One Bird's Love is another Bird's Wish (Desquode)

OoC: I wanted Dave (Desquode) to start this, but since he has trouble starting RPs, I'm doing it again. However, he WILL start part two of this RP.

BiC: Avi flew about over the vast sea around her. The sun was shining brightly overhead in the clear, blue sky. The blue waves of the sea crashed below as Avi searched for fish to eat. She hadn't put anything in her stomach for hours on in and she needed a meal. Scouting the waters, she finally spotted a nice trout leaping in and out of the waves. Avi dove down towards it to scoop it up as if she were a pelican. However, just as she managed to grab it with her claws outgrown, a seagull flew down and took it right out of her hands. Avi chased after the white-feathered bird, desperately wanting the trout.

The young Harpy chased the bird here, there, and everywhere, not letting a tasty fish slip from her grasp. The two flew through high waves, soared up in the bright sky. Avi attempted to grab the seagull with her claws, but the bird was too fast. She only managed to skim its white feathers. Still, Avi didn't give up. She was desperate.

After Avi and the seagull flew here and there in a war for trout, a shark suddenly leaped out of the water and slammed into both Avi and the seagull. Avi cried out in pain as she was knocked unconscious into the water. Her memory was erased of everything that had just happened and her body just sat there, floating towards shore...

Avi awoke to find herself washed up on the shore of a sandy beach. She was soaked from head to toe, and grains of sand stuck to her hair. Avi could also feel a headache coming on due to the impact from the shark. However, she could not remember anything that had occured. Avi had even forgotten about being hungry. Then, as she began to get up, Avi saw a pair of feet standing before her. She slowly looked up and was amazed at who the feet belonged to.

"Des?" she said.

"Avi?" the Ravanen known as Desquode replied.

OoC: Take it away, Davy.

Desquode knelt down next to Aviara
"What happened to you...?" he asked in surprise.
"I-I don't remember..." Aviara stuttered.
Desquode held out out his hand so he could help Aviara up. She took his hand and they both stood up, though Desquode had to support Aviara, due to the fact that she was dizzy. Desquode helped her get farther inland where it was dryer, and less sandy.
Aviara laid on her back and looked straight into the sky.

After a few minutes Aviara finally spoke up saying "How did you find me?"
Desquode looked at her.
"It's not very hard when there's no one else around. I'm surprised you didn't drown, you look like you've been floating out there forever..." he said, as he too looked at the sky.

Aviara sat up, feeling better, and looked at Desquode as he stood up. He pulled out of small towel and handed it to her.
"Well, now that you seem to be feeling better, I suppose I should be on my way. You will be fine, right?" he said after turning around. "And keep the towel..." He said just as he started to walk away.

OoC: Now you've gotta stop Des from leaving, for obviouse reasons.

OoC: Okies, that shouldn't be too hard.

BiC: "Wait..." Avi stuttered. "What are you doing out here, Des? I thought you enjoyed living on that mountain of yours." At Avi's comment, Desquode stopped walking away and turned around. A small smile formed on his handsome face.

"That I do, Avi, but that doesn't mean I can't go traveling every once in awhile," Desquode replied. "You were out here looking for something to eat, I presume?" Avi paused for a minute, trying as hard as she could to refresh her memory of the previous events. Then, she suddenly heard her stomach rumble and remembered she was hungry.

"...Yeah, I think that's what I was doing," Avi said. "I can't seem to remember anything..." Desquode walked back to her.

"Don't worry, it's natural to not remember anything once you've been knocked unconscious," he assured her. "I've been through it before."

"Then how did you remember what happened on the mountain when I crashed into you?" Avi asked with curiosity. Desquode paused for a few seconds.

"You know, I haven't the foggiest, to be honest with you."

With that, Avi and Desquode just stood there, seemingly not wanting to leave each other quite yet. The two were silent for several minutes, admiring the blue sea ahead of them. The sun was now beginning to set, and the horizon's color transforming into a bright yellow-orange. Fish leaped in and out of the deep blue waves as the calls of seagulls could be heard out in the distance. A light breeze had also begun to blow.

For sometime, it was quiet, and neither Avi, nor Desquode said anything. However, neither one still seemed to want to walk away from the other. Avi thought Desquode was looking for something to say, and even though he actually was in a sense, he still broke the silence when he noticed something looked different about Avi.

"Um, Avi? Didn't you have a bow with you the last time we met?" Desquode asked, raising his eyebrow. Avi's eyes widened slightly. She then felt her back and realized Desquode was right. Her bow was missing.

"Oh no! Not my bow!" she cried. "My father gave that to me!"

"Calm down, I'll help you look," Desquode replied. "Four eyes are better than two, after all." Avi nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Des," she said.

The two walked down the beach and back, keeping an eye out for any sign of Avi's missing weapon. Without her bow, Avi would no longer be able to hunt deer or other wild game for food. They looked in the sand, and out at the sea. As they kept walking, the two made some conversation and as a result, let their bond grow. However, finding Avi's bow was going to be much harder than they thought. By now it could have sunk to the bottom of the sea...

OoC: You've got the floor from here, Dave.

Desquode walked along the very edge of the beach looking around. He noticed something a short distance away. "What could that be" he said to himself. He walked over to the object, but when he got to it he saw that it was just a piece of trash. He picked it up, put it in a pocket, and continued on looking around for the bow.

He and Aviara had been talking and searching for some time. Desquode suddenly stopped and squinted. "What's that?" he asked Aviara "It looks like it could be your bow." he continued.
Aviara looked a bit happier. "I hope it is... I'm getting exhausted from all this searching." she said following Desquode over to the bow.

When they got there they saw that it was the bow, and that it got wedged in between a couple of rocks. Desquode had an idea. He looked at Aviara and asked "Just how strong are those claws of yours?"
Aviara looked at the rocks, the at Desquode. "Pretty strong." she said.
Desquode look at the rocks and said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think I am..." she replied.

OoC: Are YOU thinking what I'm thinking? Desquode figures Aviara could just dig through the rocks with her claws.

OoC: Ah, okay, I see.

