All right everyone! today we begin the RP!! i'll start off :], ahem:

 

Across the World, at all of its known settlements was a message being spread, by the man named "Taison Moore", saying "My fellow subjects, rejoice! for today, the Fal'Cie have chosen yet again a L'Cie, now the Thirteenth, destined to lead us all into prosperity that is the next World after this one, rejoice!! my fellow people, rejoice!!! for soon, very soon....the start of the "Reimaging" will begin." said Taison whilst people all over the World started to exactly, as he put it, rejoice at the words of a new L'Cie having been born and will go on to create a whole brand new World for them through the journey that is called the Reimaging.

 

(This song plays, as the news by Taison is spread out practically everywhere-https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=As6Bv1e68hE.).

Edited September 25, 201312 yr by Iamkingdomhearts1000

The first thing that Aura noticed when she got back on the camp was that the giant l'Cie was gone."Where his he?" She thought. "I don't suppose something tried to attack while I was away."The Oracle thought about that while watching at the remaining members of the group. Reya was still sleeping peacefully on the tree branch while the Professor was leaning against that same tree and the Huntress was in her hammock."I will leave him be for now. Perhaps he just needed some space."The young girl then went to sit under a tree while once again focusing on her surroundings, while she began humming a song quietly while watching one of Cassandra's ravens to pass the time until dawn.

Cassandra's raven returned Aura's gaze, though it didn't make any noise. It occasionally glanced around, but went back to the Oracle after a while. Eventually, the Huntress stirred.

"I swear my birds are part canine." She commented with a yawn. "You watch them, they watch you."

Carefully, Cassandra shifted her weight and hopped out of her hammock. The bird that was awake flew to her shoulder. The two remained still for a moment, then The Huntress's face went grave.

"Where's Dagnet?" She asked, concern in her voice.

Almost as if to answer Cassandra's question, the sound of Dagnet singing drifted through the camp and was getting closer. Singing was probably too generous a name for the random syllables crammed together in a tune that was always changing, but Cassandra couldn't think of anything better to call it.

A minute later, Dagnet strolled into the camp with a big deer draped over his shoulders. The buck had a nasty head wound.

<Ah, good morning all. Want breakfast?>

Cassandra visibly jerked as Dagnet's inner voice spoke.

"Breakfast?" She repeated.

Dagnet stopped and looked at Cassandra.

"Meat." He explained.

<Whoa, you heard me?>

The Oracle heard movement and some words from The Huntress, something about canines, until she asked about Dagnet, and the Oracle noticed the tone of concern in the Huntress' voice.. Aura was about to answer when said l'Cie came back, singing.Reya jolted awake at the sound of Dagnet's singing and almost fell from the tree branch she was resting."Save the thin mints!" She yelled, still half asleep. "Uh...yeah...Morning!"The blue haired girl jumped down and waved at the those who were awake before noticing the giant l'Cie and the deer he was carrying."Nice catch. We are going to have a nice breakfast."The Professor awoke a few minutes later, taking a look around to see that everyone was awake."It seems I overslept. How peculiar...it's just like old times." He thought. "Good morning ladies and Dagnet. I see you went to catch our breakfast."Aura looked between Cassandra and Dagnet with a small smile on her lips."It seems they can communicate now." she thought to herself. "That's good."

"Do you.." Cassandra began, her voice quivering a little, but she rallied to get her voice under control. "Do you know me?"

<Well, you've been hunting me for as long as I can remember, so yeah. *Pause* Though, I do got to admit that up until recently, you were they only thing I could think of as friend.>

The Huntress's face flickered with disappointment and sadness, but it lasted only an instant.

"Thank you, I suppose." She said, her voice neutral.

Dagnet, apparently oblivious to his inner voice and Cassandra talking, dropped the deer in the middle of camp and started building a proper fire for cooking it. He paused momentarily to give Cassanrda a look, then gestured to the deer, and went back to his fire construction. Cassandra tilted her head to the side, then walked over to the deer. She pulled out a long knife and started to skin and prepare it for cooking.

<So, um... Any...particular reason you hunted after me and the big guy?>

"I thought you were mindless." The Huntress said flatly. "I couldn't let you hurt anyone."

Cassandra looked up, almost like she was trying to look at Aura and Milo through her blindfold, then nodded to them. That was the closest she could manage to thanks right now.

