The lake water lapped quietly on the shore, soothing and calm. Regan teased it, dipping his bare feet in one moment and keeping them clear the next. He detested crowds, hence sitting by the lake instead of watching the demonstration. Oh, he'd considered it, but after remembering previous demonstrations decided against it. A smile appeared on his face. The crowd would be in for a treat, that was for sure. That is, if the new group of initiates lived up to all their expectations. A roar from the arena caused him to look up - it must be starting. The roar was accompanied by a low rumble, and Regan realized the rain that had been threatening to drop all morning finally was going to let loose. Gathering up his sandals, he awkwardly clambered off his log and brushed fine sand off his clothes.

After hopping around trying to get his shoes on, and realizing it would have been smarter to stay sitting for a few more minutes, Regan headed off toward the large building in the distance. The rain started as he was still two thirds of the way away. At first, Regan enjoyed it. Rain was a delightful form of nature, and he couldn't deny that he gloried in the walk. But as he neared the stadium, he walked faster and faster, ready for some shelter. The rain was a lot colder than he had expected. He opened the heavy door that lead from outside to the lower level of the Guild Hall, hearing the murmur of voices and sporadic clapping directly above him. Apparently, the rain hadn't deterred many from seeing the demonstration, nor would it stop the show from occurring. Initiates trained weeks on end for this day, and a little shower wouldn't damper it. Regan shook the rain out of his hair and continued down the hallway to the door on the far end.

He came out by a musty staircase that led directly to the library hallway. Regan stepped inside and inhaled the familiar smell of books and scrolls. Yes, this would be a good place to spend the afternoon. No water and plenty of amusement.

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going on a journey through my old claims

"Library...library. Where in the world is the library?" Marietta was at a loss. The poor girl was very new to the guild and not at all gifted in directions. She had very nearly entered the huge arena where demonstrations were going on, but one of the kind old teachers had directed her out saying in a laughing manner that she would be burned to bits entering the warriors pit. The girl simply paled and stammered out a thank you.

Now she was traversing the long, arched hallways of the Guild hoping to find the ever illusive library. Her luck continued as it started to pour down rain. Her long skirts and billowing sleeves -made of a patchwork of colors and designs- started to trip her up as they stuck to her extremeties.

The curly black haired girl ran towards the entrance of the library when it finally came into view. So excited was she to reach her unofficial destination of rest that she nearly ran right into a man that was as soaked as she.

Marietta heaved a relieved sigh as she barely stopped herself from knocking the man backwards.

She looked up at him with apologetic gold eyes, "Sorry, I'm just....well...I don't want to get wet, is all," she rambled trying to excuse her clumsiness.

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Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Itai was late for the demonstration. He had been helping his father with one last order in the smithy, Quality Tools, and apparently became too engrossed in his work. So he had to run, dodging pedestrians and careening along winding streets.

At this rate, he might just make it.

Then through the rain that had begun swiftly falling, he saw the other young initiate who was late for the matches. Actually, the young man who appeared to be only slightly older than himself looked as if he'd just been in some kind of spar. And the demonstrations had just begun.

"Looks like you've been in some kind of a scrape. Which one of them did it? My name's Itai, or you can call me Bitty."

He grabbed the warrior's hand and dragged him toward the arena. They could hear by the roar of the crowd that the first blows had been struck.

"Come on, or we'll be late! Or later, as the case may be. Listen, I'm due at one of the rings. You didn't get those bruises from falling down, I can tell that much. Do you know if one named Rylan was part of the group? Give the word, and I won't show mercy on him. He's my first opponent."
Itai grinned at the other initiate. The rain had plastered his long black hair to his face, revealing only gleaming white teeth and a small brown chin. His companion was a full head taller, and significantly wider.

He's large, just like all the others. Any of them could knock me down with one blow. And now I'm telling him that I could give one of his tormentors a beating? Father will kill me, if they don't.

Itai began plotting.

Thyme. Wild celery. That one would be a - foxglove? Maybe?

Aspyn reached for it, feeling the dampness in the dirt soak through her thin shoes. Just in time, she recognized poison ivy and backpedaled with ungraceful haste. The hem of her skirt was three inches deep of mud, too. She gathered it in one hand and straightened, scanning the wet, green forest.

Hoofbeats disturbed the silence. She cast a cursory glance over her shoulder, but they were already receding. Likely someone looking for the demonstrations. Aspyn frowned and went back to her examination of the indigenous plant life. It wasn't that she didn't respect them.

