Silent Ones Tell Most (Private/Itori)

Elyx and Ignite, a far distance from the Neutral Grounds, though not exactly in Fiore as well. The both of them needed to get away for one special reason, physical training in combat. It had been a while since the both of them had a gym in their house, so they were unable to practice combat as often. So here they were, at the Mountain Village to sharpen their skills. Elyx aimed a right first to the stomach to make his opponent jolt upwards, then continue with a combo. Ignite was able to block the attack by lifting her leg high, the impact being with the knee, a rough are designed for blocking when placed correctly. She quickly used her right arm to strike across Elyx's cheek, her hand balled into a fist. The Violinist saw this coming and arched his back backwards to avoid the clean blow. He took advantage of the open arm to grab, and obtained a grip of it with Ignites arm. With that, he made an attempt to spin her around, but halfway across pulling her, she jumped, causing both him and her to jolt. This meant Elyx was unable to throw her. But she took his surprise to her advantage and gripped his arm with her available hand, then as Elyx released his grip, she twirled Elyx around in a circle one time. The boy had no control in the movement, which was the She Phoenixs plan. When he was about to come back to her from the twirl, she quickly raised her right leg and slammed it against his face, causing him to fall onto the ground. If this were a real fight, he would have been put into a huge disadvantage, dizziness, headaches, the whole nine yards were bad for him.

Ignite spun her right arm around in boredom, her skills in combat clearly better than the Violinists, by far But still though, regardless of how bored she was acting, she turned out to be having a lot of fun. I won again Elyx. Come on, this is getting a little embarrassing now. Ignite said before putting her hand out for him to grab, in which he gladly accepted. His vision was a little blurry due to getting hit in the face so hard by a boot. After stumbling back onto his feet, he took a few seconds to regain his eye contact once again. Once that is done, the both of them would be up and running once again.

Footsteps, where not many were heard. Out in the open, away from cities and towns, a single figure walks. The gait soft and careful, but certain and persistent. Clothed in a traditional outfit, looking like she came straight from the small country of Midi, the woman looks around her as she walks, one hand lightly resting on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Her long raven hair, trailing behind her, her vermilion eyes, covering the landscape with a clear gaze. A traveller, without a doubt, searching for something as she wanders, and not one to be treated as easy prey, even as a girl.

Then, she stops, looking into the distance. Two people she sees, one human and one not, sparring out here, where most people would focus on reaching the next village or town on their route. A source of interest, something that she would like to explore. Her hand curls around the pommel of her blade as a light frown adorns her face, her thoughts one of consideration and measurement. Could she afford to distract herself, interrupt her search to focus on something which she feels has no relation to it. A tough question, one with no certain answer. However, eventually, her mind settles: her search has existed for months, years even. This distraction would not be long. Another day, a minuscule amount of time, not enough to count as significant. She had time, she had travelled for so long, she could afford this small alteration of her plans. Deftly rotating on one foot, she turned towards this new destination, stepping forwards to watch these two creatures, training where she would be the only one to see.

Not too longer before she would be standing there, close enough to Elyx and his companion for them to notice her, this silent observer, watching them with a calm expression. A tall woman, with an elegant figure accentuated by her choice of clothing, a sword, long and slender like herself, resting on her hip, lying in its sheath. One hand at her side, the other resting on her sword, not a threatening gesture, merely a resting posture. She did not intrude on their sparring, merely observed them with vermilion eyes, betraying nothing of her intentions. Her presence did not hint towards overwhelming power, although she did possess magic. An experienced traveller, not one to rob or assault, but not one to fear either. She also did not look hostile: most of all, her eyes were those of interest, especially towards Ignite.

Her gaze followed every move of the two people before her, betraying a skill with combat, for someone unused to such things would have shown confusion at some of the moves, would not have been able to follow it all, would have to try and understand what happened. This woman just smiled slightly as she watched, a warm and pleased smile, approving of what she was being shown, if either Elyx or Ignite looked at her merely nodding, inviting them to continue what they were doing. They were out there, with here, away from settlements, but she had no ill intentions, and would not hinder them if they did not hinder her.

((Current form Human Form, as depicted in link of outfit.))

The both of them went at each other once again, nothing different about their movement this time, running as usual. Ignite was the first to aim a kick to the stomach of the Violinist, who stopped to the left to keep out of range from her foot. He quickly took the moment to spun, his left leg extended, and the leg sweep was successful. This caused Ignite to flip back, but luckily for her, she hit her palm against the ground, and handstand. Elyx knew what she planned to do next, so he put himself up and readied his right leg, and as Ignite flipped back onto her feet, the Violinist aimed a high kick to her face, which ended up being successful. Ignite was knocked onto her back from the impact, the same move she did on the boy, it seemed that the Violinist one. Of course, he would have a smile on his face as he made an announcement. Looks like I finally win this one Ig- The boy would say, only to end up falling for a spinning leg sweep recovery, causing him to fall onto his back. The She Phoenix was on her feet and aimed for a stomp to the stomach. Luckily for the Violinist, he was able to roll to the side just in time to avoid the attack. However, rolling was all he could do since Ignite was on Hot Pursuit for him now. Eventually, the boy go tired, and to make sure that he didn't escape, Ignite wrapped her arms around the arms of the boy, making his arms locked from behind. She hauled him onto his feet, but kept his arms locked behind his back. Looks like I caught a fish. You were so close to winning too you know. She said with tease in her voice before letting Elyx go, who was still a little bit phased.

From there, the both of them noticed that they were not alone, in which Elyx was clearly embarrassed since he just lost in front of someone. It was a lady who seemed to not care too much on making a scene, but to just simply observe. The boy smiled as he put his hand behind his head and walked up to the lady, still a little bit embarrassed. Hi there! The boy said happily before waving. However, the woman seemed rather... Quiet... Silent... It was nothing like he had ever seen before. It was not even like that one girl he met at the docks at the other day, this ladt was just simply, silent. The boy figured that she was a silent strong type. Though for one of those, her excellent choice in clothing was excellent. This lady seemed to have all things right in her appearance, but it was personality that counts to him. My name is Elyx Reiaki. What is yours? The boy explained, just as happily, he loved to meet new people after all. Though not in certain places. A silence emits once again, and the boy was forced to tilt his head to the side in curiosity. So... Do you speak?

As the two keep sparring their unknown spectator kept watching, one eyebrow raised and a smile on her lips as she saw the boy knock the non-human girl onto the ground. He had done well to accomplish that, so it was a shame that he didn't manage to react in time when the girl knocked him down at the same time that she got back up. Either the boy wasn't taking the fight too seriously, a spar between friends, or he simply had been too elated about managing to get his companion to fall down to keep his guard up. Then again, it could be both at the same time: when two friends are sparring one can hardly expect them to treat it with the same deadly focus as an actual fight of life and death.

