The Importance of Good Manners (Link0304)

OOC: As you know but everyone else doesn't, I'm wanting to fight Kantos :3

BIC:
The air had become cooler in the last hour or so, while the sun still beat down as harshly as it had all fortnight, the wind was cold and growing stronger and dragging thick clouds in from the northern horizon. It would rain soon, definitely within the hour, Heron knew. It would rain a lot. The wind picked up – maybe it would be sooner.

It hadn’t rained in two weeks now and the ground below her feet was dusty and cracked. She dragged her large bell behind her as she walked. It was silent, though, sealed like the two at her waist despite not having any real power. Far above, birds soared across the orange evening sky toward their nests. The market street was busy and loud with people hurriedly packing away their stalls before the rain or taking a risk and trying to quickly sell the last of their wares.

The first flash of lightning silenced them all. Heron set her bell upright, counting on her fingers. There were four seconds between lightning and thunder – the storm was closer than she had thought. Other people seemed to realize the same thing, the entire street a frenzy of tossing wares into bags and folding tables and running home. People shoved part each other and Heron wasn’t surprised to get knocked around, grabbing her large bell to keep it safe and leaning on it to keep her balance. As the crowds dissolved, she took her bell and began to head toward the inn. She wasn’t in such a hurry to leave – she liked storms.

Suddenly she noticed that she was falling. She caught herself, digging her bell into the ground and leaning on it. Returning to her proper upright position, she scanned the area for the person who had knocked her. By now, there was only one person left. She lifted her bell and followed him, walking as quickly as she could without running.

“Hey.” She said calmly when she caught up. All she wanted was an apology, it was only good manners to say sorry if you pushed someone. She hadn’t minded before when people were bumping into everyone in the rush, but by now the street had been clear. The boy ignored her and walked on. She frowned.

“Hey,” She repeated “did you not hear me?” Once again, the boy ignored her, walking on. She stopped, not following him at first, calling “Hey!” after him. Still no response.

She sighed, exasperated. If Lore was here, he would have stopped her and told her it wasn’t worth the effort. Lore wasn’t here and the tiny part of her brain that was trying to assume his position of her common sense wasn’t very persuasive. She broke into a slow run, following the boy. By now he had left the end of the street into a large empty square. A few moments ago, the square had been bustling with activity, full of voices and stalls and people. The sky became darker as the clouds filled it, rain beginning to fall hard and fast

“Look here,” She snapped, catching up to the boy and grabbing his shoulder, forcing him to turn and face her. “Apologise.”

Ooc: Using an old character that was accepted here years ago. Tweaking his character so he’s 3 or 4 years older now and more mature, but no major changes.
*linkie* Kantos

Bic: Kantos folded his arms, glancing with little interest at the demon that knelt at his feet.
“Get the hell out of my sight,” He spat, turning on his heel. The creature looked like a large humanoid figure that was overly muscular. It was entirely hairless with red skin and large brown fangs that sprouted from the bottom of it’s jaw.
“Pu-please! I’m begging you! Just a bit more!” the demon begged, clutching at the ink black cape of the man who was walking away. Kantos stopped, his black boots scrapping against the rocks beneath his feet. He stood without turning around, the wind that whistled through the rocks ruffled his hair as his eyes narrowed.
“You’re worthless to me now,” He said after a pause. Kantos turned, looking down at the creature. “What’re you still doing here, you know I don’t like to repeat myself.”
“T-the pandemonium essence, I can get you more!” The demon stuttered.
“… Oh?”
“I can get it, I’ll get you three times as much this time!”
“Ten times,”
“T-TEN?! I-if I took that much they’d surely notice!”

Kantos arm flew from his side, catching the demon by the throat. Lifting the creature bigger than himself, the dark cloak man slammed it against the rock face behind him with a loud roar.
“I’ve had enough of you!” He snarled, tightening his grip. The demon gagged, struggling and clenching the man’s arm.
“I’ll get it! I swear!” it choked. Kantos dug his fingers into the demons neck; magical essence swirled down his arm like black mist. The demon flailed wildly, howling and roaring in pain. It’s physical mass began to increase, large brown bones sprouting from it’s shoulders and back. The demons eyes glowed a fierce yellow as it’s pupils disappeared and muscles bulged. Kantos released his grip as the creature’s feet touched the ground.
“Don’t waste it this time,” He said quietly.

Kantos frowned, looking at the bartender. He gritted his teeth as he gripped the thick glass in his hand tightly tightly.
“Yeah! With just bells she took it down! It was incredible!” The bartender exclaimed.
“Tch.. Who would’ve thought.. This town had a bell user?” Kantos growled, the glass beginning to crack in his hand. The burley man behind the counter stopped laughing for a moment, a serious expression replacing his normal exuberant one.
“Oie oie, easy with that glass unless you intend to-” the glass shattered in Kantos fist. “pay for it…”

“That guy still here?” Kantos grumbled, standing up and shaking his glove back and forth, casting droplets of alcohol off of it. Fishing into his pocket he threw a few coins onto the wooden counter.
“I think so… I heard she was in the market earlier today,” the bartender said after thinking for a moment. The black-cloaked man hurriedly stormed out the door.
“H-hey, it’s going to rain soon,” The barkeep began. Kantos didn’t reply. That damn whelp, how can he deliver if he’s dead? I swear I’ll draw out my payment in blood from whoever thinks they can mess around with my buisness. He thought to himself, storming through the streets.

