The Phoenix Saga, Part 1 READ FIRST POST!!!

Kit's eyes opened wide, and he sniffed the air tentively. His human nose was practically useless, but he sniffed anyway, as he carefully approached Destiny. He recognised fire borne of spirit when he saw it, a fire that burns but does not consume.

Cocking his head to the side Kit stared confused.

"Am I missing something? I didn't think there were any other Fire-spirits in this town."

----

OOS: This post presented in incredibly short-O-vision, because my brain has decided to not let me in on how I should proceed... so, in the interest of not hitching thing any further... um... here.

Terry waited as patiently as he possibly could for Destiny's answer, although it seemed even she wasn't sure of what had happened. That was when things got weird. He watched as Destiny went still, standing with the same blank stare as a statue. Then his eyes widened when he noticed the tendrils of flame making their way over her body.

The voice... The voice that came from his friend's mouth then was not hers... And yet it seemed familiar somehow, like he'd heard it long ago. The melody coming through with the words was a simple whisper, heard faintly at the edge of his memory.

For a moment, he stood dazed by the sound, until Kit's voice snapped him back to reality. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "Now I've seen everything," he muttered. He looked back up at his friend, staring deep into those eyes to see if he could find any trace of her. But whatever was there, it wasn't the friend he knew.

"So if you're not Destiny," he said, trying to make sense of all this, "then who are you?" He didn't sense any malevolence or any harmful intention from whatever spirit or creature inhabited his friend's body, but nor was he going to let his guard down yet either... not until he had all the necessary information.

A small smile twisted Destiny's lips, a glimmer of amusement burning in her emerald eyes.

"If you choose to believe that I am not Destiny," the voice came again, Destiny's gaze on Terry, "then I will not try to change your mind. As it is, I have been with Destiny nine years now." Destiny raised a hand and placed it across her heart, bowing slightly at the waist and inclining her head. "You are Terry Miakoda, Alex Sieglinde, and Kit Kemono, friends and allies to Destiny Falda. You have all done well to keep her safe, especially you, Terry. I thank you."

Destiny straightened, one hand reaching up to flip a wayward lock of hair from her eyes; a move that was so very Destiny, yet made strange by the fact that she was still engulfed in flames.

"I am Phoenix. A being of many spans of lifetimes, far more than many have seen or shall ever see." She glanced at Kit momentarily. "Be that as it may, I am risking much to speak with you. I... am not as young as I was a handful of centuries ago." She smiled again, bringing her hands up before her face. "I know there are questions burning in your minds, but time is short. Too short, I am afraid to say. But I will tell you this." Her expression turned serious. "Destiny knows not of her past, nor her fated future. She knows not of her passing, nor her return. But she will. She shall. And the three of you," she gazed at each teen in turn, "will be the only ones who can keep her from the brink. The path ahead is fraught, it is perilous and long. Are you enough to see it through? I cannot tell you exactly what you will face, but I can tell you that you three will fall apart before the end."

Alex slid down from the branch to lean against the trunk of the tree as Phoenix spoke, her mind wandering back to old legends and myths she'd heard concerning fire spirits of that name. While her brother had always been interested in current happenings, Alex had always looked to the past through myths and legends, saying that History was bound to repeat the truths of those tales.
It was nice to be right, for once. But victory had a bitter taste when her brother couldn't be here.

Listening as Phoenix spoke, she pondered what she said, especially the warning at the end of the little speech. "'Fall apart', huh?" she asked casually, her arms crossing as her head tilted slightly. "Personally, if Destiny needs protecting...and she seems to be a good soul...then there's no better cause to 'fall apart' for," she said, her words coming out semi-slowly as she took great care in thinking about what she said (at least, at this point in time). "If you need my help...I'm in."

Kit, of course was used to these sorts of dire warnings and prophetic speeches. When you grow up around spirits who are convinced of their own divinity, they were par for the course. If this room isn't cleaned up, your world will descend into pain, or If you go out in the rain, doom will fall upon you. It was always very dramatic. Kit knew, however, this was different.

He swallowed, and nodded meekly adding, "I'll help... if I can."

----

OOS:

I feel like I've been hit in the head with a mallet and then drugged... so tired... and drowsy... plus a migraine. Tried to post, thats about all I can get through this haze...

Now... bed.

Terry had so many questions, so many things he wanted to ask the being that inhabited his friend's body? Or was it her? Had it ever been? That and so much more filled his mind as he struggled to listen to the warnings Phoenix offered.

Slowly, cautiously, he stepped forward and risked placing a hand upon Destiny's shoulder, holding hope that the flames surrounding her would not burn him. "I don't know what our future holds from here on out," he said, "But I've fought against evils far greater than those stupid androids... Whether it takes me to the highest of mountain tops or the deepest pits of hell, I'll do whatever it takes to help my friend Destiny... and consequences be damned."