Aura and the Professor noticed Cassandra's nod and they gave a nod in return."What a sudden change in the mood, don't you think?" Reya said. "But~ I don't mind at all."The two Heimdallian girls and the Professor sat under one of the trees, wanting to give the Huntress and the Giant some space, so they could wait until they finished."I think Cassandra looks somewhat different." The Oracle said calmly. "I wonder why."Milo, who, once again, had a book in his hands, was writing at a calm pace before he glanced at Aura."I don't think we should worry about them. I'm sure that their relationship will improve over time."The blue haired girl was trying to look Milo's book just for fun."What are you writing about, Professor?" She asked happily. "Something interesting? about mystery creatures or maybe a fantasy novel?"Milo stopped his hand and gave Reya a silly yet warm smile."This old thing? Well, think of it as an autobiography or my memoirs.""Memoirs?" Asked Aura. "This may sound rude Professor, but dare I ask. What kind of life a librarian like you have had?"The Professor kept his smile while turning his head to Aura."Oh my dear Oracle. Even the most boring of days can be an adventure in themselves. I hope to experience much more things before I leave this world and it's never early to start. Besides! even a librarian can have a little excitement once in a while."Reya nodded at this comment before waving her hands."Better when the memories are still fresh, right? I wonder if you will write about us once this whole "Reimagine" thing is over."Milo looked at the Huntress and the Giant before looking at the Oracle and the blue haired girl and nodding at her."Have no doubt I will." He thought. "Everyone will have a role in this story of mine, but maybe yours will be bigger than theirs."

Dagnet and Cassandra worked in mostly silence as they prepared breakfast for the group. Cassandra wanted to ask Dagnet's other self so many questions. He sounded like David, but he didn't recognize her. Then there was the mind in control of the body. She had only seen that part as an irrational monster, but now he was acting..at the very least, contained. And in his ramblings was references of his former life.

"Maybe I could ask Milo to take a look at him later." She thought as one of her ravens watched the big l'Cie. "Maybe I could get my brother back."

<So...you just bumped into me and we started our...well, relationship?>

"No." Cassandra answered as she started handing over cuts of meat for Dagnet to cook. "I got a commission to hunt a Cieth terrorizing a town. Turned out to be you."

She paused a moment.

"Well, I suppose I should say the both of you."

The smell of meat cooking started to drift through the camp site.

<Really? Who put up the bounty?>

The Huntress paused again, half way through handing The Beserker another piece of meat.

"The Templars." She said slowly, like something was fitting together for her.

"So, Professor." Reya said. "Would you mind telling us about yourself?"Milo shrugged and closed his book before smiling."I'm nothing interesting, just a librarian in a small town who is fond of adventures and knowledge."The Oracle stared at the Professor, a small hint of curiosity on her face."How come you know Reya's mother? Aura asked."Mutual interests? It would be like asking why I hung out with your parents." Milo said while looking away, but still looking at the Oracle's surprised face. "Your mother was, for a lack of a better word, a beautiful girl among the women of Heimdall and your fa-"Aura quickly raised her hand to stop the Professor from saying the words she hated the most."Don't do that. That man may have been my progenitor, but he is not a father of mine."Milo quickly noticed that it was a touchy topic for the Oracle and dismissed it."Strange man he was." He whispered to himself. "In any case, it was the search of knowledge that lead me to meet Arya and her companion Yusu while they were searching for a way to get into the Library of the Ancients. We became friends after a rough start which ended up with an unconscious Yusu, a somewhat hurt Arya and a barely conscious Professor."Reya sniffed the air and her face quickly became one of happiness."That smells good~ I can't wait for breakfast."

"Pack bags, for the donkey's tanked!" Dagnet declared, as he pulled some cooked meat of the fire.

"I think he means that the first round is up." Cassandra suggested.

<That was what I got from it.>

The Huntress took a quick break from cutting up meat, washed her hands with a little water, then took a piece of meat. It was almost perfectly cooked, in her mind. David knew the timing for cooking. A pity what was left of him didn't have his talent and passion for seasoning.

"Get, while the gettin's good." Dagnet added.

<You realize that usually means "leaving", right?>

"Eat, before Dagnet decides to eat." Cassandra said between bites.

<That works.>

After she was done with the piece of meat she had, the Huntress went back to funneling more meat for Dagnet to cook.

