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In The Fine Print: Part 1
Okay, Here's the deal. My friend and I have been writing a story for no apparent reason, and it's gotten pretty far now. So we decided to let the general public read it, thus leading me to type it in my journal. This is only a part of Chapter 1, but I will post more of it later, depending on who all reads it. So, without further ado, here goes.

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It is late morning, and Amaya Nagurasaki lays sprawled out across her bed, the sunlight shining across her sleeping face. Sounds of nothing but a ticking clock and Amaya's harsh breathing fill the room. Slowly, her eyes flutter open, causing her to immediately shield them from the sun's blinding rays. She moans in agitation and rolls onto her stomach, covering her naked, curvaceous figure with the satin sheets on the bed. Good thing she decided to do that, because just as she was concealing her vital parts, a large man barged into her room. His deep voice boomed from thick, crusted lips, "The boss says get up, Now!" With that said, he turned and left. Amaya stared after the enormous man and rolled her eyes, mumbling to herself.


"Gah...here we go again. Can't this b*****d see that I'm not interested in him? We go through this same BS everyday...." She stood and walked over to her personal shower, turning the knob to run only hot water. She whispered thoughtfully to herself as she let the water run, "I guess it's time for me to find a new job...Again." Letting out a soft sigh, she then stepped into the shower.

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The town was full early, and Ice'lena was doing her morning shopping. Well, she was supposed to be doing her morning shopping, but she was really searching for eye-candy. After about an hour, she gave up. "Guess I got up early for nothing," she said with a sigh. She was about to head for the marketplace when she noticed a familiar building to her left. The Mission Lounge; the place to be if one needs quick cash. Ice'lena's last mission from there hadn't gone too well. A simple search for a missing pet turned into massive property damage, almost 20 heart attacks, and an angry owner giving her the finger instead of cash. "It wasn't my fault..." she muttered to herself as she crossed the street towards Mission Lounge. "...how was I supposed to get the job done without tearing down a few buildings? And it's not like I knew the client lived in that particular house."


Shaking off her building tension, Ice'lena entered the lounge only to hear a familiar voice. "Hey furball! I heard you messed up big time on that last job," the manly voice said to her. Ice'lena looked over to see a tall man with hot pink hair sitting at a table near the door.


"Up yours, Oni," she sneered. She began ranting mentally to herself,'This sucks! First, I get no eye candy to drool over...and now I have to deal with this. This day just keeps getting better and better...'

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Amaya stepped out of the shower and got dressed in her usual gear. She'd added two new daggers to her holster, and was greatly pleased with herself. Those two people she got the daggers from weren't exactly easy to kill, considering they were ancient monsters bent on destroying everything in their path. After making sure her wardrobe was in check, she strolled leisurely down the corridor, making her way to the decent-sized kitchen. She grabbed herself a pound of raw meat and made her way to the boss' headquarters.


By the time Amaya made it to his immense room, she had devoured all of the meat, with plenty of room left over for seconds. She let out a sigh and entered the room, hoping this wouldn't take to long. The room was huge, decorated with red carpet, a king-sized bed with red linens, red-painted walls, and a huge desk that sat in the middle of the room. A large, red leather chair sat behind the desk, turned to face the back of the room where there was a wall-to-wall, floor to-ceiling window that overlooked the town. A deep, seductive voice echoed through the room, causing Amaya's furry wolf-like ears to twitch irritably. "It took you long enough, Amaya. You know I hate to be kept waiting," the voice said with a slight snicker. Amaya just rolled her eyes and kept quiet for a moment. Her purple-furred fox-tail swayed precariously behind her while her cold blue, gold-tinged eyes scanning the room.


"Just get to the point, Raja. Why have you summoned me? Another job need taken care of?" She suddenly felt groping hands itch across her waist, pulling her back into strong arms. The voice of Raja whispered in her ear, so close that she could feel the heat go into her ear.


"Hmm...I suppose you could put it that way. You know what I want, Amaya, and I'll pay you triple the amount of money if you give me what I want." His tongue traveled from her ear to her neck. Fidgeting, Amaya broke free from the man's grasp and stumbled backwards, a scowl on her flawless face.


