OOC:
This thread is just between me and Rathon for now.

IC:
Johdzsia flew lazily in a circle toward the ground. She squirmed lightly, feeling...off. She grumbled silently and alighted on her hindlegs, absorbing the slight shock in her hindquarters. She laid down on her belly, shifting slightly so she rested on her side instead of her stomach. Again she felt...off. She flicked off the sensation with an irritated flick of her tail and turned to her Rider. Rest for tonight, dear prince. We can continue searching for others in the morning. she assured. Both herself and Kale had been searching for help. She reflected back on their mission; to gather an army within a month and meet at a port in the Spine. They'd already recruited most of her own family and Ka's brother, but they had many more. She'd even gotten in contact with Lean. But it was barely enough. She sighed and pulled her mind away from such morbid thoughts, which had been taking the forefront of her mind more and more recently, focusing instead on her partner-of-mind. Do you have enough food in the saddlebags? You can go hunt if you need more meat. she said idly, half-closing her eyes and setting her head tiredly on her paws. She'd been more tired than usual too.

Ka looked into her eyes and saw how scared and vulnerable she was and it angered him. It angered him that she still held those memories, that she was tortured by them day and night. He hated it. He kept his anger in check though, he didn't want to scare her while she was already upset, but he couldn't help but feel the unfairness of it. They were Dragon and Rider, they shouldn't fear each other like this, it wasn't right. He stared at Jia, his eyes betraying nothing. Suddenly he enveloped her in a fierce hug. His eyes were closed and his voice quiet, "I'm sorry..." was all he said. After a few seconds he let go a bit but kept his arms around her gently. Now his eyes spoke of how he wished that they could back to when they could be with each other without one fearing the other; of a sadness that time may not ever be able to heal; and of an anger for what they had been forced to endure that could not be measured.

OOC: Bleh...lame post is lame >.<

Jia glanced up at her Rider, puzzled momentary by the unfairness she felt from him. She tried to speak, to ask him what was wrong, but she found herself engulfed in a fierce hug and heard his voice, quiet and gentle. Then she knew, and almost burst into tears. She laid her head on his shoulder,"It isn't your fault, dear prince." she murmured, and lifted her head to look into his ruby eyes. In their depths she saw his wish, his wish that their fear of each other could simply be washed away, forgotten, or that they could go back to before it ever happened; his sadness that 'Time heals all wounds' would not apply to this situation; and last his anger that they had endured such monstrosities. She lifted a hand and cupped his cheek with her palm, her teal eyes warm and tender,"We both suffered, as is the curse of being bonded as we are. But we also comfort and protect the other, love and care for them as is the gift of our bond." she murmured, and pressed her forehead against his neck.

OOC:
lol 'Tis alright.

Ka looked at her threw peeking eyes. He thought he could sense her hiding something from him, but he wasn't sure. Maybe it was just him being paranoid. He watched her hand as it felt for his pulse again. When she mentioned her nightmare he connected a few dots and figured that she had had a nightmare about him dying again. He had nightmares about loosing her as well, but it didn't seem to happen as frequently as Jia's did. "You know you can tell me anything..." He said gently.

OOC: oh...and sorry for making you wait over a week for me to reply >.<; and sorry they are so short x_x

Jia bit her lip. I know. But I don't want to burden you. she said, and opened her eyes. Her teal irises shimmered in the pale moonlight as she looked into his ruby ones. She remembered the way they had been glazed with Death's stare. A sob made her throat close, and tears gleamed in he eyes. She forced herself to swallow and looked away, burrowing her face into his chest, her fingers again brushing his throat to make sure he still lived. She swallowed again, hard, then showed him what she'd seen in her dream; him beaten and bloody, tied...decapitated. The look in his eyes, like he could still see her. She shuddered against him, sniffing quietly.

OOC:
It's okay, honestly. There are times I can't get on either. Don't stress yourself to get on; if you can you can, if you can't you can't.

