The Forgotten Zodiac

"...I could try my luck going in," Byrne offered. "See why they're here, what they want... if they mean any harm. Not all of them want to fight," he said.

Aries frowned, then slowly nodded. "You stop them in their tracks, go on and talk to them. I'll see if they have anything of value, and if they're peaceful, we can trade. If they aren't...I'll take what I can and we can get them lost in our forests." She smirked, then nodded. "Sound like a plan?"

((Let's see, should they be firendly or not? Depends entirely on if we want new characters. XD))

"Sounds like a plan," Byrne confirmed, slinging his lance over his shoulder while gripping it in his left hand - signs of non-agression. He carefully approached the caravan, and decided to risk calling out to the other humans.

"Hello, there!" he called.

((They don't have to be new permanant characters. xD))

The caravan stopped short, the lead driver turning and eying Byrne. "You lost, son? People don't wander 'round these parts of the forest...ever. They all get killed. Some sort of rabbit assassin of some kind, the rumors say..." He eyed Byrne suspiciously. "You wouldn't know anything about that...would you? Pardon my suspicions, but it isn't exactly...normal...seeing someone like you out here..."

"I could say the same about you," Byrne returned, quirking an eyebrow. "Not so often that one sees a trade caravan out here, when, as you say, humans normally aren't out here so far. Who are you looking to do business with?" he asked.

"We're not a trade caravan," The human growled in return. "These are refugees. Women 'n children, mostly. People who want nothin' to do with this war. I'm takin' them to the lands beyond this forest, you see. Heard rumors that it was unpopulated."

"Rumors are just rumors." Aries said, settling on top of the lead carriage. The human jerked and glared at her, then jumped up when he realized what he was looking at. She smiled and raised her hands to show she was unarmed. Which wasn't quite true, as she still had her foil at her side, but she didn't have it in her hands at the moment. "I'm not here to kill anyone. I was going to ask to trade, but I can see that you need all the supplies you can get."

"Eh...what were you sayin' about rumors?" The man growled.

"The lands beyond here, the plains? They're inhabited by wiches. And beyond that, it's nothing but ocean. So if you can avoid Halberd Hall, you all should be fine. Just...be careful, alright?"

The man was slow to drop his guard, but eventually he did sit back down. "I reckon so..."

"You could always go north," Byrne suggested, but then stopped himself. "The Manakete are pretty territorial, but if you just skirt the mountains, they wouldn't bother you," he said, looking around at the group. Most of the people in the caravan were younger than even him! He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be caught up in this war, as young as they were.

"That's...not something I want to risk. Thank you, though." The man growled, then glared up at Aries. "Iffin' you'll let us, we'll just be on our way now..."

"Sure," Aries shrugged, sliding off the carriage and stepping back as the caravan got moving again. One of the little girls poked her head out of the carriage and waved.

"Thanks for not killing us!" She called. Aries smiled a bit.

"They'll be fine. I drew a mark on that roof that foresters will recognize as a symbol of peace. They'll be left alone." Aries nodded, pocketing the charcoal she had used. "Now come on, let's go check on the others. Arachne is probably bored of sitting with the hibernating Chimera-thing we lug around." She smiled, turning on heel and starting back towards their camp.

"Eve keeps her entertained enough, I suppose," Byrne said, smiling at the Viera. He looked ahead at the trees, looking at the newly formed leaves and buds. "Do you think L'arc is awake yet, back at the Manakete Palace?" he asked.

"Maybe. But the Tree of Seasons hasn't bloomed yet. There's a little flower that'll sprout on top - don't ask about that, I don't know either. Once that's bloomed, that means that it will start growing rapidly. Once that flower blooms, no matter what happens, the Tree of Seasons will be okay. That flower is the signal for when it's time to pack up and go to the Manakete Palace." Aries explained.

"You're back," Arachne looked up as they approached. "Find anything interesting?"

"Only a lonely caravan looking for a safe place to harbor refugees." Aries shrugged. "Didn't have the heart to take anything from them."

"Well, that's nice." She smiled a little, then went back to fiddling with the wood carving she had been working on for awhile now. Her attention to detail was remarkable; she had made an impressive owl, a deer, and three little squirrels that all sat on the same log. Now it looked like she was making a person.

Eve was sitting under the tree of seasons, apparently lost in her own thought. Byrne looked over to her.

"What do you think she's doing?" he asked. "Talking to tree spirits? No, wait, they're all sleeping. So... huh. Likes to be left alone, doesn't she?" he asked, looking to Aries.

