[M] Gelid Seraph [Ashen & Argon Jaden]

[Ashen]

[This roleplay is rated mature for reasons that may include but are not limited to: strong language, suggestive themes, violence, and possible mild romance. Reader discretion is advised.]

The sun was just beginning to rise, and tired brown eyes watched it with a sense of amusement. It had been a long while since they had been awake for a sunrise, and they had almost forgotten just how beautiful it was. It was almost worth staying up all night. Almost.

Ignatius was a night owl, who didn't exactly appreciate mornings and hated being conscious during them. He was alone in a tree staring out at the forest, watching as the sun bathed it in light. The forest had been his home for years; he lived under the forest, in a series of underground passages that housed all the members of his guild, Gelid Seraph. This guild, which was made up of the men and woman outcast by society in one form or another, had been the only family he'd really known. Though most of the members tired of his antics long ago, there was one who never would. And he was the reason Iggy was awake at this ungodly hour.

Shi, or Heilyshioune, had been his best friend since he'd joined the guild, some eight years ago. They had grown as close as brothers since then. Throughout the years, Shi had always been the one to have Iggy's back no matter what. Perhaps he wasn't exactly thrilled about all of Iggy's antics, and preferred watching rather than partaking with him, but he had always been there nonetheless. And today, today Shi was turning into a man. He was finally sixteen, finally able to do what he wished. He'd be legal now, and Iggy knew just what to get him.

In his hands was a carved piece of wood that Iggy had pored over for the longest time. Hiding it from his best friend had been the hardest part, but now he had to hide it no longer. It was a whittled piece of wood, in the shape of a chipmunk, and he knew Shi was sure to love it. The kid was a sucker for anything with big eyes, and Iggy had made sure he had spent the longest time on that feature. Though he had never considered himself artistic, he was quite satisfied with his creation. He had used fire to color the wood, which made the small creature seem all the more realistic. Now that it was finished, Iggy could not wait to present it to Shi.

But that wasn't all he had planned for the lad today. He also had a trip in store, a trip he had been planning for years. Everyone in the guild knew Shi's story; the kid's family had been killed by a ruthless band of fire mages long ago, leaving him orphaned and abandoned. Iggy wasn't quite sure what Shi had done before the guild found him, but he had been alone for too long. Iggy still saw effects of that solitude in the boy now. Though they did not talk about it often, Iggy knew how much it meant to him. Those fire mages, they were walking free. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to fix that.

Now that Shi was an adult, Iggy wanted to take him on a trip of vengeance. He wanted to seek the bastards who had ruined his best friend's life, and he wanted to make them pay for all the pain they had caused. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew there would be loads in store for the two of them. It would be a journey of self-discovery, a journey of friendship and brotherhood, a journey of sweet revenge.

Iggy hopped down from his perch in the tree, and he headed back to the entrance of the guild, a floor door hidden by bushes and other vegetation. He slipped through the corridors, walked past his own room, and stopped at the closest room to his. It was early enough; Shi needed to be awake. So, using all his might, he pounded on the door. "Shi get up! It's your birthday!"

[Argon Jaden]

Despite the break of dawn, the room was dark, and quite stuffy. Arrows and hunting knives littered the walls, a growing collection no doubt. Rags towels and mats lined the floors, covering it in plush softness instead of hard ground. The room itself, despite being quite filled, was cozy, just as cozy as the individual curled up on his bed with his eyes staring off into the darkness.

Heilyshioune had one of those nights again, where sleep had evaded him and he was left with nightmares that had him waking up every hour or so. It definitely wasn't a good start, or a good end to any day. He sighed softly and burrowed himself further into the covers. His room was thankfully cold, so the thick blankets covering him were reasonable. After all, Shion just wanted to sleep. in peace. Without the nightmares or without feeling like he was tired.

'Maybe I should've slept outside.' He thought, rolling over to the side. It wasn't really advised to sleep outside, especially not in the forest because of bears and snakes (not that he minded. Cubs were cute and if you know how to handle a snake, then all's well and he definitely \knew how to handle one) but it was one of the guarantors that he'd get a good night's rest. Unfortunately, he didn't listen to himself beforehand and was somewhat regretting his actions.

