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Post by Schala on Jul 6, 2009 5:00:47 GMT -7
Kelland sat on a pretty little hillside. Below him was a valley, and in that valley Kelland could see the bustling Human Village. He had set up a tent by a lake.
Although he missed his lost mother terribly, he was enjoying his freedom as he read his favorite book of myths. It was going to be a perfect day, a day Kelland was sure nothing could spoil.
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 6, 2009 17:33:01 GMT -7
Kylie wasn't sure why, but she wanted to go for a swim... In the lake her home used to be next to. Maybe she just had a rare moment of nostalgia or something. Regardless, after what had happened in the Forest of Magic, she wanted to go for a swim and relax.
Kylie actually didn't take off her clothes when she went swimming. She wasn't sure why herself, but yes, she swam with her clothes on. She didn't care that they got wet, she liked the water against her skin anyway.
After several hours of swimming, and not even paying attention to anything at the lake's edge she decided to stop. She got out, and then noticed that there was a tent at the edge of the lake Then, she noticed that she saw someone's head, peeking up over the top of the hill. She walked over, limping a bit after the injury she'd taken during that fight in the Forest of Magic.
Kylie was in a strangely good mood, despite the injuries that she hadn't completely recovered from yet. She sat down next to the boy that was sitting on the hill, and looked down at the village below. The sun actually hadn't fully risen yet, and the village was still in shadow, the lights shining. Kylie looked as the first incredibly tiny sliver of sunlight came up in the distance. She said to the person there, "The view is incredible, isn't it?"
Kylie wasn't sure why she hadn't just ignored the man's existence, since he had nothing to do with her. That's what she'd do if she was in a normal mood. Oh well, it didn't matter.
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Post by Schala on Jul 6, 2009 17:36:41 GMT -7
Kelland turned to the girl. "It is lovely," he said.
He hadn't expected her to just come up to him. She was pretty and sweet, and he liked that. He turned to her to speak.
"My name's Kelland. You?"
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 6, 2009 17:45:44 GMT -7
So, his name was Kelland? Kylie responded, looking at him, "My name is Kylie. I used to live near the lake, and I always loved this view..." Kylie wasn't sure why she was talking at all. She was definitely in a good mood, or she would have been off to find the guy that had cursed her again. But, she wanted to look at the view for a little while...
It reminded her of Yukiko actually, how they liked to watch the sunset. They were both like little kids, and always joked and said that the sky looked "shiny" Kylie felt ridiculous thinking about those times... But she also felt sad, missing her friend. Yukiko was gone forever, after all this time, a human from outside Gensokyo wouldn't be alive anymore, assuming she hadn't been killed by the monster that had given Kylie her curse...
Kylie suddenly sighed and hung her head, feeling sad, and longing for what could never be...
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Post by Schala on Jul 6, 2009 18:04:17 GMT -7
Kelland noticed Kylie's sadness. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked.
Had her parents wandered off too? Perhaps it was something about the rising sun that evoked a bad memory.
He decided to show her his book of myths. "Here," he said, "is the tale of Neri the Singer who saved the sacred light. One of my favorites. Are you into myth?"
There was something about her that Kelland couldn't quite figure out. It was as though she was a guide who had come to lead him in journeys to come. Was this meant to be? He pondered that as he turned the book's pages.
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 7, 2009 10:26:57 GMT -7
The man next to her asked what was wrong. Kylie just sighed and shook her head before saying, "Nothing. I was just remembering a friend of mine, but she couldn't possibly be alive anymore..." Suddenly, he showed her a book, and said that it was some tale of a "Neri the Singer" and asked if she was into myth.
Kylie shifted uncomfortably and shook her head, "No, I'm not, sorry. I like reading, but whenever I'm near a book, I feel like something is going to end up happening to it..." Whether she'd get into a fight and accidentally drench it, or she'd accidentally end up burning it into a crisp... Kylie was a water mage who sometimes burst into flames by accident. Apart from the irony of that alone, she was practically the bane of books...
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Post by Schala on Jul 7, 2009 10:37:23 GMT -7
"Oh," Kelland said, slightly disappointed as he closed the book and put it back in his knapsack.
"I know exactly how you feel," he said. "I was raised by my mother. She was a wonderful woman, and she taught me the art of wind magic. I'm a wind mage, and I suppose I got it from her."
Kelland continued, "One day, not too long ago, my mother wandered into the Forest of Magic and...she never came back." Tears formed in his eyes. "I still have hope that she might be okay, but most likely she's gone. There's so many monsters and things in that place. Without her, I kind of have to wander, you know? I do like my freedom, but I miss her."
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 7, 2009 15:06:28 GMT -7
Kylie listened as Kelland talked about his mother. "That's so sad..." she said, and she meant it. Wait, the Forest of Magic? That's where she'd found that crater... "Kelland, would your mother have happened to meet a strange man before she went in the forest?"
Kylie then realized that the question was probably pointless. "No, wait, nevermind, forget it..." She sighed. "I... I don't remember my parents. My first memory is of watching my house burn down... Ever since then, I've had a horrible fear of fire." She shuddered. Then, she realized something, "I don't know why I'm telling you this..." she said uncertainly. "I've never told anyone this..."
Kylie shook her head. What was wrong with her?! Had her explosion back in the forest rattled her brain?! Why wasn't she trying to just avoid people?! Or at least, why wasn't she limiting her contact with people to trying to find out about that creep that had ruined her life?!
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Post by Schala on Jul 7, 2009 15:24:51 GMT -7
Poor girl. She must be very lonely. Kelland did not know if his mother had met a strange man, but he supposed it didn't matter since she had dismissed the subject.
"Kylie," he said, "I'm sorry about your parents and your friend."
He had found a companion, it seemed.