While the boy was skilled enough to put up a good fight, it didn't take too long before it became clear for the swordswoman that the girl had the advantage: the boy never gave in or stopped trying, but the girl was being very ferocious and stubborn in her approach, enough that eventually she caught the boy after having exhausted him for quite some time. However the bearer of the vermilion eyes wasn't sure how the fight would have ended if the boy had just as much energy to spare as his partner: he was most certainly no slouch, and eventually mainly lost due to a difference in stamina. A difference which he should be able to overcome with more training.

The spectator nodded as the two finally noticed her, their sparring no longer demanding them to ignore their surroundings or otherwise be the one falling on the ground. She didn't move, instead waiting for the male fighter to approach her, once he was close bowing deeply, then straightening up to regard him with a friendly smile. However when he asked her her name and whether she spoke or not she shook her head: she did not feel like revealing that secret to him. He would be better off not having to deal with it. Besides, she had different ways to communicate. Holding a hand in front of her, palm forward, as a warning, she very slowly drew her sword, then began to carve in the ground with elegant and flowing slashes, until eventually a name would be revealed to be seen:

'Itori'

The woman, proclaiming herself to be called Itori through the carvings in the ground, then added another set of strokes, using her sword as if a brush to write something that Elyx might be able to recognize as a script used in Midi. If he didn't know the type of script he would merely see the following:

'意肚裏'

However, should he ever have been taught this strange style of writing, the following knowledge would be revealed to him through translation of the symbols:

'Feelings in the Heart.'

Itori then sheathed her sword again and resumed her original position, watching Elyx with a more curious expression this time.

The lady seemed to be kind, her actions careful. This triggered nothing to fight against her, not even when she drew out a sword, which she made sure to do so slowly. Good thing too, Elyx and Ignite were practicing combat after all, to get into a real fight would sort of add to the purpose as well. It was what they were training for after all, to be excellent fighters whenever they end up in real combat. After pulling the sword from it's sheathe, the lady began to draw onto the ground, in which the Violinist made sure to take extra notice on the movement. It seemed a bit rough, and a lot harder than speaking for sure. Silent, strong, elegant, and now rather puzzling as well. Elyx now wanted to know of the origin that this woman held in her, and if it was anything that he should be concerned about. Being a quiet one did not limit one to silence, and anybody would be happy to be given the chance to speak, especially when talking about themselves. So why not this woman? The letters were then carved, in which Elyx and Ignite both had to stand by the lady in order to not see the letters incorrectly. I, T, O, R and I. Itori, so that was her name, a simple yet complicated name at the same time. Never had he heard a name like that before, it must be foreign. Then again, what kind of name was Elyx either? With a nod of his head, he smiled before continuing a conversation with the woman. Nice to meet you Iroti! My name is, well, as you know Elyx. And this idiot for a friend is Ignite Rosella. A pleasure to be at your acquaintance. The Violinist explained before bowing formally.

The next to be written on the ground seemed foreign, and sadly, he was unable to read it. Languages were not his strong suit, at the cost of just about being unable to learn any other language, his English was somewhat decent. He used to be a shy child who was unable to speak, so he dedicated his time into learning that language and that one only. With a shrug of the head, he decided to be honest. I'm sorry Itori, I don't quite understand what that means. Why don't you tell me? I'm not all that good with riddles anyways. The boy suggested before smiling once again. He couldn't help it, he just liked to be social with people who were not as social. And those who were, he was normally the quiet one.

Itori did not appear to feel threatened even as both Elyx and Ignite now stood next to her, instead watching them as they tried to read what she had carved into the ground. While her movements had been careful and graceful, there was a limit to what one could do with a sharp sword on ground. As such the carvings were simple and to the point, even though she had done to also give them some beauty in their simplicity. However the most important part was getting the message across, not impressing the two fighters with her ability to carve words into objects with her sword.

When Elyx got so far as to read the part of her name that was written in the language used around these parts, and then introduced himself, Itori bowed in return while staying silent, although his comment about Ignite being an idiot earned him a puzzled expression, after which she looked at the non-human female as if seeking confirmation for this description of herself. It was most likely just a joke amongst close friends, but she still was curious to see how Ignite would react to such a comment. Especially after she had just managed to defeat Elyx during their sparring match.

Her reaction to Elyx admitting that he could not read the second part of the message that she had carved into the ground was a light frown. She had used that script to write that part of her name for a reason: that script had the interesting property that it could be translated both as syllables and words or even full sentences. To use the script that was used in Fiore would not get the full impact of the message across. However while she had been willing to carve her name into the ground trying to explain all this through carvings would take too long, especially if this conversation continued and she had to reply to everything with more carvings. Which left her with either complying and telling Elyx directly, or leaving him in ignorance. And there was a bit of an issue with using her voice...

Itori stayed quiet for a while after Elyx asked her to tell him what the second part of the carvings meant, staring at him with an unreadable expression. She didn't look offended or angry, but the smile was gone. The best guess anybody could give was that she was very carefully considering something. Most likely she was considering whether she would tell him what those strange symbols meant after he admitted that he could not read them himself. Eventually, however, she would beckon Elyx to come closer so she could whisper it in his ear. Although whether she did so to keep it secret from Ignite or because she didn't want to say it out loud... Once Elyx had gotten close enough she would lean forward, the boy feeling her breath as she softly spoke her message.

"I am Itori, the Feelings in the Heart."

It had been whispered, so the effects weren't as strong as they could have been, but it was still clear that her voice was not normal: it was ethereal, enchanting, beautiful. It was in fact so otherworldly that as Elyx heard it he would feel as if his surroundings had faded away, replaced by a landscape which looked the same but still completely different. Vibrant, more beautiful, almost frighteningly so. And Itori's voice weaved through that landscape, like the call of the siren pulling at Elyx, making him want to hear more and losing his focus on anything else as he desired to hear that voice again.

Once Itori finished speaking the effects of her voice would begin to fade, lingering in Elyx's mind as if a dream.

Itori invited the boy to step closer, like a secret sort of thing. It must have taken her a lot of thinking in order for her to be so trusting of him already. Well, if that much trust would be invested in him, he might as well do the same. Besides, the magic flow in her did not seem to strong based on what the boy was able to sense. In fact, if he so desired to do so, he was able to confirm what sort of magic she used. But since Elyx did not consider her an enemy, he was not going to do something to her that he would to an enemy. The boy took a few steps closer to the lady, his appearance showing more of his actual age as he did so. Though at times, he may have a childish mentality, he was actually a lot brighter than he made himself to be. In fact, most of the time, he would be rather calm and mellow. The combat probably fired him up, in which he was not prepared for what was going to happen next. Itori leaned forward to whisper into his ear, and his light brown eyes locked onto the scene as it began to blur. M-Magic!? Have I been tricked!? The boy thought to himself, but only to notice that he still had a chance to fight back, after all, it was not that strong of an effect. What stopped him from doing so was the fact that the scene around him was rather elegant, like his Calm Meadows spell. It was peaceful, almost enough to let him sleep in it. The blades of grass reminded him of Adrelissa, but the drug that he took made him feel two things. Happiness, and revenge. To him, love didn't exist due to that emotion not developing, such a shame.

