darkSpyro

When Aretis said he would get the book he had at his house, Firefly grinned wide. "Really?!" She asked excitedly. She then cleared her throat and tried to calm herself. "Um, thank you. I mean, you don't have to go to the trouble just for me, but I would really appreciate it. I'd take good care of the book." She smiled. Firefly then sighed. "Yeah, I know Omen means well. I'm grateful for all he's done for me, but he just..... He worries too much. I mean, I'm not a hatchling anymore. I don't want to be treated as if I'm some fragile, porcelain doll."

"W-What is it?," asked Bikil.

"I guess I could see that. One day, he won't be there and you'll be on your own." Aretis said. "And of course. Mine's in pretty good condition. It may be a little frayed around the edges from use. Anyway, let's stop by my house so I can get you a book or two and then meet back up at the library where I believe everyone else is supposed to be waiting." Aretis said exiting the store.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Firefly smiled as she followed Aretis. She then glanced back for a moment. "Come on, Starz." She said to her.

Omen had flown back to the library and landed outside. He sighed deeply. Trying to find Firefly in a city he wasn't familiar with wasn't exactly easy. He could only hope that she was still in the city, and that the others had found her.

"I suppose I have you to thank for everything. This whole time, you have been like an guardian angel to me. I-I have always suspected and but never truly knew 'till the events of today. T-thank-you again... for everything.," Bikil said in awe. He paused for a moment and looked down, "Though hearing about what you did reminds me that... that I could possibly done something. If I had only stayed.. t-tried to defend them.. they're could have possibly been spared from their fate.," he said with a tone of regret.

OOC: No worries. His backstory is designed to be slightly modified to fit the particular RP. What matters is that you kept the core idea the same... and you did.

"T-Thanks... I will. Always.," Bikil replied looking up at Shade. Having both experienced loss, he could relate to Shade and hoped that he too would bring good to this world.

ooc: i'd say don't push it too far without asking them first.

Aretis nodded and smiled a little as he took flight. "Starz, c'mon. If we're gonna travel with mister 'know it all' delusional vigilante, then might as well get it over with. I've already formulated my 'ahem' 'accidentally separated' plan." He joked. Though, having one of those wouldn't be too bad in his mind.

Firefly took flight and continued to follow Aretis. She giggled at his joke. "Oh, you mean Shade? Well, I suppose if you want to, um, 'accidentally' get separated from him, I've got some maps of the general area. I could help with this plan of yours." She giggled, playing along. She didn't stop to think that Aretis may be partially serious.

OOC: Before his actions, I had asked and mentioned Shade in Bikil's backstory. I like to incorporate elements of the individual RP in my backstories.

"Thank-you.," Bikil gratefully said as he accepted them. "I-I am important enough for these?," he asked as he started to put the armor bracelets on.

"Agreed-- and I don't know what I would have done without you," Bikil said with a smile. He then proceeded to walk back towards the main area.

ooc: Ah I see.
But hang on, how would you fit armor bracelets into a helmet that was dented pretty badly and has all those weird feather things. That's one hella heavy or bulky helmet. How do you even see with that thing on? Second of all, that seems kind of overpowered if you can just suddenly use a trinket to power you up so much for a short time. Are you sure you should be doing this stuff without at least asking the GM first?

Aretis shrugged. "Perhaps that would be useful." He said putting on a mock-contemplating face. "Alright, let's go." He began flying towards the library at a normal pace. If it were like running, he'd be 'jogging'. Not going full speed, but a fast pace that he could keep over long-distance traveling.

Firefly kept pace with Aretis. She hoped that Omen wasn't too worried about her. If he overreacted this much over her simply leaving the house, then there was no way he would let her leave the city to help fight the darkness. She didn't know how she could convince him to just let her go. Maybe the others could help her talk to him. She didn't know how well that would actually work, but it was worth a try.

Firefly then cleared her throat before speaking. "I don't suppose you two could help me talk to Omen? I mean, if I don't talk some sense into him, then he's not going to let me help you guys fight the darkness. I know he's worried about me, but I don't need him to protect me all the time. So do you think you guys could help me convince him?" She asked.

Aretis headed to his house and went in and quickly grabbed the book Firefly wanted and a few more he thought she would have an interest in and brought them out, heading over to the library. "I got the books you wanted Firefly." He said, giving them to her.

