Yui-chan

Items Billybob carries around a pitchfork, some chew tobacco and a really, really rusty nail. I dunno what for. Blahblah... more items... blahblah... Back to top? Note to all: We might want to investigate finding a way to make links NOT open in a new window, if we wanted to use this all-in-one-thread method.

Personality Billybob's personality is really as complex as a straight line and as richly detailed as long miles of freshly-poured roadways. He likes to crack jokes that no one gets and say random things like, "Let's slough off the quest." for no apparent reason. Blahblah... more personality... blahblah... Added 4/7/2007: Billybob has recently discovered a split personality, Emma May. Nowadays, he has taken to having long conversations with himself. The end of personality.

History Billybob began in a broken eggshell in Farmer Joe's henhouse. Nobody knows how a half-dragon, half-squirrel, half-human baby got in the eggshell, but nevertheless... there he was. Blahblah... more history... Blahblah... And edit ==> Added 4/03/2010: Billybob just found out that his mother was full-blooded Pokémon, so he's now half-dragon, half-squirrel, half-Squirtle and half human. Blahblah... The end of his history.

This is quick and dirty, bare-bones. Please excuse me if it doesn't stand on its own well. I'm hoping to just illustrate what I haven't been very good at explaining. This is a potential way that we could put all the information in one thread instead of having many threads for each character. It uses a feature of the board that allows you to link to a specific post in the thread, and it's -relatively- easy to find the URL for a given post. If there's any interest in this method, I'll provide more details on that process later. In a nutshell, the first post would be an index with the links to other pieces of information. You could also use this method to create a Master Index to all of the information in this entire forum. (Say, a stickied thread?) Index for Billybob: History Personality Items Abilities Physical Description Written Works . . . Other

Well, I've missed the appropriate day, but still... Happy belated birthday. I hope you had a ton of fun, and thank you for giving us the great present of your renewed presence. Welcome back, DoomGaze. Yours, ~Yui

If you're feeling brave, you can now... test your knowledge of the mysterious Yui-chan! (The character, of course.) Yours, ~Yui

I know I'm too late for the contest, but I got a flash of inspiration, this afternoon. My happiness haiku... The bald-headed worm eats holes in the brown apple. Delicious joy! ... yeah, so my haiku skillz izn't all that. I try. Zyaa, ~Yui

So many quizes... so little time! I've learned that I need to brush up on my Dreamer and Peredhil knowledge. I'm sure I need to brush up on about everyone else, too. >_ This is great, Salinye. Thanks for sharing it. Yours, ~Yui

