It was a bright, if not crisp autumn's morning where everything seemed perfect. The smell of the rosses was sharp and the leaves now did their annual change. The sky was clear and everything seemed to be right. This was Nathaniel and Jessica Banes' day before their descent. They were both powerful and capable naval officers able of carrying out missions perfectly.

Though, today their last mission together would commence. The field, stained red by blood on this autumn's day was a grim reminder of a battle which happened nearly a century ago. Nathaniel and Jessica were sailing above this precise field on their way to the Mooshu stormgate in order to take down a rebel army opposing the peaceful emperor's reign. Nathaniel walked up from the lower decks to speak to his sibling in arms.
"Ho! Jessica! When do you reckon we will arrive at Mooshu?"
"In about two hours time. Ready your guns and sharpen your blades while we have time"
"Aye sister."
Nathaniel began to walk down the stair when suddenly a dark storm broke out. This storm was not of natural origins or Jessica Bane and her sharp eyes would have seen it hours ago. A bolt of lightning, no, to say that this fury was lightning would be to lie for this strange and malicous bolt eminated no light but seemed to absorb it and make what was a sunny day a black night. This dark and evil bolt struck the space between the siblings and seperated them, emptying them and the ship into a dark vortex leading to lands unknown.

An hour later Nathaniel awoke to a beach whose sands were black, every grain was blacker then night. At nearly the same time his sister, Jessica awoke and found herself in a strange, evil, twisted jungle that seemed to foretell her demise. They were on different islands of a long forgotten world.

{Hope you like this guys, feel free to add to either Jessica's or Nathaniel's stories. Au'revoir!}

noahdd on Oct 12, 2013 wrote:

It was a bright, if not crisp autumn's morning where everything seemed perfect. The smell of the rosses was sharp and the leaves now did their annual change. The sky was clear and everything seemed to be right. This was Nathaniel and Jessica Banes' day before their descent. They were both powerful and capable naval officers able of carrying out missions perfectly.

Though, today their last mission together would commence. The field, stained red by blood on this autumn's day was a grim reminder of a battle which happened nearly a century ago. Nathaniel and Jessica were sailing above this precise field on their way to the Mooshu stormgate in order to take down a rebel army opposing the peaceful emperor's reign. Nathaniel walked up from the lower decks to speak to his sibling in arms.
"Ho! Jessica! When do you reckon we will arrive at Mooshu?"
"In about two hours time. Ready your guns and sharpen your blades while we have time"
"Aye sister."
Nathaniel began to walk down the stair when suddenly a dark storm broke out. This storm was not of natural origins or Jessica Bane and her sharp eyes would have seen it hours ago. A bolt of lightning, no, to say that this fury was lightning would be to lie for this strange and malicous bolt eminated no light but seemed to absorb it and make what was a sunny day a black night. This dark and evil bolt struck the space between the siblings and seperated them, emptying them and the ship into a dark vortex leading to lands unknown.

An hour later Nathaniel awoke to a beach whose sands were black, every grain was blacker then night. At nearly the same time his sister, Jessica awoke and found herself in a strange, evil, twisted jungle that seemed to foretell her demise. They were on different islands of a long forgotten world.

{Hope you like this guys, feel free to add to either Jessica's or Nathaniel's stories. Au'revoir!}

As Nathaniel looked around, he saw that the black sands of the beach extended inland to the edge of a woodland, which seemed mostly composed of birch trees, their bark gleaming starkly white and their trembling leaves nearly colorless in the dim light.

Nathaniel stepped into the quiet woods, his feet crunching on dead leaves for a time making the only sound. Then he heard something else: a girl's laugh. A snatch of song. Splashing of water.

Hoping to find someone to tell him where he was, and perhaps help him find his sister, Nathaniel strode towards the sounds. His path took him down a gentle, rolling ridge, until finally he broke through the trees and found himself in a meadow, a meadow bordered by a pretty, splashing river.

At the banks of the river were three girls, human girls, who turned around as they heard Nathaniel approach. All three were beautiful, one with black hair, one with red, and one blonde. All three had pale, pale skin and wore simple white dresses laced with blue ribbons; dresses that had wide flowing peasant skirts that ended just below their knees, showing their bare legs and feet.

All three smiled at the newcomer, showing very white teeth in their pale, pale faces.

"Come dance with us!" exclaimed the black-haired girl.

"It has been so long since we had a partner," the red-haired girl added wistfully.

"You must dance with us," insisted the blonde girl, gazing intensely at Nathaniel.

The three girls stretched out their hands invitingly, and left the river bank, walking softly towards the pirate youth.

noahdd on Oct 16, 2013 wrote:

{ Nice, sirens I believe?}

[Good guess, especially based on limited information, though there is an additional clue in what the girls are wearing... if you live in home like mine where everybody knows the plots of 19th C. ballets. Which is not terribly likely you do! I'll give some more clues.]

Nathaniel automatically stepped backwards. They looked harmless enough, those barefoot girls, openhanded and weaponless, but still there was something about them that made him nervous. He cleared his throat.
"I'm looking for my sister. Do you..."

"We don't like girls," the black-haired one said dismissively.

"We like boys," the red-haired one added with a flirtacious smile.