Jia sighed. I hope so, dear prince. I could kick myself whenever I flinch from you. she muttered angrily, her tone mutinous rather than depressed. She snorted, or tried to snort. Your dang right on that. she growled, then softened her tone when he mentioned trying to sleep. She shifted up, turning onto her back so she could wrap her arms around him. She pulled him close to share their body heat against the night chill, his head on her shoulder. His spiky black hair tickled her nose. It twitched. Alright, tomorrow I'm giving you a hair cut. she said in an exasperated tone as she spluttered softly to get his hair our of her mouth. She ducked her head and pressed her cheek to his forehead, closing her eyes. Sleep, my dearest prince. she murmured quietly. I will ward away your nightmares. Acting on her words, she encircled his mind with her own, protecting it from invading dreams that might cause him unrest.

OOC:
I found a picture that sort of looks like Jia and Ka together. I'm working on editing it now so it looks more like them. It should be awesome.

Ka's face turned a bit red when she pulled him close. Somehow this seemed backwards to him. He didn't mind, until she said she was going to cut his hair. He teleported to the other side of the fire, sitting cross legged with both hands on his head. The expression on his face was nothing short of comical. He looked scared of having his hair cut, as if he had never had it done before. He had of course, but the idea of having Jia cut it was not something he wanted to think about. "Can't we just leave it?" He asked out loud, slightly whining.

OOC: Awsomeness...can't wait to see it. I've been thinking about making a new Character...

Jia started and sat up sharply, alarm touching her expression, before she saw Ka sitting cross-legged across the fire, hands covering his head, and therefore his hair. She sighed and shook her head in exasperation,"Oh in the name of Voltran would you relax? In human form of course. I wouldn't go near your head with my talons, trust me." she said, her lips twitching to fight a smile,"It's not like I'll make you bald, my prince. Is that what your worried about? It will just be a bit of trimming so it's not hanging in your eyes." she said, sitting back and wrapping her arms around her legs. She scowled playfully at him and stuck out her tongue,"What are you afraid of? Everyone cuts their hair from time to time." she muttered mutinously, her teal eyes glittering,"Even I'm thinking about cutting my hair, at least to my shoulders." she grimaced.

OOC:
Almost finished. All I have to do now is Jia and Ka's eyes, and Ka's hair. Should be easy. Oh? What's the inspiration?

OOC: well my friend is a fan of LotR and he came in my room one time and said "One does not simply walk into Mordor" trying to be epic. I flipped him off, he returned it and we laughed, but it made me think for some reason: "One does not simply kill the Reaper King". So I was thinking about making Kane, Ka's and Rath's dad.

Ka eyed her as she spoke, keeping his hands on his head. He didn't think his hair was that long. True, it did hang in front of his eyes and he had to flip it out of the way sometimes, but it wasn't that bad. "Have you ever actually cut hair?" He asked. since her turning into a human was a relatively new thing, he couldn't imagine when she would have the time to learn to cut hair. "and no, it's not going bald that I'm worried about, it's this..."[/i] He flashed her an image of him, with most of his hair missing, some shorter than the rest while some was left untouched. All in all, he looked ridiculous. He grinned a bit to show he was kidding. He trusted her enough to let her cut his hair, at least he thought he did.

OOC:
Oh? That should be interesting. I can image the looks on Ka and Rath's faces when they meet their dad...priceless.

IC:
Jia sighed and shook her head, grinning,"No I haven't, but honestly how hard can it be?" she said. She snickered at the image he sent her,"I would never!" she said with fake indignation, her teal eyes glittering. She returned his grin. She leaned around the dying fire and smacked him on the arm lightly, then chuckled and leaned further so she could hug him,"Maybe later today then, instead of now? It's almost dawn anyway." she said with a sigh, then crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. She'd ruined their sleep with her stupid nightmare. She ground her teeth together in frustration and anger. She drew in a deep breath slowly, then released it just as gradually. She looked up and smiled at Ka, her teal eyes glowing once more,"What would you like me to teach you today?" she asked him, preparing to Change to her draconic form once they had decided one what to train in.

