Abandi

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Ryogen nodded as Abandi danced around and told a simplistic yet dramatic story. She was so simple and light-hearted, despite all that had happened. It put him in a good mood right away, but the thought of Aki being a magician worried him a little. A scenario played out in his head where Aki convinced her to explore her magic, making her become shadow and letting her unleash her frightening power, destroying everything and becoming a horrific wraith, swallowing up the sister that he loved so dearly.

"A magician, hmm.." The delight in his voice wavered a bit, and he had to make a concerted effort to keep his facial expression happy. He deliberately didn't respond to the witch bit, not wanting to even talk about it.
"Well, I suppose we've accumulated quite a band of people already. It's going to make it all the more like an adventure!" He smiled, looking at the soon to be tortured man in the corner of his eye. They were having a nice conversation whilst that bandit was watching, waiting to take his punishment from Gemini. He could see the fear in the man's eyes. Then he turned his back on the man, faced Abandi, and asked her if she was alright, then fussed over her in a loving way, worrying aloud about how she could've gotten hurt, wavering his voice in a dramatic exaggerated manner.

Aki then woke up, and Ryogen tossed a fish as requested. He was obviously a sloppy eater, and Ryogen's smile wavered as he heard the magician's introduction.
"It's nice to meet you, Aki. I'm Ryogen. It's good to have you here. I owe you my thanks; you saved my life." He paused, not really sure what to say, then quickly blurted "So.. you can do magic?"
 
"Yep, Aki flew us out." She mimicked Abandi and eyed her, knowing inside her somewhere she was feeling guilty and confused. "They sure did Abandi, but we all know you are no witch!" Smiling at Abandi she turned to look at Ryogen. "He flew us out and distracted the townsfolk, effectively letting us escape. I have yet to find out if this thief is one of them or someone who just decided to steal from a group camping in the woods." She turned to look at the intruder as she spoke, walking around them and eyeing their tattered clothes and the daggers that had been thrust aside. Gemini walked over to the daggers and picked them up, putting them into her belt.

"So, what to do with this." She gestured at the thief, asking everyone around the camp. Knowing Abandi might get upset if she tortured the man she didn't want to start with that, and Ryogen didn't seem to like the way she was treating this intruder. Aki though, she had never had the chance to find out how he feels about it.
 
Abandi let out an excited giggle, her adorable laugh pushing through her teeth. She wriggled her body, walking over to Aki and gently touching his face. She locked eyes with him, her eyes flickering grey and purple, darkening around the iris'. She smiled to him, a bit of a flirtatious smirk spreading across her soft features.</SPAN></SPAN>

"Look at what we can do!" She laughed more, letting some of her energy flow into him, the light purple tingling her skin. She pulled away and faced her brother, happiness the dominant emotion coming off her body. </SPAN></SPAN>

"isn't it pretty!?"</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Ryogen was perturbed by Abandi's behaviour, as well as the colour purple which he had long since guessed the meaning to. Seeing it spread across her body and Aki's made him a bit anxious, seeing his nightmare scenario coming into play all the more likely. Instantly he trusted the magician a bit less. He realised he had been frowning, his eyes nearly widened with panic.

"That's.. great, Abandi." He said uncertainly. He stared at her for a few beats, his character locked in position. Then he twisted around to Gemini and stood up like nothing had happened, suddenly all of the warmth seeming to return to him. He gazed at the man, who had sensed possible sympathy from himself. Ryogen shook his head, and suggested that they simply try to get as much information as they can out of him and then get rid of him. He thought it was very obvious the way he had probably hurt Abandi's feelings and looked very stern, but the truth was he was just worried, and now wanted to find some other way around discussing it as quickly as possible:

"Let's just interrogate him, see what he knows. Then we'll knock him out and leave the camp in the morning." He spoke with certainty, as if he knew exactly the right way to deal with the situation. something he wished he had in another area.
 
Following Ryogen's gaze, Aki caught the tied up man. Choking down his food and gesturing towards him, he called out, "He..what? When did that happen?" He felt like Ryogen at this point, as though some important development had taken place when he was asleep.

Shaking off the image of the subdued man he turned his attention back to Ryogen, attempting to feign surprise at his interest in Aki's skills. He chomped another hole in the fish, standing up and cranking his neck to either side, issuing loud cracks as he worked the kinks out of it. Sleeping on the ground was never an entirely comfortable experience. "Yes, Ryogen. I can do magic. When we were attacked in the town I broke down a wall and flew us out of there. Actually, Abandi was-" He stopped himself. During his conversation with Abandi, she had mentioned the distrust her brother had placed in her powers and now was definitely not the time to confront that demon, so to speak. "-she was, well, she was absolutely thrilled by all of it."