From there, he heard an angelic voice in the distance, it was one of the most soothing things he ever heard. It compared with house he played his Violin, and for it to confirm that it was Itori, it was amazing. Why she had to put him through this, that was not something he was able to confirm. Regardless, he loved the beautiful scene. This would have been a nice place for a night under the stars, so beautiful. If this was Itori's voice, mix that with her elegant looks, and a shy personality, and she would pull on the heartstrings of many people. The Violinist smiled like a child and closed his eyes, not feeling too tormented by the pause of the voice. The desire to hear it again was there, sure. But his magic resistance forced him to control himself, not to desperately beg for the voice again. With that voice, Itori might as well take up singing. The surroundings however could only last so long, as they began to fade and the Mountain Village was returning. Elyx had his eyes closed when he returned, and a smile on his face, but no unhealthy need to hear the voice again. That place was amazing! The boy exclaimed as he opened his eyes again, then looked over to Itori. Whatever you did, that was amazing! Your voice, it sounds lovely! But I have another question, and you can trace on the ground if you feel. Feelings of the heart, what feelings exactly?

Itori wasn't completely sure whey she went to the extent of actually letting this stranger hear her voice. She almost never spoke, even when she was alone. She knew the dangers of letting others hear her speak, and she didn't want to take any chances with something going wrong. She was practically mute, not by disability but by choice, but now suddenly she was sharing one of her bigger secrets with somebody who she had never met or seen before, only because he asked her to explain more about her name. It was certainly curious, and she couldn't find the answer. It wasn't that he was immune to the sound: he was quite visibly affected, although he displayed enough willpower to not be caught as she whispered. While he didn't look like your average person she also had no reason to assume he was somehow different than any of the other mages she had encountered during her travels. Well, different regarding the effects of her voice. In short, it was a complete mystery why she had made this decision. Maybe after not being able to speak to somebody for so long, she longed for the opportunity to do so?

Elyx spoke up again, exclaiming about how what he saw was beautiful, and asking her to explain more about what happened. He looked positively excited about what he had just experienced, which at the very least made him different from the weak mages and those who had no experience with magic. Villagers and farmers most often reacted with fear at being influenced so easily by nothing more than her speaking. Those who were intrigued rather than repulsed and horrified were exceptions rather than the norm. That at least was enough reason for Itori to do as Elyx asked and explain more about what just happened. She mentioned for him to stay where he was as she walked several yards forward, until a safe distance had been established between her and her audience. At that point she once again drew her long blade, this time holding it with two hands as she focused, facing away from Elyx and Ignite as she closed her eyes. Then, with one step, she suddenly sprung, no, danced into motion, her eyes still closed as she began to quickly carve out her next story. One that would take a bit longer than just her name.

It wasn't just simple carving. She used her entire body, almost as if dancing, and while her sword was fast and precise it also sliced and struck as if part of that elegant and exact dance. Itori's eyes were still closed, her expression placid but showing signs of the concentration she was holding to be able to move like this and still land the strokes of her blade where they had to be to properly depict what she wanted to say.

Eventually the dance was at an end, at which point Itori quickly stepped forward and sheathed her sword, her long raven hair that had been trailing behind her returning to stillness, a black curtain covering her back. During the dance she had moved even further away from Elyx and Ignite, the message carved in the ground between her and her audience, positioned so it would be readable from their side. Which, of course, meant that she had been writing from the end of the message to the beginning, from the bottom making her way back to the top. After several seconds of not moving the swordswoman turned around, watching the girl and the boy as she waited for them to read what she had to say, which she had most literally carved into the ground itself.

"I am Itori, the Feelings in the Heart"
"As I was born I gained this voice"
"A voice that would touch the hearts of others whenever I spoke"
"It is uncertain why it does, magic or sheer beauty"
"I do not know if it is a blessing or a curse"

"When I sing of love, those around me feel their passions flare up"
"When I cry in sadness, the tide of sorrow drowns those who hear"
"When I scream for anger, the flames of fury run rampant in all"
"When I exclaim my joy, it will be shared with those who would listen"
"When I sing of what is lost, that which you knew returns to your mind"
"Mages and commoners, peasants and kings, all who hear experience this"

"The feelings in the heart are those that allow you to live"
"The feelings that drive you and motivate you"
"Without these feelings life would not be worth living"
"When I speak, I awaken those feelings"
"But when you feel them so strongly, as you also hear my voice"
"Those who listen are enthralled, charmed and wanting more"
"That is why I keep silent, so I do not control their lives"
"While those feelings are important it is not up to me to make you experience them"

The both of them just watched as the blade was drawing against the ground, nice movement and accuracy being written, letters were being written on the ground. Though it would look so hard that people that couldn't use a blade just wrote chicken scratch, Itori made it so easy to read and even easier to create. The movement of her arm was graceful, it would have been a shame to see all of that potential go to waste if it were unused. As the words were being written, the letters were forming sentences, and those eventually told a story in the end. A small grin was located on his face as he was beginning to understand. However, Ignite wanted to understand it as well. Hey! I can't see it too well. Elyx, give me a piggyback ride. The She Phoenix ordered, in which the Violinist simply ignored the command. His punishment for ignoring Ignite was getting jumped on top off from behind, the She Phoenix locking her legs over his shoulders and she pressed her arms down on top of his head. The boy in the meantime had to balance her on top of his head, a few bits of stumbling from the front, then pushed his legs back to balance himself up back to the position he should be in. The both of them made a tower, and now Ignite would be able to read the message now that she was so high. It was like a giant piece of paper, if you didn't pay attention and piece out the letters and spaces, it would be impossible to get the message with average depth perception.

Meanwhile, Elyx began to explain his answer to the story that he had given. Feelings like that really don't apply to me you know. Elyx explained with the same smile he had. If she was going to give him that information, why should he hold back his side of the story from her? Itori had been nothing but help to him. I didn't feel my feelings get manipulated at all. I just simply looked and smiled, admiring the new scene. Sure, I was a little scared because I thought you used a spell. But the meadows was so nice and calm, but my emotions were mine. The Violinist explained as he then tilted his head to the side. His face then went neutral, explaining a little sad part of his own story for him to explain. My emotions were ripped away from me to cure my sadness that I felt for two years. Crying myself to sleep sort of sadness, not a night went by in which I could hold it together. I lost all emotions with a remedy that stopped me from crying, my emotions can't be messed with, I really don't have any. The boy explained, making sure to not let Ignite fall onto the ground. Hopefully Itori would like to talk to him, and maybe she would have to whisper to him since Ignite could still be affected. She was pretty high up anyways, trying to read the message. She doesn't need to hear anything really.

Itori silently watched as the two strangers read what she had written down, what she really shouldn't be telling to people of which she knew nothing and for who she had no assurance that they wouldn't spread that knowledge. Her voice was a closely guarded secret, and for good reason: one did not need to be a genius to think of what some people might begin to plan, if they knew about Itori and the abilities of her voice. There were a wide variety of uses, all of which Itori had wilfully decided to leave alone, either because she didn't believe them to be good ones or because they were too risky. She had not asked for this voice, and while she didn't exactly resent it (after all, she herself was not affected nearly as much as others, and she did like singing) she wasn't going to just let her secret be revealed to the world at large. Whatever the cause was for her voice to have these effects, she wasn't going to let it be used for the purposes of shady or greedy humans, who might either try to have her sing for them and make them rich, or try to use the enchanting part for less savoury ends. She wasn't exactly trustful of humans, and she expected both types of people to try and treat her like a pet rather than her own person. And she still had things to do, things that she couldn't do if somebody else controlled her actions.