Well, actually, it was.

She wouldn't have done it, not for a bar of solid gold. Fighting never solved anything - why even practice? It was the reason children played with their toy swords, and gazed agog at the jeweled weapons in the stalls they passed. Training them all for war - why not train them for peace?

In any case, Aspyn wanted nothing to do with it. She would not spectate - that encouraged them on - and though many of the warlocks and warriors were initiates and mages who were both likable and intelligent...why could they not understand? If you did not need to fight (and was there ever really a need?) then why must you practice?

Her prowess as far as identifying plants failed beyond thyme and wild celery. And poison ivy. Aspyn straightened, putting a hand to the small of her back, and whistled.

This was a work in progress. She whistled again, more pointedly.

This time, a haughty animal by the name of Imp sauntered from the bushes as though it had been meaning to all the time. Aspyn gave him what she hoped was recognizable as a glare. "Idiot cat," she muttered. "Come on, let's go, then."

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Arianna could deal with people talking, dogs barking, and music playing when she was reading. She could even deal with people fighting. The one thing she couldn't deal with was thunder. It sent her hiding under a table or chair with a yelp every time. This time was no exception.

"AH!" Arianna started so hard when the thunder clapped that she fell from her chair onto the ground with a ceremonial "thud". "Oof," Arianna said as she stood and rubber her back. A rather embarrassed laugh escaped her lips when she looked around the library and suddenly discovered the other people that where in the room. She quickly sat back down and picked up her book. Maybe she could save what ever was left of her dignity until another thunder clap has occasion to roll through.

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Having retrieved his cloak Tal went to the library with his book of blank pages for writing and sketching and found a seat by a window observing the sparing stage. Putting on his small spectacles he began noting what was happening bellow. Many Warriors save some things they've learned for more public showings and he was ready to document what they had too display. The Mage glanced around at the other people sitting quietly in the large comfortable room. They either didn't like rain or they didn't want to see the demonstration. His first suspicion was confirmed when an unusually loud crack of thunder rowed over the Guild and a young woman was removed from her chair and placed on the floor by her own fright. He gave her a small smile when see looked his way before turning back to the window as the crowd's excitement heightened.
Tal had only been there at the Guild for a few months now but since he was a child he had been messing with spells and fighting with sticks. When he was ten he had spent the few crowns he had too buy a spell book off an old merchant at the fair and had tried out everyone the leaves held on the cats of his village, the other boys or himself when he had too. They didn't all work and some of the ones that did work have a bit more to them then the book described. His mother discovered the book that he had been keeping secret one winter evening when he had fallen to sleep reading it. She told him it was worth nothing more then a little extra heat for the fire. When his mother started moving toward the fireplace too show she meant what she said he began shouting nonsense words at her–it worked. She froze and handed the book back to him and told him to get out of the house, forever. He was only twelve at the time....
A shouted spell below snapped Talamor back to the now. Now, that was where he was. His quill scratch the page as he made a note.

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Having someone crash into your back when you are breathing in deeply is not very good. Regan quickly found this out as he lost his wind and started to wheeze. Trying to regain some control, not to mention some air, he turned to see what had caused his current state of not breathing. He was met by the sight of a younger girl, soaked to the skin, looking up at him apologetically.

"No trouble at all my dear," he said, finally getting his wind back. "Happens all the time. I'm a common doorstop for the newer initiates. They love opening doors and the like right as I get to the other -" He was cut off by a large clap of thunder. The thunder in itself was not so terribly exciting as to make him stop talking, but the odd sight of a member of the Guild diving under a table did. Watching in confusion as she proceeded to do so through the next several thunderclaps, Regan approached the seat on which the girl had just climbed.

"May I ask, is this a new form of dance? Or perhaps you are studying the underside of this table?" His face tried to stay solemnly curious, but his eyes smiled in friendliness.

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going on a journey through my old claims

Arianna returned Regan's question with a glare. That is until yet another thunder clap came, and she practically melted into the chair. "Yes," she retorted, "it's a new dance. Would you like to try? All you do is jump with fright and dive under the nearest table."

Arianna wanted to hit her head on a wall out of shear embarrassment. She couldn't be scared of heights, bugs, or any other such thing. Oh no, she has to be scared of loud, booming thunder. Arianna was sure she'd just made a very fine spectacle of herself. Luckly, she knew most of the people in the library. They wouldn't tease her to death. Near death yes, to death no.