OOC: well it took me long enough didn't it? x_x

Ka slowly put his hands in his lap. "I guess so..." He said feeling her irritation threw their link. He reached out and rubbed her back a bit. "Hey...don't get so upset. Sleeping is over rated anyways." He said with a slight grin. Thinking about her question, he shrugged. They had practiced quite a bit in the last few weeks, but he knew there was still more he needed to learn. "What ever you want to teach me. I need to learn all I can. He yawned before he could continue. "Ah..excuse me..." He said blinking. "What about you? What seals do you want to learn about today?" He asked, thinking about testing her while she tested him.

Jia chuckled and couldn't help a smile. Her eyes sparkled at Ka mischievously. She wasn't surprised that he had tried that little trick, since it was a good idea for making food last, especially with how fast they were traveling. She sighed and stood, touching her Changing Seal as she did so. A subtle light flashed about her, and she was in her Reapric form. She looked mostly the same as in her human form, other than her hair being shorter in front and grown out to her shoulders in the back. That is, until she looked down. She squeaked in shock at finding she was bare of clothes, utterly surprised. Usually when she Changed she had clothes on, but this time they were in a pile at her feet. She turned and sprang into the trees, blushing to the roots of her hair. How embarrassing. Once she was safely hidden and out of Ka's view, she relaxed some,"Ka would you be so kind as to toss those clothes in my direction, if you would?" she asked aloud from her cover, still blushing like mad.

Jia nodded acknowledgement of his instructions and closed her eyes. When she opened them a moment later they were glowing very softly, like they would if she were using her powers. She lifted a hand and began to draw a Hell Seal of Fire, gradually leeching energy into it. Once she finished it pulsed and became solid, or as solid as it could, anyway, for being drawn on the air. Keeping her one hand lifted toward the first Seal, she raised her other hand and began to draw the Void Seal of Space. This was harder. It seemed like when she was trying to Read someone, actually. Concentrating on keeping her powers active while at the same time Reading someone and distinguishing between emotions, senses, and thoughts. Once she thought of it that way, it was easy. She looked up at Ka when she was finished, her eyes somewhat distant as she kept both Seals from fading and also giving them enough energy.

Jia nodded acknowledgement, her attention not truly on him. She blinked once, then slowly began to move her hands toward one another. Each Seal moved toward one another. The Void Seal strained on her connection, but she forced it to move slowly. The dragoness growled softly when the tug on both of them increased. She made them go steadily, her teal eyes flashing. After a few more moments they were together. They pulsed gently, and then the fire abruptly erupted in the center of the two Seals. Energy began to drain from her, but at a slow pace that was manageable. She closed her eyes to concentrate, his words of 'caution' finally registering. Were she not concentrating so much, perhaps she would have been more worried. Jia grunted once as the fireball strained to grow larger and expand or explode. She wrestled with it, albeit gently, to stay small. With a bit of struggling it complied, though still swelled occasionally. She opened one eye and looked at Ka expectantly.

Jia nodded and crushed the Seal in her hand. She looked at the pile of sticks and drifted into the half focused half unfocused state that allowed her to think better. She envisioned the Fire Seal in her mind and then pushed it toward the sticks, giving it a steady stream of energy. She murmured the name of the Seal under her breath, and the Seal flickered to life in the sticks. She gave it a bit more energy and voiced her intentions mentally. The Seal burst into flame, but a bit more powerfully than she had thought it would. She scooted away from the fire to avoid being burned, then looked up at Ka, waiting. She forgot that the Seal was still connected to her energy, however. As soon as she looked away and felt a swell of self-pride, the flames swelled out toward her in a rush. They licked at her shoulder and upper arm, sending pain through her. She yelped in surprise and instinctively crushed the Seal with her mind, extinguishing it. She glanced at her left shoulder and upper arm, wincing from pain. She muttered a stream of profanities under her breath, scowling at her stupid mistake. She should know better than to do that. She cradled her arm gingerly and looked up at Ka, her mouth set angrily but her eyes silently asking for him to heal her.

Jia muttered under her breath and scowled,"I need to know how to do this for the War. It could mean the difference between life and death." Your life or death, she added to herself. She shuddered away from the thought. She shook her head, then leaned forward and briskly pecked her Rider on the cheek. She pulled away, then smiled at him, her teal eyes flashing with mischief,"You know how to cheer me up. Fine, I can have a break. Your turn to practice. Change to a dragon, and don't worry about whether you have a saddle or not." she said, grinning. She had a regiment for him that would leave him exhausted.