"Don't push your luck. I wouldn't steep so low as to selling my body for your own personal pleasure. Hell, you're lucky I didn't rip your ******** tongue out, you snake!" she growled out while glaring at him. The young man was no older than 25, with long red hair and electric green eyes. There was a lust replacing the usual glow that occupied those green eyes. He smiled a gorgeous smile that would've sent ordinary girls running to him with their clothes ripped off by their own hands. Luckily for Amaya, she was no ordinary girl.


Raja kept his smile and licked his lips,"I should have seen that coming. You're not as easy as the rest of them, though I do like a little fight in a woman." He winked at her and took a seat behind his desk as if nothing ever happened. "You are dismissed...for now, Love."


Amaya hated being called that, and he knew it. Glaring coldly at him, she finally let go of her anger. "I've had it with you, Raja! I quit!" She stalked off before he could even get a say-so in the matter. Many other agents watched sorrowfully as Amaya stalked fumingly out of the building, never to return again. This was the fourth job this week that she had to quit, for the very same reasons. She sighed as she walked down the busy street, wondering where she could work that has an equal share of female and male workers. She stopped in front of a large building that she'd heard of, called The Mission Lounge. She had heard of many legendary agents that started at this very spot, and so she decided to take a look. As soon as she stepped in, everyone ceased in their conversation to gaze in awe at her....


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In The Fine Print: Part 2
Well, I got my 5 comments, so here's Part 2. Just a heads up, my collaborator can get very VERY random at times, so at different moments this story may not make any sense icon_sweatdrop.gif . She wrote Ice'lena's parts, and I wrote Amaya's. So any character associated with Ice, she made, and vice versa for me. Also, just a reminder, that wasn't the whole of Chapter 1. It was just the first few pages. Anyways, here's Part 2 of Chapter of 1 of In The Fine Print

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Ice'lena was so busy glaring at Oni, her tail puffed out in irritation, that she didn't notice how eerily quiet the room had grown, nor had she noticed the newcomer. She and Oni met 2 years ago, and hadn't gotten along since. Usually, rivals didn't get along anyways. Oni had been Ice'lena's rival since their first encounter, him being an 18 year old mission hunter with honey-colored eyes, and hot pink hair that would've reached his shoulders if he hadn't styled it to look like a porcupine. She kept her hard glare on him, still oblivious to her surroundings as she said, "You know, you'd be a lot cuter if you weren't such a p***k." Oni just rolled his eyes and looked over at who just entered the lounge.

Amaya scanned the room, her furry ears perked up, and casually strolled over to the bar. The women in the room resumed in their conversations, while some of the men continued to stare hungrily at Amaya. She took a seat on one of the bar stools and offhandedly ordered a drink. She peered from the corners of her eyes and noticed an odd guy with bright pink hair, and a girl with cat ears and a cat tail coming her way. Quirking an eyebrow, Amaya grabbed her glass and took a sip, keeping to herself for now.

Indeed, Ice'lena had turned her back on Oni and was walking towards the bar when Amaya saw her. She got to the bar and took a seat a few stools down from Amaya, still absent-minded of her as she addressed the bar-tender. "Jay, how are you doing lately?"

Jay turned to her and smiled. "Hey, Kitten. I've been okay." Jay was the owner of the Mission Lounge, and Ice'lena's father-figure. He was considered fairly handsome with aquamarine eyes and ragged brown hair that barely touched his shoulders. "I'm guessing you're here for work," he said casually to Ice'lena.

Ice'lena smiled nervously as she replied, "I....guess you heard about that last one."

"Who hasn't?" Jay said. "I'm surprised you didn't do any more damage than what you did. Usually we have a whole section of the city to rebuild." He chuckled a little and put his hand up to silence Ice'lena before she began her tirade of excuses. "Besides that, I have a mission perfect for you."

"How much?" Ice'lena asked, hoping for at least 500 coins to pay for the damage she caused in her last mission.

Jay smirked, "500,000 coins."