From his position, he could hear the sounds of movement; of others waking up so he guessed it was about time he started moving as well. He yawned, pushing the blankets off and blearily rubbing his eyes. Today was supposedly a special day after all. Azure eyes scanned the room and rested against a pale, weathered, red hairpin sitting by his desk. It was his mother's, engraved with the family symbol of a red sun with a white rose at the center. His family had this pin once, every member, whether it be on their clothes, their necks. He remembered that he has to make one when he comes of age and the symbol will be blessed by the family elder and bestowed upon him.

Or so it should be. Deciding that brooding would get him nowhere, he slid off the bed and began to go about through his morning routine, trying to keep a swift pace as he usually does. He was in the middle of fixing his hair when someone decided to punch his door. Multiple times. Holding the pin in his mouth, it was a little bit of a challenge to keep the braid in place as he opened the door, making sure to step back just in case Iggy doesn't notice that the door is open and decides to knock directly on his forehead. It happened a few times before.

"Don't call me that." He mumbled, but because his mouth was somewhat occupied, it came out as a whispery 'Shon't cull me shat' instead. Since it was obvious that he was up and awake, he finished braiding the end of his hair and pinning it to the back, almost sighing in relief now that he wasn't getting distracted by the longish strands curling against the left side of his face. Glancing back at his friend, he raised a brow. "If you're going to come in don't get the rugs dirty." He reminded, waiting for him to enter before reaching for his best bow and a quiver of arrows. The daggers he kept were quickly attached the the belt on his waist.

Obviously, like every year, he was trying to escape before any of the guild members catch him to 'celebrate' his birthday. Every year, he goes out to go hunting, before returning at dusk with food, where he'll promptly be ambushed and the chaos of whatever they're trying to do begins. So far, he has only succeeded avoiding the entire fiasco twice. He intends to add another point to that, should Iggy not sell him out. Especially this year.

Hefting the bow on his shoulder, he glanced up at the other boy and scrunched his nose. "You didn't sleep." It was a statement rather than a question as they stepped out of his room, with Shion trying to keep a low profile. "Thanks for the greeting though, don't want to get caught up in today's mess." It was his way of asking permission, or at least informing his best friend that he was going out hunting, unless, he had something important planned after all. Today, as much as he didn't want to admit, was an extra special day for him after all. So he looked at him expectantly, in hopes that if there was going to be a large scale prank on his birthday, he wanted to avoid being caught up in it. "Something on your mind?"

[Ashen]

Iggy chuckled softly at his best friend's response. He spoke in the same monotonous tune he had used the first million times he'd told him not to call him Shi, and this time would be just as ineffective as all the rest. He pushed on the door and found that it was open, that he had pounded it for no reason. He wasn't bothered. Iggy lingered in the doorway, watching as Shi fixed up his long hair. It almost made Iggy want to fix his own dirty and untidy hair. Almost.

Once Shi had grabbed his weapons, they were off. "If you're thinking about ditching us all again so we don't embarrass you, you've got something else coming." Iggy walked in front of Shi, ignoring his comment about sleep enitrely. "There's loads on my mind today. My baby brother is a man today, you know? How crazy is that! It's like just last week you were wee big." He brought his hand down to his thigh. "Look at how you've grown. What's that--is that facial hair I see? No, we can't have that. You'd better take care of that." Iggy held his friend's face in his hands, intentionally embarrassing him. He rubbed his thumb over the stubble while shaking his head and saying, "Tsk tsk." It was a known fact within the guild that the man himself could not grow facial hair, that he wanted to sport his own beard but could never manage to. Now, seeing the hair on his younger friend's face brought a lighthearted frustration.

Iggy started walking backwards, trying to lead Shi down the hall and towards the dining area of the guild. He sat his friend down and tugged gently at his bow. "I don't know where you think you're going with all that, but we have things to do. For one, I made you breakfast!" He turned around, at the small kitchen shared by the two dozen members of the guild. On the table was a cake, with a piece of it missing. As Iggy noticed that he narrowed his eyes, then looked up and down the adjacent hall. "It was whole when I left, I swear," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Anyway, I baked you a cake! Here, try it! It's chocolate. You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get this. Remember when you went off by yourself to ditch me the other day? Well I had to jump a merchant right outside the forest, and I managed to get away with some ingredients, but he sent his dogs after me. I think I've still got fur in the wrong places, and bite marks for days. Never mind--try it, try it!"