Across the clearing, Eve caught Byrne's gaze and smiled, knowing he was talking about her but not really minding.

"You could go talk to her," Aries said with a small smirk and a nudge. "She seems lonely all the time..."

"I NEED FOOD." Rush yelled from inside the tent. "And no more of those old rabbits, I need deer or something! I'm suffering from protein starvation in here!"

"Why don't you get off your lump and hunt for yourself?!" Aries snapped at him, but she knew it was no good. Rush had been suffering at every movement for the past three months. He had tried to exercise, he had tried to move about, but it was just too much. The pain was just too much. They needed Bermuda's magic, now more than ever...

After a long period of silence from within the tent, Aries sighed. "Alright. I'll go hunting later today, see if I can't catch some early risers."

((Boy, have I got plaaans for Bermuda. I could insert a snippet here, if you like.))

"I'll go talk to Eve," Byrne offered, looking around at Aries. "If you wanted to go hunt. That, or vice versa," he said, smiling at her, but not quite meeting her gaze. He had thought that the effects of being worked on at the lab would have worn off by now, but quite the contrary. He still insisted, within his own mind, that the faces of the people around him... everytime he saw them, it was like seeing them for the first time. Of course, he knew all the people here, he was familiar with their voices, clothing, and the way the walked... but others... he just didn't know.

((Nuuuu. Just tell me what to do, if anything. NO SPOILERS.))

"You talk to her," Aries shrugged, understanding what Byrne was going through. She didn't know exactly, but he had explained it to her before, and she mostly understood. "I'll go out and hunt, okay?" She smiled. "I'll try to get a big deer. For all of us. We'll have a feast!" She grinned, picking up the bow she had carved.

"Thank you!" Rush yelled, which was followed by a short yelp and a gust of wind. He was trying to get his wings moving again; Aries' words had hurt him. He was tired of not being able to move...he didn't even understand why this was happening. He had been thawed out, but still unable to move much. The Library could only tell him that the shock and trauma of the attacks, combined with the experimentations he had suffered, had affected his subconscious badly. He just had to fight past it, but...it was hard.

Aries left with the bow, leaving Byrne to talk with Eve, Arachne to her carving, and Rush to his exercises.

((Switch to Israel and Verdi?))

((Okay.))

Israel jaw just about fell off his face as he saw himself in the mirror. He fanned out his wings once, put them back against his back, then turned around.

"I look... evil," he finally said, turning to Ela. "Am I supposed to?"

((That's her show name. Her real name is Ela.))

"You've done three of these plays already. You tell me. Your friend is happy with his role," Ela smiled, pointing at Verdi. The Moot was playing as a possessed sword that the hero used to kill the evil person. Which basically meant he got to roll around in black paint and carry around a large toy sword, to make it appear as though the sword was floating.

"Here," Ela moved forward with a little more makeup, adding a finishing touch. "There you have it. You're perfect. Now, let's go."

"Mommy, mommy!" Lilac darted into the open from the dressing room. She was dressed in her usual jellyfish garb. "The others are ready, and I think the crowd is already here."

"That's good. Ready up, Israel, the show must go on. Just remember your lines, as usual."

Israel sighed, then looked at Ela. "I'll jsut be happy when we get a new show. I don't like being the bad guy," he said. "It doesn't feel right."

Knowing that "the show must go on", however, the Siren went over to get in position, scowling as he tried to get into character. "Here we go again..."

((We get to do the play, right? It seems like it would be fun!))

((Why not. xD))

"That's the spirit," Ela grinned at him as the curtain rose.

Ela slowly spun across the stage, beaming as glitter was scattered around her. Her fish-scale dress flowed beautifully around her, catching the light and gleaming many colors. "It is I, the fish queen," She stopped spinning, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, which drew attention to the coral crown on her head. "Fashas, my loyal servant. Come forth. We have much to discuss!"

Israel hurried foreward at his cue, bowing deeply on one knee before Ela. He ignored the booing of the crowd - this was a common story, many knew how it ended, that Fashas was the bad guy. He was playing his part well, then, wasn't he?

"My Queen," he said, as what he hoped to be a dark smirk crossed his face. "Whom I live to serve. For you, I would drag myself to the very depths of the world's darkest trench, would brave the darkness of that which is unknown!" at this point, Israel turned to the crowd with a smirk, addressing them in an aside. "Of course, this and more she would have me do, 'twert a matter of "importance". Pah! Importance weighed by whom?"

He turned back to Ela, rising to his feet. "What have you to ask of me?