"Oh....WAIT, 500,000 COINS?!!" Everyone fell silent and stared Ice'lena's way, knowing the talk of money when they heard it. 500,000 coins was a lot of money for one mission. Ice'lena jumped to her feet, waving her arm enthusiastically. "I'll take it!!" She was so happy right now, she didn't even mind Oni standing next to her, as closely as he did.

Jay rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Kitten...there is one more thing..."

"Um..okay..." Ice'lena grew unsure now. She knew that anytime Jay said 'One more thing', that meant something bad.

"You'll need a partner..."

"And that would be me," Oni spoke up, pointing to himself with this thumb.

Ice'lena's tail twitched, which was always a bad sign. "No way in HELL am I teaming up with Porcupine!"

Jay sighed, "Ice'lena, he's the only one, other than yourself, that can do an A-class mission."

At that moment, Amaya cleared her throat and spoke up for the first time since she'd been there. "If you don't mind, I could be of service to you as well." She turned her head slightly, revealing her now cold, amber eyes.

Jay lifted an eyebrow and gazed at her suspiciously. "And why would you be so interested in this job? We don't even know how talented you are. Heck, we don't even know your name."

Without warning, Ice'lena jumped up and gave Amaya a bone-crushing hug. "Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!" she exclaims before letting to turn to Jay. "I really don't mind. As long as I don't have to work with him." She points at Oni. Seeing the stern look in Jay's eyes, she decided to go from another approach. Taking on a child-like tone, she pouts with wide eyes. This was the said kitten stare that Kay always fell for. "Pweeeeaase, Jay?"

Jay caves with a sigh, "Fine, fine. But I still need to know who you are." His attention was directed at Amaya.

Amaya nodded and stated in a low voice, "My name is Amaya Nagurasaki. I am merely a roamer looking for good work. As for my skills, you'll have to witness them yourself." A ghost of a smirk appeared in her expression as her tail swayed, almost playfully. She tilted her head, eying Jay thoughtfully, and asked, "What exactly is the objective of this mission of yours, anyways?"

Jay stared, "The objective is to receive a scroll from the Animas Ruins, which is a couple day's journey from here." Ice'lena stopped doing her happy-dance that she'd recently begun, and Jay noticed the look she gave him. "Don't worry. I know what going there does to you, which is why I said you needed a partner." He glared over at Amaya,"So make sure you're prepared. You both have two days to get ready."

Amaya kept his gaze locked in hers before nodding her head briefly. She finished her drink and stood, ready to leave. The only possessions she had and needed were on her holster. She strolled in her leisurely way towards the door, her gracious gait catching the eyes of many. Ice'lena ran after her and asked, "Where are you going? We need to discuss the supplies we'll need."

Amaya looked Ice'lena over passively, "I have the supplies I need. I've been to the Animas Ruins before..." her voice trailed off as she exited the building.

In The Fine Print: Part 3
Well....We've decided that I should just keeping typing, even if I don't get 5 comments. BUT, comments are very helpful and they let me know that people are actually reading these entries. So, though it's not a must for me to have them, comments would be greatly appreciated. And for those who actually read the WHOLE thing so far (and you know who you are), I want to say thank you SO much for giving this story at least 5 minutes of your time, and I hope it becomes more enjoyable for you all to read. With enough said, here's Part 3 of Chapter 1 of: In The Fine Print.

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Ice'lena stood blinking for a minute after Amaya walked out of the Mission Lounge. Leaving the building herself, Ice'lena runs down the dirt road and finally catches up with Amaya. She puffed her cheeks out before continuing on with the conversation they were previously having. "As I was saying, I have to go to the Animas Ruins every month, though I only travel in the upper levels. I think the thing we're looking for is in the lower levels." She then reached into her zone pouch, in which has unlimited storage, and partially pulled out a black and white string, it's end still in the pouch. With a tug on the string, a map slipped out and into her hands. She took the pouch off of her with one hand, then tossed it to Amaya. "Hold that for a second," she said absently, as she fumbled with a pendant on her neck while opening the map all in the same motion.