As Elyx explained how he didn't have emotions Itori raised one eyebrow slightly, with that already managing to display clear surprise at the statement. For somebody with no emotions he certainly did a pretty decent job of acting like a living being. From Itori's point of view somebody without emotions was not alive. Their bodies might still be organic and functioning, but a soul without desire or drive could as well be regarded as dead. And this man had so far not given the impression of actually being dead inside, which made her curious, curiosity which was shown by how she watched Elyx with clear attention as he explained. So he used to have emotions, but then gave them away because it was the only way for him to get rid of the sadness which had tormented him for so long. That at least gave some idea on how he could act so normal while not having emotions, but Itori was still somewhat doubtful, although she was too polite to actually let that doubt appear in her expression.

However Elyx's argument that he didn't feel his emotions get affected at all was met with a more blank expression, one that implied that Itori was carefully not showing what she actually thought of that. Once Elyx was done speaking she once again drew her sword. Since Ignite was still reading the message she had just written she found a new spot, at which point she once again began her silent dance in which she carved her story into the bones of the earth itself. Like before, once her message was complete she would step aside and sheathe her sword, allowing the boy and the girl to read at their own leisure.

"You felt nothing because it was a statement that you heard, one with no strong emotion. And there is more to my voice than awakening the feelings in your heart. It also gives rise to another feeling."

"Old stories will tell you of sirens, creatures of sea and sky that take the appearance of beautiful females. They would make their home on top of rocks in the sea, and when a boat passed them they would all sing. Their song served to enchant those who heard it, the sailors either jumping overboard and drowning or steering towards the source of that song, only to meet their ends against the rocks."

"My voice is the voice of a siren. It gives rise to the desire to find the source of the voice, and to listen to it evermore. It enchants and enthrals, and that vision you saw is part of that enchantment. You have a strong will, resisting it like you did, but I do not believe you are quite as emotionless as you claim that you are."

"Of which I am glad, because those who cannot feel cannot live."

Another message was being written onto the ground once again, this time, it was being written as Ignite was leaning to have the boy also lean and balance. He was being controlled like some sort of video game. Elyx, if he wanted to be able to stand without bruises from impact of the ground, had to move himself according to where the weight was being pulled. The She Phoenix was smart, but very much annoying and a burden to the Violinist as well. The next message was no shorter than the last one written on the ground, and of course, Ignite had to find out what it was, even if it did not apply to her. The message on the ground began to make a bit of sense of why he did not feeling anything. No strong emotion behind the words she had said, makes sense since the lady was just introducing herself. But that could have affected anyone else worse than it did to him, his magic resistance was just beyond that power that was just shown to him. If it were to cast some sort of weird spell on him, it might ned a little bit more power. But it still was a nice scene, being brought to a paradise in the meadows, the calm meadows in which he and Adrelissa used to meet for a chocolate bar or two. Oh how the boy wanted to go back to those days, she was still out there in the world. The reason why he wanted to see her again was actually due to emotions, he wanted to know what it meant to fall in love. It had never been done in the past, he felt that only Adrelissa possessed the personality to swoon him over, which is why he wanted to feel happiness, just one more time. She was the reason why Elyx cried so much, her tormented soul screaming for help, and all he could do was stare. If it hurt him that bad, what did she do to make him care so much? That was why he wanted to search so hard.

The next part explained about a creature named the "Siren", it's singing designed to swoon sailors in their boats over, only to cause them to crash. Such a sad fate, but what did that have to do with this? Irori jumped onto that part with her next little paragraph shown on the grown. Her voice was like that of a Siren, and that he did only feel a small part of it. Itori had then complimented him on his strong willpower, which confused the boy since he did not know what it meant. Another thesis of hers is that he might not be as emotionless as he seems, and for sure he can somewhat argue with that. I don't have true feelings, all of mine were developed. Artificial. I had to learn how to be happy. Learn how to be angry. These are things I can easily forget if I don't keep them in check. A baby is born, being able to cry when they are hungry, giggle when they are happy, it was just natural to them. I can't even do any of that without thinking of any of my developed emotions. Elyx explained, all of it with a neutral facial expression. The Violinist thought nothing of this, he had gone through this for so long, he felt that it was nothing to be embarrassed of, mainly because he didn't want to feel embarrassed. But instead, I have a different method of showing how I feel.

The boy then ended up putting out both of his palms. They both had two spheres of light formed inside each of them, they glowed brightly with white light, or would rather if the daylight sun was not shining down so heavily onto the scene. The left one shattered to many beautiful pieces of light, all of them spinning around like the planets would spin around the sun, just a little bit faster however. The particles of light began to take shape and gain more mass, the outline of his Violin was being formed. Meanwhile, the right sphere of light just simply created the outline, the stretched mass of it's current state was enough to make the Violin bow. After creating the Violin Bow, the Violin was made right after by filling in the outline of the Violin with mass. His Violin had been summoned. This is my Violin, it is designed to play music, which not only gives off my emotions, but positively influences the emotions of others. What about you? Is there any instrument that you play?

Itori observed the way that Elyx interacted with the non-human girl on his shoulder, how he took great care not to fall even as she made him move so she could read what the swordswoman was writing on the ground, carving her message with her sword with as much care and diligence as she could muster. It was an interesting sight, that was something she could not argue about: they really did look like they were close, in a way that just acquaintances would not be able to emulate. The amount of uncaring that the girl displayed at her own safety at the hands of the one on whose shoulders she was perched spoke of a level of trust that made Itori smile, a small but warm smile. The fact that she put that responsibility, literally, on Elyx's shoulders also made it clear that they were past the level of their relationship were they needed to be careful around each other. If one did such a thing with somebody who they weren't very close to indeed they would most likely be treated as rude or ignorant of etiquette. That Elyx took it in stride meant that they were close enough for such things to not matter. He did not object, or even comment on it. Instead he just dutifully did his best to support his friend, making sure neither himself or she fell as the girl did her best to steer him so she could read Itori's story. It did not look fake, or uncomfortable, or even unusual. Good friends indeed.