(9) Weighing Evils _________________ "So, who're ye lookin' for, then, I wonder? Does he wear a golden mask?" The sudden questions splintered the silence that had frozen in the air around them, jarring Adreina from her thoughts. She turned her attention back to her current guard, boldly meeting his intense stare for only a moment before she lowered her eyes. The simple action earned her a snarl and Craedi's bruising grip on her jaw. He lifted her chin until she was forced to look at him. "Don't ye be playin' that game with me, lass. I heard ye speak to Pel, an' I've got a dead friend over there inspirin' me ta get the same kindness. Ye can speak our language, cain't ye? Ye know precisely what we been sayin' all along." The young woman stared at him silently for a moment, and his grip tightened, bringing tears to her eyes. He felt her attempt to nod, though his hand on her chin made the motion all but invisible, however it wasn't what he wanted. His lip curled menacingly. "Say it!" Adreina gasped as he released her face and grabbed her slender neck in one fluid motion, pinning her tightly against the boulder even as he cut off her windpipe. She struggled weakly and brought her hands up to grip his wrist, trying to ease the pressure enough to take a breath. There was murder in his eyes, and though she had long ago resigned herself to death, she found that at the moment, she was far more interested in staying alive. As soon as the young woman could manage, she choked out, "Y... Yes. I know yer words..." The man released her with a suddenness that left her staggering, and she doubled over, sucking in two lungfuls of the frigid air. Craedi waited all of two seconds for her to compose herself before he was hauling on the neckline of her tunic to force her to stand fully once more. "Now that we've established that... I'll be wantin' to know what ye have to do with this attack, Toi. Would these be some'o your friends comin' to try to help ye out?" "Nai... no," Adreina shook her head adamantly, trying to remember how to say what she wanted. "I dunno know tha dancin' faces, 'cept when I woke up ta see one o' them." The old man frowned at her, trying to hide his surprise at her slurred, country dialect. The way she spoke and the fact that she knew Kohlani at all begged a whole host of questions, but his purpose at the moment superceded them all, no matter how tempting they were. "An' jes' what was it that woke ye up, lass?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion, especially when his question drew a worried frown from his captive's face. "I dunno. I jus'... woke up." "Don't ye be lyin' to me!" His hand slipped around her neck again, though he only squeezed enough to be threatening. The Toi sucked in a breath, her silver eyes widening with fear. "Nai! ...nai... I swear it's truth. Burned on tha heart an' soul of me." Silence descended while he searched her face with those cornflower-blue eyes, looking for some flicker of guilt. Spirits knew, he wanted to find something there, wanted an excuse to wring the filthy Toi wench's thin, golden-skinned neck and offer her dead body to the fire spirit as tribute to Thom's importance, but Craedi couldn't lie to himself, not even for the sake of honoring the dead. There was no lie to find in her alien features. He slanted a glance towards the fire and the body of his young companion, his jaw tightening with rage and frustration. That his hand tightened as well seemed to escape the grey-haired man's attention, and Adreina was forced once more to grip his wrist in an attempt to keep air flowing into her body. She could only assume that he hadn't believed her, so she struggled to rasp out a single word, forcing what little breath she had into the foreign syllables. "...s ... swear..." The world started to darken at the edges, and it occurred to the Toi that perhaps he'd simply decided to kill her anyway. She struggled harder, pulling on his hand desperately, and it brought his attention back to her face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but with a little jolt that his captive didn't understand, he simply froze instead, the rage in his eyes shifting to puzzlement. When his grip loosened and his hand slipped down to her shoulder, she gasped for breath, uncertain what had come over him. Craedi lowered his eyes, looking down at his chest. Brow furrowed, Adreina did the same and screamed in surprise at the sight of fresh blood dripping from the point of a golden blade. Even as she stared at the symbols carved in the metal, it disappeared back into his chest, leaving a gaping hole that bled profusely. The man staggered against her, his weight suddenly bourn entirely by the hand on her shoulder and her own two-fisted grip on his tunic. It was far too much for her, and she could do little more than try to control his fall to the frozen ground, all the while watching the life flow out of his eyes. Again. Just as she had with Thom. She suddenly felt as cold as the night, as hollow as the corpses that littered the ground around them. The young woman's shudder coincided with Craedi's hand snaking around behind her head. "... betrayed..." he whispered on a choking exhalation, pulling her close so that his last breaths were hot on her ear. "... tell... Djaz... ... Elite..." Adreina pulled back just in time to watch his eyes drift closed for the last time, and she felt tears come to her eyes. Why she should cry for the man who had, only moments before, been choking the life out of her was beyond her, but she couldn't deny that her heart mourned as his body released its soul into the great god's care. Once again, she trusted that the mysterious organ knew something she didn't, and she bowed her head over his, whispering back in the hopes that Craedi's spirit might hear her. "I'll tell him... Hidaelu carros gi romna." The young woman might have offered more prayers for the peace of his soul if she hadn't been interrupted by a hand that clamped onto her arm and yanked her to her feet. She raised her face to the golden mask that stared at her, surprised only that the murderer had given her so much time to witness Craedi's last words. More than likely, it was her turn next, so she braced herself for the stab of pain. If god willed that she should die here, then she promised herself that she would do so bravely and without tears. The young woman fixed her narrowed eyes on the mask, pressing her lips together in a determined line. "Speak again, bitch, and I will knock you out." the man's voice hissed from behind his disguise, a gravely sound filled with raw malice. "Come." Adreina blinked as the murderer turned away without running her through. He didn't mean to kill her? It was such an inconceivable idea that she stumbled along numbly at first, following the grip on her arm that pulled her away from the boulder and Craedi's body. It took a few extra seconds for her to register the fact that she was being abducted for the second time that night, but when the realization came, it brought a panic that easily dwarfed anything she'd felt back at the tavern. The little woman balked, pulling back against the assassin's iron grip while her instincts screamed at the back of her mind. In this hostile land, her life was reduced to choices between the lesser of evils, and she was filled with the certainty that this man was a part of the greatest evil of them all. "Nai! Nai!" she screamed, trying desperately to twist her arm out of his hold as he turned back towards her. Her eyes darted into the darkness, searching for hope or help. "Tauska ve! Hel--Oof!" She doubled around the fist that slammed into her stomach, her breath rushing from her so quickly that Adreina felt as if her lungs meant to follow. They certainly seemed broken, at the least, as she couldn't do anything to make them draw in the air she so desperately needed. Pain washed her vision in red for the short time it took for everything to begin the fade to black...