BiC: "I don't know if I can dig through something that tough, though," Avi continued. "My claws can dig through tree branches, tough plants, and more, but I don't know about rock." Desquode sighed. Avi was right. They didn't know if the plan would work.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try," Desquode replied. Avi nodded. She grew her claws to their maximum length and dug with all her might. However, she was only strong enough to move the smaller ones. When Desquode saw her struggle with larger ones, he went over and helped move them. The two uncovered a bow of silver.

"Yep, there it is!" Avi cried. "You were right, Des. Thanks again." Avi picked the bow up off of the rocky ground. She wondered how it had gotten there in the first place, but decided it did not matter. Avi put her bow at her back and followed Desquode back down the beach.

Avi and Desquode admired the beautiful sunset as they walked. Seagulls flew about in the sky, wandering in search for food. The waves in the sea continuously crashed in the water as dolphins and other marine creatures leaped in and out. It was definitely a beautiful sight, and both Avi and Desquode knew it. Avi flew up in the air as the two of them passed the same spot in which they met and looked out at the sea.

The water seemed to go on forever towards the horizon, like leaves falling in the autumn. Birds and marine life could be seen as far as the naked eye could see. Avi and Desquode enjoyed the sight while it lasted.

"Wow, it's beautiful, isn't it?" Avi asked from above. Desquode agreed.

"Yeah. You definitely don't see sunsets like this from Mt. Imu," he assured her. Avi began to descend and landed flatfoot back in the hot sand. She smiled warmly at Desquode.

"I bet."

For a few minutes, the two were silent. It seemed now that they were going to part, but they didn't. The moment seemed to great to spoil now. However, Desquode broke the silence after looking for words.

"You know, I find it hard to believe we ever fought with each other now..." he commented, returning Avi's smile.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Avi agreed. "One day we're tearing each other apart, the next we're...friends." Avi almost stopped herself when she said the word 'friends.' Somehow she didn't feel it was completely true. Desquode turned to face her, only standing a two feet distance. He gave Avi a warm smile.

"Hm..." he said as he did so. "Are we?" Desquode's jet black hair flowed in the breeze that had begun to blow. The sunlight shown upon his dark blue eyes as he gazed into Avi's. Her own bright silver eyes couldn't help but gaze back.

"Yeah...friends..." Avi replied, slowly. Neither Avi nor Desquode could break from their gaze. The two just kept facing each other as Desquode slowly took Avi's feathered hands. Avi grasped Desquode's hands in return, knowing she was feeling a feeling she'd never felt before. Her heart pounded as their faces drew nearer...and nearer...until their lips met in a long, romantic kiss. Avi couldn't help but slip her arms across Desquode's shoulders as his arms went around her waist.

"Or are we...in love?" Desquode said as they let go moments later.

OoC: Okay, now's a good time to let Avi's claws interfere, Davy.

Aviara continued to look at Desquode. "I suppose, but-" She was cut off as Desquode kissed her again. Desquode looked away for a moment.
"I'm sorry..." he said.
Aviara looked slightly surprised. "For what?" she asked.
"I should have asked why you were on my mountain, and let you answer..." he paused for a second. "Rather than attacking you so openly..." His voice trailed off as he finished the sentence.
"I understand. I mean, I'm sure you were rather annoyed when I slammed into you." she said as Desquode looked at her again. Desquode smiled at Aviara, and a few seconds later started to hug her.

But just as Desquode started, Aviara's claws started to grow. She had forgot all about them. And now, due to her lack of concentration, they were growing. Suddenly the ripped through Desquode's leather armor and barely punctured his skin.
"Ouch!" Desquode yelped jumping backward. "Wha-?" He couldn't think of anything to say.
Aviara realized what had just happened. She quickly shrank her claws and backed away.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking about my claws, and they just grew... I-" she paused, not knowing what else to say.

Desquode tried to look at the scratch, but it was on a place on his back where he couldn't see it. Then he looked at Aviara who look somewhat shocked.
"Don't worry... I'm sure it's just a scratch. Really, I'll be fine." he said walking over to her. Aviara stood there, not sure what to do. Desquode walked up, and stopped right in front of her.
"Those claws are sharp, but should they cut us apart? I think not. Avi..." he paused for a moment. "...Don't worry, from what I can tell, it's just a scratch, and a scratch never killed anyone."

Aviara turned away, looking for words. After about a minute, she found them.

OoC: Good, great job! I'll carry on from here, obviously.

BiC: Avi found words to say, but she wasn't sure what she would do about her claw problem.

"Yeah, from what you can tell," Avi said. "I need to have a look." She walked behind Desquode and examined the wound on his back. Blood was flowing down his back and staining his black shirt. And not only was the leather worn over it torn, but the shirt as well. Avi gasped in dismay at the sight of the deep cut and then glanced at her claws. The ones on her left hand were also stained with blood. Avi gasped again.

"What's wrong?" Desquode asked, sensing that Avi had discovered something dreadful.

"You're bleeding badly!" she cried. "Blood has stained your shirt too. Oh, I'm really sorry! I should either learn to control these...these dreadful things or cut them off!" Desquode's eyes widened slightly at Avi's analysis. He didn't want Avi to have to cut her own claws off, nor did he want her to accidentally cut him again. Desquode knew he had to think of something...

"No...you don't have to cut them off just because you've mistakenly cut me once," Desquode tried to explain. "Those are good weapons. You should take care of them." Avi plopped herself down on a rock sitting in the sand and broke into tears.

"But...I don't want to accidentally do it again," she sobbed. "How would you feel if I kept leaving a cut on your body every time I touched you? Des...I don't want to hurt you...I love you..." With that, Avi covered her face with her hands. Desquode glanced away for a few seconds, looking for some way to solve their problem. Then he realized negotiating would be the right way to find a solution.

Desquode sat down beside Avi on the rock, as it was big enough for two. Avi moved her hands from her face and looked up at him. He raised a warm hand and wiped her tears away as her long hair flowed in the soft breeze blowing in the background.