Amaya was surprised at the weight of the pouch, but she didn't seem to have trouble holding it. After a few more seconds of tampering with something, Ice'lena finally spoke. "We'll meet here." She took the pendant and used it to circle a spot on the map with weird ink that seeped from the pendant's tip, then she continued talking. "The place we'll be heading for is here." She tapped a spot on the map and the circle moved slowly to the place she indicated, leaving a trail and a 'star' on their destination. Amaya nodded and created a mental map, though it was not necessary.

"I never made much use for maps. I rely solely on my senses. I know where to be when the time arrives, " she said lowly to Ice'lena before handing her pouch back to her. Before Ice'lena could say "Ok," Amaya had began walking off again, her violet hair swinging at her hips, along with her furry, same colored ears flickering.

Ice'lena mumbled a bit before going back into the Lounge, where she walked to the window and watched Amaya disappear around the corner of an older building. "Wait a minute...she had ears and a tail like me...only hers belonged to the canine family. She one of us! An Anite!" She put a hand to her chin in thought as she watched the sun dip down behind the tall buildings of the town. "Well, I have someone interesting to work with, definitely. I thought I was the only Anite left." As the moonlight spilled into the room through the window by which she stood, Ice'lena's shadow shifted into the form of a cat with two swaying tails.

While Ice'lena reached her conclusions in thought, Amaya sat perched on a low-roofed building on the other side of town. Her eyes glowed an eerie, beastly gold as she scanned the unsuspecting townspeople below. One gentleman walked by, not noticing her perched in the shadows of the roof, and Amaya immediately chose him. Stooping low, Amaya landed on the dirt road of the dark alley adjacent to the building she previously perched on. Just as the young man approached the opening of the alley, Amaya grabbed him by his wrist and yanked him out of view. The man stumbled backwards with a yelp, trying desperately to scream for help, but only in vain. Amaya had her hand closed tightly over his mouth, her arm holding him securely pressed to her body. The man struggled, trying to see who or what had a hold of him. Amaya moved her lips to his ear and whispered to her prey, "If I were you, I'd cease with the squirming."

The moment Amaya said that, the man went limp with fear. She moved her hand away from his mouth and slammed his body against the wall, pinning him there. He stammered out, "W-what do y-you want w-with me?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a bit hungry, and I tend to toy with my food before I eat," Amaya responded, drawing a nail down his cheek and watching as his thick blood flowed slowly out of the scratch. The male gasped and tried to call out again, but this time his yell was cut off by Amaya's kiss. After a few moments, Amaya casually walks out of the alley, wiping her mouth and hanging her hands on her belt by her thumbs. Her shadow was that of a mix-breed, a wolf and a fox, with three tails swaying behind it.

The next person to walk down the alley would be greeted with blood-spattered walls and a pile of bones decorated in the same fashion. Smirking to herself, Amaya made her way to the rendez-vous point, and fell soundly asleep in the shadows.

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In The Fine Print: Part 4
Well....I know it's been a minute, and I apologize for that icon_sweatdrop.gif . To make it up to you guys, I'll type twice as much as I did last time icon_3nodding.gif . Hope you'll forgive me >.<
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As the night slid by over the dusty town that slept silently, morning slowly reached in with it's groping hands of sunlight. Bit by bit, each rooftop was softly touched by the light of morning, and sleepy faces appeared in the windows of high and low homes. Among those sleepy faces, Ice'lena awakes from another dreamless sleep. "Better go get dressed," she says with a yawn before climbing out of bed. She washes up, then puts on a sleeveless fishnet top with a jacket cut right above her midsection. She then slides on her low riding skirt, moving to the mirror to comb her hair. Brushing it gently, she brought it up into a hair tie, and tied it in a neat pony tail that hung down her back like a waterfall of blue silky strands. After checking herself over, she headed for the door, making a mental note to herself. "I'm going to need a lot of berries for today."