His eyes darted to Abandi, who had taken a few steps towards him. Again, he was nearly paralyzed by her gaze, as if she were a hypnotist. All she was missing was a trigger word to instantly snap him in to this state. The skin on his face assumed that same electrified feeling, her energy flowing over his skin. He felt it enter his mouth and nose, flowing through his lungs and spread out over the rest of his body. This euphoric state lasted for only a moment before he snapped to and stepped away from her, shrugging off the transfer. He could feel his energy reaching out towards her as he stepped away, like a magnet being pulled away from it's polar opposite.

"I told you, Abandi. You can't just do that whenever you want to." He had stopped the transfer before it overwhelmed him, though he still felt incredibly bloated. The amount he digested was not enough for him to produce another orb and for that he was thankfully; Ryogen's body language lent an air of mistrust towards Aki and the last thing he needed was for her brother to assume he was promoting the expansion of her powers, however true that idea may be.

The transfer did, however, invigorate him. He took a few steps towards the bound man, hands curling into tight fists. "So, was this guy trying to steal from us or what?" He spoke over his shoulder to Gemini, assuming her to have been his captor, his eyes barreling down on the man before him. "You, where are you from? What brought you to us?"

"I'm from...from Hadar. I heard a, uh, loud crack and knew something was happening. Those noises are unnatural, you know? That's all, I swear!" The man stammered, remembering Gemini's warning against calling for help. The situation was truly dire for him, requiring complete submission in order to assure his own survival. Aki sighed and turned his back to the man, motioning for Gemini. "Gemini, I don't think he's being completely truthful. Why don't you ask him the same questions."
 
Gemini smirked as Aki suggested she ask the man some questions.

"Oh, but of course Aki, I would love to ask this man some questions." Walking around the man so he had to twist his head, hurting his shoulders and knees for sure in the bindings, just to look at her feet. She stopped near his head and put a boot heel on his right temple, resting it there with perfect balance. "Now then, maybe you would like to answer that question truthfully?" The smile on her face easy for everyone to hear. "Where are you from and what are you doing here?" As she spoke she pushed her heel harder into his temple, knowing the pressure point would hurt even with something as wide as a shoe. The man yelled out.

"OK! OK! I'm from Norwood. I lied because... because I don't want you to find my family! ANd and AND! I just wanted your stuff! OK! THATS ALL I SWEAR!" He began panicking and yelling as he went on, Gemini's boot heel pushing harder and harder.

"See. That wasn't that hard, and I didn't even have to cut you, yet." As she spoke Gemini put the gag back in the mans mouth. "While he may have been telling the truth, I do have some more questions I would like to ask him. And while I would prefer that you all weren't around for it I can give you my word that I will not harm him TOO badly, and I will definitely not kill him, and I will let him go in the end." Looking from Aki, Ryogen and lastly Abandi. She would do as she pleased, but she did want to make sure they knew she would hold back to appease them. Now that they were her travelling companions, and she had taken such a liking to Abandi, she did not want to offend anyone. After the little bit of questioning she was hungry. Sitting down she grabbed some fish and began eating.
 
Abandi wasn't happy with the way her brother reacted with her show of improvement. She apologized to Aki and crossed her arms over her flat chest, tucking her head into her chest and twirling around and squatting down to the ground. She hunched her shoulders over-not listening to anyone as Gemini questioned the man. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi felt angry, she remembered everything that was said and done when she had let the darkness, or what she had thought was the darkness come out. Was that really her true self? Was she really a bad guy? NO! She would use her power to help! And she would prove it to her brother even if he hated her for it!</SPAN></SPAN>

She stood up swiftly, running to the restrained man and pressing her fingers on the sides of his face. She would find out everything that this man knew so Gemini and Ryogen could be proud of her. Her power was good!</SPAN></SPAN>

She closed her eyes, focusing her energy as hard as she could. Ryogen was suppressing her power, but she could do this, she knew she could. Her fingers became transparent, slipping into the man's head as he began screaming violently. Abandi seemed not to hear him, her eyes glazing over as if she was too busy listening to his thoughts. </SPAN></SPAN>

It came to her as visions, flashes and pictures of what the man had seen. There it was. This was what she needed! The visions showed her the thief standing on a street corner, watching a tall man with a fancy silver quiver on his back- the thief wanted it, wondered how much it would be worth if he got his hands on it. The man spotted him, it was just as Gemini has described; the man had to be Leoric!</SPAN></SPAN>

The thief ran and Abandi opened her eyes. The swirling vortex of black and purple vibrant with the power she could muster up with her brother so close. She pulled her fingers from the man's head and his screaming stopped, his body falling limp as he lost consciousness. </SPAN></SPAN>

Abandi fell back too, but caught herself on her elbows, panting heavily but smiling wide.</SPAN></SPAN>

"This man saw Leoric! He was in Norwood!"</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Gemini's heart stopped in her chest. 'Leoric? My Leoric.'