Destiny's eyes swept the three figures around her, the emerald irises interlaced with flame red flecks. A slow, sweet smile curled her lips as each came forward. Terry's hand settled on her shoulder, the weight holding truth and comfort. The flames cooled under his touch, and though they still burned blue, the crept up across Terry's hand and sleeve, never leaving a mark. At his last remark, she let out a laugh, bringing her hand up to her mouth as a light, bell-like sound errupted from her throat.

"Dears, you are all well and brave, and while I admire your... grouped courage, I would advise caution. It is one thing to rush headlong into a fight when well armed, but it is another to go in blinded and defenseless as you are." Her eyes fell on Terry for a moment. "Still, I will give you this: find allies in dark places. Seek answers where there is not even a speck of dust. Where once were enemies, help will be found. All you need do is seek it. And, above all, remain, in yourselves, as open to one another as you are."

Destiny's eyes flickered closed, the flames receeding back into her body. With a low moan, she slumped forward toward Terry.

"Wh-what was that about?" she asked, gripping the bridge of her nose.

Alex sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose before pulling herself back up onto the limb of the tree, stretching her legs out over the branch as she leaned back against the trunk. Terry and Des were obviously closer friends at this point in the game, so she remained silent, guessing Destiny would prefer to hear about the fire spirit from Terry.

Giving the two of them a private moment, she turned to look at Kit. "I swear I just wanted directions," she joked, trying to lighten the moment just a little bit from the awkward feeling that hung in the air.

Kit grinned, happy for anything to break the tension.

"I know what you mean. I thought I'd be home eating dinner by now..." He pondered for a moment. "I have to admit, its been a very suprising day."

He pulled his weight forward and lurched to his feet, before finally standing up.

Terry managed to catch Destiny, strangely without even stumbling under the additional weight. He laughed half-heartedly. "Des... We've got a lot to talk about," he told her, "But... I think we'd best move on."

As the group started off again, Terry began to explain everything he could to Destiny, how she was merged with, or at least inhabited by the spirit of the ancient firebird called the Phoenix. How it happened he wasn't sure, but he knew that she was in danger. He explained that he and the others had agreed to assist in protecting her and Phoenix from whatever threat, but that Phoenix had warned them all that they would fall apart before journey's end.

"We're supposed to seek allies," he finished, "But... where, I don't know. She just says to find them, in dark places."

Destiny's head started to spin and pound as she felt Terry leading her along. She had no clue where they were or where they were headed, but she knew that having Terry close to her side and Kit and Alex brought a level of comfort that she hadn't felt since before her mother died.

When Terry began to talk about Phoenix, Destiny pulled up short, forcing them to stop.

"Wait. What? There's a what inside of me? You're joking, right? And why am I in danger? Who wants to hurt me? And with that in mind, why would you put yourselves in danger for me? This doesn't make any sense!"

Her voice had begun to rise in her frantic tirade, her expression showing that she was borderline hysterical. She laced her hands into her hair and tugged, trying to get a grip on the massive amount of information that had been dropped into her lap in the last two hours.

"Androids are waiting for me when I get home, they attack us, I... BURN one of them and snap its arm off. Then, complete strangers just BURST in and my house ends up destroyed. Now, I'm in the middle of the woods, going out of my MIND because now you tell me there's this... THING inside of me. Terry! What in the world is going on here?" She suddenly looked around. "And can we PLEASE go somewhere that isn't so... secluded? I don't feel safe here anymore."

---

OOC:: Sorry y'all. I have a bad habit of making my characters slightly emo from time to time. XD

Terry could understand where it might upset Destiny to have to take all this in at once. Even he didn't understand it all... Heck, he hardly understood any of it.

As before, he placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to be a comfort to her. "It's a lot to take in Des," he agreed, "And I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don't. We don't have any answers yet. I do know that you're right, however... We can't stay here anymore. Unfortunately, I don't know where we'd go given our... present situation and company."

Kit spoke up, "Well... my aunt is used to... unusual things." He thought for a moment, "I doubt any of this would suprise her too much, except maybe for the..." His words trailed off. He intended to say Phoenix but felt that saying it would have an adverse effect on the one who carried it.

He shook his head, "Anyway, if nothing else, we could hide there for a few days."

Alex had mostly remained quiet, her violet eyes taking in Des' reaction as she thought to herself. When Kit spoke, she turned her gaze towards him, then lightly shook her head. "In case these things are somehow following us, I don't think it would be a good idea to lead them to anyone's home. Even if we manage to get somewhere else, they could always return to our homes and put our families in danger," she said, thinking aloud.
Then an idea came to her head and she looked towards Terry and Des. "I know a place called Forever Young - it's a youth hangout in the city. There are a lot of teens that usually hang there, so we could at least confuse our scents around them for the time being. I'm pretty sure they won't strike in a large crowd like that - safety in numbers and such," she suggested. "I know the way there - and you don't have to pay anything to get in, just to eat or play games if you wanna do that. It would at least give us some time to talk over where to go from here without worrying about them overhearing us," she stated.