"Avi, should you really let your claws tear us apart?" Desquode said. "Should you really believe that I'll stop loving you just because you made a little mistake?" Avi stopped crying. She took a deep breath as she looked for words.

"But Des...I don't want to hurt you again..." she repeated. "I've been able to grow my claws like this for an entire year...but I never realized that I still don't have complete control over it. And because of that I'm afraid I'm going to repeat that mistake..." Desquode smiled softly. Now the solution was clear.

"Well, I don't want you to repeat that mistake either," Desquode replied. "All you need to do is control the claws and not let the claws control you. Use your mind much more efficiently. Know when and when not to let the claws grow." Avi returned Desquode's smile warmly. She knew he was right about not letting her claws control her and she was now determined not let her weapons get the best of her love for him.

"Yeah...you're right, Des," Avi agreed. "I keep working at it and eventually I'll reach that goal." Desquode smiled again. Avi was determined and just those words gave him a feeling of happiness.

"So are we all good on this now besides the fact that that wound still needs to be cleaned up?" Desquode asked. Avi nodded.

"Yeah...definitely." A few seconds later, the two shared another long kiss.

OoC: You're up, Dave.

After a moment Desquode stood up and looked at the horizon. "It's late... And I need to get washed up... Would you mind too much if we went back to my hut?"
Aviara looked at Desquode. "Well, I don't suppose I mind too much."
Desquode turned around and looked it Aviara. "Well then, lets get going!"

After some time the two made it near Desquode's hut. However Desquode noticed the door was broken off. "Stay here." he said the Aviara as he drew out his blades and slowly moved forward in a walking defensive position. When he reached the doorway looked inside and then walked in. There was no one inside the hut, but the place was a mess. The entire contents of the pantry were all over the floor, the fire had been put out, there were holes everywhere on the huts walls, and everything had been overturned. Desquode was shocked he could only think of one question... "What the heck happened here?!"

Aviara, hearing Desquode's question, entered the hut. She gasped slightly when she saw the condition of the hut. "Oh my!" she exclaimed. "What could have done this?"
Desquode didn't move. "Many things could have done this... But only one of those things could have left this." Desquode pick a piece of paper with a message scribbled on it. It read:
"Raven,
This message is to inform you that we have found you.
Do not attempt to leave the mountain or we will take action.
We will not let you out of our sight, and in an unspecified time, we will be coming back to your hut to finally capture you.
~Ravanen Syndicate~"

Desquode was silent for some time. He finally broke the silence saying "We cannot stay here... I don't believe in these petty threats. Whether they ARE real or not, we cannot stay here, they'll have me right where they want me... I can't take the chance of fighting them alone because they went through the same training I did, and therefore could counter every move I make in a battle... Avi... If it is necessary, will you fight by my side?"
Aviara looked around, and then at Desquode. "Of course, but who's the Ravanen Syndicate?"
Desquode looked at the floor. "A group you don't want to meet... They are the authority of my world... They are some of the best fighters, and are the one's who keep the peace..."

There was another long silence as Desquode and Aviara cleaned the hut a bit. It would be impossible to start a fire due to the holes in the walls of the hut, and since there would be no heat the water would be cold, and soon freeze. Desquode looked out several of the holes in the hut surveying the area outside. "We should leave now." he said as he picked up a sack. He put some pieces of meat in it along with a few other belongings. He stepped out of the hut and looked around. Then he looked at Aviara and said "Now, when I say 'Fly' I want you to fly westward just as fast as you can. There's a good wind right now so I'll be able to glide along quite quickly. And don't stop flying for any reason! Do you understand?"
Aviara thought for a moment. "Yes, I do understand, but what's going on... WHY do have to leave?"
Desquode looked away. "I'll tell you when we get away from here..."

Desquode paused for a moment, looked around one last time, then yelled "FLY!"

Desquode and Aviara flew off like bullets shot out of a gun. Desquode looked behind him and saw them, several members of the Ravanen Syndicate. They were gliding along the same as he was, and were gaining. Desquode looked ahead and yelled "AVI! FASTER!" Just then one of the syndicate grabbed his leg, pulled it, cuasing him to lose his balance and fall down. He hit the ground with a loud thud. One of the syndicate told two others to follow Aviara while the rest went for Desquode. Desquode yelled at Aviara hoping she would heed his words. "DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU ARE SAFE!" However there was too much wind for her to hear him clearly. However she did notice that he said something and turned around. She saw two of the syndicate after her, and then noticed Desquode getting pummeled by four others of the syndicate. Now she had to decide, defend herself, or help Desquode...

OoC: Wow, that was amazing, Davy. Avi's gonna have to do something big to get herself and Des out of this one.

BiC: Avi kept looking back and forth between Desquode and the syndicate members after her. what to do...what to do... Avi thought to herself. Then suddenly, the two after her charged with their swords pointed in Avi's direction. Just as they were about to strike, Avy dodged and noticed one member was about to stab Desqoude. She suddenly dove in the direction of him and the others. The other two syndicate members charged after Avi again.

Avi flew down as fast as she could while ignoring the two members behind her. She grew her claws and got ready to strike.

"NOOOO!" she yelled, in fear for her lover's safety. Avi crashed her claws into all four syndicate members just as they were noticing her. She went on a rampage, stabbing and ripping at their clothes and flesh. The members themselves, however, were nearly struggling to fight back, stabbing Avi back here and there.

Desquode got up to join the fighting. He would not let them hurt Avi no matter what they did to him. He grabbed his swords and sneak attacked two of the members. However, just as he was about to attack the other two, one struck Avi in the lower back. She screamed in pain as the blade dug into her skin.

"AVI! NO!" Desquode exclaimed. Avi began to collapse, but Desquode caught her in time. Her wound was deep and blood flowed down her legs and stained her clothes. A tear flowed down Desquode's cheek, as he was fearing that Avi would die.

"Des..." Avi stuttered. "I'm seriously hurt...I'm sorry, but I can't...I can't fight anymore..." Desquode held tightly onto Avi.

"Shhh. Just stay put. I can take it from here," he assured her.