"Abandi. Are you ok? How do you know he saw Leoric? How do you know it was Leoric?" Holding her elbows and rubbing her arms as if it was cold, the goosebumps rising as she held herself, she paced. Walking from the fire towards the woods and then back as she thought, chewing her lip in concentration. She walked over to Abandi and held her hand, looking directly into her grey eyes, which were swirling with purple. "Abandi, tell me everything you saw. Please."
 
Abandi's face lit up when Gemini gave her the attention she deserved, her eyes sparkling with happiness.</SPAN></SPAN>
She took Gemini's hand and stood up, dusting off her soft linen dress and wiping off her bare legs.</SPAN></SPAN>

"He was standing on a street corner, with a shiny silver quiver on his back-it was pretty!" Abandi chirped, recalling her vision. " This guy was watching him; he wanted to steal it away" She pointed accusingly at the thief. </SPAN></SPAN>

"Leoric was standing by a shop with a navy blue sign with white letters…" She took a moment to think, trying to remember what it said. " Arcana's Cove?" She was unsure of her answer, but there was an air of confidence about her that she couldn't ignore.</SPAN></SPAN>
 
"That is amazing Abandi." Gemini had lightly grabbed Abandi's elbows as she spoke, her eyes beginning to rim with tears. Her hands ran down Abandi's arms and she held her hands for a moment while blinking away her tears and she began thinking.

"We can't kill a thief for wanting to steal, but we can humilate him and make sure he goes wherever he is going with a few bruises to remember me by. That's not important though, we need to get to Norwood, immediately. Whats the fastest way we can get there? Is there any magical way to fly like last time Aki? Or do you need another piece of wood to fly us on? Abandi can power you while you fly us, or whatever you do, so that way there will be no crashing like last time. Maybe we can get there before dark tomorrow if we hurry, does anyone have any idea how long it will take?" Gemini was rambling she was so excited. She was gesturing at Aki, then Abandi, then Ryogen, asking them all the same question and different questions all at the same time.

"Do you know how long it's been since I have seen him, since he has seen me?! I wonder if he knows who I am. What if they wiped his memory?? Can magic do that? Aki! Can they erase me from his memory? What if this whole time he's been fighting but not for me, fighting for some terrible thing? What will I do? What can we do?" She started getting very heated, living up to her hot head temper as she fueled her own fire with the questions that have been going through her mind since he was taken from her.

"No! I will NOT let him forget me! I WILL NOT!" She yelled into the sky and after a moment of staring up at the stars she looked into the fire, her train of thought exhausted for the moment. Tears fell from her eyes, slowly, as if they didn't want to let go of her cheeks. Her whole body slumped forward and she sat on the dirt before the fire, staring and crying her slow tears.
 
You've got quite a knack for this, Gemini. She extracted the information from the man with ease. Her methods were a bit questionable, but in his heightened post-absorption state his moral strings tended to be a bit looser. Arms folded over his chest as the man spilled his true intentions; norwood, his family and their belongings. It was hard to believe that a man who resorted to theft had any sort of a family to speak of, but Aki was not one to question motives of desperation.

"What more do you need to know of him, Gemini?" He shot her a puzzled look as she took a seat and began eating her fill. "I'm not sure I feel entirely comfortable with leaving you alone with this poor man." His mind went back to what he had said to Abandi. They will only fear you if you make it so. The same situation, he felt, was bubbling up here. Gemini, from what he had seen, was a kind and well-to-do woman. She doesn't need to soil her reputation, he thought, shaking his head in response to his monologue.

Abandi crossed the line of conversation, quickly coming to the side of the man. In a stunning display she meld her body straight through his. Her powers grow in scope and number each day, even with her brother awake. Aki's lips showed the hints of a frown as he watched Abandi work her magic, his eyes growing wide in a more telling expression of his surprise. If he was not sure that she had reverted to her childish self, he would have stopped her in response to the man's yelps. With bated breath he let the scene play out, chewing nervously on his bottom lip as it did.