-----

((OOC: I'm sorry about the late post guys - I kept meaning to get to it and kept forgetting or getting caught up in something. TT_TT I'll do better about it next time, promise.))

Terry was quiet as he listened to the suggestions. They both sounded good, but in the end he had to agree with Alex. "Let's go to the club," he said, "We can regroup there, and I should have a little bit of money in my pack. We can get some drinks and plan our next move."

Already he had an idea of what he wanted to do, but until he was sure Des was safe and that their little group was not being followed, he didn't want to chance it.

He searched around, looking for approval from Kit, but especially from Destiny. It was, after all, her life that was in danger here.

Desinty moved to the side as her three companions discussed their options. Leaning on a tree, she ran her hands up and down her arms, shivering slightly as the sudden influx of adrenaline from her temper melted from her system.

Closing her eyes, she turned inward, and hear the echoing cry of the place she went to her in her dreams. With a gasp, she opened her eyes as Terry finished.

"I think Terry's right," she said, forcing her voice to be level and calm. "We can't risk anyone in our families. Not now." She cast an apologetic glance at Kit. "I've heard of the club, Alex, and I think you're right. Hiding in plain sight is a good idea." Pushing off of the tree, Destiny stepped back into their circle, her head up and her shoulders squared. "Let's not stand here any longer. Something around here gives me the willies."

--

A few yards east of the group of teenagers, a creature the size of a small child peered through a dense patch of foliage. Its telescopic eyes zoomed in on each face, compiling composit sketches within its memory banks. Later, it would all be downloaded into a computer back at the base, and then they would know who the two new players were.

It slipped out of the foliage and circled quietly, making almost no sound as it skirted another tree. It plastered itself to the bark and zoomed in on the face of the new girl, compiling all available information, including heart rate and respiration readings.

It ducked back and sent a silent message. Mere moments later, a reply came back.

"Mission accomplished. Return to base. Do not be seen."

The creature slipped down to the ground and silently slithered south.

----

OOC:: PLEASE, do not respond to the end of the post. Just... let it lie for now.

Alex nodded, shifting her backpack on her arm to slide her energy book into the main compartment - she got odd enough looks without carrying that out in the open; no need to attract further attention to themselves.

"While we're at the club, maybe a few of us should take turns darting home to grab clothes and supplies?" she suggested quietly, her tone showing she was thinking aloud. "I'm not sure I wanna go home with this hanging overhead. My family might be a pain in the...neck...but that doesn't mean I want them fighting mini-Terminators," she said, snorting the last word as if she were still trying to come to grips with what had just happened herself.

As the trees made way for the paved roads of the city, Alex stopped to get her bearings, then made a right down a road that led past old warehouses to Forever Young. The warehouses looked more like over-sized storage units, each proclaiming the name of a small company that had most likely baled out of the small town years ago.

Kit was puzzled as they passed the neglected and worn warehouses.

"What exactly is this Forever Young club?" he asked as he absently scratched at his ear. Before waiting for an answer, however he spoke up again, "I can move about without being noticed, would you like me keep watch while you gather your things? I... don't really need clothes or supplies myself..."

His face turned a bright red hue as he realised the implications of what he had just said, "I uh... mean... err..." His tongue stumbled, and he fell silent, and embarassed.

Terry was glad to be moving again. Even as he and his new companions turned toward their next destination, he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye, away off in the shadows, concealed by underbrush. He looked for a moment, but suddenly it was gone. "Great," he muttered, "The ghost-hunting's getting to me... I'm starting to see things."

He turned his attention back to the conversation. "Forever Young is supposed to be the place to hang out locally," he explained, "They provide food and drinks, play the latest music, and even offer some quieter lounges just for relaxation or for homework... I've heard it's gotten so popular there's an expansion project planned, but I've never been there myself. I've been too busy."

As the group moved through the warehouse district, Terry felt himself becoming wary again. The dilapidated buildings sent chills down his spine. He found himself absentmindedly sniffing the air like a dog, searching for any scent of danger. He didn't even hear Kit's comment.

Destiny followed along quietly, her eyes darting around through the trees, then up and down the street. She stayed near between Terry and Alex, her hands tucked deep in her pockets. Lowering her eyes to the pavement, she concentrated on her feet and practiced the breathing she implemented in her daily Tai Chi exercises.

"I've always meant to go there," she put in once her heart and mind had settled sufficiently. "But I've been up to my eyeballs in schoolwork and college applications lately." She laughed. "Don't those things seem so trivial right now?"