Aura looked at Dagnet and Cassandra with a small smile on her face."It looks like they are getting along." She said. "I'm glad for them.""So am I." Reya nodded. "It's better than Cassandra hurting Dagnet."The Professor was thinking about the knowledge he gained before, he hoped that, with time, Cassandra and Dagnet could get back what they lost."In any case, let's join them" He said while getting up. "Before our giant friend eat everything."Reya quickly followed the Professor at the mention of food. The Oracle on the other hand was thinking about the strange event of last night before she followed the other two."Hey Dagnet!" Reya yelled with a smile on her face. "Don't eat all of it! We have to eat too!"

<Don't worry just yet. The big guy's too interested in the sizzling meat to worry about eating it yet.>

One of the ravens on Cassandra's shoulder looked up at Aura, Rey and Milo as the came closer. The Huntress was still trying to deal with sort of having her brother back, so some company was well come.

"Go on." She said, nodding her head to some meat already set out. "Dig in."

"Worry about windless mutts." Dagnet offered, not looking away from his cooking.

A raven glanced at the big l'Cie, then back to the others.

"So, Professor, after we break camp, what's our direction?" Cassandra asked.

Reya quickly took a piece of meat and took a bite."Oh..." She said. "This is good. You're a very good cook Dagnet!"Aura did the same as Reya, but while she was away from Heimdall and its customs, she still eat with some refined manners."Oh my. This is truly delicious." She said while looking at Dagnet. "Thank you for the breakfast."The Professor took a piece of meat and sat near Cassandra. While eating he had a calm look on his face."Northwest." He said flatly. "If we follow the path northwest...then...it should take us until the sunset to arrive at the library. We could use the night in our advantage if we are patient and lucky."Milo then sighed. While the path was usually without any problems, the sudden interest of the Templar was something that made him worry."Let's just hope that there aren't any checkpoints from the Templar along the way." He said. "I would like to avoid problems, at least until we are at the library."

<Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.>

"Blog shod blessings." Dagnet replied, bobbing his head.

Cassandra paused in her work.

"How will the night be helpful for the library?" She asked, a raven given Milo a questioning look. "Is there an enchantment or something?"

Reya giggled at Dagnet's inner voice before taking another bite."I could get used to eat like this" Reya said happily.Aura looked at the blue haired girl and then at her own piece of meat, a look of complete calm on her face."It is different from what I usually get in Heimdall, but I admit that the change is good.""Enchantments? Of course they are." Milo replied. "Tons of them. Most of them are to keep intruders out of the library, but a few are quite dangerous."The Professor looked at the raven for a couple of seconds before looking at the Huntress."Truth is...you can only access to the deepest parts of the library at night. And you have to know the right way to disable the spells or else you could get hurt. I'm sure that's something the Templar will find it's harder than they think. Information about the Reimaging should be in some of those closed sections."

Cassandra nodded. It was never that easy.

"The Templars have a few scholars of their own." She said. "After a few basic attempts, they'll send the scholars in to take a closer look."

She shrugged.

"We should still have time, though. From what I've heard, most Templar Scholars prefer staying near the Citadel."

<Not to break the flow of the conversation, but there is another issue we need to discuss.>

One of the ravens eyed Dagnet.

"Oh?" The Huntress asked.

<You have all heard of the Valcon, right? The nomad marauder types? Yeah, there moving into this area.>

Cassandra groan. One more problem.

"And how do you know that?" She asked. "And why didn't you mention this before?"

<Whoa, now. I'm not good with maps. I know where I am from the sights and smells I get from the big guy. Last time I went into this area, I met some Valcon scouts. We fought, and they died screaming something about their tribe coming and that I'd better make peace with myself. Heh, yeah right. But anyway, I didn't realize we were heading in the same direction until this mornings hunt.>

Once Dagnet finished his explanation and the news about the Valcon tribe were delivered, Aura kept looking at the fire."This could be unpleasant." She said. "The relationship between Heimdall and the Valcon is at some rather unfriendly terms."The Professor looked at the Oracle with a questioning look on his face."What do you mean?" He asked. "If I remember right Heimdallians don't leave the forest. Can you explain how the Valcon fit into this?"Reya raised her hand once she finished her piece of meat."They came to Heimdall a couple of years ago, wanted to take things, by force if necessary, but Aura refused."Milo looked at the blue haired girl and then back at the Oracle."So they left, right?" He said."It would seem." Aura answered. "They came back in the night. Apparently, they thought that they could take stuff without us knowing. Of course, we were prepared."The Oracle looked deep into the forest."We fought and drived them away." She said. "It was easy. These are our forest and we know them very well."The Professor nodded. Another issue to take care of. It wouldn't be easy...it never was."Then I suggest to move quickly. Leave no traces to avoid being noticed and be cautious while on the road."