Wonderful. Thank you, Orlan-san. ~Yui

Strangely enough, I don't see the geld values on anyone - not even Orlan. Considering that I see -everything- on this board, I'm starting to wonder whether this is a skin problem. I use the tan/default skin. What do the rest of you use? (For example, I seem to recall Katzaniel saying she uses the black one. Is it that it's only showing on that skin, so those of us who use the blue or tan ones are still not seeing it?) Pondering, ~Yui

Thank you, Sali-chan. I think I might have a guess for another one. Well, I dunno who Shelly is, but this one puts me in mind of M'Lord Dreamer (or Zadown). He's certainly mighty, and the 'ye' in there seems like a subtle clue... And for the record, his works are indeed mighty, so even if this isn't about Zadown-san, you should go check out his stories! Movin' Along, ~Yui

I'm going to have to guess that's Katzaniel. Who can forget the Love Notes? {Edit: Ah, on second thought... This would be Kunax-san, neh? } As for the rest... I'm afraid I agree with Salinye where she answered and am as stumped as she is for the others. Thank you for the challenge, cryptomancer. Yours, ~Yui

#19 Haikai - Memory 8 July, 2004 Little boy of three plays beneath the chestnut trees amongst sharp-spined pods Such liquid brown eyes above a pure-hearted smile - dark earth and bright snow. A misplaced touch falls trailing pain and frantic tears; his handprints are blood. * Little boy of ten in his father's overalls and old leather boots. Eager dark, deep eyes pierce from a serious frown. Fierce concentration! A misjudged blow lands, breaks skin as well as metal leaving pride in rags. * Young man of eighteen with the blue wind in his hair chases rage with booze. Once lively, his eyes are ash and frozen wasteland; bitterness scars him. A moment's time lost sends man and car through the night to a broken end. * Little memory of a beautiful, sweet child - you are all he left. _____ It only hurts, now, when I think of what you've missed. ... and what you've shattered. _____ The first piece ('Memory') is what I understand to be haikai, the body-version of what we refer to a lot around here as haiku. It uses the 5-7-5 form of a haiku, but because it is many 'stanzas' that combine to form one work, I believe it would be inappropriate to call it a haiku on a technical level. My understanding of a haiku suggests that part of its identity is its brevity, the flash-portrayal of a moment or thought or scene in only three lines. Haikai is its older form, sort of a predecessor to the modern Haiku. In fact, I've been investigating the 'rules' of Haiku - in both traditional Japanese and other languages. What I take from my references is three key points (beyond the importance of the pattern of syllables or mora): First, a haiku in the traditional form should carry a seasonal association. It doesn't have to be overt or obvious, but one word or the overall imagery of the haiku should put the reader in mind of one of the four seasons. Second, a haiku should be highly visual yet in a refreshing way, guiding the reader to a new perspective on what's often a very common sight/occurance/activity. Third, a haiku should contain a natural break between the second and third lines. Often in English, that's made literal with the use of a semicolon, colon, or hyphen. At it's root, however, it's either a conceptual or grammatical pause-point or turning point, perhaps a built-in moment for contemplation. Of course, these are just my interpretations of what is, in the end, a form that's practically formless. There are lots of opinions, especially once you migrate a traditional Japanese form into English. The languages are so different that they don't lend themselves well to a common understanding of the important structural points. If you have any interest at all, please feel free to check the internet for more resources or search out some books at your local store/library. Here is a starting point, one of the best sites that I found: Haiku for People PS: That little haiku-like thing tacked in there at the end of 'Memory' is not really a haiku, according to the rules. It just needed said and came out in a 5-7-5 form.