After a few minutes of walking lightening streaked across the sky, followed by a loud boom shortly after. Merchants and late customers were quickly packing up and getting off of the street. The crowd dissolved and there was left standing one particular girl, dressed in white and leaning on a large bell. No mistaking it, that’s a holy bell…
Walking up behind her, Kantos placed his hand on the girls back, thrusting forward with enough force to easily knock someone down as he passed. He kept walking past her, hearing her call out after him. He continued walking, a heavy rain began falling, making a loud sshhhing noise and making it difficult to see anything at a great distance. Kantos stopped in the town square. This’ll do fine… no witnesses with this weather.

“Look here,” a female voice snapped. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and turn him around roughly. “Apologize.” She demanded. Her eyes were narrowed and set on his. A sinister grin spread across his face, revealing a pair of long sharp fangs. The girl raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused. An electrical shock penetrated her gloved hand, she gasped, from surprise over pain, and pulled her hand back. Black gloved fingers dug into the sides of her throat, pressing down angrily and forcefully pulling upwards. Kantos lifted her off of her feet with a single hand.
“You really screwed me over today, you know that?” He snarled.

The girl gagged, gripping the mans wrist with one hand, the other tightening around the pole that had a holy bell at the end of it. The man chuckled for a second.
“You stupid little wench, I’m not a demo-” a loud clang rang out through the town square as the metal bell struck Kantos’ temple. He released the girl and staggered a few steps, clutching the side of his head. The downpour of rain quickly washed a trickle of blood away. Bearing his teeth and snarling angrily the dark cloaked man stood to his full height.
“I wasn’t going to kill you before, just rough you up, drain some blood, bruise a few organs, break a couple bones… But you’re dead now!” he growled. The girl rubbed her throat for a moment.
“You really are a rude one.” She huffed.

That response had been wholly unexpected.

Heron stood, rubbing her neck with her free hand and lifting her large bell onto her shoulder with the other. He wasn't a demon, but she unsealed her bells out of habit and they chimed as she moved.

"What on earth are you talking ab-" She began as the boy recovered and ran at her, stopping to avoid his blade and swing her bell down, using her shoulder as a pivot. Her attack missed and he recovered faster, she lifted her bell just in time to catch his blade with the handle of it. It cut through the cloth handholds and slid down the metal handle. She stepped back, swinging the bell around and aiming for the boy's shins, but he jumped it easily. She stopped the pole, swinging it back. The bell continued moving, clanging loudly against the pole as she blocked another attack with it. Lore had warned her sternly to be very careful not to cause offence to people outside of Cathe and she had been careful, for once, to follow his advice. She couldn't think of anything that she had done that would make this boy want to kill her.

She tried to figure out what she had done as she struggled to block attacks. Her bell's handle was wooden but it was covered with leather as her armour was. It wouldn't cut easily, so she at least felt safe with that. However, when the blade had slid down the handle, it had cut the cloth handholds and she had no opportunity to re-tie them. In the rain, the leather was smooth and slippery. Her gloves helped a little but it was still difficult to keep a grip the slippery handle. Suddenly the boy stopped attacking so fiercely, stopping and holding out one hand. Heron was confused, but gladly took the opportunity to attack, stepping forward and swinging the bell toward the boy. He leapt back out of its path and a thin stream of flames shot from his outstretched hand. Although the stream of flame was thin, Heron was by now too close to dodge. She dropped her bell and swung her arms up to protect her face, petrifying the palm of her right hand and catching the flames in it. She bit her lip as the flame hit her fingers, which hadn't petrified fast enough. She couldn't feel the trickle of blood while her hand was petrified, but she knew that the surprise had made her move her hand while it was petrifying so it was likely that she had snapped her skin. She crouched, still catching the flame in her palm, and grabbed for her bell with her left hand. It was on her right side and two far away to reach with her left.

Lightning AND fire? How can he use both? Not even the king can- She thought as the flames dispersed. When the boy turned to attack again, she quickly stopped thinking of things outside the battle. She caught the blade between the thumb and index fingers of her petrified right hand. Her large bell was two heavy to use efficiently with only one hand, so she forgot about the thing for now, shifting to the side while the boy's blade was trapped and hitting the side of his head with the base of her palm. The boy stumbled, but didn’t fall and he recovered quickly enough to draw his sword from her stone hand and swing it downward. Raindrops hissed as they hit her petrified hand, stone held heat well. She raised her left arm and the blade hit her armour, it would probably bruise the skin underneath but it failed to cut through the leather, only into it. If he can use more than one element, he must be all kinds of powerful. I have to be careful.