_________________

She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, then closed it unable to think of something semi-intelligent.

Marrietta settled for another apology, "Sorry, once again..." she trailed off as he walked away. Her eyebrows raised and she let out a sigh, "Right then."

"Rather flighty man," she thought as she wound her way throught the many bookshelves trying to find a book of interest before the rain stopped and she had to attempt to find her way back to her living quarters. That would be a nightmare she almost enjoyed avoiding, save that she dearly loved her living quarters with all it's bright fabric and small momentos of former homes that were stuck everywhere she could fit them.

Marietta's luck had changed for the moment when she came across a large, but interesting book. It would be perfect for waiting out the storm. Being all in all an odd child of the gods she decided that walking to the chairs was just too far and she wanted to start on the book now. That being said she simply slid down into a corner of the building, nestled her form in between two shelves and commenced her reading.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

(stoic, eh? I'll give it a shot.)

Morgan was impatient. She knew this; she also knew that very few people would have recognized that particular set of the shoulders and that particular seat on the horse as impatience. Her five years as his deputy had taught her many things about this business and this man; not least among those was interpretation of the unsaid. She kept her horse at the same pace, though - there was no need to hurry, now that he had seen her. She'd get there when she got there.

Tanith Ser was not a tall woman. She radiated an authority and a presence that often increased her stature in the eyes of the beholder, but her height was surprisingly unremarkable. What people did remember, though, was the coifed blonde hair, the ice-blue eyes, and the even, Morrundy-accented voice. A true aristocrat, this one, even if descended from a cadet house of the nobility.

Reaching the shelter of the oak, Tanith pulled back the deep hood of her cloak. It was dry here, at least, and sheltered. She guided her horse to speaking distance. "Morgan."

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>

Aspyn, Imp in tow, fought back the brambles until she was well in sight of the vague outskirts of the city, and could catch the sounds of business unobstructed by the veil of trees. There were no walls around Mortallyia, only the place where the forest ended, and not far from there the place where the market began. She hitched up her satchel, tugging on the strap over her shoulder, and whistled through her teeth at the idiot cat.

The idiot cat in question waved his tail, blinking serenely, and in one leap had settled himself on her shoulder in a flash of tortoiseshell. "Good kitty," said Aspyn, and continued on.

The patchwork of stall covers, on ascending a rise in the ground, assaulted her eyes with myriad shades and textures. Aspyn hummed absently as she descended the other side, sliding in the damp grass and gaining, for her troubles, cat claws in her shoulder. The sun made an appearance, chasing away wisps of clinging cloud and getting down to the business of drying the mud.

Aspyn tucked strands of hair out of her face in the increasing strength of the breeze, and gave a nod and a smile to a passing porter. The center of Mortallyia rose before her, echoing with the sounds of commerce and swelling with activity coaxed from inside by the sunny day. She breathed in the compilation of myriad scents, sidestepped a cart full of crates, and decided that perhaps a little wandering would not go amiss.

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Marietta stood from her corner and closed the large book. She was quite pleased with the choice and decided she needed to finish the whole text. With this in mind she flounced over towards the desk to check it out. Unfortunately for her, her previous luck had returned and no one was currently manning the desk. She stood there awkwardly for a few moments, rocking back on her heels, waiting.

The woman shrugged and decided to just bring the book back home wih her and bring it back after she had finished reading. She realized that it was not compliant with the policies, but it was the fault of the library that no one was there to assist her. Marietta pulled a bright red and gold scarf from her hair and let the curls fan out like a black mane. She used the scarf to wrap the book so that it would stay dry and be easier to carry.

The woman started towards the door. She hoped that the rain would have lessened by the time she had to cross the court yard -the only place not covered on her way back to her rooms (at least she thought). Glancing back over her shoulder she flashed a smile and waved to the other guild members she had seen on the way in.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Tanith kept her gaze on the tree-lined horizon, where the branches seemed to reach into the grey clouds overhead. "This is a tradition among the Guild, sir. Were there hidden garrisons, I postulate that they would be more conspicuous." She let her eyes sweep over the distant lake, as if she could pierce the drizzle and see into the buildings themselves.

"They've no cause to look for our camp, but, all the same, wandering mages might stumble upon it. We might want to move it to higher, more sheltered ground." Tanith turned back to Morgan. "What are your plans now?"

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<center>Nothing but the Rain</center>