An Adventure in Orichal Hollow, the White Island (Flame/EJ)

[Flame]

Kano Post #1

White winds abounded, like razors they cut through the silvery wilds surrounding him. With an arm raised before his face the youth standing in the midst of it all looked out. He was as white as that which pressed upon him all about. What could only be called a mountain of snow piled upon him with each moment. Beneath that the comfortable warmth of the extra thick jacket he had tightly wound about him.

An unprotected hand braved the snowy drifts to wipe the icy flakes from his eyes. Those red orbs staring into the unfettered whiteness. "They weren't kidding when they said it would snow ..." The voice managed to be mildly amused through the chattering of teeth. He breathed, clouds of what was soon naught but ice in the air fell from his mouth. Scanning what he could of the 'horizon' he wondered if those towering shadows were trees. The forest where his prey would be hiding. Or so he had- his mind stopped for a moment as his body shivered and slowed in the frost.

Even through his protection he was hardly warm. The layers upon layers he wore were nothing to this unending white. "No one's watching right, I can j-just create a lit-t-ttle warmt-th." He couldn't get through his voiced words with without the clicking of his teeth against each other. That hand which he had raised moments ago, he brought forth once more. Looking at it with what could be called a smile he focused. His hand disappeared into nothingness. In its place a small metal head rose ...

He blinked, what was he- his eyes drooped, the cold was getting to-. The muffled thud of his body upon snow was all that was left. His freezing temperature lulled him into sleep. Not even the punctuation of it woke the sleeping youth.

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"IDIOT!"

The sound of the feline voice, but more likely the scratches threaded thrice in different directions across his face woke the sleeping youth. Eyes blinked open as he looked upon the annoyed fellow sitting upon his chest. A claw raised above his head showed off some dangerous looking goods. Red eyes blinked trying to regain focus. "Wha-wha ..." thoughts barely strung together. "Heya Oliver" the coarse words left his throat in an uncertain weakness.

"KAANNOOO!" The returning voice was anything but happy from the black cat which sat upon the Wild Spark's chest. Though it hurt Kano laughed mildly at his companion's annoyance. "Now now sir cat, no need to lash out again. The boy has barely recovered." A new voice unknown spoke up. Kano's eyes turned as he tried to understand what exactly was going on. "Ahh so the wide-eyed hunter is awake. I take it the hunting went poorly." There was an almost jovial manner to the speech. Tracking it with his ears his eyes followed as his body struggled to pull together the energy to break its position.

His eyes finally laid themselves onto a bluish person, a fishman if he'd ever seen one. "Wh-where am I" Kano chattered out still a little cold. "You're at the Palace of the Lake. Same place you started from no doubt. Smart of ya to set off that bang. Would've been hard ta find you otherwise. You should be glad your friend came to ask for help."

"Remind me not to, next time I think i'd prefer him as food for the starving."

[EJ]

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“Hunting~?” The sound of a sweet voice chimed from a corner across the room from where the young man was laid. “Falalalala~! What could you have possibly been looking for out there that was so interesting, you went looking in the middle of a blizzard~?” A comely colleen, very youthful in appearance, approached Kano, stopping a good distance away. She was of medium height and held a white cup sitting atop a small ivory dish in the palm of her opposite hand. “You definitely don’t know where the fun is~,” the girl said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. Her hair was the color of a clear, blue sky on a sunny day, pulled back into a high ponytail with bangs that bordered the sides of her flirtatious face.

“My name is Sapphira~ It’s an honor for you to meet me~!” The honeydip let go of the cup’s handle and waved with a dainty smile. Saph was but a visitor to the island, but had heard of the castle and its host Nilrem – whom she was currently waiting on as an attendant went for him. She was a traveling dancer who loved to explore and get into different things for fun! That was, at least, what she liked to make people believe. In reality, she was no different from an opportunist who just wanted to explore the palace and see what valuable items she could lift from the place!

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[Flame]

Kano Post #2

Though it pained him Kano chuckled slightly at his feline friend's comment. His eyes closed slightly wincing in pain. Atop him Oliver grunted mewling his temperament to the explosive boy beneath him. The cat paused his whiskers twitching his eyes turned towards a new voice which spoke from behind Kano.

A young jovial voice which caused Kano to tilt his chin up to look behind him from the table he laid upon. Upside down he found himself staring at one perhaps a bit older than himself. A laden woman or what seemed to be, digesting looks that were upside down was hardly his specialty. "Don't ask me. I simply go where whether the wind blows" Kano said with what could be considered a shrug. He'd just picked up the task from some billboard he'd seen in an inn somewhere in the town. That had been enough of a lead for him.

