Daring & Sorrowful Tales

[Dark Soul]

Today was a good day.

Dark Soul’s eyes glinted and he smiled from ear to ear, his eyes scanning the contents of the letter as the sweet tones of Stuck In Your Radio played from his stereo in the background.

He hadn’t felt this lucky since his entry in Brendan’s newest game, in which he got to play a vampire in the simulated medieval world where he was hunting for the Grail with his friends.

He had thought nothing of it when he had bought a ticket at the new lottery stand in Main Street- There were virtually no people there, and the ticket seller looked rather desperate- So he bought one. They’d been only two dollars anyway.

And now this! A two-week holiday in the Excellenzo Recreation Center, on some far away private island he’d never heard of, somewhere near the Philippines. Enclosed with the letter was a folding brochure, with all the avaible recreation courses and their specifics listed. There were restaurants specializing in different cuisines, tropical pools, courts for every sport you could think of, combat training, different types of massages from all over the world, and to a –to him- less interesting extent, beauty treatments in all shapes and forms.

Normally, a two-week vacation here cost an astronomical amount of credit- More then he would probably earn in his life, he thought, as he read the price chart. But now he’d have two weeks absolutely free of charge; He was excited already.

The letter said the plane would leave at 7:30 AM the next day, leaving him more than enough time for packing his belongings, getting a note up on the Hiatus notice board, tying up some loose ends. All food, drinks and accommodation would be provided, so he wouldn't have to buy anything. It was almost too easy.

He couldn't help but wonder if the combat training included weaponry courses- he had been looking for a new weapon for some time, somehow feeling his old weapons- He looked at his two similar dao's hanging from the wall, and felt the faintest hum in his body where his staff was stored in the form of energy- were up for a change. It would be a good opportunity to try and get a feel for what kind of weapon would be a good replacement.