Kelland was a wanderer. He wanted to find adventure. And he wanted his new friend to come with him.
"Kylie," said Kelland, "do you want to travel with me? Perhaps I could find my lost mother, though it's unlikely, and perhaps we can undo your fear of fire, and perhaps we could end up doing something amazing. What do you say?"
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 13, 2009 16:20:30 GMT -7
Kylie was surprised when Kelland asked him if she would want to travel with him. Undo her fear of fire? Do something amazing? It was so tempting, strangely... No longer being alone, having someone to talk to... She shook her head. No... She couldn't. She couldn't be with people, not with her curse... And she didn't plan to be revealing any more about herself to this person, she didn't even know him.
Kylie said, "No... I'm sorry... I'd just put you in danger. I shouldn't be around people..." She stood up suddenly, and prepared to try and leave. However, she felt her ankle flare in pain, a reminder of that fight in the forest, and... She tripped. She was on the side of a hill at the edge of a valley, and she tripped.
Kylie fell to the ground... And started rolling downhill. "AAHH!!!" she cried. This wasn't good... She felt scared for her life. She managed to stop herself as she rolled downhill, but not before she had caught on fire... And she really hadn't wanted to trouble him with her curse.
"FIRE!!!" Kylie screamed, "F-IRE!!!" She rose into the air slightly with her magic, and began randomly shooting fire everywhere. If she'd rolled all the way down to the village (and had remained conscious) she would likely have set the whole town on fire. At least she hadn't gone that far down... Though at the moment, there was still the problem of her randomly and uncontrollably shooting fire everywhere in an utter panic!
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Post by Schala on Jul 13, 2009 16:49:10 GMT -7
Oh no! This was really bad...the girl had caught on fire!
Quick as he could, Kelland grabbed a bucket, filled it with water from the lake, and dumped the water on Kylie.
"Are you okay?!" Kelland cried, half-panicked.
She obviously needed a protector. "Kylie," he said, "you should come with me. I don't think you'll be okay alone."
He reached out to take her hand.
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 13, 2009 17:32:49 GMT -7
Kylie suddenly felt water, shocking her out of her panic. Ah... Water... So nice, and cool... Kylie heard Kelland speak, and saw him put his hand out toward her. She shook her head, trying to clear it. There were some small blackened spots on the ground nearby where her flames had hit, still smoldering. She felt nervous even with just that... But thankfully, she wasn't that scared unless it was actual flames.
Kylie looked up at him, "No... I... I can't. I'd be putting you in danger... Whenever I get angry, or scared, I light on fire. And, I'm terrified of fire... So, it causes an endless loop, and then... Well, I explode." She actually chuckled at this, though weakly and trailing off into a sigh. "I... I don't want to put you in any danger...."
Kylie thought about just flying away. In fact, she still didn't know why she wasn't, she'd been about to when she tripped... As it was, she rose in the air slightly further away, backing off, cautious... She was scared she'd hurt Kelland. Or anyone that got near. Or anything that she got close to... Her curse wasn't just to be on fire. It was to be alone or set everything on fire...
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Post by Schala on Jul 14, 2009 9:08:57 GMT -7
"Wait!" Kelland cried. "I can't let you be by yourself! You need a protector!"
Kelland filled a jug with water. He would use this whenever Kylie caught fire, if she would come with him.
Kelland needed to fly after her. It was the only way to keep her safe.
"Wind Ride!"
A gust of wind picked Kelland up and flew him towards Kylie. He knew he had to protect her. It was the only way to keep her safe, and he didn't want her to get hurt. She was his friend, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.
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Post by shiningdrake on Jul 14, 2009 21:14:04 GMT -7
Kelland called for her to wait, saying something about her needing a protector, and then filled his jug with water again. Suddenly, he called out "Wind Ride!" and began flying toward her. Kylie stayed where she was. She didn't know why, but... She wasn't running away. There was still a nagging urge, but it wasn't strong enough, and she ignored it. She'd been so lonely for so long... Maybe it was time to stop being lonely.
Kylie looked toward Kelland, and said in a voice that sounded... Almost afraid really. "Are... Are you sure you want to come with me...?" she asked. "I could get you killed... I..." She shook her head. "Alright... If you really want to come with me..." She thought for a moment. "Let me tell you how I got this curse, let me explain..."
Kylie went through her long story. How she'd been given the curse when she refused to help that strange man destroy the village, how she'd essentially caused her house to disintegrate with the explosion, how for the next two-hundred years, she'd wandered, lonely... How she found the crater in the Forest of Magic, and gotten some hope again that she might be able to find and destroy the monster that had done this to her...
Kylie's eyes were closed as she finished her tale. "And now I'm here..." she said. Then, she opened her eyes, "Are you sure you want to help me? A Youkai that has been cursed for a thousand years to burst into flame, who doesn't have the slightest clue what to do next and could destroy a town by accident if she wandered in and got angry..." She shook her head. "Are you sure? If you are... Thank you. I've been, so lonely..."
Kylie had decided. She couldn't keep refusing help, refusing to be around people. She couldn't just stay lonely forever... She felt somehow wrong, knowing that they'd be in danger just being near her, but... She couldn't take the loneliness anymore. And now, she was no longer alone, and she was glad...
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Post by Schala on Jul 15, 2009 14:40:15 GMT -7
Kelland noticed that Kylie had stopped flying. He, too, went to the ground.
"Yes," he said. "I do want to come with you. Now that you're my friend I can't let you live like this. If you want to get rid of your curse then I promise we will find a way. I even have a water jug for whenever you are on fire."
He reached into his travel bag and took out a silver spherical pendant with a little picture of a tornado etched into it.
"Take this," he said. "My mother always considered this her good luck charm. She gave it to me before she left, but you need it more than I do."
He slipped it into her hand. "Now, where to?"
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