Leoric: a name so familiar. And it was even more so to Gemini. Wait, she asked me about him at the tavern...her lover, right? He shook his head once more as the ideas floated around his head. Yes, she had spoken of a man and by her body language and verbal response it had to be a significant other. The words that Abandi and Gemini exchanged filtered in to his head and he tried his best to retain the words. Perhaps the most interesting was the speak of a silver quiver. It brought to mind something his master had muttered about, things that Aki had generally taken as his mad ramblings once his prized tome had been taken. However, it seemed like a good place to start searching for the book.

Gemini's verbal diarrhea both amused and surprised him. "Please, Gemini, slow down for just a moment." He thought over her question. With Abandi acting like an engine, there wasn't exactly a reason he couldn't make the journey as she requested, but he had never before had a constant flow of energy like that. He had always been told he was a conduit but he had never acted as one in the most literal sense of the word. "I'm not sure if I could perform the task you're asking of me. It may be possible, yes, but even then it may also be incredibly conspicuous." He frowned, unfolding his arms and letting them hang at his side. "The general population is not accustomed to witnessing flying platforms." His eyes darted between Abandi and Ryogen - there was also the problem of Abandi actually summoning up such strength with her brother fully awake. On their last contact, he noticed a significant decrease in the flow of energy. His body had previously gobbled up whatever she could throw at him, but most recently he seemed left wanting more. "Abandi," he questioned, turning his gaze to her, "how long ago did this man see Leoric?"
 
Abandi lowered her body as Gemini began to break down, comforting her the only way she knew how. She pet her head, her fingers combing through Gemini's hair gently as she started humming a tune. She was still reveling in the praise she had received from her female companion-happy to have helped her despite the strain it put on her body. Abandi's eyes drooped when Aki asked her if she knew how fresh the memory was. She walked away from Gemini, looking down at the unconscious man who's memories she had intruded just moments before. </SPAN></SPAN>

"It was the first thing he thought of when I went in…other than his wife and children…" She smiled, still feeling confident about her vision. " Very fresh"</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Gemini just nodded at Abandi, not minding, or at all disliking, the head pats she was recieving from the girl. She looked up at Aki.

"I will let you make whatever preperations you think are best. The sooner we get to Norwood the better." Tears were still falling down her cheeks, but slower than ever, as if the small dam that had held the back was being built once again. "I know we shouldn't rush, so I'll let you handle it." She went back to looking at the fire, enjoying the feel of Abandi's hand stroking her hair.
 
Aki's hands curled up in to fists at Abandi's response. He could feel a tinge of anger brewing inside him at the situation. Gemini's emotional reaction forced a part of him to want to help her and yet, the rational part of him knew that attempting such a journey would put the group on a collision course with disaster. Yet, on the third hand, if they let Leoric escape from them, it may be some time before they caught word of him again.

He sighed, moving over to Abandi. Very carefully, he threw an arm around her shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a second, alone?" He shot a nervous glance to Ryogen to gauge his response before returning his gaze to the girl in his arm.
 
Ryogen watched the situation with interest as Abandi extracted the man's information with so much ease. Perhaps it does have its uses, he mused, but he had no idea the danger she may be putting herself in by harnessing the shadow power of herself. He hated witnessing her take on the shadows, it mystified and terrified him to see the happy sister he knew be so consumed and take on an entirely different persona, which he assumed was slowly trying to conquer her. As she emerged from the state unharmed, and very chipper, he decided he would let this slide. His head still hurt and he didn't want to talk right now, but he would definitely be having a chat with her later about the possible danger she was in.

He put a hand on Gemini's shoulder as she broke down, comforting her and smiling with her, sharing in her happiness. It meant a lot to know that they were able to help her, and actually help her locate her husband. He was just about to suggest that they get moving when Aki interjected, wanting a conversation with Abandi. Ryogen scowled. What was this magician trying to do? Ryogen hardly knew him, being together with him for about a day, and he wasn't ready to trust him yet. He wasn't sure what a magic-wielder could do to Abandi - probably he wanted to study her, or something like that. He'd taken great care to avoid those types in the past.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea." He argued. "I think we should trust each other enough to talk. You wouldn't want to promote suspicion, would you?" It came off as a bit more challenging than he wanted, but was determined to hold his ground and protect his sister. What if he'd already got to her whilst he was unconscious? He was beginning to regard Aki with less and less respect, which he feared would culminate in something awful.
 