He broke a piece off for Shi and hastily shoved it towards him. He then called, loud enough for the whole guild to hear, "It's Shion's birthday!" This he knew would make the kid uncomfortable, but it was all in good fun. None of the other guild members even stirred. Noting this, Iggy waved them off and turned back to Shi. "Oh! Your presents. Right." He dug into his pocket and pulled out the whittled chipmunk, then presented it to him. "I made it myself. It took hours, so you'd better appreciate my hard work for you. But that's not all! I have a surprise for you. Are you ready?"

It was clear Iggy was excited. His brown eyes were gleaming, and the smile on his face was wider than usual. He wanted to make his friend happy, and he had a strong feeling his proposition would. It had been so long since they'd been allowed to go on a trip of this caliber. Now, he could hardly contain himself. "What if I told you... we're going on a trip to avenge your family?"

[Argon Jaden]

Not really feeling all too enthusiastic that morning, he scrunched his nose in embarrassment and tried to inch back from the wandering hands on his face. Facial hair kind of makes him nervous. His dad had some, and if he decided to grow some, well, he didn't want to look like a younger carbon copy of his father. Wrenching his face away, his fingers wandered consciously on his face, feeling the beginning of stubble that he was sure wasn't there yesterday. He grunted.

"I'll let you shave it off if you don't sell me out today." He offered with a snort, but followed his friend nonetheless. It was useless to try and outrun Iggy when he looks this determined anyways. Might as well submit to his fate. A soft whine of protest when his bow was confiscated, but didn't kick up a fuss about it. He did, however, stare at the older male with a look of subtle worry as he glanced at him p and down, checking for injuries while his friend ran his mouth. "You didn't have to." He murmured, brows furrowing before his eyes fixed on the cake.

Cake, especially chocolate was rare. He's only had it once or twice in his life. Azure eyes practically glittered with interest, despite his facial expression remaining surprisingly passive. Iggy would know that he was very touched by the gesture though, even if the smile on his face was small and barely there. Biting into the piece offered to him, he closed his eyes and lightly bumped his forehead on Ignatius's shoulder, a small gesture of thanks before he swallowed and promptly gave the other a sour look.

'Don't yell it out loud." He warned, lightly elbowing him, although it was obvious that he wasn't really angry. His expression, when his gift was handed over to him, was quite similar to when he first saw the cake. His eyes sparkled as he held the tiny thing with gentle hands, running his thumb over the fine details and a look of wonder was on his features. Looking back and forth between his friend and the gift, it was obvious that he wanted to say something but didn't know ow to vocalize it, so instead, he murmured a soft thank you before focusing on the tiny figurine once more.

He wasn't really listening when Iggy talked, offering a small nod of consent as he ate some more cake, completely enraptured by the animal that it didn't register until he had swallowed. Blinking out of his stupor, he stared at the other, looking at him in utter surprise for a minute before glancing down, back at the figurine. Again, it was obvious that he didn't know what to say and was trying to formulate a response in his head.

"... We're leaving right now, right? Today?" He asked after a while, looking quite excited now. "We're really going? They said yes?" He had been trying to get the guild elders to agree into letting him leave, but to no avail. They used to say that it would be hard because he was still a child. Then the reason that there will be trauma involved and he might get killed. And there's also that reason that he doesn't really follow orders to the dot. "We can go? They're letting us go?" He repeated, his excitement palpable despite the lack of expression in his face, except for his eyes. Usually blank azure was burning with energy, a contrast to how he looked when he first woke up.

He tried reaching for his bow, then paused. "When do we leave? What should I bring? Can I bring my knives?" The questions were spilling out now as he bounced slightly in his seat, glad to be able to escape from whatever ceremony the elders had planned and glad to finally be allowed to end the ones who hurt his family.

