nervously. The man's gaze softens as he removes his blade, releasing her and getting on one knee to kiss her hand. 

"M'lady, my apologies, I didn't realize..." he trails, smirking.

That grin she thinks, at a sudden loss for words. He takes back to his feet, and she realizes with some amount of upset that he's quite a bit taller than her. Her arms cross her chest angrily. "Didn't realize what?"

"Well, that you were a woman," he shrugs.

Her eyes widen with rage for a moment, swallowing her anger. Apologizing for attacking her friend would've probably been a better way to go about it. She eyes him skeptically. He's skinny, his limbs long and slim, he seems to have a permanent smirk. Surely he'd lured in many a girl with that smile, the kind that would melt a heart if it wanted. His face was scruffy, a little while since he'd shaved. He was dressed all in black, probably undergoing most of his business at night under cover of dark.

"My name is Greed," he grins, handing back her purse full of coins. "You'd best keep an eye on that. You practically asked me to take it."

She shakes her head, turning to her wounded comrade. Such a lightweight when it comes to his own blood, she should've known he wouldn't be able to protect her. Her mind was a jumble, but she still had to read off the scroll to fix him... the scroll that would only work once. Terrible idea, her flustered state would result in God knows what.

She chants the words on the scroll just over the boy, his wound healing quickly. Her heartbeat slowed from its racing, as she watched. He began to glow strangely though, his body slowly growing smaller...

"What on EARTH have you done!" she shouted, smacking herself in the forehead. She watched as the boy's features changed grotesquely, mutating slowly from his hooked nose to a tiny pink triangle, his cheeks growing whiskers.

The thief watched in silence behind them, quietly studying the girl more than paying attention to the mutating wizard.

"Oh nononono," she whimpers. He's a cat.

[ikkamalaon]

Character List (editing periodically)

Willow - Priestess. Scrolls for healing, they only work once per day though and burst into flames otherwise. Generally pretty cool-headed but once flustered ruins everything she touches.

Liam - Mage. Goofy, plays with cards. Never uses the same name twice, kind of a mysterious past aside from being the ex-court jester turned wizard.

Leland ("Greed") - Thief. Suave, knife wielding badass. Escaped from his father in a knife fight, the way every child in his family has eventually left the nest. He took a large sum of gold and left, finding the kingdom. A ladies man. Attempts to woo every female he comes into contact with, and some of the males he comes into contact with.

Queen Theresa - Our ultimate goal is to help the princess to salvage her tattered kingdom. Her parents died tragically during a terrible outbreak of disease and the kingdom was passed on to her. She is trying her hardest to manage it with the help of her court, and of course her extended contacts (the group).

Rosalyn - The headstrong barmaid from Scotland. Brave and pretty, with an extremely hot temper. She is essentially the foil to Willow's pacifist, feminine headstrong nature.

????? - King of the werewolves. Working on that shit.

Duke Oakley - The "prince" of a "small kingdom". Really land taken from Theresa, he has no way to claim it aside from using his giant pet rat to destroy anyone who comes through.

Lorg - Satyr, a total asshole. He thinks he owns the rivers, and anyone who crosses a bridge has to deal with him and his trollery. He's desperate to join us.

[ikkamalaon]

Guess what?

I'm possibly starting a story here on this blog! Because no one even pays attention to it anymore and I think it's safe to do so here.

[ikkamalaon]

Truth is, I don't have a clue in hell what I want to do with my life.

And very likely, neither do you. I know how I feel at the present moment, right here and right now. But I won't have any idea in maybe even over a year. One thing is for sure, I know I'll GET a life. But for now, not having one is pretty damn exciting.

[ikkamalaon]

My heart is twisting, my palms are sweating. I blink through the liquid pouring down from my forehead where my hair is plastered down. I can smell my own fear as I lay here staring at the ceiling at night, counting the bumps one by one. The room is nearly empty, strange to think that only a week before it was filled to the brim with things upon stuff upon junk. I was up to my knees in it. My cat purrs in my ear and, rather than calm me, it sets my heart beating faster. I'll miss her, intruding on my privacy at the worst times. I hug my blankets closer. Two days, I think to myself. Two days and I leave this town, this place. I have a new place to rest my head and sleep. I shiver, wiping my brow. A calm sets over me. A new place with new people. A chance to begin again. I sigh in relief. Won't THAT be nice. To start all over again with my friendships and my interests. A place where no one KNOWS who I am, no one KNOWS any of my stories, no one has READ any of the things I've written, they've never heard what I think, they've never met me. Seen me. Anything. I can be unique somewhere, maybe, finally. I'm still riding a rollercoaster of emotions, but my boyfriend and Mom can feel safe knowing that I'll be okay. I fall asleep knowing... I'll be okay. 