The non-human girl also interested Itori on her own. She could feel that Ignite wasn't human, but she wasn't sure what she actually was. It felt related to fire, not raw destructive fire but cheerful and dancing flames. It could not be a fire elemental: those were easily recognized, and Ignite certainly was a puzzle for the swordswoman. A puzzle which she wished that she could solve. But she could not ask Ignite herself. While she might be able to phrase her question properly there were two things that complicated it. For one, while she was entrusting Elyx with the story about her voice she was not willing to reveal every single one of her secrets. The only reason that she would ask about Ignite's nature is if she could somehow tell that the girl wasn't a human, which would lead to the question how she could know that. After all, it wasn't that usual for people to be able to tell whether another person was without a doubt human, and this red-haired female was acting and looking quite normal for a human.
The other reason was that Itori had no way of knowing whether Ignite would be offended at the question. Itori herself, being a non-human (even if her human form was very convincing), would not feel that way if asked about her true nature. However people could be very different in their personalities and reactions, and besides of that while Itori would not be offended she would be suspicious of whoever asked her. After all, one's true nature was not something that should be asked for so carelessly. Even as she was telling Elyx about her voice she was not telling him of her true nature, merely a small part of it. Whatever Ignite turned out to be, it was not her place to ask or press the issue.

As Elyx began to explain about how his emotions were not natural and thus not the same as those of others she nodded as he spoke, folding her hands in front of her lower body, taking a rather submissive and passive stance. A stance one might take towards their teacher or master. Although in this case Itori wasn't about to give the wrong impression: her body spoke of patience and a willingness to silently listen, but her expression should make it clear that she was not going to appreciate being ordered about. Usually she would put up the impression of just being completely subservient, but in this situation that would be unnecessary and excessive acting.

It seemed that Elyx still firmly believed that his emotions were not quite as real as those of other people. He admitted to still being able to feel, but where for others it was natural he had to focus on it. This lead to some curiosity within Itori, although she hid that carefully and stored it inside the libraries of her mind, wanting to remember but not express her doubts. Even for artificial emotions he was doing a surprisingly good job of not showing what he was lacking. And then Elyx revealed how he could show his feelings more strongly than through normal means of communicating: the swordswoman's eyes widened and became more interested as she saw the light gathering in his hands, changing shape and forming outlines before settling into the appearances of a Violin and a Violin Bow. So he also used music to express his emotions. Similar to Itori herself, or rather, the reason for all music to exist. Music, like other forms of art, served to express emotion, even if most did not quite manage to do what Itori did, however accidentally her case was.

In response to Elyx's new question, about whether she played an instrument or not, Itori sadly shook her head, a look of regret forming on her face as her folded hands tensed for a moment before loosening up again. It was clear that the woman was not happy about her admission. She looked towards Elyx, hesitated, but then walked towards him again, once in front of him leaning forward and motioning for him to turn his head so she could whisper in his ear. Once he did so he would once again hear her voice, but this time besides just sheer beauty it also had a tinge of sadness and regret in it. Being who he was Elyx might not be affected as strongly as others, but as a musician he should still be able to recognize it when an emotion was present, especially since with Itori's voice she could as well be singing, as once again Elyx's surroundings appeared to become brighter and more vibrant, fantastically and beautiful.

"You said that you removed your feelings, or had them removed, after the sadness you experienced became too strong to bear. While I do not know your full story, and can not say if that is false or not, I am led to believe that while you may not feel as easily as others, those feelings that you call artificial are still the remains of those you held in the past, and thus true. I do hope that one day you can regain your feelings to their full extent. One day that sadness that made you remove your feelings will also pass.

And I dearly wanted to learn how to use a musical instrument, but it was not allowed. People had already become weary of my voice, and did not believe that an instrument would be any safer for them to listen to. Even now I can not learn the other types of music other than my own voice. As long as hearing me speak or sing causes men and women to react like they do any music provided by me would not be accepted.

However, you have awoken my curiosity, and thus I would like to ask if you could display your talent. It has been a while since I could attend a performance."

The sadness and regret disappeared in the last two sentences, instead being replaced by a more...alluring tone. It was most likely that Itori did not do this on purpose. But when she asked for something, using her voice, most people, regardless of gender, age, upbringing, or social status, had trouble refusing her request.

The lady gave another gesture to move towards her, and just like that, Elyx was able to entertain the thought of interest, knowing what Itori was going to do. Once again, he will be brought into a world of happiness and peace all around him. Before doing so, he had to get the weight of his back, and it wasn't really that hard. He simply put his arms out and felt the weight slowly get off of his back, the boy was happy when he heard Ignite squeal a little bit as she was being tilted backwards. Unable to get a grip on his head, she ended up falling off of his back and hit the ground on her back. Elyx smiled as he knew what he had done, he was the reason why she was sitting on his shoulders, so now she ended up on the ground since he was no longer support. The She Phoenix looked up with a glare, not a threatening one though, but surprisingly adorable kind as she complained along with it. Why did you do that!? I was having so much fun up there you know! Ignite complained before flailing on the ground a little bit, scratching at Elyxs pant like a cat. The boy smiled as he barely felt anything, then he walked over to Itori with a smile on his face, ready to enter the Calm Meadows once again. He made sure to actually pay attention to the words being told to him as well, it would be a shame if he ended up just looking at the meadows and put under Itoris spell, only to not get the message in the end. Her voice was beautiful anyways, it was not going to be easy to block her out, maybe he should not worry so much about it.

Elyx smiled as he began to listen, only to notice that the melody behind her voice did not sound as blissful as before, but rather serious in a rather depressing way. This sparked his curiousity as he tilted his head to the side a little bit. After listening to the words behind the voice, he understood why she would be upset, but now he has quite a bit to consider. The Violinist didn't want to stop himself from seeing such a sight, so instead, he continued to look at the meadows and listen. Next, she explained that she was forbidden to play an instrument, since it may not be any safer. Was anybody willing to take the risk? No apparently, but now he had a chance to! Elyx smiled as he then heard the next request, happiness swarming over to him, and he let it. Violin playing, whenever someone listened to him play, it made him feel so happy. The voice ended right there, which was a sad thing for him, the elegancy behind the voice was just too much to let go so easily. Still though, he kept his composure in check and smiled as he was ready to play the next piece. The tone behind the voice was not even sad anymore... But not quite happy either. Something he was unable to place his finger on, but it still sounded happy in some sort of way, so he decided to compromise with it and feel happy as well.

I'd love to play the Violin for you! Elyx exclaimed as his light brown eyes shot up wide and his palms were placed near his face, being a child-like person, he was always glad to play for others. His right hand curved, the tips of his fingers were complying with the Violin bow, the left hand placing themselves on the neck of the Violin. After sliding once with delicacy, the first song, he made sure was a calm once. Classical Reflections, Third Movement. It was a piece dedicated to being calm and blissful, yet played at such a loud volume as well before calming down. Shaking his left hand to add vibration to the sounds, he ended up enhancing the sound as he played. His body remained in place, and soon, he ended up feeling himself swoon over the melody to the point in which he closed his eyes. I feel at peace, so free, so graceful. The boy thought to himself as he continued to play, losing senses to the world around him.