"I can agree to that." Cassandra commented as she finished with the deer.

Dagnet was cooking the last bits of meat as The Huntress switched to packing up the cooked meat for travel.

"Oy, mageload!" Dagnet objected.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving some out for you." Cassandra said with out her or her ravens looking around.

<Well, Aura, if it makes you feel better, I don't think anyone has good relationships with the Valcon. I differently think there are greater evils in the world, but they don't work highways.>

"They can be rather superstitious, at least at grunt level." Cassandra volunteered. "A little bit of Oracleing and some fancy mumbo jumbo a scholar knows could frighten away small groups we find. Thought, if this is the same tribe that went to Heimdall, they should have a chef who the fear more then the unknown."

"If that doesn't work." Aura said calmly as her eyes slowly changed to an icy blue color and the temperature around the camp dropped slightly. "There are other ways."Reya waved her hands at the Oracle and shook her head."No need to be that aggressive, Aura." Reya said with a weak smile on her face. "There is no need to use the power of a l'Cie against them, not even the Eidolon"The Professor was looking at Aura. He knew that the Oracle was a l'Cie, and a rather strong one, but he too was against the idea."I don't think that would be the right way." He said. "Keep your power in check. I'm sure that, if given the opportunity, we can defeat the Valcon by normal means. Like Miss Tinal said, a little fancy mumbo jumbo and they will be frightened."Milo got up and looked around before nodding at the group."I think it would be good if we go back to the road. The faster we get away from here the better."The cold climate slowly went away as Aura's eyes went back to their normal color."Agreed. We now have another issue to take care of." She said. "The Templar and the Valcon."

Cassandra kept quiet as Aura, Reya and Milo discussed how to deal with The Valcon. She rather agreed with Aura's position about dealing with the raiders, but the others were opposed. Plus, keeping Dagnet out of combat situations with heavy magic seemed like the best idea.

"Calling great sleeves." Dagnet interjected.

<Well...we can save the big guns for if they're impolite. Aaand that it for the cooking.>

"These are yours." Cassandra said as she handed the big l'Cie a handful of deer cuts.

Dagnet took them and shifted up his mask to eat.

"Mangth." He said with his mouthful.

Taking that as a thanks, the huntress nodded.

"Well, better start packing up." She suggested. "Need to start off at some point."

Aura looked at the Huntress and nodded."Alright. Let's start packing up. We can discuss our course of action later."The Oracle went towards her bag and package and began to arrange her things."That got a little awkward." Reya said. "In any case...let's get ready to go."The blue haired girl finished her piece of meat and went to retrieve her bag from the tree she slept. The Professor already had his bag with him and was waiting for the rest of the group to be ready."It appears that both Aura and Cassandra think the same." He thought to himself. "Perhaps...it would be better to simply take care of the Valcon instead of trying to scare them."

Cassandra quickly packed up the left over meat and took down her hammock. She packed them away, but left out small portions of the meat and gave them to Aura, Reya, and Milo.

"Just in case." She told them before going back to her own preparations.

Dagnet finished his aloted food and belched loudly.

"Green linkage." He said, sounding satisfied.

He stood up and stumped out the fire with his large booted feet.

Aura took the portion Cassandra gave her and put it inside her bag."Thanks." She said. "Well, are we ready to go?"Reya nodded while putting her food in her bag and without looking at Aura."Sure thing! I'm ready to handle anything."The Professor shrugged and smiled."Sure." He said flatly. "Remember, we have to go northwest, at least until sunset and with some luck we'll arrive at the library at night. And let us hope that neither the Valcon or the Templar find us."Saying that the Professor began to walk towards the border of the forest, closely followed by both the Oracle and Reya.

Cassandra, having got everything of hers stored in her pack, slung the pack on her back with her bow and arrows. She had one of her ravens glance back at Dagnet. He had his axe resting on his shoulder with his left hand holding the handle in a lose grasp. Once he noticed he was watched, he winked at Cassandra and gave her a thumbs up with his free hand.