Ice'lena walks down the cobble-stoned, dust-filled road, scarcely paying attention to her surroundings. Birds were chirping, bees were buzzing, and people were gawking. Wait. People were gawking? Ice'lena turned to see a crowd surrounding an alley between two buildings. She pushed her way through the crowd, the smell of blood tingling in her nose, then finally found the bloody mess that Amaya left behind. She looked at the moist, bloody bones passively, her arms crossed. "Hm. So, someone died? It's not that interesting." She makes her way back out of the crowd, then walks towards the town's west wall where a forest stood on the other side. She easily vaulted over the stone wall, and landed on the soft grass with a thump. Standing up straight, she walks into the forest until she reaches the heart of it. The only reason she stopped in her tracks was because she spotted a pack of ghouls eating on a carcass. These creatures are known to eat anything and everything in their path.

"I don't want to bother them, but, they're not getting my berries," Ice'lena says in quiet determination. The ghouls must have heard her, for they turned in her direction, ceasing sharply in their feasting, then rose to come for her. "Feed.....Feed..." they all chanted in a voice not that of a regular being. Ice'lena's eyes glowed silver as she opened her arms wide. The ghouls stopped their chanting and froze in their places.

"Consume In Darkness," Ice'lena says, and immediately after, her shadow rose above her. It shot forward, engulfing the ghouls in one large black blanket. Ice'lena then brings her arms down to her sides and opens her mouth wide. The dark shadow and all of it's contents twisted up and went right down her throat. As it happened, her shadow reappeared as a shapeless blob before returning to it original state on the ground. She swallowed the last bit of ghouls-in-a-blanket, then grabbed the berries she was looking for. "That was good," she says before turning back, heading for town to go look for Amaya now.

Amaya woke with a start and looked around, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She glanced down at the marketplace, noticing Ice'lena wandering around. Amaya jumped down off the roof from which she'd slept that night, and approached Ice'lena from behind. She leaned against the side of the house she stood by, and said casually, "It took you long enough." Her ears were up and alert, while her tail hung still behind her.

"Sorry...you didn't tell me where or when to meet." She took out her pouch and reaches in it to pull out a cupcake. "You want one?"

Amaya lifted an eyebrow. "This is where you said to meet first. I assumed you chose this place to find something or someone to eat. No thankyou, to the cupcake. I don't eat your kind of food." She looked boredly at the people passing by.

"What do you mean 'Your kind of food?' " Ice'lena asks with a frown. "Plus, this cupcake is special." To prove her point, she takes a bite, then taps on someone passing by. A popping sound is heard as the guy turns around only to see a total copy of himself. The guy freaks out, running away screaming as the copy turns to Amaya. "That was fun," it said in a manly voice.

Amaya stared at Ice'lena with a blank look on her face. "Interesting. We should get going."

"MATA!" Ice'lena screams, then another popping sound in heard as she reappears as herself. "Ah, you're no fun," she says with a pout. "But I'd surely rather work with you than that b*****d, Oni."

Amaya glanced passively to her right, the direction of which they were to take. She said lowly, "Your definition of fun and my definition of fun are two different funs. Please excuse my behavior, but I've grown to be like this ever since..." her voice died away and she shook her head as if trying to shake herself out of a daydream.?

Ice'lena could see she didn't want to continue, so she changed the subject. "So, since I've find this to be a sort of dangerous conversation, I'll talk about something that's much less personal." Walking to the item shop, she continues, "I'm going to be the greatest Magic Dessert Chef ever."

Amaya merely nodded and followed behind Ice'lena, resuming her quiet mode. She looked around the shop with faint interest, her furry tail hanging limply still, along with her fluffy ears that twitched every now and then.

Ice walks over to the book section, scanning for something, and obviously finding it. "It's here! It's finally here!" She picks it up, her cat-like tail curled in delight. She ran over to Amaya to sure her the book she prized. "Look!" The title ran across the cover of the book, and read, 'The Book of Yokai.' This book was basically used to describe monsters, mystic beings, and spirits. Ice'lena had been waiting for it to come to this shop for a long while.

Amaya looked down at the book, an eyebrow lifted in it's usual manner. "Ah, yes. I remember that book. T'was quite interesting indeed." She then looked away again, her slight interest draining away rather quickly.