Kunax-san, A rather tidy and interesting thread on Japanese honorifics can be found here: ('Questions...') I hope it'll answer your question better than I could. Yours, ~Yui

Kunax-san, Tralla doesn't have to say for herself. I'll tell you it's worth the read, and I'm a pretty picky reader. Welcome. If you see something you like or dislike as you're looking around here, you can send feedback to the authors through the Private Message system or by posting in the thread on shorter works. I hope you'll enjoy the works you find. Yours, ~Yui

Somewhere very, very far away, someone was calling her name. A part of her heard it, processed the timbre of the voice and the alarm it contained, and then dismissed them as incomparable to the thoughts whirling in her head, to the smudged words on the page before her. That same part felt the impact with the ship's deck when her knees buckled, forcing her to sit. It knew that she was white-faced and blank-eyed and probably scaring the hell out of the timeless mage beside her, but it took all that information and tucked it away to be dealt with later, leaving the rest of her free to process the shocking implications of Timothy's words. And, my... were there implications. They attacked from all sides, fighting so hard for her attention that for a long moment, she could not form a coherent thought under the onslaught of all the incoherent ones. Hope was there, crowded together with fear and some vague misgiving she couldn't identify in the mess. Awe and excitement. Worry. Sadness. Doubt and confidence all mired up into a jumble. She wrestled with them, ignoring all else until she'd finally managed to regain order. "Dammit, Kaleyra, say something!" Anger in a voice from which she'd heard nothing but kindness finally jolted the scholar from her shocked reverie, and she blinked up, finding herself staring into Gyrfalcon's tension-lined face. "Are you hurt?" His hands were on her arms, his calloused fingers digging with bruising force into her flesh. His eyes, a luminescent and absolutely penetrating green, were intense and filled with worry as they fixed on her vacant expression and bloodless face. "I... " The Avian found it hard to form words, her attention splintered by shock and a strange fascination with the feel of her friend's breath against her cheek. He was close, so close that she could have leaned forward and touched her lips to his. ... The very thought made her blush and gave her the focus needed to pull her thoughts fully back to the here and now. She smiled softly, lifting her hands to grip his wrists in an attempt to reassure him. "I... am fine, Gyrfalcon. Please forgive me for alarming you." The words didn't do much to reassure him, spoken as they were in a sort of breathless hush, but as the color returned to Kaleyra's face and her eyes cleared, the mage took a deep breath, concentrating on easing the thud of his heart against his breast. His reaction surprised even him, but she had gone so terribly pale, looking for all the world like she was going to pass out. He'd just ... panicked, his head filling with a dozen terrible reasons for her reaction. That's why it took conscious effort to ease the death-grip he had on the young woman's slender shoulders, and why he grimaced when he realized just how much of his strength he'd been using against her. He took another deep breath, offering quietly, "I'm sorry for being so rough. I must be tired." Kaleyra smiled shyly, shaking her head against his apology. "I think it more likely that you are exhausted. Not only has it been an excessively active day, but you suffered lacerations and contusions that cost you a rather large amount of hemoglobin. Undoubtedly, you are marginally blood deficient, at this point, and should be in bed giving your body a chance to recover." At his amused look and raised eyebrow, she quailed a bit, blushing once more. "Er... that is... well, it might be for the best, but ... of course, that's your choice." Gyrfalcon laughed softly and nodded. "I've lost a fair amount of blood and should rest," he translated for himself before smiling again. "I suppose you're right, though you should probably rest, yourself. You have to be mentally exhausted." The young woman nodded, turning her gaze back out over the water and peering through the wooden slats of the ship's railing with a little smile on her lips. Already, she was slipping away from her surroundings, pulled by the tide of her powerful mind. "I think I shall endeavor to rest shortly, after I visit with Timothy... and perhaps make an entry in my journal..." Her voice started to trail off as she spoke less and less for Gyrfalcon's benefit and more to filter her thoughts. "... analyze the records for mention of them... genealogical study... " As she droned on distractedly, the man beside her sighed and shook his head, rubbing a hand down his face in exasperation. Finally, he interrupted, leaning his face close to grab her attention and spearing her with an intense look. "But you will sleep, right?" It took an extra second for her gaze to focus on him and another in which she had to struggle to recall what he'd said, but at last she blinked and nodded. "I shall sleep. I promise." He looked a little dissatisfied with the answer, but still Gyrfalcon stood, graceful despite his injuries, and bowed politely, wishing his companion a good night. For one moment, her roaring thoughts fell silent as she watched him turn and make his way towards the hold, replaced by a certain glowing warmth that she couldn't quite comprehend. Perhaps she would have taken some time to analyze it further, but it was only too soon that she was distracted by thoughts of the cousin she never knew she had. Very soon thereafter, Kaleyra was striding across the deck to the infirmary, her eyes as far distant as the moon that was just rising through the early night sky.