<Um...don't be worry about the axe out. It is just a precaution. But not against you. It's against->

"Calm down." The Huntress told the Inner Voice. "I understand."

<Oh. Okay. Whew.>

After checking that her daggers at her waist were lose enough for a quick draw if needed, Cassandra followed after Milo, Aura, and Reya. One of her ravens took flight to provide an aerial lookout. Dagnet brought up the rear, whistling tunelessly.

<Hey, Prof, ever hear of white l'Cie brands?>

"A white brand?" Milo said. "Of course. As you know, when a fal'Cie choose a l'Cie, it gives its l'Cie a black brand that will grown with time until their focus can be completed or else he or she will turn into a Cie'th."

Reya looked at Dagnet and then at the Professor.

"But what does that have to do with a white brand?" Reya asked.

"A white brand means that the l'Cie's brand stopped advancing and he or she is no longer in danger of becoming a Cie'th. There is no need to fulfill their focus anymore. There are other cases, of course."

The Professor glanced at the Oracle and nodded.

"In the past there were Crystals in the world and those who followed their will. A l'Cie born directly from the Crystal's Will were like modern fal'Cie, they had enhanced strength, speed, stamina, eternal youth, but it came with a price. A l'Cie will gradually lose their emotions and memories. Isn't that right, Oracle?"

Aura didn't looked at the Professor or any of her traveling companions, but nodded.

"That is accurate." She said. "A pure l'Cie born from the Crystal is very powerful, but trapped for its servitude to the crystal. Eternal life in an eternal torment."

Milo shook his head and shrugged.

"The crystals were lost and there haven't been any pure l'Cie in thousands of years. If someone found a crystal, even a small one, they would be famous all over the world. I hope to study one before the end of my life."

The blue haired girl glanced at the Oracle and raised her eyebrows while the Oracle shook her head slightly.

"Not now." She moved her lips without making a sound. "No one must know."

Edited July 7, 201411 yr by Elrandir

Through the sharp eyes of her ravens, Cassandra noticed looks Aura was sharing with people. Could the Oracle have found such a crystal? Something to consider and remember.

Dagnet scratched the white brand on the back of his head.

"Scorch and sizzle." He said said, a little distantly.

<Okay...so...We're not going to turn into a Cieth, because the brand on the big guy isn't "counting down" anymore?>

"Seems like it." The Huntress answered.

<Weird. I had always kind of assumed we were some kind of special Cieth.>

"As had I." Cassandra admitted.

"The world is big and there are things that are a mystery." Milo said. "Just like the crystals of old are special, perhaps...you're special too. Just something to consider."Reya turned around and kept walking backwards while looking at the rest of the group."It would be a shame that you were to turn into a Cie'th" She said sadly. "I wouldn't be able to hurt you now. You're part of our lives and I'm sure there is a reason for that."The Oracle on the other hand was lost in deep thought. During her reign, and her mother's reign, over Heimdall, the Elder Council always made clear their decision to let the outside world know about the fabled crystal found in the deeps of the Silva Deae. It would be able to bring a possible increase of commerce and business with towns and cities outside of the forest, but the Oracle was always against the idea. The reason? An object with the power to create l'Cie's falling in the wrong hands would be dangerous, not only for Heimdall, but to all Terra Crystallinus. The topic was deemed taboo once a girl, or some of the few males, went outside the city. Aura didn't need to worry for someone to "accidentally" find their way into the Rorem Temple and the Crystal Shrine for she had left the best of the Celestial Guard, the best warriors on Heimdall, to protect the Shrine. Something brought Aura back from the deeps of her mind, said something was Reya pulling her sleeve."Sorry. What was that?" Aura said.The blue haired girl sighed and shook her head."I was saying that we are going to reach the end of the forest." She said. "From here on we need to be cautious for any possible threats from either the Templar or the Valcon."The Professor stared at the Oracle, a fact she didn't miss, and while he was a little worried about the reason The Oracle was so caught in her thoughts he choose not to pursue the topic."I hope you're ready, Oracle. Take this as the true beginning of the journey. From this point there will be danger and other things that will get in our way to put a stop to the Reimaging."Aura slowly nodded, she knew that she needed to stop worrying about what she was leaving in the forest and focus on what she had to do in the future."I apologize. I am quite ready for this" She said to the Professor. "I was just making sure I did not forgot something while we are still in the forest."