Ice'lena nodded and smiled at the book. "Well, that item's checked off from the list. Now..." She walks over to the fruits. "So many different kinds. I need about 200 different types, and 15 for each type." She started counting on her fingers. "5 fruits equal 2 coins, so that's..." She thinks hard. "That's 300 fruits for 120 coins." She turned to Amaya. "How many coins do you have?"

Amaya pulled a pouch off her belt and tossed it to Ice. "Should be around 12,000 or something," she said offhandedly.

"Wow..you're loaded," Ice says astonished as she looked at the pouch. She jingles the pouch a bit. "There are actually 13,065 coins." She takes out 3,065 and hands the pouch back to Amaya. "I'm going to buy fire marbles, water marbles, and quartz, then we're going to my place." She walks over to the counter and pays for the supplies. Then, she took out brightly colored scarfs and a string. Wrapping the fruit and gems in two different scarves, she ties the string around each, then wrapped the string around the book as well. She dropped then all in her bag, and they seemed to disappear into nothing as the end of the string stayed behind.

Amaya, by then, was standing outside, waiting for Ice'lena. So far, this was the boring day from Hell to her. When Ice'lena finally exited, Amaya sighed and asked, "What's with those bags? I've seen the likes of them on numerous occasions, but I've never really understood them. One once told me that they're like putting objects in a pocket of time, or something to that nature."

Ice'lena pauses for a few seconds, then answers as best as she can. "Well...it's kind of hard to explain. The bag really is a hole in time and space. People call these bags 'Floyds'. For what reason? I have no idea. The threads of the bag are said to be the hairs of a god, mortal, and spirit. The energies often conflict with each other, but there's a like a legend behind it." She paused again and took on a sad note. "Or, at least that's what my mom told me."

Amaya nodded, hearing all of this before, and quickly changes the subject, eager to kill another victim. "So, when do we get to the killing?"

Ice'lena stares at Amaya. "You're an odd one." She shakes her head. "First, we go to my house. Then, you get to kill something later."

Amaya grinned as she ran her fingers across the handle of one dagger. "Yes, I know. And OK, let's get going."

They start moving, and soon, they reach a small cottage at the edge of town. "Home, Sweet Home," Ice'lena says as she opens the door. A large gray blob tried to run out of the door as soon as Ice'lena had it fully opened. "Oh no you don't!" she screams, grabbing a spoon that hung next to the door, then immediately started smacking the blob. "Back! Back, I say!" She pushes it down the hallway and into the kitchen, right into the open oven. Once it was in, she slammed the door shut. She says to herself in a mutter, "I knew I had forgotten to do something before I left."

Amaya just stood outside, seeing no reason to go inside. She refused to ask what just happened, seeing as it was beyond her.

Ice'lena comes back, poking her head out of the door and motioning for Amaya to come in. "Come on in. Could I interest you in some Sheilan Pudding Tart? It's fresh." she goes back inside.

Amaya stepped in the door way, refusing to go any further. "Um...no thanks. Once again, I don't eat your type of food. Besides..." She added with a smirk and the lick of her lips, "I enjoyed a good meal last night."

"OK, Resi," Ice'lena said with a shake of her head. She decided to call Amaya that from now on, Resi meaning 'Reaper'. Her cat ears twitched suddenly and she sniffed the air. "Oh," she says surprisingly with a smile. "There's a man in my house."

Amaya's ears twitched as well, her nose wiggling with the stench of someone in the house. She slipped one of the golden daggers out of it's holder, and tossed it soundlessly through the air, hitting the target she aimed for flawlessly. Sure enough, a man tumbled out of his hiding spot with the dagger embedded in his shoulder. Amaya smirked and licked her lips again. "May I eat him? He looks delicious." She hadn't had dessert, now that she had thought about it.

"No!!" Ice'lena answer, running over to the man. He had a dragon nail in his hand, she noticed. "Ah, this is an engagement gift. My people use them as a way of asking some one to marry them." Ice studied the man, and turned him over to see his face. "Owan?! Of all the idiotic things to do." She sighs when she noticed that the boy had fallen unconscious.