[Ashen]

Iggy didn't need any form of thanks; the look in his friend's glossy eyes said it all. Just seeing the younger man's face so aglow put a wide smile on Iggy's face as well. Already Shi had seemed to forget about all his attempts to embarrass him. That little animal had done just what Iggy had needed it to do, and suddenly, all the hours he had pored over it were worth it.

It was a look that could only be compared to the one that directly followed it. Realization washed over Shi's face slowly. Shock turned to excitement, and for the first time in a long while Iggy saw a childlike happiness in those azure orbs. He nodded a bit, mainly watching how Shi reacted to everything that was going on. After a few moments, Iggy confirmed all he was saying. "We're leaving today, yeah, if you're all ready. And even if you're not. I was thinking we could head off at about noon or so, after hitting up the shops and getting some supplies. Look at me. I'm planning things. Are you proud yet?"

He shrugged his shoulders and turned towards the cake, aimlessly wondering who had stolen the missing slice. "I haven't asked them, exactly," he admitted. "But you're an adult now! They wouldn't be able to stop you anyway, so we're home free. Besides, I talked it over with Jack, and he didn't... protest, so that's a good sign, right?" In truth, the elder man had not been paying attention to Iggy as he ranted, which was a common theme in the guild. "It'll be fine. We can tell them later, when they get up. For now, we have some packing to do!"

Seeing Shi had not quite finished his cake, he pushed his friend along and encouraged him to finish it later. They went back to his room, and Iggy looked over the place again. "Well, we could start by packing some weapons. When we get to them, we... might have to fight them. So I would recommend your bow, your knives, the works. Also bring some tools, maybe things to keep us warm, things for us to do... I don't know how long it'll be. You're better at this sort of thing anyway." He shrugged, trying to leave the specifics to Shion. Iggy then turned away. "Oh yeah," he seemed to remember. "I still haven't packed myself. I should get on that. Or maybe you can help!" Even if it might have been wiser to pack in advance, Iggy had never truly been known for his wisdom. He didn't have much of a plan. In fact, he had no idea what would happen on this journey: whether they would really find the bastards, what they would do to them, how Shi would take to them, to him. Iggy had never seen Shi kill anyone before, and he wondered if the kid had it in him. He looked down at his own hands. They were not as clean as he would have liked. Would that show?

He cleared his head and looked back to his friend again. "Right, well. We need to bring food! Think anyone will mind if we raid the cupboards a bit?"

[Argon Jaden]

He scrunched his nose lightly at the mention of the elder. out of all of them, Jack was the one adamant on letting Heilyshioune go. It was kind of weird since the man insisted on calling him by his full name, which was annoying and rather weird like he was always in trouble. He stuck his tongue out in distaste and shook his head. "He won't mind then." The dark haired youth huffed, nose raised high as he bounced on the heels of his feet.

He didn't mind getting pushed back to his room much, though he was very careful with the figurine cradled in his hands. As soon as they stepped in his room, he was off, pulling one of his bags, picking the biggest rucksack that was half his size. He had asked someone to help him make it before, and while he was excited, if it wasn't obvious by the way he paced in between packing, he made sure to carry the things he was sure they'd need. Four changes of clothes, a blanket, his hunting knives, his arrows, the small canister of poison for arrows, a flint, some twine, two cloaks, his bow and arrows, some salve, a decent sized pouch of money, another blanket... He huffed through his nose, glancing at Iggy with a raised brow. "... I don't have enough rope." He murmured. Taking that into consideration, he stuffed a few more things inside his rucksack, hefting it easily over his shoulder before grabbing his friend by the hand.

"You should pack more." He muttered, practically dragging the other towards his room. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he rushed in and scourged the room for the rucksack that was considerably smaller than his, managing to find it by touch before he began to organize it the same way he organized his own, only pausing when he couldn't remember where Iggy kept his undergarments. "Underwear? What else do you want to bring?" He asked, making a mental note of something as his eyes glazed for a moment.

"Let's get food in a while. After you finish packing up." He added, managing to put in the basic necessities and was just waiting for Iggy to finish what he started. "Before everyone wakes up and they decide to not let me leave." He said. "We still need to raid the food supplies." Mostly for biscuits, water, dried fruits, stuff. While he was a good hunter, it wasn't a sure thing that they'd find animals in case they wander into a barren road. Speaking of which, Shion hummed.