The swordswoman raised an eyebrow as Elyx suddenly spread his arms, tilting her head to the side as she saw the effects of such an act. So far he had been carrying the non-human girl on his back without any complaints, but apparently he had had enough of that, as by moving his arms one of her main sources of stability in her current position was removed. At first it looked like she could still keep herself in place by holding onto the sides of the boy's head, but then she fell, and because she had been trying to keep herself from falling, instead of jumping off, she fell on her back rather than on her feet, from which new position she looked at Elyx with an expression which made clear her dislike at what he had done, although she failed to look that intimidating. If anything she looked somewhat childish, complaining and faintly attacking Elyx's leg with her bare hands without achieving anything. Once again these two were displaying just how close they were to each other: if such a thing was done with anything else but good friends it would have required the girl to be a very forgiving and gentle personality for it to not be the cause of an actual fight.

However, as Elyx then stepped forward so he could once again listen to her voice Itori raised her hand, palm forwards, to signal him to halt. Once he did so she would go past him, resting her weight on one knee and a foot as she offered Ignite a hand and helped her get back up. Only after the non-human girl was once again standing proper would she smile and nod, then turning back to Elyx and giving him a very slight frown before returning to him and whispering her message into his ear.

The boy's reaction to her request was an interesting one, especially when taking into account his claim that he did not have emotions like other people did. She did not doubt that for him such things were a less important part of his mentality than for others, but it still was intriguing how he managed to give the appearance of being just like others, even looking as if he possessed a level of expressionism on par with that of children. She wondered just how much effort he had put into once again being able to feel after he had his original feelings removed because the sadness was overwhelming him.

Although that curiosity was replaced when Elyx began to play, the swordswoman immediately reacting to the music. At first she merely turned her full attention to the music, but then she began to slowly move her head from side to side to the melody of the song, closing her eyes as she let the sound flow through her. While she had not been allowed to learn how to play a musical instrument herself she had always been a fan of the art, especially since if nobody was around to listen she could at least sing for herself. And this boy was good at it, too: she could feel the emotions that the music was carrying, its message meant for everybody who heard it. Her ears were quite sensitive, so she could enjoy both the music and its meaning to the fullest, like Elyx himself beginning to lose sight of the world around her as she was absorbed by the beautiful music.

Elyx continued to string the notes together in the soft harmony that they were supposed to represent, being raised in a continent based on music, it was hard to get the notes incorrect. The rosin was a little bit chalked, the bow hadn't been rosined for two days in a row, but the sound was still playing at least. Reality began to hit the Violinist as he was full well familiar with this part, the song was about to cut off to its end. His light brown eyes began to open when he was realizing it, the right arm beginning to loosen in power and movement, the weight on the bow beginning to decrease. The song was beginning to lose volume, which is due to the fact that it was finally ending. Classical Reflections was short, which is why many have played it many times before feeling soothed. The composer knew this, which is why he wanted to make it as possible, yet as beautiful as well. Mixing the both of them was rather hard for anyone, but it had been well done by this person. Hopefully Itori would appreciate its simplicity as well as it's elegance. And at that very second, he just had a small idea. Ignite was the only person that the three of them knew were around them right? A small grin rose onto his face, it was not so often that he was able to think up of such a brilliant idea like this one. It's simple, but I think it would make her happy as well. The boy thought to himself as he held out the last note, vibrating his left hand to give the song a sweet ending.

The rested his instrument next to his body before opening his eyes, and his smile grew bigger as he saw Itori with her eyes closed as well. For a small moment, he caught a glimpse of her moving along with the music. I think she likes the Violin too, I can't just leave her out now can I? Elyx thought to himself before taking small steps forward, making sure not to alarm Itori all of a sudden after the song. He cleared his throat gently to make sure he used the right tone of voice. Upon approaching the lady, the Violinist put out both of his hands, the Violin bow in his left hand and the Violin in his right. With this, if she were to take his offer, she would have the Violin in her left hand and the bow in her right hand, which was how one was supposed to play the instrument anyways. Once he would get over to her, he was ready to give her the offer, with a smile of course.There is no one else around us, Ignite being the exception. Would you like to learn how to play the Violin? He would ask Itori, the Violin outstretched. There was a huge amount of him filled with hope that she would take it, he loved sharing music to those he felt need it.

Itori, as before, was completely silently, but this time this silence was caused by her focus on the music that Elyx was providing, the music that demanded all her attention, attention that she would gladly give. She was not allowed to sing when others were present, and even when she was by herself she had to sing softly, in case somebody was nearby who she hadn't detected. But she loved music, both the singing and the instrumental accompaniment. To get to listen to music here, out in the middle of nowhere, music specifically played for her to listen to, was a pleasure she had not been expecting, but one that she would most certainly not squander. Her eyes were closed, her hands were folded in front of her waist, and her head slowly moved from side to side, in tune with the melody of the song that Elyx was playing for her. It was a musical piece that spoke to Itori quite closely, being a more calm and soothing song rather than the more energetic and lively music that seemed to be popular nowadays. As she listened to the song, however short it was, she felt it lead her away from the world around her, if only for a short while, bringing her to her own memories of the past. Of a past very long ago, which she wished to return to someday.

As she listened to the song Ignite and Elyx might notice that she appeared to be affected even more strongly than just swaying her head. It was a minute difference, barely noticeable, but the root of her was slowly turning white, not white of old age but the pure white of snow. As subtle as it was, so was it also unexplainable. There did not appear to be any magic involved, and no other indication of the source was given. Her hair, a raven black, was just very simply turning to its exact opposite colour from its roots, advancing very, every so slowly to the tips. It was so slow that even as the song began to reach its end, it still had not reached beyond, perhaps, an inch.

Once the song drew to a close Itori slowly opened her eyes, smiling as softly as she had been before. She was very grateful to Elyx for providing that music for her to listen to, and she would gladly find a way to repay him for his kindness. However first she wanted to see what his next plan was, as he moved towards her with purpose. She watched him approach with slightly tilted head and that smile still on her face, wondering what his intentions were. She found it hard to believe that he would try something out of nowhere, having no real cause to harm her and especially not wanting to fight the one who had given her that musical piece to listen to. Although she had yet to notice that the roots of her hair had become white, although seeing how she was rather tall it might very well be that Elyx wasn't able to observe it either.

When he offered her the bow and the violin her eyes widened in clear surprise, then her expression changed to one of hesitation as she inspected the two pieces of the instrument. His offer shocked her, most importantly because she hadn't expected it. For far longer than he most likely expected she had been wanting to learn how to produce music, already having the voice for it. And for all that time she had been unable to, afraid of what might happen. Her voice was already perfect for singing. In fact that was the entire issue: it was so good at it that it became dangerous. But she still loved singing, even if she never could fully sing because she never knew who might be listening. And instruments could only improve her ability to perform. Except that she didn't know what would happen if she used an instrument.

Itori looked back from the instrument to Elyx, then back to the instrument, very clearly not knowing what she should do at this point. She looked troubled and hesitant, unsure about whether she should accept the offer. Only he and the girl were near so far as she could tell, but if her entrancing ability really extended to instruments...

