Tourney Arc

[Anonymous]

OOC: Graveyard.

Olguin leaned forwards, placing his hands on his knees as he panted for breath. All around him was an endless sea of withered up trees, their dried up husks blocking his every escape.

Pathetic...weak...coward. The winds mournfully howled, leaving him feeling cold and dead inside.

He wasn't going to give up now!

Dashing and ducking the swipes of the villianous folliage, he kept pressing onwards.

Not noticing the fog that was rising from the ground at all.

The crunching of the leaves and his own terrified breathing filled the terribly, soul crushing silence of the woods.

Finally bursting free of the awful woods, he continued onwards. In his terrified state he missed the upturned root in his path.

"AAAAAaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh!" He screamed as he went toppling forwards. His yelps off pain echoed through the foggy night as he rolled down a grassy, yet rocky hill.

Finally coming to a stop, he glared at the starry sky above him.

Lucky stars, how DARE they twinkle so merrily when he was suffering down here!?

With a groan of resignation he slowly forced himself up on badly scrapped arms. Now that he was back on his feet he took a few moments to look at his new surroundings.

"A graveyard?" He murmured in confusion. Something was off, though.

Wait...one of the tombstones were glowing!?

As if in mesmerized, he slowly walked up to the gates of the graveyard. Looking at the rustic pieces of junk, he breathed a sigh of regret.

Seemed like he wouldn't be able to check out that oddity, afterall.

Turning back towards the forest, he slowly began to walk away in resignation.

CLICK!

Olguin's expression was one of total shock as he spun around to face the now slowly opening gate. Pieces of rust fell off it in patches, leaving the gate looking like it had just been made by the time they stopped.

Well, if that isn't an invitation... With that in mind, he did the only thing he could...

He entered.

****

Olguin awoke with a gasp, and blearily looked around. It was morning ALREADY!?

"Shesh, time sure does fly by." He irriatiably groused.

But why did he feel so...odd today?

[Shukuen]

Leets stared impassively at the ceiling, his face seemed calm, though his mind was in a maelstorm of thoughts.

~~~~~

"That boy is not human."

There it is again -- I can still hear it even now. Those voices. Those damn voices.

"...monsterous freaks."

What did they know? They never had to fight for their survival. They never had to hide like a rat among the refuse of their own society. The don't understand. They never did!

"You are one of 'them'."

Before, their insults meant nothing. They didn't know what I had to go through. They didn't understand. They never did.

But -- no! He was just like them. They're all the same! They think I don't see how they look at me. Pity, fear, disgust -- They're all the same!

But...

"That boy is not human."

"You are one of 'them'."

If I'm not -- then -- What am I?

~~~~~

"What am I?" he asked to the room, his voice barely raised above a whisper.

[Anonymous]

"rise and shine everyone." Olguin tiredly said, already on his way to the bathroom. Only to smash his toe into the closed doorway.

"..." He brillantly commented, face turning red with anger.

Yet another wonderful start to a new day.

[Shukuen]

Leets sat up, pushing the blankets aside. He watched Olguin's early morning antics, wondering why they even bother getting up this early if they couldn't handle themselves yet. "I think I'll just call for breakfast," he mumbled and hopped off the bed. No telling what would happen if the others continued to stumble about half asleep like they were now.

[Anonymous]

Coming out of the bathroom much more refreshed and alert, Olguin sighed as he made a beeline towards his family's katana.

Reaching over to his pack, he drew out a piece of cloth and enough cleaning agents to make his aunt mumble her catch phrase.

Drawing the blade, he silently set to work cleaning the formerly pristine blade.

[Dracos]

-answer on phone-

"Yes, breakfast is served in the lobby from seven am to eleven am."

Fearless Leader

[Shukuen]

"All right then." Leets glanced at the girl, Ryoko? Or was that Michan? Bah, they should make up their minds! "Do you think you can deliver? We really can't move one of our friends since her leg is broken."

[Dracos]

"Oh, certainly.  We'll send someone over soon."  -click-

Fearless Leader

[Anonymous]

Olguin continued wiping down the blade during Leet's conversation, only listening in with half a mind. Losing himself in the repetitious motions, he began to quietly muse on what exactly had happened yesterday.

If he hadn't submerged himself in the Soul of Ice at the last moment...

He shuddered at the thought of himself as a madman, running around killing things at random. The image of that blonde swordsman's madcap grin and those haunting eyes briefly made their way inside his mind.

He couldn't let himself become like that. Never.

Ice ran through his veins as he remembered what the alternative was to that Malice inspired berserker fury. The Soul of Ice itself.

Finishing wiping the blood off his blade, he rose with a sigh of regret. It was getting harder and harder to find time to find time to think these days. Reseathing his katana, he once again considered the question posed to him.

To lose one's soul to ice or to become consumed in the flames of madness.

Or was there another choice?

Placing the saya back near his pack, he blinked as he finally managed to hear a very important word on Leets' end of the conversation.

"I hope breakfast gets here soon." He mused out loud, feeling his stomache rumble in hunger.

[Dracos]

OOC: oops

IC:

A knocking was heard at the door as a pretty young blonde in a red bellboy outfit stood outside the door with a cart of english breakfast food.

Fearless Leader

[Anonymous]

"I'll get it." Olguin called out, feet softly padding across the carpetting. Cautiously peering out through the peephole, and confirming that it was safe, he slowly opened the door.

"Good Morning." He called out guardedly.

[Dracos]

The bell-girl looked over Olguin cheerfully, admiring his form as perkily smiled at him.  "Hiya,  I'm here to bring you your breakfast.  Heard someone was hurt in here?  I hope she's okay!"

Fearless Leader

[Anonymous]

"Um...yes, she's much better now. Thank you for your concern, though." Olguin murmured, still feeling slightly off balance as he noticed the bell-girl's roving eyes.

Fulling opening the door, he faintly smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"How much do I owe you?"

[Dracos]

"Oh...nothing.  It's included in your bill.  See ya hot stuff."  The bell-girl winked and sauntered off, leaving the cart of food with Olguin.

Fearless Leader

[Anonymous]

Olguin blushed a bright red at the girl's words.

Baka!

Pulling his eyes up from where they were straying. He almost vanished in the blink of an eye as he pulled the cart into the room, kicking the door closed as he manuevered it near the beds.