"Especially handsome boys, like you," the blonde flattered. Her smile was sweet and pleasing, but yet did not reach her eyes. Nathaniel couldn't shake the notion that those eyes were somehow glass-like.

Nathaniel suddenly realized the girls were now nearly surrounding him. He wondered whether he should run for it, despite the innocent appearance of the white-dressed girls, but in that moment of decision, it became too late.

"Don't leave us!" begged the black-haired girl, and she gripped his left hand with her pale, pale fingers. Nathaniel gasped. Those delicate fingers were as cold as frost.

"Stay with us," the red-haired girl added her plea, placing her cold, cold fingers too upon his right arm.

"Hear our sad tale," urged the blonde, taking his warm right hand into her cold, cold pale ones.

"I had a sweetheart, a handsome youth, who pledged his heart to me. But I was only a toy to him, and when I discovered he was engaged to another, my heart broke from grief," sighed the black-haired girl.

"I had a sweetheart who pledged to marry me, to stay with me through times good and bad. But when I fell ill, he would not even visit me, and I withered away, pining for his love," the red-haired girl mourned softly.

"My sweetheart tired of me, and drowned me in the river," the blonde girl sharply added with harsh simplicity.

Kai Alcott on Oct 18, 2013 wrote:

From overhead, riding on a giant eagle, a boy in white robes watches the island.
"Curses." He mutters. "I thought maybe I wouldn't have to use my new knives."
He had not gotten a hidden blade yet, still being in training as an assassin, but he did have his daggers. He pulls his hood up, pulling both of his daggers into hand. He jumps off, feet first, and lands on the sand behind the black-hair.
"You claim to have died? How do you stand and breathe then?" He whispered, swiftly pulling his knives up to rest against her neck.
"You make one wrong move, and game over." He hissed.

Kai is very skilled with knives, and he has excellent reflexes. Yet, somehow, the black-haired girl smoothly sidles out of the deadly hold and firmly grasps his strong, weapon-bearing hands with her delicate, pale fingers. The chill from her cold, cold hands seeps through Kai's warm ones. His hands grow so numb that he doesn't even feel the knives dropping from his frozen fingers.

The black-haired girl laughs delightedly and wraps her beautiful, cold arms around Kai. "I have a partner in the dance! He has chosen me!" She swings Kai around until he is dizzy, then stops for a moment, bringing her rosy lips near his ear. Kai feels as though frost is emanating from her lips.

"Yes, human boy, I am dead," she murmurs, a dark laughter seeming to bubble up with her words. "But I may avenge my death over and over. I am a vila." To Kai's ears, that word sounds like willy.

"So, which do you prefer?" she asks, her laugh now plainly cruel even though youthful and bubbling, swinging Kai once again into wild dance steps. "Shall I dance you to death? Or shall I drown you in the river?"

"You may kill me either way, as I am not here, demon."
He collapses, and in the sunlight shines a small wire, leading up to the eagle.
This was a puppet!
Kai jumps down, and pulls a small paper ball from his pocket.
"Cover your ears." He says to Nathaniel, throwing the ball to the ground.
A loud explosion, and when it clears, Kai and Nathaniel are on the eagle.
"So, what is your name? I am Kai Alcott."

Anne Radcliffe on Oct 21, 2013 wrote:

Haha, thanks Chrissy! I was having fun with eastern European folktales of the vily ("willies"), immortalized in the ballet Giselle, which is why I was using a lot of folktale language and repetition. I thought such an opportunity perfect for Halloween, and I am very glad you liked it!

But since Kai magicked himself and Nathaniel out of their predicament, the willies just go away -- they don't have any power over things in the air. They will simply go sulk in the river and other related characters of the vila forest legends will not make an appearance. Sorry about that. But I'm sure the boys will come up with their own tale now.

Darn, Well I am sure you will, at the closest opportunity manage to fit them in soon, I would love to hear some more of this. x Draws feet up from dangling over the edge of the furniture. x

Jessica had no idea where in the Spiral she could possibly be. Her weapons and tokens were scattered everywhere, and after an hour of searching, she could only find half of a broken ring. Giving up on that for a while, she wandered around for a while until she stumbled across a clearing. Across the clearing, she thought she saw... Water Moles! 'This must be a safe place,' she thought, approaching one. Unfortunately, the Water Mole was unlike any Nui or Waponi she ever laid eyes on. As another strange mole crept towards her ominously, she braced for the worst.
"Who are you, and what in Bartleby's name are you doing here?"
The newcomer was dressed in strikingly blue and yellow robes, with a funny hat and long staff. With a gasp, she realized that this must be one of the Wizards the old dog in Cool Ranch had alluded to.
"I'm... lost. There was an explosion on my boat..." she started, but stopped as the Water Moles drew closer.
"Okay, first we'll deal with these whackos, then you'll tell me what you're doing in Celestia. I thought I was the first to find the Key since this place sunk!" The Wizard didn't seem to fazed by the advancing moles, and with his staff he summoned a giant snake that turned one of the moles to stone. As the other ran away shrieking, the Wizard turned to Jessica once more and said, "So, I'm Cole. Who are you and how did you get here?"