"But...be careful...they'll kill you...if you're not," Avi protested. Desquode was about to reply when Avi whispered "I love you, Des..." He closed his eyes tight, but didn't want to weep in front of the syndicate members. Instead, he let Avi go and stood up. Avi was losing a lot of blood and went unconscious as a result. Desquode turned to face the members. He felt a wave of anger rush through his body.

Desquode turned to face the syndicate members. Their clothes were torn and blood spilled from the wounds in their skin. Avi had weakened them a lot from the fight and they seemed as if they were to give it up.

"YOU'LL PAY IF SHE'S DYING!" he yelled. YOU'LL PAY!!" Desquode readied himself for attack. However, the syndicate members did not do the same.

"We can tell you're in love with that bird girl, Desquode," one of them said. "But it will not stop us from convicting you of murder." Desquode gripped his swords even harder, not letting his anger escape.

"I DID NOT COMMIT THAT MURDER!" he replied. "DO YOU HEAR ME??!! I DID NOT COMMIT IT!! AND I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THE LIFE OF THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS FOR IT!!" By now Desquode was starting to sweat. He could feel the tension and stress building up in his mind in addition to anger.

"We're sorry, Desquode. We cannot let you go unless we get proof of your innocence," another syndicate member explained. "No matter how many times you plead not guilty."

"If that is the case..." Desquode said, beginning to calm down. "Then I will give you proof! I'll shove it in your faces if I have to!!"

"Very well then," another member replied. "We'll leave you and the bird girl for now. But mark my words. We will return again and be expecting proof." And with that, the syndicate members left.

Desquode turned his attention back to Avi's unconscious form. He knew he had to help her somehow, but with his hut destroyed, he had no shelter to bring her to. Then, Desquode realized he had no choice but to take Avi back to the beach. He picked her body up and walked off towards the horizon where the sun had set. Noticing her claws were still outgrown, he was careful not to cut himself by mistake.

As he stepped foot on the warm sand of the beach again, Desquode looked for a place to stop. He laid Avi down on the sand nearby and tore some of his feathers off to cleanse her wound with. A lot of blood had stained her skin and clothes.

"It's my fault...I got her involved in all this..." Desquode mumbled to himself. He buried his face in his hands after leaving the feathers on top of Avi's wound.

OoC: Take it from here, Dave.

"What can I do for her... I know little of healing..." He sat down on a smooth rock. "I should have know they'd find me... I mean, a mountain is the most obvious place to look... And then I brought her there, and... WHY?!" Desquode jump off the rock and cut through the air with his blades in anger. He landed on his feet, but his legs gave way, he was just so weak, not only from the battle, but from everything that had happened. He knew he had to do something for Aviara, but he didn't know what he COULD do. He felt insanity creeping up on him. He was so distraught that he couldn't think straight. "NO! I won't! I will keep my sanity! I- I- AUGH!!" Again Desquode jumped up and cut through the air. When he landed he sat on the rock again and looked at Aviara. "Why...? Why did we have to meet... If we had just never met, you wouldn't be so close to death..." Desquode said while sliding off the rock and falling to his knees. He put his head in his hands, tears falling, he couldn't let her die... He had to think of something. He knew of no potion shops, nor of any healing mages... He knew of no who could heal her. He was so tired, he wanted to go to sleep, but he also wanted to stay awake so he could keep an eye on Aviara. He was just so tired, his eyelids were heavy, he was weakened from the battle... He slowly fell asleep.

When he woke up it was morning. He stood up and looked over at Aviara, who was still unconscious. he looked all over her wounds for the feathers, but he couldn't find them. "They must have blown away..." he said to himself. Then he looked at the wounds again... They weren't healed all the way, but they had healed up quite a bit. Desquode started talking to Aviara, even though she couldn't hear him. "Well... Your wounds are healing well... Maybe a bit of rest is all you needed... Hopefully within a few hours you'll be just fine." Desquode stood up and look around. He noticed several berry bushes a short distance from the end of the beach. Then he looked out at the ocean and saw several fish swimming around. He walk over to the edge of the water. "Well there isn't enough wind for me to get those fish... I hate water... I'd drown trying to get them... Hmm..." Desquode ripped off one of his feathers and tied a bit of string he had with him around it. Then he went over to a tree and picked up a long stick near it. He tied the other end of the string to the stick and walked back over to the waters edge. he used his homemade fishing rod to catch four of the fish and then took his blades and cut off the heads and tails then left them on the sand. He then walked over to the bushes and started picking the berries.

After some time he had all the berries he needed. He walked back over to the fish and placed the berries near them and then went back to the tree where he had found the stick. He searched around for some more sticks to use in a fire. When he got the sticks he needed he walked over to the berries and fish and started to make a fire. By now the morning was gone and it was noon. Desquode finished making the fire so he started to gut the fish and wash them off in the ocean. Once he was done with that he dried off the fish and put them on the fire, which by now was burning nicely. When the fish were half way done cooking he took them off the fire and set them aside. He then took the berries and proceeded to smash them into a paste. Then he took the berry past and spread it all over the outside of the fish. When the fish were completely covered he put them back on the fire to finish cooking.

While he waited for them to finish cooking he found a banana tree, however there were no bananas on it, but that didn't matter to Desquode, he only wanted the leaves. He collected four medium sized leaves and took them back to the fish. When he got back the fish were cooked to perfection, so he took them off the fire and set each fish on its own leaf. Then he wrapped up the fish in the leaves and dug four holes in the sand. When each hole was about a foot deep he placed the wrapped of fish in them, then filled in the holes to keep the fish warm.