Jia tightened the grip of her legs around Ka's neck and held on as he flew upward as high as he could go. Once he said he was as far as he could safely go, she nodded and stood. Most of the time, in battle, he had been forced to move quickly on her back to avoid a blow or shield her from an injury. She would be doing the same. She lunged for his haunches, drawing a pretend sword and slashing it at an opponent that had landed on his flanks. With two blows she was confident that he was dead. She turned and jumped back to Ka's shoulders, standing precariously at the base of his neck. She grabbed a black spike and held it tightly. Barrel roll, just once. she said, and braced her legs, still holding the pretend 'sword'.

Ka had forgotten about their link, seeing as it had become as apart of him as his arm or leg. He jumped a bit at the slap to his flank. He wasn't sure if she knew this but Reapers had a physical strength comparable to that of the Evles, so what would have been a mild hit had managed to sting threw his scales. At the mention of severing their connection for the sake of a spar, he glared at her. "No, you know how much I hate that...besides it isn't always reliable." In the short span of time that he had spent talking to her, after she landed on the ground from his back, he had made another Earth Seal directly under her. He grinned and a flat piece of rock came up and slapped the back of her thigh and rear. "Case in point, and that's for slapping me. It still stings thanks to the strength boost your Reaper form has." Still grinning he crouched down and sprung forward, aiming to tackle and pin her to the ground. He thought about swinging his tail from side to side in case she dodged around, that way if she read his thoughts she would think she knew what was going on. Instead he placed a trap seal like the one from before a few paces behind her.

OOC: skype?

Ka saw too late that his barrage had missed. He was going to try again, but he had to barrel roll to get out of the way of Jia's attack. He was beginning to think that maybe fighting in the air was a bad idea. He grinned at her comment. "Yes, you will truly be a force to be reckoned with then." He barrel rolled again, dodging her kicks, and glided sideways under her. Once he was there he beat his wings once and tried to ram his back spikes into her under belly, he blunted them with a void seal, they would still hurt if they hit.

OOC: I thought Jia already had her fire?

Jia huffed and twisted to meet his back. She gripped his shoulders and thighs fiercely to hold on. I'm a force to reckon with now. she growled, cleching her talons under his scales. She growled, a low, terrifying sound that rumbled deep in her chest. She beat her wings powerfully and wrenched her body to the side, pulling his with her into the spin. She snarled as the move pulled at the scar on her neck. It stung and brought tears to her eyes. She had been neglecting to rub rose petal juice into it and the two crescent scars at the base of her tail over the last few days, the only remedy that softened the rough, scarred flesh. Aah, remind me to rub some rose petal juice into my scars. Their toughening up again. she said. She tightened her grip on Ka, tilted her wings, and threw him away from her toward the ground, though she kept an eye on him to make sure that he could steady himself.

OOC:
No, she gets her flame in Uncharted Lands, which is after this thread.

Ka winced as he felt her talons dig into his scales. At the sound of her growl, something stirred in him, a feeling that he needed to prove that he was better. Her growled sounded like a challenge to him, and he decided to answer. He made a note to remind her to use the rose water, or a seal he could show her, on her scars later and braced for impact as she threw him. Just before he hit the ground and twisted in the air so that he would land on all fours at the same time and slide backwards a ways before coming to a stop. Once he came to a stop he looked up at Jia. She would be able to tell something was wrong threw there link, but there was evidence in his eyes: they had turned into slits and had the look of a wild dragon about them. Over their link Jia would be able to feel a wilder, more feral side of Ka. He was controlling it, but it's power was great. "Jia...I can't...Change..." His thoughts seemed random and our of control, so they would be hard to read correctly. Suddenly, he leaped into the air with one powerful surge of his wings and darted directly for Jia's underbelly, breathing red and black fire as he did.

OOC: sorry, I had to spice it up a bit, lol.
and the question from the other thread was, how much history have you made on Shurikan when it concerns Sarai. I don't know what Ka should tell her and I dont want to conflict with anything you've already planned.