This one has my favorite title. ( Metal Dances Where There Is No Moon. After you read the issue, it may even make some sense to you. How's the pacing? Should I slow down how often I post so that you all aren't getting left behind due to lack of reading time? Thanks, ~Yui

( Metal Dances Where There Is No Moon _____________________________________ Night deepened past its zenith, and the twin moons set, leaving the plains at the tender mercies of the dim stars that dotted the sky. Darkness wanted to smother the land, but the quiet light of the fire that still burned steadily within the protective ring of boulders held it at bay. The shadows that danced on the ground in silent conflict were the only motion, and the crack and rustle of the flames themselves provided the only sound. Outside of the space where the light ruled, it was as if the entire world held its breath, waiting forever for a mysterious moment that would never come. Thom yawned and reached up to rub the back of his neck, gathering his blanket closer around his shoulders with his free hand. Serving as watch was the single most unpleasant thing he could think of, too easy and boring to be fun and way too cold to be comfortable. He felt quite certain that Djaz knew he hated the job and that it was exactly for that reason that the little twit always gave it to him. The young man appreciated his cousin's efforts on his behalf, but there were times when he just wanted to grab the man and shove some of his precious 'character building' duties right up his hairy, white -- Ugh. The tracker paused his thought right there, grimacing at the particularly repulsive mental image it invoked. Now, there's somethin' I don't ever need to think about again. Ever. He glanced back into the campsite behind him, searching for anything to think about other than Djaz' naked posterior, and his eyes came to rest on the huddled form of their captive, laying there asleep like nothing more than a ridiculous-looking bundle of baggy, ragged clothes and dirty black curls. There was a lot to wonder about there - after all, she was Toi, and that said both everything and nothing about her. They were supposed to be true evil, the pawns of a demon god who demanded children as sacrifice and maimed its faithful with scars and damning runes. Some even said that their god taught them the forbidden talents, like magic and symbology, and that their entire culture was devoted to someday enslaving the Kohlanmer. The Toi lived in a realm of unending heat and created abominations by giving their virgin daughters to lustful demons, if one believed the words of the Clergy of the Four Spires. Frankly, he'd always scoffed at such horrific tales, but having seen this woman's tilted, silver eyes and golden skin, the whole idea seemed suddenly more believable. She almost looked as if she could share blood with demons. Thom frowned, shaking his head as he watched their captive shift in her sleep. He was no country innocent, no superstitious miner to bow before everything the powers-that-be told him, but he couldn't help but wonder what flowed in the veins and soul of this meek little captive. If her hands were freed, could she turn them all into slaves with her magic? Could she call demons into Kohlanmer? Would she -- The man froze, his eyes widening, as the object of his attention sat up and turned her head, meeting his eyes. He hadn't made a sound, leaving nothing but his thoughts to wake her. His heart pounded in his throat, and he felt suddenly certain that her quicksilver gaze was trying to suck the soul right out of his body. The young Kohlani shuddered and leapt to his feet, drawing his sword with every intention of crossing the distance between them and running her through. He'd be damned before he'd just sit there and let some dark Toi witch eat his essence as a midnight snack! Adreina blinked at the man, more asleep than awake, and he stepped down from the rock he'd been sitting on, his eyes narrowed at her. She registered the sword in his hand, the fear and hate in his eyes, and she registered, too, the golden mask that hovered in the air behind him. Were there more allies? More men in the team? She glanced over his shoulder, her brow drawing together in muddled confusion. Thom turned, then, noting the shift in her gaze, and there was a flurry of motion that she couldn't quite make out in the darkness. The face moved. Thom moved. The sword he'd drawn made an abortive attempt to swing around to his front, but only clattered to the ground halfway through its arc. He stiffened, then, and stepped back as the strange, floating mask watched impassively, his face going so pale that the woman could see the change, even in the dim light. Still sleepy and uncertain what had woken her, she didn't realize what was happening until Thom half-turned, revealing the hilt of the dagger that jutted out from between his ribs. There was no scream, not enough breath left in her lungs to fuel it after his dead gaze slammed into her gut like a fist. She wrenched backward convulsively, horrified to watch the man topple over dead, but even after he was still, she could not look away, pinned for what seemed like an eternity by the reflection of firelight