He made a mental note to pack airy and short clothing- It was bound to be very, very warm there. Warmer then PokeCharms, at the very least, because according to the map it was closer to the equator.

~~~

The sun was past its highest point, but it was still quite warm outside compared to his air-conditioned home. With a suitcase in his right hand and a backpack with basic necessities and miscellaneous stuff slung over his shoulder, he walked away from the cab that had dropped him off. It was only 5 o' clock- You had to be quite early to get your tickets in time in a busy airport like this one.

The trip to the check-in desk was a short one, but the line was quite long already; DS kept himself entertained with his iPod while he waited. Zacky'd introduced him to this really good song by My Chemical Romance, Black Parade, which was set starter for his shuffles.

Eventually, it was his turn and he turned over all of his luggage save the backpack, which contained his legal documents, food and drinks and some miscellaneous stuff. Surprisingly, he was given directions to the VIP lounge- Another privilege that came with the prize, apparently. It was a more then welcome extra, of course.

After some deductive reasoning and frequent looks at the map folder, he found the entrance to the lounge. The receptionist checked his name (The man seemed puzzled about his age, even though he legally counted as an adult.) and let him in.

The lounge, at a first glance, looked like any normal lounge or waiting room. Several tables with chairs around them in the middle, more comfy-looking chairs with tables in between lining the walls. There were stacks of magazines laying on the tables. Most lounges, however, did not have two free-of-charge private phone boots, a luxury bar that served alcohols and several cuisines- And the magazines in question had titles like Fortune and a large amount of them were seemingly dedicated to yachting.

He went over to the bar. No use in wasting his own drinks if he could have some complimentary ones here. He ordered a coke that was swiftly given to him, and he looked around for a good place to sit down. That's we he noticed something that made his hearth race- Two familiar faces. Why would they be here, if not for the very same reason as he was? He did vaguely remember the sign saying 'triple grand prize'; He hadn't given it any thought since buying the ticket.

He smiled and went over to the table, giving a friendly nod at the Arcanist and winking at the other, melodious friend. 'Hey Shiny, hey Tailon. You guys got lucky as well?'

(OOC; This is a private battle between Tailon, Shiny and yours truly. You're more then welcome to read~)

 

[Shiny Motley]

Shiny hummed along to the tune her iPod was playing, tapping the rhythm onto her leg as she walked to the airport.

She wasn’t particularly interested in this vacation, having lived a rather privileged life already. Tropical islands, deserts, mountains, forests, grasslands, you name it; she’s been to all of them. Heck, she was born on an island, for Pete’s sake! But free food, first class seats, and a posh hotel to live in for a fortnight was always nice, and besides, she could escape reality for a bit. There was nothing quite like a vacation to get away from all the stress and frustration that was called “life”.

As her iPod changed songs, the girl remembered the day she had bought the ticket that was the cause of all this. It couldn’t have been more than a week ago, but already the details were a little blurry. She blamed it on a lack of sleep she had that day. There was something about her walking around town and seeing some random stand somewhere, and buying the lottery ticket on a whim... she didn’t even know what the prizes were for the winners, since she hadn’t even bothered to ask what they were. If it hadn’t been for the letter and plane ticket she received in the mail yesterday, she wouldn’t have even remembered the incident at all.

Well, she couldn’t really blame herself for not remember a lot. The poor girl already had too much to cram into her mind for school, and her brain capacity could only hold so much information before it began purging trivial information like her circumstances of buying the lottery ticket.

Stepping through the entrance of the airport, Shiny caught a whiff of an aroma that smelled like soap and window cleaner. Right, it wasn’t even three yet; of course there would be janitors working hard to tidy up the place before the first wave of passengers arrived. Shiny walked up to the check-in desk, where a rather tired-looking receptionist sat. The woman weighed the girl’s few suitcases and put them on the check-in carrier belt. “I’ve already called for someone to direct you to the VIP lounge,” the lady drawled before promptly laying her head down. Before Shiny could even ask if the receptionist was all right, a man dressed up in a neat white shirt, a red tie, and prim black slacks waved at the girl and asked her to follow him.

As Shiny bent down to pick up her only carry-on, a rather lopsided-looking case, the man gently pushed her aside. “I’ll take the violin, miss,” he politely said.

Shiny couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “It’s a viola,” she retorted, promptly making the man put the case back down so she could carry it herself. She went through security, reluctantly placing some strange silvery gadget onto the belt on top of her viola. Surprisingly, both went through without any alarms going off or personnel trying to arrest her. With that all over, she and her escort continued on their way.

As the pair walked to the lounge, Shiny noticed how the man kept glancing at her, particularly at her hair and clothes. She knew exactly why; for someone going to such a high-class, fancy place, she would’ve looked very out of place. Her black hair was sloppily put up into uneven pigtails, since she hadn’t bothered to brush them. Similarly, she was wearing her more casual outfit, complete with a wrinkled sky-blue hooded jacket, a badly faded and somewhat torn pair of jeans, a pair of worn out sneakers, and a white t-shirt with a nasty coffee stain on it. If she had known that the flight was at seven thirty and not five thirty, then she wouldn’t have been in this messy state. Still, though, it was her only set of clothes she hadn’t bothered to pack, and she really didn’t want to open her suitcase, fish out a “proper” outfit, and repack everything so early in the morning.

“Here you are, miss,” her escort said as they reached the entrance to the lounge. “Usually, there would be a receptionist here to check you in, but you’re a little early...” he let that latter part sink in with a smirk, but Shiny ignored him, entering the room without even looking at him.

“Thanks, sir,” she muttered, walking over to one of the more comfortable-looking chairs in the corner and plopping herself down on it. The man bowed and left, but not before he gave another critical glance at her apparel.

Shiny sighed and placed her head down on the table, exhausted from waking up so early and having to go through all that airport nonsense. A good two weeks at some private island resort, huh? Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel like it was too good to be true. She didn’t remember reading any fine print on her lottery ticket or her letter like the prize included some sort of survival test or whatever, but something just seemed really off. It didn’t help that during security, the officers hadn’t even bothered to confiscate her mysterious silver gadget, with a single knob on it, from her. Only her friends back in Pokecharms knew what it was, and even then not everybody knew its true potential.

These thoughts soon disappeared, though, as the girl closed her eyes, with her iPod playing Beethoven’s Tempest sonata as she drifted off into sleep.