Jia knew something was wrong, even before she threw him. She twisted around to look down at him. Her eyes widened. It was like the wild side of her, the part of her that sometimes reared its head like the untamed wild dragon she was in her heart. She had been hatched a wild dragon and had been wild for three months until she found Ka and had given him the Mark. She was perhaps a Bonded dragon now, but in her heart she always would be a wild dragon. She saw that now in Ka, and it scared her. He was not a true dragon, but then again she had been wondering if she had a True Form as Reaper, and she was not a born and true Reaper. In his eyes she saw the need to prove himself the better one, more dominant, stronger. That was not Ka, that was the form he was in trying to get into his head. She shrieked in pain as his flame engulfed her underbelly, but she didn't try to retaliate. She wouldn't fight him when he was like this, because she didn't want to hurt him. She twisted to meet his slitted gaze. Her teal eyes were filled with kindness as she looked at him. Fight it, dear prince. Remember who you are. You are Kale Hinote Karite, Reapric Prince of Dedarath, not a vicious, ferocious, instinct driven male dragon. she murmured quietly.

OOC:
lol Nice.
Pretty much all she knows if his name, his station in the Empire, and nobody likes him very much. She doesn't know, at the moment, why exactly Jia doesn't want people to know Shruikan is Sarai's father, which is to protect her from their fear, hatred, and mistrust. In later Rp's she kind of pieces it together, but in Unexpected Emotion she doesn't know anything other than the first three.

Ka sneered at her and flew above her, now looking down at her. "I know not of who you speak...I am no longer Kale Hinote Karite, but Falen, self proclaimed King of Dragons!" Falen's voice was deeper than Ka's, and sounded much older. He puffed out his chest in an attempt to look impressive. "Now then, youngling...bow before me as your ruler and I may spare you." He said, sounding sure of himself, when actually he was quite scared. He wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten there. He figured the best way to get answers was to be tough, but he hadn't yet realized that Jia and Ka were bonded, which meant Jia would be able to read his thoughts just like she could Ka's.

OOC: so could Ka explain why he dislikes Shruikan and explain what he and Jia went threw while they stayed in Uru'Baen?

Jia did not move as he flew above her. Falen...Interesting. No, you are not the king of dragons. That rule falls to Faefnir, Son of the legendary Great Dragon. You are my Rider, or you are in the mind of my Rider. My Rider is Ka, whom I love dearly. And I will not bow to you, not if you have hurt my prince. she said firmly. She snorted derisively. Spare me? More to say, release my Rider and I may spare you. she snarled. Now she was angry. And then she felt his thoughts. He was nearly scared out of his scales. She bristled, her scales rustling threateningly, but she softened a bit. You appeared within this body abruptly and found yourself here...Alright. Can you feel another consciousness within your mind? That is probably my Rider. she murmured in a kinder tone. She was worried for Ka. Was he still within his draconic body and simply subdued, or had Falen taken over completely and cast Ka's mind out to die? She shuddered at this thought.

OOC:
Yeah he probably could. Although I would recommend Ka not let slip that he is telling Sarai any of that to Jia. Jia just wants to forget about what happened.
What is your idea here? Whatever it is, I'm intrigued. XD

Falen let out a low growl upon hearing that there was already a King of Dragons and that Jia would not bow. His temper flared. He seemed to not notice, or not be able to notice, Jia's thoughts and feelings, so for now the link was one-way only. "You will bow to me whether you like it or not!" He shouted. "And yes..I feel another here. I have subdued him and taken control of his body. He is fighting fiercely against my bonds, but it is futile. I rule his body now, and soon I will rule over every body in this land." His fear seemed to be receding, replaced with anger and confidence.

OOC: Eh... not sure yet, lol. Working it out as I go.