in the bronze dagger's hilt. Her lungs struggled to draw breath, and finally she managed a gasp, pressing her hands over her lips. Movement in the darkness freed her from the echoes of Thom's sudden death, and she raised her eyes to find the demon face staring at her. Panic loosed the locks on her voice. "Nai!" Adreina screamed, skittering back from the fire as best she could with bound wrists. The sound was a clarion call to the men sleeping around her, and they bolted awake, blades drawn and ready. Terror told the woman to run, but as she kicked herself away from the demon that watched her, her back hit something solid. Heart pounding, she turned to scramble around it, only to find herself suddenly held by the shoulders in an iron grip and yanked off her feet. The world spun for a moment, and then she slammed back-first into a boulder, her breath whooshing out of her once more. Black dots danced in her vision, and her ears rang. If not for the hands that held her, she would have slid to the ground. "Stay!" came the terse command, and she regained her senses just in time to see Djaz turn away and meet the blow of a black-clad figure. His blade rang musically into the sudden chaos, all silver lines and deadly edges. The other had a sword that gleamed as golden as its mask, and it wielded it like a wraith, its body all but invisible in the darkness. Adreina shivered from far more than just the cold, watching her captor fight what appeared to be nothing more than a face and a blade, both dancing in the starlit night. A scream of pain from her right was cut off by the sickening squelch of evisceration, and she turned to watch the little man, Craedi, finish drawing his strange dagger-looking blades out of an assassin's belly. Luckily, the light over there wasn't strong enough to show her the entrails that poured out after them, but it was enough to highlight the new demon-mask leaping out of the darkness at him. The Toi gasped, but whatever warning she might have managed was unneeded. Craedi had already felt the danger and dropped to his knees, stabbing upwards as his attacker's momentum carried him one step too far. The man shrieked and wrenched himself backwards, but not before his intended victim's weapon bit deep into his stomach. He clutched at his lacerated gut, his assassin's mask showing nothing of his agony, and brought his sword up to face off against his unassuming opponent. Watching them, seeing the confident sneer in the older man's face, Adreina couldn't help but count the masked man's life as over. The flash of a blade before her face yanked the young woman's attention back to her own vicinity, however, and she shied away as Djaz stepped close to catch an overhand swing from another of the killers. He had a new cut on his upper arm, but he more than made up for it with a feinted slash that bit deeply into the other man's sword hand. The tendons severed, his grip went dead, and that eerie, golden blade went flying off across the campsite. As her captor raised his blade to press his advantage, the young woman turned her face away and squeezed her eyes shut. She did not have to see the demon-man die, but she cringed to hear his scream rattle into silence. As his body hit the ground, she felt Djaz' hand on her arm and found herself being hauled away. "How many more?" Craedi glanced up from his second kill, looking first to Djaz and then out into the darkness outside of the boulders. "Pel had two more of 'em. I ain't seen him in a while, but they was headin' out of the firelight, there." He pointed with a blade that dripped ichor, and Adreina had to fight a wave of nausea. The Hunter responded with a string of words that his captive didn't recognize, though she was pretty certain that they couldn't have been anything less than especially profane curses. Without pausing in his litany, he raised his sword in an angry motion and brought it swinging down, spinning suddenly so that the arc of the blade pointed straight at Adreina. She gasped and stepped back, pulling the chord between them taught. Even after she watched the bloodied blade slice through nothing more than the rope that bound his wrist to hers, her heart pounded in fear. At any time, that strike might be in earnest, and her mind was suddenly filled with the images of her own body maimed by the same injuries as those on the attackers laying dead around them. Adreina hugged her arms close to herself, fighting a wave of dizziness that the horrible thought inspired. "Keep an eye on her. I'll be back," Djaz growled, his gaze glancing off Craedi before he turned and ran off into the darkness. The old man grabbed her arm, fixing her with a fierce glare. She didn't know what was going on, didn't understand why they'd been attacked or by whom, but from the hatred clear in his expression, Craedi, at least, was blaming it all on her. She wondered idly if she deserved it. Adreina turned back to the darkness as she was shoved once more to her rest against the large boulder. She did not know who the 'good guys' in that battle were, but when she found herself hoping that it would be Djaz and Pellorin who would return, she decided that her heart probably understood far more than her head did.