Amaya growled in disappointment, crossing her arms. She noticed that the boy had furry ears, only they were shorter than hers. "Sorry, he should be OK, if he's a warrior that is. It's only a minor wound." She walks over to him and pulls her dagger out, rolling her eyes at his incessive whining that he did while unconscious."Hush your whining, it's only a little scratch." She puts her hand over the wound and it burns a hot blue. After a few seconds, the wound was healed.

"Cool," Ice'lena says before going into the kitchen and getting a cookie with a blue chip in it. "Amaya, Owan is not a warrior, he's an egg merchant." She feeds Owan the cookie. "He should be awake in a bit."

Amaya watched as Ice'lena stuffed the cookie into Owan's mouth, then she leaned him against the tan wall. "Hm. Pathetic. A man with his build would do good on a mission." She stood and waited for him to awaken.

Ice sighed again. "You would think." She looks him over. "But, he has a small problem. He faints when startled and he gets startled REAL easily."

Amaya shook her head pitifully. "Sad, really." She recalled the days back in the laboratory from which she had grown up. She was simply the best fighter there, along with her best friend, Khat. He'd been a magnificent fighter, with a body that all the other cell-mates desired. A sexy tail, dreamy ears; he'd been the object of all the females' (and some males, even) fantasies. Except of course, Amaya, who'd only been interested in his fighting style. Most of her moves, she learned from him. With a rueful smile, she silently wondered to herself about his whereabouts.

"Oh, don't pity Owan. His shop is quite successful," Ice'lena says, bringing Amaya away from her silent thinking. "There is another problem, too. He's in love with me. There are no sparks between us, so I know it won't work between us. I mean, I love boys, but only one has held this kitten's attention." She then held a dreamy look on her face. "Majeh."

Amaya lifted her eyebrow, yet again, as it was a habit when she was intrigued with something. "Oh? Interesting." She felt the urge to bring up Khat, but she bit her lip and held her tongue.

"Oh, and Majeh's Owan's older brother." Ice then gets a little confused. "It's weird, though. Owan has otter in him, but Majeh is part tiger. I wonder how that worked out..."

Amaya glanced over at Owan, who was slowly starting to wake up, finally. "Weird." She glided over to the door, "Just let me know when you're ready to go. I can't stay indoors for too long. I guess you can call me claustrophobic." She exited the cottage and waited outside, gazing up at the sky. Inwardly, her mind kept drifting to Khat. She whispered to herself, "Hmm...perhaps I did love him."

As Amaya stood outside, being lost in thought, Ice’lena was inside, looking after Owan. He was still unconscious when Ice’lena whispered to him, “Here’s something for your troubles…” She leans down and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek. She liked Owan as a friend, and felt terrible for having to turn him down on his marriage proposal, but it was as she said: Majeh had her heart. “This should help if the tart gets out of the oven again,” she says to the unconscious Owan before placing an ice tear in his hand. As she got up to get ready to leave, she walked past a table in the small living room, and then noticed something. “Hmm?” she says quietly as she walks over to the table to find a decent-sized bag laying there. She picked it up and opened it to find it’s contents being a silver necklace with a large pendant encrusted with moonstone. Her eyes go wide as she also found a note with a seal designed in the shape of a black skull with a knife going through it. Pulling the seal off, she opened the letter and read it silently to herself. “To my beautiful koneko…” Ice’lena puts the necklace on in awe, totally shocked at how she missed such a feat in the first place. “Majeh….Tora-chan was here,” she whispered as she stepped outside.

Amaya’s eyes were scanning over the trees when Ice’lena walked out. Amaya caught sight of what looked like a dark figure, then it suddenly vanished. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, thinking it was just her imagination. Turning to Ice’lena, she asked, “You ready?” Seeing Ice’s enthusiasm, she didn’t even wait for a response. The two of them set out for the Forbidden Forest, leaving poor Owan behind in Ice’lean’s cottage.