"Promote suspicion?" He paused, removing his hand from Abandi's shoulder and placing it on his chin, stroking the end of it quizzically. "No," he continued, "I don't want to do that. It's just, well..." His eyes shifted from Ryogen to Abandi, then back to Ryogen once more. "Okay. I could get us to Norwood in no time and likely take a path that avoided any major settlement."

He stepped away from Abandi, placing his hands above his rear and shoving them under the hem of his loose fitting cotton pants. Looking up to the trees as a distraction, he spoke to Ryogen without looking at him. "The only problem," his voice was low, just loud enough that Ryogen could barely hear him, "is that I can't do it on my strength alone. I'll need an engine." On this he swiveled on his heels, turning to stare Ryogen down. His sapphire eyes gleamed as he took in Ryogen's features, studying his reaction and locking his gaze there with a stern seriousness. The full scope of his interaction with Abandi had not yet been disclosed, but her brother did not seem unintelligent. Aki folded his arms over his chest as he intensified the visual shakedown of Ryogen. It was very clear, by Aki's body language, what his intentions were.
 
Abandi puffed out her cheeks in rebellion, upset with her brother's lack of trust in her new magician friend. Even though Aki was trying to diffuse the situation, the girls anxieties and anger got the best of her.</SPAN></SPAN>

"You're not fair Ryo! How come I can't help!?" She stomped her foot and wiggled out from under Aki's arm, taking herself away from the campsite and into the wooded area around them. All she wanted to do was help, but how was she supposed to help when her own brother thought she was evil? Abandi punched a tree as she stormed off, the thick tree splitting on impact. The large sound echoed through the forest, startling the nesting birds that were asleep in the night. </SPAN></SPAN>
 
An engine!? What is he going to do to her!? Ryogen stared straight back at Aki, sizing him up. He appeared confident in his stance, though he looked rather frail and probably easily overpowered. The only thing he had to think about was how to get around the magic. If what Gemini said was true, then Ryogen probably had no chance against him in a straight up fight. It was now Ryogen's goal to avoid a direct confrontation, though he figured he could easily persuade the mage to leave his sister alone. Why she had stormed off he had no idea. Did she want to be manipulated by this man who so obviously had an ulterior motive? He'd said something to her, manipulated her in some way, he was sure. Well, that was about to end soon. If only he had any idea where his sword was, he might be able to move swiftly and strike hard. The only problem was Gemini: if he attacked Aki, she would never forgive him: he was her link to her past.

"I don't know what you're planning, but you're going to leave my sister alone."
 
"Abandi, wait!" He called out to her as she stormed out, raising his hand to her in feeble protest. She hit a tree, exploding the poor arbor in fantastic fashion and making him flinch. He turned back to Ryogen, his jaw clenched and his hand hanging free at his side in a tight fist. Aki spoke to the man through his teeth, his jaw staying closed in severe irritation. "I mean no harm to you or your sister. In fact, I could could be the very thing that saves her."

Inspiration sparked in his mind as his hand uncurled and flipped open the flap on his pack, withdrawing the two orbs he had created earlier; one a dark purple, one a dark blue. Aki held them out towards Ryogen, flattening his palm to give him a better view. "These," he began, rolling them around in his fingers, "were created by me. They are condensed versions of Abandi's excess energy." The two orbs were held eye level and he looked at Ryogen through them, forcing his attention on them. "I can prevent the incident that occurred at the farmstead from ever happening again." His gaze shifted once more to the dark tops of the trees and the sparse cloud cover that existed beyond them. "She has such vast stores of energy," he mused as he gazed wistfully to the night sky.
 
Abandi walked further and further into the forest, her anger and frustration eating away at her.</SPAN></SPAN>

I told you, we should never tell him about our power-he doesn't understand!</SPAN> Abandi screamed at herself, cursing her childish half for doing magic in front of Ryogen. He shouldn't know what we are capable of! </SPAN></SPAN>
"Stoppit!" Abandi held her head, falling to her knees to the ground and clenching her head, nails digging into her scalp. "You think you know everything! Ryo's my brother too! You're not the only Abandi anymore!" Her childish voice screeched as she pulled at her hair, the black strands holding tightly to her head.</SPAN></SPAN>

I am the only Abandi! I created you to fool my brother! You're an Illusion, just an extension of my own memories! </SPAN> Abandi writhed on the ground, her body pulsing with energy as her emotions took over. I created you so I could lock my power away, that is all!</SPAN></SPAN>
 
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