"Hmph..." Yui stands in the background for a while, examining the interestingly-editted sign and glancing up at the three bodies in the booth. Celes and Cambronne come and go while she ponders her course of action. Peredhil comes and goes while she fumbles in her cloak for her quill and inkwell. It isn't until Yuki approaches the booth with anticipation in her eyes that the Huntress makes her move, ducking and rushing forward to crouch in front of the sign while Salinye and co. are distracted. In a few strokes of the quill, the deed is done, and Yui darts back around the corner, pausing there to straighten and smooth the folds of her cloak back down into their natural place. She spends a moment practicing her innocent grin while Ayshela turns to confront Salinye, and then she's off again, strolling around the corner in an admirable impression of someone who's just wandering through the myriad events of the fair. While Salinye tries to placate the innocent victim of her latest mischief, Yui saunters by the stand, offering a smile and a wave to the only person who's paying attention - Zool. As he waves back, she lets her eyes slip down to the sign for one moment, admiring her handiwork. There, hidden from the view of the trio within, the sign now pronounces to the world: Kissing Booth! Kiss Zool (or Ayshela) (or Salinye) for 5 geld! (Pies-in-the-face are 10 geld! Bring your own pie!)

Operating on the assumption that Peredhil's post was, indeed, in the wrong thread, I've moved it. Not that there's anything wrong with talking about Weenies in Zool's birthday thread (indeed, it seems oddly appropriate ), but it kind of needed to be seen in the relevant thread. Can't have Polite Ancient Elder wisdom getting lost in the catacombs of the forum! @_@ Anyway... back to the show! _______________ While Zool stands there, licking cream pie off his hands and grumbling at the rubber chicken (who seems bound and determined to attempt to lick it off his face despite its lack of a tongue), Yui-chan approaches his painting, her expression intensely focused. For long moments, she says nothing, simply staring. Straight. At. Zool. He gives her a grin and a cream-flinging wave... and she just stares. He tilts his head, quirking an eyebrow... and she just stares. He waves a hand in front of her face, sticks his tongue out, tugs on his cheeks and goggles his eyes... and she just stares, her expression utterly unchanging. Finally, he decides there can be only one purpose to such an unswerving gaze, and Zool bares his teeth ferally, settling into the chair painted in the midground and spearing her with his own best 'Staring Contest' gaze! ... tension mounts. .... a crowd forms. ... minutes pass... then hours... and while Yui-chan just stares cooly, Zool is sweating beads of heavily-glazed oil paint. Even with the support of rubber chicken and his ever-faithful toupée, he can feel his determination slipping, his pigment-enchanted eyes burning and itching irritably. Still, he reminds himself of his goal! His purpose! He will not lose! ... then it happens. Yui-chan blinks and shakes her head, putting her chin against her fist in consternation. The crowd goes wild! Rubber chicken is squawking! Matt the Toupée is ... looking rather hairy ... Jechum, Gyrfalcon, Xaious and Zadown are all surging forward to contratulate the Ancient on his victory! ... and Yui is just sighing and leaning closer to the painting, mumbling, "No... no, I just don't see it." Zool pauses in his jubilation and blinks, peering down at himself (Pants? Check.) and then around the familiar confines of his third-dimensionally-challenged bachelor pad. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, except maybe a creamy splotch on the castle wall. Confused, he scratches his head (earning him an angry ... flop from Matt) and peers down at the frowning human. "Er... huh?" Yui reacts to his voice with a little start, blinking up at the Ancient and blushing lightly as she notices the arrested crowd staring at the both of them. "Oh! Happy birthday, dear Zoolio! I didn't see you there," she laughs uneasily, rubbing the back of her head. Rubber chicken squawks in dismay and falls over, dripping lifelessly from Zool's pocket while Matt the Toupée frizzes to show his exasperation. Zool just kind of lets his jaw drop and glances out at the sea of milling Pennites, all of whom are staring expectantly. They're just as confused as he is. Glancing around nervously, Yui fumbles in her cloak pocket for a moment and pulls out a rather tattered piece of newsprint. Holding it up to Zoolio's perusal, she shrugs a little and mutters, "I was just checking to see if it was true..." The ripped-out article from Art Afficionado Monthly is adorned with a blaring headline: "Pen Scandal! Ancient Zool's Captive Harem! Geriatric Chicanery Revealed!" Below a few paragraphs of poorly-written slander with too many exclamation marks and second-grade grammar is a badly doctored photo of Zool waving to the camera while five semi-nude nymphs cry out for help from the parapets of the castle behind him. Strangely enough, Elvis is chained amongst them, giving the cameraman a thumbs-up. Hovering between surprise, horror and a strong wish that it were all true, Zool glances back up at Yui's face, at a loss for words. She shrugs apologetically and grins a little. "Well, I didn't really believe it or anything... I just ... you know, had to be sure... "Er..." She leans in closer, whispering conspiratorily to the birthday boy, "... why's everyone staring, anyway?" Yours, ~Yui