[ikkamalaon]

Anon request: I want to see some more about anger. You were good at that.

It's like my chest is going to implode and cause a black hole to form inside it. Mass destruction. It's like I want to just yell and cry until you understand. You're so stubborn that I want to throw heavy objects at you, which is totally illogical because that won't help you to agree with me. I want to walk out and cool off, but we just keep yelling. Nothing is getting solved. I start to cry, you start feeling guilty. It's a vicious circle, because then I get frustrated that you're guilty and it starts a fight again. It hurts me so badly that I feel like you'll never understand. I have cried so many tears over so many pointless things, maybe BECAUSE they're pointless. Maybe we only fight because we care about each other, I don't know. One thing I do know for sure is this. I'm tired of fighting. 

[ikkamalaon]

Sorry about the late responses on those last two guys, but I'm back now!

I had been gone to Virginia but I promise I'll write back to any/all followers and messages.

[ikkamalaon]

toroids started following you

Everyone, absolutely everyone, had a robot these days. The 22nd century and your mother insisted that you needed to become more responsible before you got a robot. Ever since their big divorce, your mom and dad hadn't agreed on anything, though, so what was his Christmas gift to you? A shiny, brand new robot. Its eyes, its face. So very human. But it wasn't really human. A dozen buttons crossed its left collarbone, just one plate of metal covered by some plastic. Your hand lifted the covering, playing gently along the buttons but not pressing down on any of them. You had had a name in mind when you began to want one. It was a simple name, but you really enjoyed it. You pushed the button on its shoulder to turn it on. It asked you simply for your information to begin with, you gave it your name, address, your date of birth and your interests. Finally it asked for its name. With a wide grin you replied "Toroid". It smiled back. "I like that name," it said. This was the beginning of a wonderful companionship between teen and machine.

[ikkamalaon]

starsignsandtessallations started following you

The night is dark over the countryside. Fingers intertwine with the one you love, your face tickled by the un-mowed grass around you. The hill you lay on is steep and tall, you gaze off into the stars as you trace with your finger. The big dipper, first, the little dipper. You begin to name off constellations you see, patterns not yet named. An entire mythology is invented at night with you and your lover, there in the shadows, the stories are formed so easily from the mouths that, when aren't touching, are creating something just as magical. You trace a pattern all the way across the night sky spelling your names, you write palindromes from your heart with shooting stars and clouds that pass over the bright, wild full moon. Hearts and stars. 

[ikkamalaon]

lovefailpanda started following you

There was once a little, lonely panda sitting on a hill. Panda was very happy on the hill except that it was very, very lonely. There was no one else atop his hill. Panda was entertained by itself for the most part, watching the smoke from the sky dragons, smelling the flowers, and smiling to itself when it told a joke. Panda watched all the other little pandas walk around at the bottom of the hill, sighing. Panda wasn't like them, Panda wasn't the same. Panda's heart wasn't quite in the right place to toddle around the way they toddled, to eat bamboo and nap all day. Panda felt it was meant for something more. One night, Panda looked up at the night sky and closed its little panda eyes, wishing hard on the first star it saw. Next to it appeared a cricket, and he frowned. He was sad because the cricket was tiny, it couldn't be his friend! Then, Cricket looked up at him, chirping quietly. Panda sighed, taking the new friend onto its shoulder. They looked up at the sky and Cricket began to talk about the shapes of the clouds. This surprised Panda because Cricket was so little and different from him! They stayed awake until dawn, chatting and chirping about their hopes, their dreams. Panda fell asleep with Cricket chirping into its ear softly, singing it to sleep. Panda was happy with his new friend.

[ikkamalaon]

Any new followers will have a full story, or at the very least a short verse, written about their url.

Or, if you'd like to see me write on a subject, you could always put it in the ask.

[ikkamalaon]

[ikkamalaon]

ikkamalaon:

Don’t ruffle your feathers, young one. You will find your way quickly in this big, big world. Because, what are we all if not lost? Knowing precisely where we are would be boring, part of the fun of it is all in the confusion. The chaos is something you should not suffer from, but...

Some days, an anonymous hand is the best kind to hold

[ikkamalaon]

:) I am a water monkey as well.

Perhaps we swim through the same warm, warm waters of a joyful jungle paradise together, my lost feathered friend.