When he was done with all that he walked back over to the still unconscious Aviara, and laid down next to her. "Well, the food is ready whenever you are." Just then, as if she had heard Desquode, Aviara began to wake up. Desquode quickly got to his knees. "Avi! You're awake!" he almost yelled from the joy of her waking.
"D-Des?" she muttered.
Desquode helped Aviara stand up and said "Yes, I'm here Avi! Are you hungry? I've prepared some food."
Aviara looked at Desquode and replied "Yes, what did you make?"
Desquode helped Aviara walk over to the fire. "I made some fish with berry sauce!"
"Berry sauce eh? Sounds interesting." she replied with a smile.
"let me get them... How many do you want? I was able to make four." he asked.
Aviara held out her hands near the fire to warm them, and then answered "I think one will do for now."
Desquode proceeded to dig up two of the fish, one for Aviara, and one for him. He walked over to Aviara, unwrapped one of the fish and handed it to her. "There you go! Freshly cooked!" he said, trying to resist boasting.
Aviara looked at the fish, thanked Desquode, and then started to eat it. Desquode looked a couple of thin but strong rocks and when he found them he used then to cut his fish into pieces. When he had finished he looked at Aviara, and asked "Would you like to use them now?"

OoC: Alrighty, I know just how to continue this, hehe.

BiC: "Sure, thanks," Avi replied. She took the rocks from Desquode's hand and chopped the fish until the pieces were small enough. The two munched happily away on the warm meal, as the sun rose into the sky. Avi looked at the horizon and saw a spectacular scene.

"Oh wow, look at that, Des!" Avi cried. Up in the sky were the beautiful colors of the dawn. Desquode's eyes widened as he looked out at sea. He'd never seen such a beautiful sight in his life. It was truly an incredible view.

"Wow, that's...something!" Des said. "I've never seen anything like it from Mt. Imu before."

"Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?" Avi asked. Desquode turned to face her.

"Yeah, it is...just like you," he said as he smiled. Avi blushed while returning Desquode's smile.

"You're so sweet, Des..." she replied. The two continued to look up at the beautiful night sky. The waves crashed in the water as the seagulls scrutinized it for fish. The sky grew brighter as the time passed.

When Desquode finished eating his fish, he picked up his hand-made fishing rod and walked back to the water. Telling Avi he wanted to catch more fish for later, he cast the line out to sea. The end of the line landed out where the water was deep. Desquode stood there and waited for something to bite. However, nothing did for quite sometime.

About an hour later, after Avi decided to walk around a bit, Desquode's rod suddenly began to unreel. He jerked it backward, but couldn't help but slide forward into the water. Desquode pulled with all his strength, but due to his being light, he continued to slowly be pulled in. Avi turned around from walking.

"Avi! ...I could really use a hand over here!" Desquode called. "...Something big is biting!" Avi ran straight back to the water and grabbed Desquode by the waste. She pulled with all her might, but since she was also light, it was not easy work.

"C'mon...Des!" Avi cried. "We gotta pull harder!"

"Sometimes...I wish...I wasn't so light," Desquode replied. "On three we pull together. One...two...THREE!" With that, both Avi and Desquode jerked the rod as hard as they could and yanked a swordfish out of the waves. Upon the impact, Desquode and Avi fell backward into the sand. Suddenly, the swordfish went flying out of the water and landed smack in the middle of Desquode's face.

"EEEAAAH!" Desquode screamed. "Get this thing off me!" Avi laughed as the swordfish was slapping Desquode with its tail. She then grabbed the fish and killed it by stabbing it with her claws. Avi couldn't help but laugh again.

"Stupid fish," Desquode replied. Then he started laughing with Avi too.

OoC: Take it from here, Davy.

Desquode and Aviara walked back over to the fire. Desquode looked at the fish saying "Lets hope it cooks well, I don't want any more trouble from it." He sat down right next to the fire and dried himself off while Aviara set the fish off to the side to be cooked later. Desquode stared at the fire for a moment then looked away at the ocean. "I'd go wash off in a pond somewhere if I knew I wouldn't drown. I guess I'll have to make you wash my back since I can't reach it." he said continuing to look at the ocean. Then he looked at Aviara and quickly said "Don't take that the wrong way."
"I understood what you meant." Aviara said still smiling.

Some time later Desquode looked up at the sky. "Well these days just seem to by flying by... I say we rest here for the night then go somewhere tomorrow."
"Where to?" Aviara asked turning her face toward the sky as well.
"I don't know really... Just... Somewhere." he replied. Then he laid himself down on the sand and closed his eyes. But he wasn't sleeping.

Aviara laid down next him and closed her eyes as well. She was feeling much better. The injuries were healing so quickly that it seemed weren't all that bad. Then she thought about Desquode injuries, and how they were smaller, but were healing slowly. She wondered why it was like that. Was because of his race, or was there something hindering the healing? She chose to ignore it for now. She needed rest.
Desquode had also been thinking the same thing, why were her wounds healing so quickly, but not his? He decided to think about it more tomorrow... He and Aviara were soon fast asleep.

The next Desquode woke up to find the Aviara was nowhere to be seen. He quickly got up and looked around. Then he had an idea. There was a strong breeze he could glide along. He jumped up into the air and started to glide higher, and higher until he could see the whole beach. He glided around up there looking over the entire beach but didn't see Aviara anywhere. Suddenly something whizzed past him. Desquode lost his balance for a second but regained it quickly. "What was that?" he asked aloud.
"Just me." Aviara flew past Desquode again.
"There you are! I've been looking for you." He said sounding slightly annoyed.
"Oh, sorry if I worried you." she said "I woke up kinda early so I figured I'd go out for a morning flight."
"I see. Well next time please leave a note or something." Desquode said half laughing.
He and Aviara flew around for a bit talking, and playing around. Finally they got tired and landed on the beach and rested for a short time. Desquode looked over at Aviara and asked "I was wondering... Where do you live."

OoC: The whole wound healing thing isn't anything important. Them thinking about it is for some realism. I mean really, if someones large wounds were healing quickly, and someones small wounds weren't I'd certainly be thinking about it.

OoC: Good! I know what to do from here!

BiC: Avi frowned at Desquode's question. Where she lives...or rather, lived. It was a sad story, but if Desquode wanted to know, Avi would tell him. She couldn't keep something like this from him. So Avi explained.

"Well, I wouldn't say I live anywhere now," Avi began. "See, it all goes back to how I told you I was looking for my sister. She disappeared mysteriously months ago."