Jia's eyes danced with emerald green fire. No one subdues my Rider and no one orders me around, no matter who they might be! she screamed in rage. Her scales exploded with blinding gold light. She grabbed hold of Falen with her magic and savagely threw him to the ground, this time pinning him there so fiercely he might even have trouble breathing. She slowly lowered her bulk in the sky until she hovered above him, her face a snarling, enraged mask with glittering eyes. I will bow to no one, ever, understand that right now while you can. she hissed softly, pressing him into the ground with her magic. Release my Rider this instant, or I will draw your consciousness into mine to free his. I would like to avoid that, since it would be very painful for the both of us, so why don't you just take the easy route and let my Rider have control of the body? she said it a falsely sugary sweet voice. Her eyes sparked with anger, and her scales glowed threateningly, belying the friendliness in her tone. After their capture and torture in the Capitol, she would tolerate absolutely no one controlling either one of them, and meant every word of her threat to Falen.

OOC:
Poor Falen, he's seriously pissed off Jia.....XD

Falen felt a surge of fear race threw him as something took hold of him and threw him to the ground, pinning him there with great force. He tried to breath but it came in shallow gasps. He couldn't move at all and was at the mercy of the enraged dragoness Jia. Or so she thought. He let he talk to him about how she would never bow and about drawing his conscious into hers to free her Rider, blah blah blah. Once she was threw he raised an eye ridge at her. "Are you done?...good..." He said, his voice almost dark. As soon as he said good, his eyes began to glow white and the magic that was holding him disappeared. He imagined this would confuse her, as it wasn't likely that anyone had done that before since that seemed like her best attack. "You see...there is a reason I proclaim myself as King. It's because I can absorb the energy and magic of anything I touch." He laughed, a deep sound the came from his chest , reminiscent of a millers grinding stone. "And I bet you thought I was scared before didn't you? No...I wanted to see how you would react. You didn't disappoint,and I am prepared to offer you a place in the New World I will create as my Queen..." He smiled up at her. "Oh, and since you seem so worried about your Rider, you should know that he's dead. As soon as I took his body he died. Probably painfully. So you should stop worrying about him." He sounded as casual talking about Ka's death as one might sound if they were talking about the weather or paying taxes. He had no idea of the violent repercussions that would probably occur upon saying that, and he also didn't know that Jia would be able to feel Ka's death, assuming that she doesn't let his words get to her. After all, Falen's body is Ka's body.

OOC: xD this isn't going to end well for Falen is it...lol

Jia had been listening, barely, to Falen speak. That is, until he uttered words that didn't quite register. She blinked. Ka. Dead. Painful. Slowly her eyes widened, tears streaming from the corners and down her face, quivering at the edge of her jaw before falling to the ground. Abruptly they stopped. Her vision turned crimson. Rage. Uncontrollable, devastating, wild, that's all she knew. All she wanted to know. Ka was gone. The only person in the world that cared for her more than her brother did, more than anyone had. Gone. She was too enraged now to realize that she hadn't felt Ka pass into the void. The light emitting from her scales doubled, and her teal eyes exploded with green-gold light. How dare you. she said softly. She was too enraged to shout. If her gaze had been savage before, it was lethal now. If looks could kill, Falen would have been dead ten times over. That was your last mistake. A mistake that I intend to avenge. You took from me what was most precious. So I will take something of yours. A life for a life. she murmured. Her lips peeled back briefly to snarl, then she wrenched her jaws open and roared. Rage and loss filled her challenging lament. She slammed her maw shut, snapping her teeth together. She folded her wings and plummeted, her eyes focused on the base of Falen's throat, where his pulse beat. Had it been just this morning that she had touched that throat in his Reapric form to affirm that he was alive? It didn't matter. She bellowed again and landed hard just in front of Falen. She pivoted around on her forelegs, slamming her tail into him to knock him over. She was on him in the next second, pinning him down. A continuous rumbling growl ripped up from the pit of her stomach. Anything to say before I rip your throat out? she said, the calm in her voice belying the enraged image she gave off. She was a wild dragon, truly ruled by her emotions and instincts.

OOC:
Sad to say, it does seem to look that way.

Jia nodded slowly. She understood, partially. A low, rumbling growl vibrated her chest. If he tries to get back to a definite 'here' how can I help him? she asked calmly. Something tickled at the back of her mind. Something familiar. But she couldn't quite grasp it fully, not enough to know exactly what is was.

OOC:
Ack, short. >.<