Leaning back and tapping his floor, a small crease formed between his brows. He needed to steal some maps from the elders. And a book on which herbs were safe to eat... maybe he could get a dog now too? For extra protection? He always wanted a wolf pup. Unconsciously, his thumb began caressing the wooden chipmunk, which he haad expertly fashioned into a necklace that dangled around his neck. "Map." He murmured, and scrunched his nose. Where would they start searching then? His legs throbbed and his back felt like it was on fire again as the scars of old churned at the memory of his hometown. They could start there. "Are you done?"

[Ashen]

Iggy enjoyed watching Shi move about. The kid really was good at this sort of thing, and he was fascinated just to watch him work so silently and efficiently. When he was addressed, Iggy nodded a bit, then gave a shrug. "I have rope," he said. "We'll be fine. Don't worry so much."

He was lead to his own room, and Shi seemed just as comfortable here as the kid did in his room. Iggy leaned back, not wanting to get in the way, and not minding at all that Shi was doing all his work for him. He pulled his own undergarments and threw them into the rucksack, wondering if so many sets of clothing were absolutely necessary. While Shi was busy fixing outfits, Iggy went off to go find rope, which he did at the top of his closet. He stashed it messily into the rucksack, knowing Shi would fix it for him. He threw in occasional other things, though nothing of import, until finally they were done. Suddenly, Iggy paused, and he whipped his head around. As his eyes laid over his twin blades, he let out a sigh. He drew his weapons, twirled them around, and smiled. "Can't believe I almost forgot them!" he said with a laugh. "I'd never forgive myself for that. A man's best friend is his sword, don't you think? Though you count too Shi, don't worry." In his hands were two hooked swords that Iggy often used for swinging through trees. They were his weapon of choice, and he was quite skilled with them. He fastened them to his back like he often did, and he set off out of his room. "Food time!" he said excitedly, and he dashed away.

Iggy wasn't so careful about what he chose out. He plucked dried foods off the cupboards, but also chose sweet things, and things that would not last. He did not pack much food, knowing they would be going to the shops soon to pick up whatever they were missing. Shi had wanted a map too, and this they could pick up at the market. So after Iggy had packed all his food, he turned to his best friend. "You know what we need, right? The shops will be opening up soon. We have some time before they do. Do you want to say goodbye?" He motioned around them, at the collection of rooms and corridors that had made their home for the past several years. "Who knows when we'll be back?" he murmured. "It's been a long time. I'll never be able to thank this place, yeah?"

Iggy walked up to the wall adjacent their kitchen, and he ran his fingers over the dirt. He mumbled to himself about it, about the damp living conditions that had always been perfect, about the family who had accepted him, despite not knowing much about him... It had been a long while since he'd been on his own, but as he looked back at Shi, he wasn't worried. They would be able to handle themselves, he was sure. Smiling, Iggy took a slice of the cake he'd made, and he started messily eating it. "I'm gonna miss this place, you know? But I bet they'll be thankful to have me out of their hair."

[Argon Jaden]

"... I thought man's best friend was a dog?" He asked, refusing to add a and you're my best friend comment after the statement in case his friend would be insulted, though it was mostly in jest but he didn't want to waste much more breath on it if they could finish up with packing. Then he realized that he also insulted himself with that statement, and his ears turned slightly pink as he finished packing them up.

The food carelessly tossed in the bag made him snort and again, the dark haired youth began taking out the food that he knew wouldn't last two days under the sun. The sweets were okay, but he removed a good majority of them since he didn't want any ants in crawling in their supplies. Once he was done, he shifted what was left, less than a third of what was tossed in there, and glanced up at his friend, blue eyes softening slightly as his lips quirked in a small smile.

"You should say goodbye to them." He said, taking a bite of cake from what Iggy was eating before returning back to fussing over their things. Unlike his best friend, Shion was more of a community child rather than an adopted one, with all the elders checking in on him and various people stopping by to talk to him and pamper him. It was good. Unconsciously, he was glancing around the room, sighing contentedly. This place was good, and no doubt, they'd return here someday.