Elyx continued to hold out his Violin, not even inching it back towards himself until he received an answer. It seemed that Itori was not going to be taking it, but he wanted to be sure of it. The optimism in him was telling him to keep the instrument outstretched instead of take the offer back. Ignite on the other hand seemed to have a different idea. With her right palm full of potential energy, she smacked the back of the Violinist's head with much force, causing him to knock onto the ground, face first. The pain was mainly focused on the back of his head, the force behind that palm was a lot harder than the ground. Ignite was a Phoenix Bird after all, her strength was much greater than any humans. Her intellect, slightly less than the average human, or at least that was the case for Elyx. You idiot! Can't you see you are pressuring a lady!? The She Phoenix exclaimed before putting both of her palms against her hips, tilting her body to the right side. Her light orange eyes locked down onto the flattened body of the Violinist, who made no attempt to answer back, mainly before the ground would mute his mouth. That, and the ground seemed to treat him better than any other part of the world. Ignite sighed before looking over to Itori. I'm sorry Itori... Elyx here can be a real idiot sometimes. Allow me to ask you the right way? Would you like to play the Violin? Trust me, I can handle anything you throw at me. I'm Ignite Rosella! The She Phoenix exclaimed proudly, pumping her fist against her chest, a small impact made to show her strength.

Elyx in the meantime stumbled onto his feet, the world being split in two with his eye vision. He did take impact to the face with the ground after all, just a few more seconds should get him to recover. His right hand was placed on his head, a small groan let out as he ruffled his brown hair rather ditzily. Ignite, that hurt... The boy complained before walking up from behind the She Phoenix, his head being turned red due to the heavy impact taken before. Hey Itori... I'm beginning to wonder, have you ever gotten to talk to someone? As in, with your voice, like you did with me. The boy asked, his light brown eyes now locking onto the lady instead of Ignite. It was a fair question in his opinion, maybe no one ever gave her a chance because she never spoke to them. But he was able to listen to her twice currently, and possibly more after the fact. The lady seemed to have an interesting background as well as ability.

As Elyx didn't retract his arms, still offering her the violin to take and play, Itori's expression became troubled, folding her arms as she looked at the musical instrument. Truly she would love just taking him up on his offer and trying to produce music in some other way than her voice. It was not her own lack of willingness that made this a hard choice. It was all those years in which it was made clear that it was too dangerous for her to have yet another source of music, seeing how her natural musical talent with her voice had already caused a lot of unintentional problems and caused many people, both those weak and strong of mind, to become enthralled and let their emotions get the better of them, their anger and despair as devastating as their joy and love was a blessing. When you've spent so long receiving so much negative feedback you begin to have trouble even entertaining that idea.

So she stood there, trying to make up her mind. Would her history make it impossible for her to accept this simple and friendly offer, made by a man whose sole intention was to make her happy with it? It almost sounded ridiculous, when phrased like that, but that didn't get the swordswoman any closer to making up her mind. A question that she couldn't answer, no matter how hard she tried. She would most likely have begun to look even more troubled if Ignite hadn't solved the issue in a very effective, if unexpected, approach: pushing Elyx into the dust and telling him not to try and force the issue. Itori stared at the sudden change of scenery with obvious surprise, the offer of giving her the magical instrument having been replaced by the non-human girl lecturing Elyx while the boy was trying not to actually eat dirt.

However Ignite made the offer again, although this time it was a question, less oppressive. Itori looked at the non-human girl, almost feeling like giggling when Ignite looked so confident about not having to worry about what might happen if Itori began to play. Instead she just smiled, hiding her troubled mind behind an expression of gratitude and elevation. The question was still there, but no longer pressured Itori with the same kind of strength. But she still didn't know the answer. While her arms were no longer folded her hands clenched for a moment as she looked at Elyx, then released as she sighed deeply, her smile being replaced by a more tired expression.

Then Elyx came with his question about whether she ever had anybody who she could actually talk to, almost everybody who could possibly listen not wanting to because her voice would enthral and enchant them. This made Itori think back on those who actually had been able to withstand her voice, or at least had been able to learn how to keep functioning even as her voice made the world feel and look more beautiful. Her expression now turned to a nostalgic and saddened one, and she nodded, but after that did not elaborate, instead looking lost in her thoughts as her mind's eye returned to long ago.

Elyx! You idiot! Look at what you did! Ignite exclaimed as she was seeing Itori no longer happy from before. A pang of guilt struck Elyx badly, but the boy was only going to receive it worse if he didn't duck once again. This time, the by was able to dodge a huge smack headed for him by arching his back away from the hand. A bit of the palm shiffed his nose a little bit, the air blew on his face intensely, that slap was just way too close for comfort. The attack had been carried out, and now Elyx understood what he had done to Itori. A bit of guilt began to ram through him, his bloodstream turning a little colder as he felt himself shiver. He put out his palm before making a sorry attempt at making anything better. I-I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad you know. Elyx tried to remedy, but the attempts were just rather sad to watch. Even the She Phoenix herself placed a palm against her face as she saw him make comments on how he didn't mean to offend the lady. It seems he doesn't know much better, mainly because of his lack of interaction with people. He took pride in it, which was a shame, no matter how much Ignite has tried to correct that trait, the Violinist still had ways of making himself look like a fool. The She Phoenix placed her hands on her hips, closed her eyes, then let out a sigh as she just watched the scene unfold. It wasn't exactly his worst social experience either, which made her feel a little bit worse. What else did Elyx do to make this seem better than that? Some questions were best left simply unanswered, it was for the best, even if the question etched in her mind.

Meanwhile, the Violinist had a small idea of what he could do to help the situation. A smile was placed on his lips again as he closed his eyes happily and tilted his head. How about this? How about we go eat somewhere, anywhere you want. I want to make up for this. The boy offered before opening his eyes and placing both of his hands in his pockets. It was a small offer compared to what he had done, but it was something that people like, food. That was something that comforted Elyx while he was a child, chocolate specifically, even if it was not considered legitimate food. Regardless, it made him happy, and maybe it would make the lady feel a little bit better. The ultimate goal for today, to help Itori recover from her sad state completely.

Itori's gaze shifted slightly downwards, enough that she could no longer be said to be looking directly at either Ignite or Elyx, as she withdrew further in the memories that were provoked by Elyx's sudden and unknowing question. Her expression was one of fondness, nostalgia, sadness, and loss, a combination of remembering something or somebody who she loved, but who she missed dearly and could not meet in the present time. She was so out of it that she did not even truly notice as Ignite and Elyx reacted to her sudden shift in mood, instead just thinking back to the people who she had actually been able to talk to before they disappeared, and all her attempts at finding them having been in vain. She had been looking for so long, never giving up, but that only made remembering what they were like in the past more painful, at least now that she was so suddenly made to remember.

Even those from her memories hadn't been able to completely ignore the effects of her voice, but they had been able to resist it enough that they had been safe, especially since Itori would rather harm herself than let them suffer even the smallest injury, be it one of the mind or one of the body. Only when they were around could she sing without worry, but only if it was them and no-one else. Only they had never reacted badly to her voice, or the effects that it carried without Itori ever having asked for it. Instead they had praised her for her voice, and asked her to sing for them whenever there was nobody else around to listen. While they hadn't supported the idea of her learning a musical instrument, because like her they didn't know what might happen if she did, they did encourage her to keep singing, even if she had to find places where there was nobody else that could listen to her.