Firefly smiled at Starz. "Thank you. Maybe he'll listen if you help me." She then turned to Aretis. She took the books and read their titles first, before placing them in her satchel. "Thanks. They look really interesting. I'll have to read them later, when I get a chance to. Right now, we should probably meet up with the others."

OOC: hey guys, sorry it's been so late. I'm gonna quit this RP because I'm still actually busy. My grandma from France is gonna stay over, I have a long summer assignment, and I'm also in a summer musical. I'm so sorry uwu

Aretis nodded and then flew over to the place everyone was supposed to meet. He frowned a little and sort of slowed down, staying behind everyone. It was just natural. He knew he wasn't really that social. He preferred to be on his own or with only a few people.

Bikil waited with Shade. The fur dragon now had hope and and an ally he never knew he had.

Firefly nodded to Starz. When they made it back to the library, she didn't hesitate to swoop down and land outside. She saw that Omen had been waiting outside, and he greeted her with a warm smile.

"I'm glad to see that you're safe." He sighed in relief. Then his smiled faded and his expression became serious. "I was afraid that you may have left the city on your own. Even if you hadn't, one of those dark creatures could have gotten into the city to attack you. You shouldn't leave the house without at least telling me where you're going." He said in a worried tone of voice.

Firefly sighed and shook her head gently. "I'm fine, Omen. You don't have to worry so much. I can take care of myself." She spoke with confidence and raised her head with a smile. "Besides, I wouldn't just run off on my own. At least not without some sort of plan. I only went out shopping to prepare for the journey. Aretis gave me some interesting books. They may just come in handy." Firefly briefly took the books out of her satchel to show them to Omen. "But you know, I left the house this morning without telling you, and you didn't say anything about that." She pointed out.

"Ah, but dark creatures hadn't been spotted in the city during the daytime yet. I thought you would be safe here in the city, at least while the sun was out. Plus, you always go to the library first thing in the morning. I knew where you were. But if those creatures can get into the city, even during the day, then it isn't safe for you here. From now on, you shouldn't go anywhere without telling me first. Actually, it would just be best if I were with you to protect you."

Omen sighed and looked away. "Now isn't the best time for her to be independent. There's darkness spreading and dangerous creatures running around. I can't let her go explore or anything now. She could easily get hurt or worse."

He then looked at Starz. "I don't know where any of you young ones get the idea that you can face this darkness, or why Cenor would approve of children fighting a battle they're not ready for. Even I'm not strong enough to face those things. All of you will likely die if you go on this mission. Maybe the rest of you have had training and can fight well, but you're not warriors. And Firefly can't even control her powers, so I don't even know what help she could possibly give you. She would be better off here, where it's safe."

Omen then sighed again. He briefly glanced at Firefly, before looking back at Starz. "I will go in her place. I'm no warrior, but I've trained enough to know how to fight. I've defeated a few of those beasts already. My magic isn't strong, but I have good melee skill. I can help you with this mission. Just leave Firefly out of this. She isn't ready. She can't fight."

"Omen, you can't shelter her forever. You can only prepare her. I don't know what's in store for the future, but if little creatures like the ones showing up in the city prove too much for her, then she isn't safe here either. And if you're off on a journey with us, you won't be there to protect her." Aretis said, looking at Firefly. She's smart, even if she can't control her powers now. Aretis sighed looking around. Was everyone here?

"Well, she certainly won't be safe out there, amidst all the darkness. She isn't properly prepared to fight evil. She's not a strong fighter, and she can't control her powers. Firefly shouldn't have to risk her own life, when she may not even be of much use to you. She may have great power, but she can't control it. She can't use it at will, and therefore can't rely on it. Firefly would only end up being directly in harm's way, with no reliable way of defending herself. She would be vulnerable. The city may not be perfectly safe, but she is better off here, rather than being amidst all the danger." Omen said sternly.

"But I want to help. I don't want to just sit here and do nothing." Firefly said. She then reached into her satchel and pulled out one of her books. She opened it up and began leafing through it. "I have been researching darkness and evil quite a lot lately. I can't study the current darkness that has been spreading due to a lack of knowledge on the subject, but I have observed it, and I tried making comparisons to past related darkness. The books that I have read state different possibilities that could be behind all of this. One of these could be the right explanation for what's happening now. If that is the case, then I may just have the answer to our problem in one of my books. Although there is still a chance that it's none of these, and this form of darkness is entirely new, but I have been speculating the possibilities. " She explained. Firefly then closed up her book and put it back in her satchel.