***

Shiny opened her eye, before closing them again due to the brightness around her. Looks like the receptionist had decided to turn on the lights, huh? Daring to squint a little, the girl saw the outline of a familiar figure in front of her, but the intensity of the light in the room couldn’t allow her to clearly see who it was. It was only because of the recognizable voice of another person that allowed her brain to pinpoint the person’s identity.

Fully awake now, Shiny pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes. As she looked around the room, she saw the ever-optimistic Dark Soul, who had just seated himself at her table, and the Tailon who loved to tease her endlessly, plopped down in a chair in front of her. “Morning, boys,” she chirped lazily, sitting up a little straighter to get her oxygen flowing. As she turned her music player off and stowed it away into her pocket, she realized how strange it was for two of her friends from Pokecharms to not only be on the same plane as her, but also in the VIP lounge as well. “Why are y’all also in this super-expensive whatever room? Don’t tell me you used up all your savings just for a little trip to an island!” She hadn’t realized that Dark Soul had asked essentially the same question to her and Tailon, but she was too groggy to calculate that into her head.

 

[Tailon]

An enormous wake tore through the water, becoming visible on the horizon from the beaches of a small, private island, with a small, black blur moving at high speed toward the people standing there. A few moments later, and the black blur had arrived, and, without stopping, dove into the sand like so much water, tearing a fissure through it until the blur had apparently dug deeper.

Several minutes later, a patch of concrete near the airport began to crack and break apart, tearing open to reveal the Arcanist, Tailon, who shot out of the ground several feet before landing. The young man stood, up, brushing a bit of dust from his slicked back hair and repairing the damage to the floor with a single hand movement. Tailon blinked a few times, then began walking toward familiar lifeforms.

---

Several minutes later,the Arcanist found himself in a comfortable looking lounge with an empty receptionist desk. He stepped inside, and found Shiny inside, fast asleep, likely tired from her own trip. Deciding not to wake her, he sat down in a chair across and waited.

Some time later, the boy who called himself Dark Soul arrived, greeting them both as he saw them, "Hey Shiny, hey Tailon. You guys got lucky as well?"

Tailon grinned, "I guess you could call it that. I can make solid gold ingots out of dirt, so this place isn't exactly an issue of money," he laughed, "But yeah, I did win the trip. What exactly are we here for anyway?"

 

[Dark Soul]

Dark Soul laughed. 'Gold ingots out of dirt? I'm not sure that's completely legal. Or chemically possible.' He said, smiling.

His friend Shiny, who had apparently woken up mere seconds before, stretched in almost feline manner as she happily said 'Morning,boys!'- Sounding not even too surprised about seeing two other 'Charmsians next to her.

'Why are you all also in this super-expensive... Whatever room? Don't tell me you've used up all your savings just for a little trip to an island?' Shiny asked gingerly. 'This is more than a little trip for me. I'm terribly excited!' He answered, as his only source of income was a small business in town- He would never even have dreamed of a holiday like this.

Tailon asked what they were really here for anyway. 'I'd say to wait until our plane is here, which shouldn't take too much time.' DS said.

They continued chatting for some time, had a couple of drinks, before it was time to leave the lounge; Their flight was announced over the intercom. They picked up whatever luggage they hadn't already handed over- Dark saw Shiny put away her silver disk with a single button; She'd come prepared, for whatever reason- and left.

Their plane looked like an ordinary, large Boeing, meaning the business class would be on the second floor. He'd only been in business class one time before, on one of his trips to America.

At the gate, they were stopped by a black-haired and quite fair lady whose badge said 'Destiny'. 'Excuse me.' She said, stopping the three teenage mages in their track. 'You're the three winners of the grand Exellenzo price, aren't you?' She asked them. The three of them nodded expectantly.

'My name is Destiny, and I was sent you to inform you of something that, by accident, was incorrectly written in the letter. This flight will not take you to the resort, but to the nearby main airport. A luxury boat travel will be arranged upon arrival, taking you to the island!'

'No offense or anything, I mean, that's great- But couldn't they just have texted us that, or called us?' Dark said, puzzled. 'Oh, I probably should have mentioned that beforehand, shouldn't I- I will function as a personal guide on the journey to and during your stay on the island.' She returned, flashing another one of her smiles; They had to be forced, but they certainly didn't look so. As far as it came to tour guides, she was a pretty darn good one.

A little while later, post-takeoff, they were positioned in their seats. Shiny sat in the window seat, with Dark in the middle and Tailon at the end of the row. Where Shiny was staring out of the windown onto the clouds, dreamily, all of DS's attention was focused on the screen set in the back of the chair in front of him. The journey would be a couple of hours long, leaving more then enough time for lunch and conversations.

 

[Shiny Motley]

(OOC: Okay, I’m going to ignore that “staring out of the window onto the clouds, dreamily” part, but besides that I’m not that pissed off about all the autoing.)

Shiny hurriedly packed up her little gadget into her pocket with her iPod, clearly unaware that she had even taken it out in the first place, when she heard the intercom announce her flight. “Finally,” she muttered, following DS out of the door and boarding the plane.

Some lady stopped her and her friends, though, before they could move any further into the aviation. “Excuse me,” She began, “You're the three winners of the grand Exellenzo price, aren't you?” She had long, black hair like Shiny herself, but was slimmer and overall prettier than the girl. Was she perhaps Asian?

“Y-yes, m’am,” Shiny replied, nodding her head while her companions appeared to mimic her reaction.

“'My name is Destiny, and I was sent you to inform you of something that, by accident, was incorrectly written in the letter. This flight will not take you to the resort, but to the nearby main airport. A luxury boat travel will be arranged upon arrival, taking you to the island!” Shiny couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief. Though travel by air wasn’t so bad (if she wasn’t looking down), boat was a lot better for her stomach and sanity. Besides, the fresh sea breeze always had a sort of calming effect on her.

DS, however, didn’t look as excited as she did, but rather questioned Destiny about why they couldn’t have received the news sooner. The woman merely smiled and said how she was going to act as a guide for them, completely avoiding DS’s question.

The trio took their seats, and Shiny pretended to be cheerful as she sat in the window seat. She quickly pulled the cover down, blocking her view of the ground below. Though it she wasn’t so high up yet, she knew that it wouldn’t be long before the plane took off. And take off it did. The girl clenched her teeth and held onto her armrest tightly, intently staring at anywhere but the screen. Please, oh please do not come up just yet, what little breakfast I had today, she thought to herself.

The beverage and snacks cart rolled in about ten minutes after takeoff, and Shiny ordered a cup of coke with a bag of Doritos. She munched on a few of the chips, taking large gulps of soda with each mouthful, before going straight back to sleep.

Hey, moving vehicles always made her feel nauseous. Best if she was knocked out and not puking all over the lavatory floor, or worse, over DS’s shirt.