Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( The laugh is reminiscent of Peter Griffin, if you were wondering. whee ))

(( ::shouts ::

^^; can't type. too loud. sneaking on. nice job guys! :: hugs to all & goes to bed :: whee ))

Lao noticed that Kouji had followed him, though with some difficulty. He figured that he would make it up here, and was relieved that Sey was all right. In any case, some of the things that he said rang in his head- about how he would have to work twice as hard to regain any favor he had in her eyes. He could do that... his honor was important, and in the eyes of one such as her, it had been ruined, all because of a minor shift of the eyes.

He nodded to him as he walked up. "I see that they're okay... but I'm worried about everyone else. If this oil spreads any further, and there's some source to ignite it..." He let the possibility hang in the air. The barrels would have to be taken care of first, seeing as Sey was already being escorted to safety. As he prepared to jump down to help, he simply grinned at Kouji.

"Sorry for just running off like that. I really did hear everything you said. You be sure to tell her that I'll make this up to her, and to everyone. Anyway, let's go take care of those barrels down there." Then he simply jumped down to the alleyway, and headed towards the cart to heave one of the barrels back into place.

...but Oliver wouldn't let the bard get away that easily; he didn't even know her name. Yet again catching up to her effortlessly, his gentle, sliding gait covering ground very quickly, the mariner starts padding along quietly beside her. For a couple of seconds he didn't say anything...just letting her get accustomed to him being there; he didn't want to scare or intimidate her again.

Then, after a couple of moments, he speaks without even looking at her. Not that he could anyways, the hat was over his eyes. With a surfer twang to it and a style of speech that might hint at him being 'special', his voice was just another one of those reasons that people couldn't help but smile around him.

"So...why y' dressed up like a dude? Y' think y're ugly? 'cause y're not."

Honest and without regret; perpetually relaxed and calm. Oh momma.

"...and y're hungry...why don' y' get some grub? Y' think y're fat? 'cause y're not."

Somehow he was able to stay walking comfortably beside her, although he couldn't see a damned thing...

She had just mentioned his favorite kind of food: the free kind. A bright smile crossing his heavily tanned, handsome features beneath his hidden eyes and sun-bleached hair, the mariner nods and quirks his head to the side slightly - a tiny gesture to show that he actually knew where she was.

"Sounds like a plan...uh...Miss Music. Wait...you have a name, right?"

Ollie was pretty damn happy that he couldn't see anything, because by the sound of her voice and the faint smell that wafted from her, he betted she was bomb. Conjugating words and stuff would work much better if he wasn't thinking with mini-Oliver.

Also, even though he couldn't see anything, Oliver maneuvered his spear and body so he didn't bump into anything. Boy's got skills.

"Ain't no sir 'bout it, 'doria. I'm Oliver Squalle, m'pappy didn't name me 'sir'. You can jus' call me Ollie, though."

Were his words as he took a seat beside her, awaiting his free pie and ale. Free: the word just had a ring to it. Free. Freeeee. Freee-eeeee. Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Ollie still couldn't see a thing, as his hat was pulled low on his head and the stark blonde hair sticking out from beneath the brim veiled his eyes heavily. Not that he cared.

Smiling goofily as he always did, Oliver set his bluish spear on the ground beside him, within easy reach. He didn't think it would be neccessary, but one can never be too careful... Pointing his face in her general direction to add a bit of intimacy to their conversation, the Squalle-man raises an eyebrow - although she can't see it.

"S'what's goin' on?"

Just a general question. 'What's going on?' ...just making conversation.

Ollie opened his mouth to say something, but... he... lost his train of thought. After a few moments, the mariner rose to his feet and angled his head at the musical young woman.

"Uh, sorry to bone out like this, but I just 'membered I got some place t'be."

Kicking the spear up into his hands, Oliver touches a finger to his forehead-area in salute, then turns to walk away. As he reached the door, a thought struck him. Turning just slightly, he pushes up the brim of his hat with his spear to reveal his eyes. He wanted a look at the young woman. He wasn't disappointed.

Grinning slightly to himself as he throws one last wave, the sea-man turns and slides out the door.

((This still makes me angry. Yeah, still. I was feeling better last night, but now I'm getting pissed again.

Tiel's mother died in a cart accident. Tiel recognized the shogun's daughter. Tiel was helped by Kadoria. I would've liked a chance for Tiel to have a chance to get involved in the mess before you all decided to say 'oh, it's fine now, the kids aren't in trouble anymore so we're just going to ignore the crazed horses that might ignite the oil.'

Is the horse still on fire? Is it still prancing around like a maniac while you all are playng out your little drama? If it is, it would've been pretty damn certain that the oil would've gone up in flames. Or was the horse somehow intelligent enough to put the fire out? I was skimming through a lot of the posting, so I may have missed it, but......

Anyway, I'm going to make it so ya'll don't have to worry about that. And if the man did restrain his horse and I missed it, well....it didn't happen, cause this happened first.))


"Oh...thank you," Tiel said as the lad, who thankfully seemed to speak fluent western, ushered her to her father's stall. Then something cold and metal was pressed into her hand, and Tiel glanced down. A gold coin. "Please, I don't need this-!"

But by the time she had looked up, the boy had vanished into the crowd. Bewildered, Tiel plunked the exquisite chair down with the rest of the furniture and prepared to head home.

Before she had taken two steps, a horse was rearing up, as though trying to avoid someone, something...just the same as that day...spirits, no, please, no one else could be trampled....

Tiel would never forget the way her body had looked. The once beautiful woman's chest had been crushed, blood seeping into her clothes and out onto the street. Everyone was gathered round, trying to help, while a runner went to the light temple...then, white robes all around, their spells able to do nothing to bring her mother back. The magi could heal her body, but they could nothing if the soul had already fled.

Tiel's heart beat faster, and the girl plunged into the rapidly clearing crowd around the scene...until she was suddenly wrenched back by a force that felt as though it would tear her arm from her socket. Francis, the big, burly apprentice her father had left in charge of the stall, was gripping her upper arm and pulling her towards him, the way one might reel in a fish.

"Let me go!" she shouted at him, though her voice was lost in the din of the marketplace. "I won't let it happen again!"

But he didn't let go, just caught her up in a big bear hug so she couldn't move at all. She could still see, though, as something set the horse on fire and it began to move more wildly than ever. Something smoldered within her, something very much like what she felt when Thomas and Calagon teased her...the same helpless, potent anger. This time, though, a gate seemed to open, a tiny channel to push the emotion through, to use it to accomplish something useful. With a wordless shout, Tiel shoved all of it into the tiny opening.

Her knees shook as the feeling traveled down her legs, into her shadow, moving outwards, slipping from shadow to shadow as it swiftly made its way towards the rampaging horse. There was a moment of calm, stillness before the storm. Then tentacles of light's absence snaked out from the horse's shadow, seizing it in every conceivable place, binding it to where it stood. The horse was frozen in a posture of fear, obviously sweating and straining against its bonds, but going nowhere.

Tiel slumped forward, her legs unable to hold her. Francis scooped her up, cradling her in his arms like a baby. He probably thought she had fainted at the sight of the dark magic. He probably didn't connect it with her. She didn't even know if she should connect it with her. Maybe it was just some wandering dark mage, who'd decided to help out...Tiel didn't know how to do that.