Alex chuckled a bit sheepishly. "You know I haven't even started on those yet...Guess I woulda known to if I'd stayed in class just a bit more. I can't help it though...those classes give me clausterphobia. They should take up a new tradition and teach outisde," she suggested with a grin.

After passing a warehouse labeled Dotties Dough and Dougnuts - complete with sprinke decorations that were worn by the elements and almost completely faded by rust - Alex turned down a small sidestreet which looked like it only led to another row of warehouses. At the end of the row, however, there was one final warehouse pained black. In flowing silver script across the door was written "Forever Young."

'Forever Young'

It seemed an odd thing to call a club. Humans always seemed so obsessed with youth or eternity, Kit supposed this was just the way of the world.

Responding to Alex, "In Japan, it is much worse... There are exams, even to enter high school." Under his breath he continued Or, I think thats what they said.

The doors swung open as a group of teenagers came walking out, laughing before passing by out onto the street and beyond.

Terry brought himself back to the present, assuring himself he was just getting paranoid. "The tests really weren't a problem for me," he admitted, "I guess school kind of takes a back seat when you spend your nights hunting and studying the paranormal.... or when you realize your ties to it."

Although he could have been talking about the quest on which he and his companions now found themselves, there was something in his voice, the implication that perhaps he spoke not only of their recent revelations, but more he would not reveal yet, even to Destiny, close to her as he was.

He looked over the flowing script on the door now before him. It seemed a rather poor announcement for a club that was supposed to be practically bursting at the seems with the sheer number of youth who hung out there on a regular basis. He had expected something out of Las Vegas, some brilliant neon sign with gigantic, fluorescent bulbs spread across its surface, where every shaft of light leaped from one to another, chasing the one before it and fleeing the one behind it.

He could hear the thrumming of a base inside and could make out the cacophonous melodies wrought by the voices of dozens, if not hundreds of students, but anything further was drowned out, even to his senses. He realized that he should not have been surprised at this. These warehouses were decades old, built not only to withstand the elements so common to their part of the world, but also to assure privacy and security. The walls that made up the outer layer of Club Forever Young must have been at least a thick foot of solid granite, and it was only recently that the thick, sliding blue doors that sat on most of the warehouses had been replaced by the club's more informal entry.

"Well then, shall we enter?"

Destiny followed the group into the club, fishing her student I.D. from her wallet. They passed through the initial thick-walled alcove and were immediately assaulted by the state of the art sound system. A popular band was playing, and the floor vibrated beneath their feet. For as pumped as the system was, though, Destiny was able to keep track of her own thoughts. The doors closed behind them and they entered Forever Young.

As they stepped further into the main room of the club, Destiny looked around. It was still early, so the crowd was thin and the dancefloor near the far end of the room was nearly empty. The stage was empty save for the house instruments sitting in the dark and the spotlights pointed onto the dance floor. Blue-green tracklights led up a curved staircase that gave access to the balcony that curved around three of the four walls of the club.

The Everlast Bar and Grille was lit and busy, the smell of burgers and fries wafting from the west side of the club. Destiny recognized a number of her classmates, but not many of them that she'd had much contact with. Another group of students entered, this one younger, and made their way toward the staircase and up, no doubt to shoot a few rounds of pool before the older teens arrived.

"I think we need to stop standing here in the door and blend a little," Destiny said, raising her voice only slightly. "We look rather suspicious. Besides, I'm starving."

Keeping one eye on the crowd, Destiny took the lead, weaving through the groups of tables and into the Grille station.

Alex smirked - blending was something she could do here. Pausing in a darker lit corner, she reached up and removed her black baseball cap, turning it backwards so the bill was slanted over her long braid, a few of her bangs flowing through the hole in the front of the cap. She closed her hands like a book in front of her, letting the huge book under her arm vanish in the motion before she weaved through the crowd to join the others.

An older classmate she'd met at this club approached her, holding out his hand, which she took with her own as they pulled each other into a half-shoulder hug. His kinda smile seemed an ironic contrast to the Gothic-Punk style of clothing that he wore. "Alex, long time no see!" he said casually. Grinning, she nodded. "Been awhile, Jason. Much changed?" she asked as she walked with the group towards the bar and grill. "Nothin but the menu," he said with a grin that implied an inside joke, which Alex laughed at. He'd been ready to ask about her friends when someone across the club caught his attention with a wave. He waved back, then patted her shoulder. "See ya around!" he shouted over the music, then made his way off to the side. Alex nodded, saying nothing as she hopped onto one of the bar stools, waiting for her companions to order.
Her body language said nothing but relaxed and at ease as she leaned against the corner, her eyes surveying the crowd as if she were trying to find an uncrowded part of the room in which to dance. Her mind, however, was analyzing and scanning through the crowd, trying to identify anyone who could possibly be a threat, her senses on high alert.