As Elyx tried his best to apologize Itori tried to think back to the last time that she saw them. She still had no idea of where they were now. Well, that was untrue. She had no idea how she could reunite with them, even if she knew where they were. From the looks of it the swordswoman was truly and well caught within her own memories by now, only barely registering Elyx's and Ignite's words as her expression stayed nostalgic and saddened.

That is, until Elyx proposed that to make up to her he would take her to get something to eat. The response to that was almost creepily fast: Itori blinked, looking back up at Elyx while her expression became one of excitement and happiness. One might even have noticed that her ears twitched when the word 'eat' reached them, as if she was imitating a cat or a dog. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Elyx, then smiled and nodded. She then looked around before she looked curious, while looking at Elyx spreading her arms to indicate that the three of them were in the middle of nowhere, without any source of food conveniently being nearby.

Elyx smiled as the lady began to nod happily at his offer for food. Who wouldn't like food after all? It was able to keep someone happy for days provided it was a great meal. Unfortunately, that was all he heard, but he was able to confirm it for himself. Though he may have been a Guild Ace, and had some of the best food that the guild had was not enough to make him so happy. The food was amazing and all, but not what the boy would call satisfying. His taste buds only desired sweets, but the regular food offered to him don't provide that. Instead, it just seemed to be more like steaks, rice, corn, and salads. Though that may have sounded great, especially in the current times, it was actually rather bland. Ignite loved the food however, it provided her quite the happiness that she so desires, due to the fact that she wasn't such a picky eater. In fact, the last time they bought out, it was on that trip with Aria, in which she literally bought one of everything on the menu... Which forced quite a financial budget on the Violinist. Fortunately for him however, with a recent. All right! We're going to have to travel quite the distance before we get even near a place to eat. I'd personally not go to any guilds... My last experience with returning over to a guild was not a pleasant one. The boy stated, his guard raised a little bit. The last time he entered a guild due to an offer someone gave him, he was jumped and almost captured since it was a dark guild. However, his quick thinking and tower ability bailed him out from an unfortunate fate. He did not care to press his luck again.

Hmmm, I can't imagine you being able to run with the current attire you have on either. Elyx explained before snapping and putting his hand on his chin. A lightbulb figure then formed above his head instantly after the fact. It might not be the best one though, considering that they had just met the lady. Elyx was a speed based mage, due to his ability to manipulate air and all. Is there any sort of way you can travel fast? The boy asked, his plan being the final resort if nothing else were to be successful. If not, I can give you a piggyback ride, I don't really have any more of an effective method of travel. I usually just run throughout Fiore.

Itori kept looking both pleased and confused as she waited for Elyx to answer her unspoken question. She looked pleased because he had offered her food, which for Itori was always enough to make her happy and snap her out of whatever bad mood she had going on. She was honestly an extreme glutton, but since Elyx had offered the food she would not let the offer go to waste even if he might not know just how much the swordswoman could eat before she was stuffed. The confused part of her expression was in that he had offered to treat her even though they were honestly in the middle of nowhere, with not a single place where one could get food in sight. Of course she could go hunt for food, but normally when a human treated another to food they meant in one of their places of social gathering. Unless Elyx somehow had a way to very quickly and efficiently hunt a large amount of prey together for her...

When the boy declared that he was planning to just walk to the nearest place Itori tilted her head to the side, then nodded. That was one solution, and since she was used to walking she didn't mind too much. Although she did wonder if he actually knew of a place to go or if he was just planning to walk and walk until they found a place. Well, either way suited her, although if it took too long it might become another matter. His comment about guilds was only received with a non-committal nod, more like an acknowledgement of the words than an actual reaction.

However when suddenly Elyx began to ponder about whether she was able to actually move fast in her clothing Itori looked surprised, staying silent as she watched the boy try to figure out a way to help her move fast. While he was thinking she just looked down at her own attire, wondering what he was talking about. She didn't know why she would not be able to move fast in these clothes. They were somewhat bulky, but it was an outfit designed to also allow one proper freedom of movement even in combat. It might not be armour, but with it being cloth if it was too restricting one could never even consider wearing it during a fight. So when Elyx then asked if she had a way of moving fast she just pointed at her feet, then looked at him as if asking him why he thought that she would need any help in that aspect.

Elyx tilted his head to the side when Itori looked at him with a half-confused facial expression. Her finger pointed towards her feet, and though he thought that it would not be possible to make a walk so long with the attire she had, it seemed she thought otherwise. The boy had just met her, it was probably something he never knew about her. What if she did walk so far with her attire without any problem. After all, the both of them were practically in the middle of nowhere, so they would have to walk quite the distance. Oh, I just thought... Nevermind. Anyways, we should probably begin walking right now, I did not get my license yet since I do not have the jewels to do that. So... Lets begin, shall we? I'll lead the way. The boy offered before walking forward, making sure not to go too fast. With his speed boosts and current physical abilities, he tends to go a little bit fast with those he traveled with. It's not like the boy meant to do it, it just sort of... Happened. Provided the boy be followed successfully without any problem, he would travel through the Desert Town, there had to be some sort of stop in which they could get a map. Maps normally told them of small nearby cities in which they could take a legitimate break. From there, they might be able to grab a bite and quickly go home. He wouldn't mind escorting her, though the last time he tried that, he almost got captured by a Dark Guild. Wit got him out of that instantly, and now he was a lot more alert. One could never be too careful nowadays.

Itori just smiled as Elyx looked rather awkward in regards to her response to his question, making a downwards waving motion with her hand as if to say that he shouldn't feel bad for asking, if he in fact was doing such a thing. After thinking about it some more she came to the conclusion that for people who weren't used to this style of clothing it might indeed look as if it wasn't meant for high mobility, so she couldn't really blame him for asking. Still, the people who made this attire had done so following a tradition of swordsmen who abandoned armour in favour of being able to move faster and with more dexterity than those who relied on such reinforced clothes to protect them. She had been wearing this clothes for a long time now, and was used to the problems somebody less experienced might encounter.

Once the boy got to moving he would find that the swordswoman had no issue keeping up, even if he switched from walking to running. In fact, as long as he wasn't using magic to enhance his speed it was likely that he would find it very difficult to shake her. Her movements had a flowing quality to them, her entire form low to the ground while her arms trailed behind her. Rather than moving in a completely straight line it seemed she had developed a style of running where she kept the flow in her movements by slightly moving towards the side each time she put another foot forwards. This in particular had the result that the parts of her attire which were long enough made a sinuous movement as they trailed behind her, including her raven hair.

Once they reached the Desert Town and Elyx had slowed down Itori also returned to a walking pace, looking around as she inspected the buildings that made up the settlement. Eventually she would turn to Elyx, tapping his shoulder if necessary, before pointing at what looked like a traveller's inn. Most likely it had as sole purpose providing some shelter and provisions to the people who happened to pass through the area. In which case they should also have maps which should help them get to wherever Elyx was planning to take this silent companion that he had somehow acquired in the middle of nowhere.