Avi then explained that she and her sis lived on a mountain, just as Desquode did. However, it turned out it was actually a volcano they were living on, and not just a regular mountain. The volcano erupted one day and wiped out the entire Harpy population there, all except for Avi and her sister.

"Then..." Avi continued. "My sis was hit in the wing by a rock that was spat from the eruption. She couldn't fly anymore, so I carried her away. I went to the ground as far away as possible, and I went into unconsciousness. She was gone when I awoke..."

Desquode analyzed Avi's story. It was definitely an epic one, and seemed to be just as troubling as his being accused of murder. He decided there was much more he could be worrying about other than proving his innocence and made a choice.

"Wow, that's...terrible, Avi," Desquode replied. "Your people didn't know it was a volcano?" Avi shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "It must have been dormant for a long time. I can show you the place if you'd like, although it's quite a distance from here." Desquode thought about Avi's offer. If it reminded her so much of her past, he didn't want to make her even more upset over it. However, maybe Avi's return would also make her more nostalgic. She probably missed her old home, even if it was destroyed. Desquode then decided he would go.

"Alright then, if you want," he agreed. "There's a good wind now, so I'll be able to glide while you fly." Avi nodded and the two headed up into the sky.

It took a lot of time to get there, around an hour at the most, but Avi was able to recognize her old home right away, as it had not changed much since she last saw it. Burned trees and the rock that was once ashes flooded the slopes of the mountain and new trees were just beginning to grow. There was no sign of life whatsoever, and once Avi and Desquode started walking up the mountain, they eventually came upon the ruins of what appeared to be a village.

"This...is where I used to live," Avi presented. "The homes were destroyed in the disaster and everybody either drowned in the ashes, or was burned to a crisp by lava."

"Wow..." Desquode replied. "This is awful. It must have been real hard on you. Your family is gone and so are your friends."

"Yes...it pains me to think of it," Avi admitted. "But I decided to take you here anyway only because I missed walking the paths of the forests here."

Avi and Desquode continued to walk around the mountain. They covered several trails, hoping to find any sign of life. Life meant animals, and animals meant more food. Neither of them had a home anymore, so they had no choice but to travel. However, just as they were half way to the top, the ground started to rumble.

"Oh no...it can't be..." Avi said. The ground rumbled more. Eventually, it felt like an earthquake was approaching. Desquode nearly lost his balance and fell.

"It's erupting again, isn't it?" he asked. Avi nodded.

"Yes. RUN!" she ordered. Desquode and Avi raced down the mountain as fast as they could to a clearing so they could easily get off the ground. Suddenly, a loud explosion triggered a giant puff of smoke rising from the top of the volcano. Lava started to pour out. Avi scolded Desquode to move faster.

"Hurry! If we time this right, we can make it before we're hit!" Avi cried. The two kept running through the trees, looking for a way of escape.

OoC: Can you get them out of this mess, Dave?

Desquode sensed another explosion coming. He could tell it would be very close to them. "Avi!" he yelled "There's going to be an explosion near us! When it blows I want you to jump off and fly fast, I'll jump off and-" just then the explosion happened. They both jumped of the ground and flew faster then they had before. The shock-wave from the explosion increased their speed by pushing them forward. They kept on going until Desquode started to glide lower and lower. There was no wind to keep him up so he and Aviara landed behind a large rock several miles away from the volcano.

Fairly soon a very small bit a lava flowed past them, but it was no threat. They were too far from the volcano for there to be much lava. Desquode jumped on top of the rock and looked around. There was no sign of anything but burning trees and lava. He couldn't think of anything to say. He just stood there in silence. Dead silence. He finally spoke. "I'm am so not living on any more mountains!"

Desquode and Aviara walked away from the mountain, not speaking a word. They were too shaken up from what had just happened that they could speak if they had wanted too. They walked aimlessly deep into the forest. Then Aviara noticed something. She tugged on Desquode's shoulder and pointed to what she saw. It was a small house a short distance away. They walked over to it and examined it closely. Aviara finally asked they were wondering "Does anyone live here?"
Desquode looked at the door. "I don't know... Should we enter?"
In reply to Desquode question Aviara knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again, but still no one answered. Desquode put his hand on the knob and turned it. The door opened quietly. They walked inside and looked around. It was big enough for a small family, and was empty except for a table, four chairs, a fire place, a cupboard, a pantry, and three other rooms. Desquode looked in all three rooms and saw a bed in two of them. The other one was empty. The roof was made of straw tightly woven together, and the walls were made of solid stone. Desquode walked back to Aviara. "There's dust and dirt everywhere... It looks to me as if no one has lived here in a very long time..." he said.
Aviara looked at Desquode and smiled. "We have no place to live, and if no one lives here..."
Desquode surveyed the room a again. "We'd have to clean, find a bit more furniture, and get plates and things..." he said when he was done looking. "It looks suitable."

OoC: There, I gave them some place to live. And no, no one lives there.

OoC: 'kay. Nice job, Dave.

BiC: "I thought you preferred to live alone, Des," Avi recalled. Desquode turned to face Avi, remembering how he told her of his preference to live by himself.

"I did, but do you think I'd still want to live by myself after falling in love with you?" he asked, laughing slightly. Avi laughed back.

"Well, you do have a point," she replied. "I want to get rid of all this dust with my wind, but that's just going to make it go everywhere, possibly making us sneeze as well." Desquode found a dusty broom in the corner of the small pantry, accidentally kicking up some dust. His nose twitched.

"...ah..ACHOO!" he exclaimed. "You can say that again..." Desquode wiped off more of the dust and began sweeping, kicking up more dust. Pretty soon, both he and Avi were sneezing again, but it was near impossible to prevent it, as there was a ton of dust. Avi flapped her wings in the direction of the window in front of her, blowing the dust outside.

"My wings have many uses other than combat, you know," she stated.

Avi and Desquode continued to tidy up the house. It was plenty more dirty than they originally thought. Dust was everywhere they looked and each time they would kick up too much, one of them would sneeze. And it wasn't easy to clean up and sneeze at the same time. Finishing up would take quite awhile.

An hour and a half later, Avi and Desquode decided to take a rest. There was still more work to be done, but the house looked much better than it did when they arrived. Both of them were exhausted.

