Woo! My 30th journal entry! I can't believe I got that far with people acually looking at it... Well, anyways, back to the story!
"Stop fooling around. We need him dead. Hurry up."
"Niina! Niiiiiina!"
Niina looked up at the sound of the eighteen-year-old's voice calling to her. The girl had been sitting on a rock overlooking a pond and thinking, as Keru had gone off to scan the area for any signs of life. Night was falling fast, and they needed a place to stay, preferably an inn.
"What? Did you find something? Some hermit? A cave?"
Keru smiled up at Niina, who was now standing on top of the rock. His orange hair had flopped over one eye as he said. "Better! I saw a small town, and then this old man came up, and he said that the town down there was called Shirat, and that the town the Rooks headquarters is in is about a day or two's walk from Shirat!" He continued smiling, even after he had to gasp and puff and fall down so he could regain his breath.
Niina's eyes had opened wide, but she quickly she closed them enough to look like they was bright with extreme happiness. She hopped off the rock and poked his head. "Well, wake up, Sleepyhead! We're not going to get there and defeat the Rooks if we just sit around here! We need to sit around someplace else, like in the inn!" Keru looked up at her and smiled, and she pulled him up. They quickly set off down the hill, and towards the town.
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"This is the life!" Keru exclaimed, falling backwards onto a soft, fluffy bed. The inn had provided them with excellent rooms, thanks to whatever Niina whispered in his ear. He had seemed somewhat frightened, but Keru didn't care that much right now, overtaken by actually being able to sleep in a soft bed. It was softer than any he could have ever imagined. Digging his head into the pillow, he suddenly remembered something.
'Wait... When I came running back to Niina, there was a shadowy figure melting into the distance... Who was that? Or was it just my imagination? Hnnnn...' He felt too tired and comfy to think about it right now. All that entered his thoughts was how he could have never imagined how soft a good bed would be.
"I guess you never imagine such greatness... when you're nothing but a street rat..." And with that, Keru fell asleep.
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Niina, on the other hand, was still wide awake, staring at the ceiling. The innkeeper had refused to give them good rooms at first, as they didn't have enough, so Niina told him that the Rooks would have his head decorating their front lawn if he didn't give them good rooms. And he believed it.
But she felt bad about the threat. It was strange. Before she had taken this mission, she wouldn't have had any problems with threats, but now she did. Niina rolled over to her side, still thinking.
'Why am I changing?' she asked herself, closing her eyes. 'I don't want to change. I'm perfectly content as I was.' She opened her eyes again. Those brown eyes, that, unknowingly to her, had been filled up with loneliness which had been erased for the past week, opened, filled with loneliness again. 'It must be Keru. Obviously. It never happened before him, and now it has... Well, I don't... want to change. Keru, I don't really want you to... but go away. Just drop your plans for destroying the Rooks and go away. Let them not fear you, and want to kill you. I... don't want you to... but just... leave me alone...' Her eyes closed again, and a single tear fell down her cheek as she spoke, drawing the sheets up to her mouth.
"I don't want to change... right?"
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THey were gone. FInally. The innkeeper breathed a deep, heavy sigh of relief as soon as they door closed with a sharp click, and he rested his head on the counter. One customer noticed this, a young elven man, who came over to the innkeeper and asked him why he was so glad that they left.
"Didn't you see?" The innkeeper said, and the elf cocked his head to one side, his long, reddish brown hair falling over one eye. THe innkeeper continued, "The girl was the SHining Knight! You know, the one that blasted a whole village apart with her sword!"
The elf nodded, his head straightening back up as he asked, "So, you were worried she'd destroy this town?"
THe innkeeper scratched the back of his head, his eyebrows knitting together. "Well, yes, but she said to me 'If you don't give us your best rooms, I'll make sure the Rooks have your head on display in their lawn by tomorrow morning' that's what she said!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around in worry.
"Morto, you have nothing to worry about. THey left, and the village isn't on fire right now. Everything is fine." THe elf gave Morto a small, reassuring smile, and then turned around to leave.
"Eh? Doreeton? Where are you going?"
The elf turned back around and smiled again. "Oh, I just have a few errands to do. Don't worry about me." He smiled again and opened the door. He walked outside, and Morto sighed as the small bell tinkled.
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"Uh... Niina? Is something wrong?"
Niina quickly looked up, and noticed she was standing in the middle of a street, donkey-drawn carts waiting for her to move. A deep blush of embarrassment appeared on her face as she quickly walked off the road. "Sorry!" she called out to the people, who grumbled slightly but continued on their way.
"Niina, why were you spacing out?" Keru asked, tipping his head to the right side to look at her face, which was watching thr ground, or her feet, at the moment. "Is something bothering you?"
Niina stayed silent, but merely shook her head, thinking to herself. 'Chalk up one more lie...'
Keru looked as though he wanted more of an answer, but he didn't press her, and turned around to conitnue walking. But he was suddenly gone, in a brown and green blur. Niina's eyes widened and she looked around, spotting Keru up on a roof, with someone else.
The man had long, reddish-brown hair that flew wildly about in the wind, crossing over his tanned skin and deep green eyes. The man was very elegant looking, wearing a green tunic with pale green leggings. Brown boots cover the feet and calves of the man, and he wore brown gloves. And he had long, pointed ears.
He was covering Keru's mouth with one hand, his other arm wrapped around his waist, as though ready to carrying him off again. It seemed he had muscles, despite his skinny frame.
"Leave this plan of yours, Knight." he said, staring at Niina. The people passing by ignored this, and veered away from the space between them.
"Leave it now. Nothing good will come of this, and you know it."
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Currently featuring the sci-fi story 'A.L.P.H.A', a drama swirled in with a bit of comedy, romantic entanglements, and webs upon webs of secrets.
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