She then took a deep breath. "I may not be a skilled fighter, but it doesn't mean I'm useless. I just prefer brains over brawn, which is why I've been studying so much. I even have a book on magic and potions, so I could search for herbs in the area, and mix them up into a dependable concoction to help in a fight. That could make up for my unreliable powers in a tough situation. Plus, with all the reading I do, I can read various languages, and could easily translate something that may end up being foreign to the rest of you. I promise I'll be careful and do whatever I can to help."

"If we are to succeed, we'll eventually need those skills. Brawn and brain are equally important in the end.," Bikil added.

Omen shook his head, refusing to listen to reason. "But Firefly isn't ready for this. I don't believe any of you are, but Firefly has had less training than the rest of you. I'm sure you all can control your powers, but she can't. As smart as she is, she would still be very vulnerable. I don't want her going, and that's final." He said stubbornly. "I will go in her place and carry her books. I could make use of them myself, if that is required. Plus, I can fight better than she can. It would be best if I went in her place, and she stayed here, out of harm's way."

"Because what she wants may very well get her killed. I will not allow that to happen." Omen said sternly, lightly stomping his foot.

Firefly sighed as she lowered her head and stared at the ground. He's not listening, and it seems like his mind can't be changed. Maybe it's pointless to keep arguing. Maybe..... Maybe there's another way to go about this. I'd hate to worry him, but I really want to help. Maybe I can sneak out of the city later tonight, after everyone's gone. Then I could catch up to them and still help them out. Omen wouldn't really have the time to argue with me then, or try to take me back to the city. It should work, if I can sneak out of the city unnoticed. Okay, so I have a plan. Sort of. Now to convince Omen that I'll stay locked up at the house where it's safe.

Firefly looked at Starz. "It's okay, Starz. Thanks for trying, anyway. I don't think he's changing his mind. I'll just stay here and give you guys moral support. Omen can go instead of me. It's probably for the best. I mean, what can I do? I'm not a fighter. So you guys just go and do your best, okay?" She smiled.

Aretis was thinking for a long while before he spoke up. "We could teach her along the way." He said looking around at everyone's faces. "What? It's at least a 3 weeks trip by wing to get to the Emerald City, and another half-a-week to get to the edge of the darkness. That'll give us time to be able to train and figure things out and not have to worry about being attacked by anything that's actually from the darkness." He said. "Not to mention, if anything does come up, no harm will come to Firefly. Our first priority would be to protect her then. All of us." He tried to reason with Omen. "And whether she comes or not, you're coming too Omen. Do you think your skills are not up to protecting her on another journey. And in any case, Emerald City is one of the safest places in Siyalor. If it really is too dangerous, Firefly can stay in the Emerald City once we get there. Aretis looked over at Firefly. "Is that okay?"

"Even if you could teach Firefly how to fight along the way, she still wouldn't be able to control her powers. That is not something you could teach her. She would have to rely solely on melee skill, and we don't know how useful that would be against dark creatures. She still wouldn't be able to defend herself as well as the rest of you."

Omen then sighed. "When we traveled together, we avoided trouble. We didn't run straight towards it and try to fight it. We only defended ourselves when necessary. I may be strong enough to protect on a normal journey, but I don't know what we're facing now. Regardless of that, I am still a stronger fighter than Firefly. She isn't ready for something like this. She didn't prove to be much of a threat to them when we encountered them on our travels. She should stay out of this fight."

Firefly just sighed and sat quietly. I may not have been able to fight those dark creatures that well, but I know a weakness when I see one. If I didn't point them out, Omen wouldn't have defeated them as easily as he did. But I guess research just isn't as useful as brute strength.

OOC: Guys, I actually had a plan for leaving Firefly behind temporarily. You see, AB needs to wait for night time for Umbrius to join the group. If the group needs to leave right away, then I was going to leave Firefly behind so that she could run into Umbrius. And possibly find Greyscale, if the group doesn't run into her. Then once those two are in, I was going to have Firefly fill them in and take them to meet up with the others.

Omen and Firefly turned to face Cenor. Firefly then sighed. If I'm going to sneak out of the city and join them later, then I need to hear this. But Omen can't suspect anything, or he'll find a way to make sure I stay here. Hmm, maybe they'll just let me listen anyway, so that I know what's going on.

Omen then took a step forward. "What is it, Cenor?" He asked.