"Wow, who knew cleaning up this place would be so tough?" Desquode said.

"Yeah," Avi agreed. "Hey, do you still have that swordfish? I'm getting hungry." Desquode nodded.

"Yep. I put it in the sack I grabbed from my hut earlier," he replied. "I'm also getting hungry, but I think the oven needs work. We'll have to build another fire outside if we want a hot meal."

"Whatever gets us food," Avi said. Desquode took the fish from the sack and walked outside, followed by Avi. Noticing there was already a place to build a campfire, Desquode gathered some wood nearby and threw it in. He grabbed a long stick and tied the fish to it after chopping its head and tail off. Avi helped start up the flames while Desquode stuck two other sticks in the ground on either side of the fire and twirled the fish on a stick on top of them.

The fish gradually cooked and didn't take long to finish. Avi grew her claws and sliced the fish in pieces after Desquode took it from the stick. The two munched away happily at the meal.

"Wow, swordfish is good," Avi commented. "Not only are you a good cook, Des, but swordfish just plain tastes good." Desquode smiled.

"Heh, this is the first time I've had swordfish too," he added. "It is rather pleasant." Both continued eating until most of the fish was gone.

OoC: Take it from here, Davy.

When they finished eating what they could of the fish Desquode put the rest back in the sack for later. The two of them rested for a short time and then got back to work, continuing to kick up dust, blow it out the windows, and sneeze. After about another hour and a half they were finished. They sat up against a wall and just continued to sit there for awhile.

Finally Desquode got up and was going over to the pantry when he tripped on a one of the chairs. Slam! He hit the ground with a loud thud. Aviara got up quickly and ran over to Desquode.
"Des? Are you alright?" she asked.
He responded with a simple "Hmm..." and didn't get up. Aviara tried to help him up but he got up on his own. He moved the chairs away from the table and then pushed the table to the side of the room. Then Aviara saw what Desquode was so interested in. There was a trap door in the floor. Desquode walked over to it and lifted the hatch. There was a ladder that led down the the bottom, which he could just barely see. Desquode looked at Aviara and said "I'm going down there. You stay here."
Aviara quickly retorted "And miss out on what might be down there? I think not!" Desquode looked a little annoyed, but let it go. He went back outside to the fire and grabbed one of the still burning sticks, put out the fire, and went back into the house. He climbed down the ladder and looked around. There was a long corridor. Desquode couldn't see any farther so he walked forward with Aviara just behind him.

When they got to the end of the corridor they found themselves in a large circular room. There were barrels of wine, barrels with stale bread, barrels with rotten fruit, many shelves with plates, cups, bowls, forks, and spoons. There were also closed, unmarked crates. Both Aviara and Desquode asked the same question at the same time "What is this?"
Desquode looked at the plates.
"I believe it's some storage room..." He said as he walked over the the stale bread and rotten fruit. "They did a horrible job of preserving this food though..." he said and went to examine the unmarked crates. He took one of his Raven Blades and popped the top off one of them. It was empty. There were two other unmarked crates so he proceeded to open those as well. The next one was empty, but the third one had several gold coins in it. Desquode continued to look at the gold pieces while he called Aviara over. When she got there she looked in the crate.
"Hmm, some gold coins, eh?"
Desquode stood up.
"So it seems..." He picked them up and put them in a hidden pocket he had.
"Well, I say we put some of the plates, and forks in one of the crates and take them back up to the house. What about you?" He asked, picking up one of the crates.

OoC: Very nice, Dave!

BiC: "That sounds good to me," Avi replied. "I'll give you a hand if you need it." Desquode then motioned for Avi to put the cups and spoons in another crate. There weren't a lot of each dish, so it didn't take long to pack them all in. Desquode hauled the crate with plates up the ladder back into the house. He then helped Avi with the other crate.

As soon as the dishes were put away, Avi suggested they go out for awhile.

"We've been working hard, Des," she said. "I think we deserve a break." Desquode fully agreed, however, he wasn't too keen on simply leaving.

"Yeah, but where do we go?" Desquode asked.

"Just for a walk I guess," Avi replied. "We might find a pond or stream to get cleaned up in a little anyway." Desquode thought of the idea some more.

"Well, alright," he finally decided. "Let's go." Avi smiled as they began to head for the front door.

Outside, a breeze had slowly burned the campfire out. Birds could be heard chirping in the distance as a rabbit or two raced through the trees. Avi noted it and decided to hunt for some wild game later. She and Desquode began walking into the forest. It was a peaceful place, as far as they could see, and it seemed to look just like any forest would. The two passed a few small streams, hoping they flowed into a pond or bigger stream.

About a half an hour later, Desquode spotted a medium-sized pond in a clearing in the woods.

"There's a pond," he pointed out. "I hope it isn't deep. I generally hate water."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Avi replied. She took Desquode by the hand and pulled him over to the edge of the pond. Avi threw off her skirt to reveal the rest of what looked like a swimsuit. Desquode was half surprised. Did Harpies often wear little clothing?

Avi then dove into the pond and swam around a bit. She popped out from under the water a few seconds later with a smile on her face. The water only went just above her waist.

"C'mon, Des!" she exclaimed. "It's not that deep at all. Honest."

"I don't know, Avi..." Desquode replied. "I don't want to drown." Avi brought her hands to her hips. She could see that persuading Desquode to get in wasn't easy.

"Oh don't be ridiculous," she said. "You won't drown. Besides, even if you started to, I'd be here to save you." Desquode smiled.

"Well, that's true," he agreed. "I guess there isn't any harm in getting in there. I'm just as dirty as you are anyway." With that, Desquode took off his chest plate and shirt, kicking off his boots afterward. Black feathers lined the sides of his arms. Avi wasn't surprised, because Desquode was part bird after all. Desquode took a couple steps backward when he finished. He ran and leaped into the water, but just as he landed, he made a face.

"What's wrong?" Avi asked.

"I think I just landed on top of a rock," Desquode replied. Avi's eyes widened slightly.