With a little scrunch and reaching back Kano forced himself up from the table. It felt like he crackled as his body bent forward, like little pieces of frozen skin shattered apart to facilitate his movement. But still he spoke "I don't need to know where the fun is." The youth winced slightly reaching about him to take off the thick outer layer protecting him from the coldest of elements. Beneath he showed his true form, a little on the lanky side he wore a thin hoodie beneath and some simple khaki pants. "I make my own fun." He said grinning though his face was obscured from view.

Hopping off the table as the one named Sapphira introduced herself Kano turned. A soft weight on his shoulder, Oliver appeared as he stood. In a mock practical bow Kano gave a wide smile I'm Kano Toro!" He pretended to flare a cape that wasn't there. An imperceptible sigh came from Oliver's mouth as he repositioned to balance around Kano's movements.

The fishman still in the room stood silently watching the two. He seemed unperturbed by the whole event heading back to his own business. "So what's one such as yourself doing here in this place?" Kano started off with curiosity, a simply happy smile crawled across his face.

[EJ]

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Sapphira stood sipping her cocoa almost in a picturesque manner as if she were modeling for candid photographers. Her white minidress had a section going down the middle that was the same color as her hair, and the civvies hugged her full hourglass figure in radiant compliment. Powder blue high-heel boots with a white diamond pattern printed down the front swallowed her honey legs all the way up to her plump thighs, leaving an exposure of shiny skin between where her dress stopped and the lips of the fanciful footwear found. The collar of her garment hung provocatively off her shoulders, going horizontally across her buxom bust in a way where one could have sworn her bubbly twins were about to pop out in ovation!

Her curious eyes wandered around the room as Kano spoke, finding themselves focusing back on the young man as he removed a layer of his clothing. Saph was always disquisitive about what a ‘potential victim’ was working with. Eye candy was her favorite appetizer! However, to her dismay, the man didn’t display much muscle through the hoodie he wore, causing the damsel to subtly roll her eyes before hiding her face in another small slurp of cocoa. In spite of her erotic fashion, she was acting really well-behaved. Her actions spoke up for class in her body language – a stark contrast to the intoxicating air about her.

The madam giggled at Kano’s animated nature and his furry friend’s annoyance at the unnecessary theatrics. “Well~!” Sapphira started her reply to the young man’s last statement full of excitement. “You know that boring place you have to pass through before getting to this palace~?” She gave a small pause for her new company to nod in agreement to her statement about Norma Town because they had to have passed it when they first arrived to the island, right? Yes. “Someone there told me that there was a town beneath this place~ An underwater city filled with mermaids and fishmen~!” Ebony irises beamed with zeal, so much so, one might even claim to see stars sparkling around Saph’s fair face! She threw an index finger up out in front of her as she said, “There’s only one way to get there, and that’s through the permission of–,” her voice all of a sudden grew louder, “–the Great Merman, Nilrem~!”

The madam’s captivating voice echoed throughout the confines of the very high ceilinged room. Anyone observant enough may have took note of how she was obviously giving praise to be heard. Most would keep such a display of flattery to themselves, but when Diamond Doll wanted your favor, she found no shame in what she did to elevate you above all others until you gave her what she wanted. She saw it as ‘being nice’ because it was an honor to be praised by one you should be praising, no? In the mind of this twisted goddess, it certainly was!

“I’m waiting for him to come right now so he can take me down~!”

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[Flame]

Kano Post #3

The fiery youth tilted his head in confusion. The place he had to pass through to get here? Did she mean the long expanse of winterlands that he'd flown past on his way here. The twisting woods covered in white, maybe that could be considered boring? Not that he would have ever thought that. But maybe? Perhaps? "Uhh yeah ..." Kano nodded along in a quick agreement to what she was saying.

He paused as she continued on getting to her point. She spoke then of an underwater city apparently beneath in this very castle. An underwater city? He wondered to himself what it meant, scratching his head he puzzled over it for a moment. Then in that moment his eyes lit up as he remembered. When he'd crashed onto the walls of the castle he'd noticed behind himself had been a ring of ice. That ring of ice must've been just a frozen over body of water of some sort. "Wow! Really that must be amazing, how do I-" He began to ask before he was cut off by Sapphira talking once more.

Kano's eyes opened wide at Saph's exclamation. Excitement bubbled within him, in his mind pictures of this underwater city spewed out. From his shoulder Oliver jumped down to the ground and glanced up at him. Unfortunately for his feline friend the youth paid little attention to his friend in this moment. He was awash within his imagination.

"Nil ... rem"

He sounded the name out with quiet reverence towards it. "Why wait?" Kano grinned with an excitement, with a quick step forward he punched the air before him. "Let's just track him down! This doesn't sound like something that should wait." The fool's heels went up as he was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Come on let's go!" He shouted as he made for the door. Flying out of it he paused in the entrance turning around. His wide eyes slowed a bit, as his head tilted once more. "Where is he? ..."