Yui blinked at the tongue-tied stranger, glancing up from her abortive conversation with the bartender. (He'd really been just nodding a lot and not really listening, his attention fixed on the Princess that was reclining along the greater length of his bar. Apparently, the man hadn't seen many beached mermaids in his lifetime.) She'd been doing her best to entertain herself ever since Aegon had gotten stuck in a conversation with Ozymandias about the 'good old days' on Terra. Men could be so droll. Hence, when a rather discomfitted Daliarus accidentally asked the mysterious and quiet little lady to dance, she decided that she may as well agree. With a friendly smile, she offered her hand to the scholar. "Why, thank you. I would be delighted as long as you don't mind avoiding the flaming mosh pit." Poor Daliarus' stuttering increased tenfold in the moment that his hand touched hers, and whatever he might have intended to say was reduced to "Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma..." When it became clear that he wasn't capable of anything more, Yui took the initiative to add in a comforting tone, "My name is Yui-chan. I don't believe we've met...?"

Tamaranis, Actually, there is already a thread for feedback to 'Where Gods Fear'. It's in the Writer's Workshop. Would you like your post spliced into the other thread? Similarly, Finnius, would you object to moving the other thread into the Critic's Corner? It can stay where it is, but I think it'd fit better in the CC. It's up to you. Playing Moderator, ~Yui

If you have a virus scanner, run it. If not, get one. Really. You cannot be on the internet safely, nowadays, without one. http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ Here's a free online scan you can use in the meantime, if you don't have something already. I also like their personal antivirus, PCcillin. It's less intrusive and resource-intensive than McAfee and Norton. After that, you need to go get a few spyware and adware erasers. They're free and very, very useful. (What you are describing sounds more like an adware problem to me, but it's hard to say... ) http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/ http://www.safer-networking.org/ No joke. All three. Spyware Blaster will help keep you from getting infected in the first place, and the other two together will manage to wipe 99% of the nasties off your computer. Together with a virus scanner, I consider this to be a minimum package for internet safety. None of the spyware/adware programs are large, nor hard to install or use. They won't take up your computer resources. Just open each. Run. Close. They don't have to stay open. Do that once a month or when you notice something squirrely happening. Best of luck. Relax and breathe, Salinye.... Yours, ~Yui

Issue (7) The Face of the Enemy. This is probably one of my singular favorites in the story. Yay for character development! Yours, ~Yui