"Ouch," she replied, walking up to him. "You alright?" Desquode got up off the rock and stood flat foot in the water. He started rubbing his bottom.

"Yeah, I should be fine," he assured Avi. "Gosh, that hurt."

"I bet."

For awhile, the two swam in the pond, splashing each other and washing any dirt off. The time passed quickly, and Avi eventually forgot about hunting any food. She and Desquode were having a wonderful time. It was like the moments would never end.

After some time, the two of them stopped splashing for awhile. Avi walked up to Desquode and slipped her arms across his shoulders.

"I'm having a great time, Des," she said. "Aren't you glad you came in?" Desquode responded by letting his own arms go around Avi's waist.

"Yeah, actually I am," Desquode replied with a smile. "I'm glad you're having fun. That's what I want for you right now." Avi smiled back and returned Desquode's reply with a romantic kiss, even if it was a wet one.

OoC: I think I'll let you take it from here, David.

Desquode and Aviara finally finished washing and got out of the pond. Desquode looked around.
"Hey, how are we supposed to dry off? We don't have any towels."
Aviara laughed and walked over to where she had taken off her skirt. "I've still got that towel you gave me."
Desquode was quite surprised. "Wow, you still have that with you?"
Aviara didn't say anything, but handed the towel to Desquode so he could dry off. When he had finished he handed it back to Aviara and she proceeded to dry herself off and then put her skirt back on. When she was was done she was done she took Desquode's arm and they walked back to the house, taking a different path then before.

When there were getting near the house Desquode noticed a small pile of gray feathers, however one of then looked somewhat metallic. He stopped walking all of the sudden causing Aviara to almost loose her balance.
"I wonder what that is?" he asked. He turned toward the thing so he could go take a closer look.

Desquode walked over to the feathers and knelt down beside them to take a closer look. The metallic looking one turned out to be a feather shaped pendant.
"Hey, Avi, look at this." Desquode said as he picked up the pendent and carried it over to Aviara. When Aviara looked at it she gasped in surprise.
"That's my sisters pendant! She must have come around here at some point!"
Desquode didn't really know what to think, so he decided learning more about the situation would be the best idea. "Tell me more about your sister." he asked handing the pendant to her.

OoC: You did it! I knew you'd finish, Dave. It wasn't that hard, was it? XD Anyway, I think this'll be the ending post so you'll have a fresh start once you get on.

BiC: Avi remembered what she could of Vitani. It had been so long, Avi was beginning to forget a portion of their past. She thought hard to recall the events before the volcano eruption had wiped out her village. The hunting...the medicine man...the potion...the details were slowly returning to Avi's mind as she recalled the story. However, she still wasn't quite sure how it all went. She could only tell Desquode what she knew.

"Well, Des..." she said. "Vitani should be seventeen now...I think her birthday came after mine, but it's been so long that I've forgotten.."

"It's fine," Desquode replied. "I'm assuming she's your younger sister?" Avi nodded. Vitani was indeed younger, but only by a few years.

"Yes," Avi said. "My own birthday came soon after I started looking for her. It was hard on me because I had finally reached twenty years. And in my village, when a female Harpy reached that age, they were eligible to serve the chief and become part of the military."

Avi explained that both men and women made up the small army that guarded the village. Twenty was the minimal age because years and years of training were needed to be able to overcome the enemies the Harpies stumbled upon. Women used bows while men wielded swords similar in appearance to Desquode's Raven Blades, however the shape was slightly different along with the colors. Each newer recruit had one sword, and the more experienced wielded two.

"Wow, it seems your people had an effective way of war," Desquode commented. "The Ravanen only had these Raven Blades to train with."

"Yeah. My parents told me this not long before the eruption, as my twentieth birthday was beginning to approach," Avi added. "Don't you see what Vitani and I could have had? We could have fought the enemy bravely instead of just hunting. We could have fought for our people, Des!" Desquode couldn't agree with Avi more. She was right, both her and her sister could have fought bravely for their people.

"That does sound like it was hard on you," Desquode agreed. "But you can still fight for Vitani, Avi. You should fight for her, just I want to fight for you." Avi nodded.

"Yes, you're right. I should fight for her," she replied. "But I want to fight for you too...I just can't stand the thought of those syndicate members coming back and hurting you again." Desquode frowned at Avi's words.

"Avi, I don't want you involved in that again," he insisted. "They almost killed you last time."

"I know, but we can't let them tear us apart!" Avi protested. "I won't let them take you away from me!" A tear flowed down her cheek as she grabbed onto Desquode's shoulders and buried half her face in his chest. He put his hands on her waist.

"I don't want them to do that either, Avi," Desquode replied. "But it's best if you left the situation alone for now. I'll get the proof I need to show them I'm innocent." Avi nodded and wiped her tears away.

"Alright," she said. "At least I have a clue to my sister's whereabouts now. I always feel that I get closer to her with each day..."

"Yeah," Desquode agreed with a smile. He kissed Avi again and then put his shirt back on, as it was starting to get chilly out, deciding to carry the rest of his things back to the house with him.

Later that evening, Desquode and Avi cleaned up the beds they found inside the house earlier. the sheets and blankets were rather dusty and needed to be shaken off and the pillow cases were full of dust bunnies. After they were clean enough to use, Avi remembered she wanted to go hunting and grabbed her bow. Desquode insisted on going with her, but Avi said he should stay and keep an eye on the place. You never know what can happen at night, was what Avi said.

After awhile, Desquode flopped down on his bed, awaiting Avi to return with some meat. There wasn't enough swordfish left for the two of them and it was all they had. The time went by, but Avi had still not returned. It hadn't been long before Desquode finally fell fast asleep for the night.

However, he only slept for a few hours, only awakening to walk through the house and find that Avi was still gone. Desquode could tell that something wasn't right. Where was Avi? More and more time had passed, and it was now early morning, just a couple hours before dawn. By now Desquode was worried and decided to go search for his missing lover.

OoC: And that concludes the first part of the Desquode and Aviara love affair. We'll have the second part started up soon! (well, it actually depends on how long David takes to start the thread )