Once he had the map in the bag and another canteen of water added to his bag, he straightened, knives ready and bow on one hand. He packed three slices of cake for them before he sighed once more, taking note of the number of people slowly filling the halls. Any later and it would be hard to leave without anyone noticing. He nudged Iggy, smiling slightly as he gestured towards the door. Towards their way out.

"Time to go?" He asked, both eager and impatient to leave. Any minute and the elders would drop by and question where they were headed off to and Shion wouldn't have any of that. Tugging Iggy by the wrist, he quietly made his way towards the exit, glancing back every now and then in case someone stopped them.

[Ashen]

Iggy had already said his goodbyes to these people and this place, so he wasn't expecting the rush of emotion that came with knowing they had to formally go. He had grown up here, with this family, and this was his first time really leaving them. He was good at hiding it, but inside he knew he would miss this place dearly. All the trouble he'd caused, all the memories he cherished; those were all he needed now. He'd already written a few words to some of the members, and they would undoubtedly find his sloppy writing when they woke. For now, all that was left to do was start their adventure.

The two of them walked to the entrance of the guild. Soon, they were outside, in that same forest that had seen them be kids. Iggy turned to the entrance again and offered a small wave, then turned to his friend with a wide smile. "I guess... this is it," he said, sweeping his arm and gesturing towards the lands beyond the forest. "We'll stop in town and grab some supplies, and then we're off. It'll be every night under the stars, every night on our own, doing whatever it is we deem necessary... It's any kid's dream, isn't it?" His eyes were shining in that way they did when he talked about some impossible dream. He turned back to Shi and motioned up towards the trees. "Think there'll be many of those where we're going? You know I need my trees."

In the next moment, two long swords had extended to a low lying branch, and Iggy used them to propel himself higher into the tree. He continued this, until he was far enough that he'd not be able to clearly make out his friend's face. He then used his hooked swords to swing from branches, between trees, shooting off towards the marketplace. Even if this was a day that marked adulthood, Iggy would never not be a child.

As he swung, he could feel the wind blowing his hair. It was the thrill of it all, being so high and moving so fast, and being so vulnerable to falling, that he absolutely lived for. He had become skilled at this, and presently he swung without even looking at where he was going. "Catch me if you can!" he called down to Shi, who was now quite the distance away. "I'll race you to the marketplace. Loser has to carry all the bags!" Which wasn't saying much, as he had already left all but his own bag with his grounded friend. Laughing jollily, Iggy raced towards the market, perhaps for the last time, with a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He had to remind himself that they would be back, that he would see his family again.

He hoped.

[Argon Jaden]

To say that he was unimpressed was one thing. Shion gave his friend a dry look. He probably didn't want to carry it himself. He snorted at that. As usual, the grunt work was left to him, not that he minded. He could use the stamina training, but it didn't mean that Iggy was going to get away with this.

Hefting both bags on his back, he took a deep breath, scanning his surroundings, taking note of the trees, the feel of the ground under his feet before he dashed off, taking the shortcut he knew all too well. The market was one place he frequented, selling his kill was a trade and an art. The forest itself was an art. One needed to know the forest, to feel it under their feet. He glanced around, feet taking him through the trees efficiently.

It reminded him of that time, when he was still a child, learning how to hunt the hunters. Jaguars were fearsome, but they were challenging, not to mention their pelts. He remembered his father telling him to be wary of the trees. In the forest, in order to catch the hunter, in order to be fast, you need to keep your senses alive, let the forest talk to you, tell you where to move next. And with that piece of information in mind, he kept his pace, merely shooting Iggy a grin as he jumped close, a few good feet below, but still there and keeping up.

This was a good beginning. He would win this. He didn't bother look back. Lunging forward, he kept at the speed he was going at, weaving through the trees, the market in sight. The rush left him thrilled, as if their destination was an antelope he was simply sent to hunt. Five meters. Four. He glanced up and grinned, a ferocious glint in his eyes that only appeared during a hunt, before diving and rolling for the place, laughing softly as he lifted his head.

"Did you lose?" He asked Iggy, panting lightly as some of the market people stared oddly at them. Not the first time, but hopefully, not the last.