Tesh

Ahh... Those books... Yeah. They weren't my favorite...

Flying? That's fantastic. You just made my day.

I've heard this analogy before, and I am not sure how much it applies to me. This doesn't normally happen to me over long periods of time, but over the course of a week or so. Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely keep those in mind. I do have assigned seats in a lot of classes, but for the ones that I don't, I'll move around a bit. And in a few cases I have kind of had to befriend my teachers because I am not on speaking terms with anyone in the class. In one of my classes, instead of doing this, I just started learning a lot about a few aspects of the subject so I could make connections and things like that during the class and just be excited about it without needing someone to talk to. Which probably isn't helpful... I find it super interesting, though...

Kaia nodded and took off stiffly after the person who had greeted her, her shadows thickening around her as she emerged into the open.

I mean, I personally was fine at the beginning of the school year, after several months of next to no social interaction due to quarantine. And now that I have had more... It's weird.

Hehehe... My friends probably think this of me... (Not the cool part, though...) They think this until the subject of torture and/or serial killers or other related things are brought up. This has actually happened in class a few times... Which might be why I'm super nervous speaking up in class anymore. This actually might be a good place to bring that up. I used to be just fine speaking up in class. I used to do it all the time. Never really to ask questions, but to answer them or to elaborate on something. But over the past few months I have gotten to the point where I cannot bring myself to do this anymore, unless it's reading something out loud. If I even think about saying something, I start freaking out. I was just fine at the beginning of the school year. Now even emails to teachers make me nervous. Any ideas as to why this is? Or any suggestions?

Kaia looked up for a moment and nodded, then quickly ducked her head back down.

"You think that we're going to kill this dragon? That is not our goal."

Hehehe... That's exactly why I like it.

(Just a very whinny, spoiled, and neglected kid. I don't get him... He's not good at anything besides being famous.) Can't fault you for that. Every time I go and watch the first movie again (arguably one of the best book adaptations of all time) I just remember my mom reading the book to my sister and I for the first time, and then going to a friend's Harry Potter party where we watched the movie and had Harry Potter everything. And there is always the memory of playing with my friend. She was always Hermione and I was everyone else. (And then when it was Percy Jackson she was always Annabeth, and I was everyone else... It's really funny, now that I think back on it. She's changed a lot since then.) And I think Harry Potter is just a very nostalgic thing. There are so many good and peaceful moments associated with Hogwarts, you know? And then with things like Percy Jackson, there is definitely some nostalgia there for me, but they were always off fighting monsters with very little time to just sit back at Camp Half-Blood and relax.

I have reasons for saying this. They are fun books. Really fun, actually. I truly enjoy reading them. However. They do not deserve all the hype they have. I get why it's there and stuff, but there is just so much energy spent on this book series that is better spent elsewhere. Are they worth reading? For sure. I just don't like them as much as everyone else seems to. I was obsessed with them in elementary school, though. (My opinion on this doesn't stop me from knowing a ton about them, though...) Also, when your sister is always listening to one of them on audiobook, and has read the whole series many many times... Well, there are only so many times you can read a series like that before it becomes way annoying. Also, Harry is annoying. Especially in the later books.

(Fadran, turn down the death threats.... This is just an unimportant competition....) And Harry Potter isn't that good.

"Why did you decide not to go with [person from beginning]? He promised riches and fame. I can offer nothing more than a chance of dying." Talnic didn't mention that (storm it, I'm checking his name) Daric's endeavor would have ended with every single one of them reduced to a pile of ashes on the floor of a cave. Talnic looked to the rider and nodded in thanks when Minuet handed him his bag. The rider was very young, which struck him as odd. Then he found it even odder that he didn't even consider his own age. "You may join us if you wish," Talnic said to the trees where he had last seen Rengoku. "And you." Talnic grimaced at the man who had gone to the meeting. "We can talk as we walk, and we'll decide whether or not you can stick around."

Kaia blushed suddenly, realizing how thick her shadows were. She dismissed them, leaving only the faintest cloud. Her body took a moment to catch up, remaining slightly shadow-like itself for an instant before returning, mostly, to normal. "I think so," Kaia said softly. She summoned a small cloud of darkness for a second, and then quickly dismissed it. "Most people can't do that," she said, looking down. "And... This is... Well..." Kaia bit her lip, wanting to look up, but not daring. "You all don't seem like most people," she finished.

Seeing Minuet's disapproval, Talnic almost smiled. It was just another example of why he hated working with people. There were always so many different ideas and points of view, always in conflict with each other. There was never a way to satisfy everyone. "We can talk about this later," Talnic said softly to Minuet. "But right now this is not subject to debate." For a moment, the ring against his finger burned. Talnic gasped, drawing his hand away from his knife at his belt. What had that been? As the burning faded, so did the presence of the people around him. He could still feel them, but they seemed distant. The man whose presence had felt faint at first seemed to be almost non-existent. Talnic tried not to show his sudden burst of anxiety. He had come to rely very heavily on knowing where people were and in what numbers, and if that skill deserted him... "We need to go," Talnic said. "Things are shifting." He didn't know if it had something to do with the change in the ring, but even so, there was something happening.

"There was a prophecy," Talnic said stiffly. "And I will not do to the dragons what [person whose name everyone has forgotten] intended to do."

Talnic narrowed his eyes, looking the stranger up and down, refusing to let his panic show. "Do I know you?"

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Talnic turned, hand on his knife. "Can I help you?" Talnic asked.

Kaia slows, the darkness around he thickening. She resists the urge to turn and run and hide, and instead stands, although she can feel herself shaking like an aspen on a windy day. "I..." she said slowly, trying to make sure she said the right words. "I do not know this Herate." Kaia didn't continue. She didn't know what to say, or how to explain her presence. She just hoped this person who had found her would have something to say, and that the words he spoke wouldn't be ones that ordered her to leave.

"If they don't try to kill us or rob us," Talnic said coolly to Orpheus, "then I would have no issue with them joining our number." He looked to Rengoku from the corner of his eye and lowered his voice. "And I can feel something different about this one. I can't explain it, but..."

Slowly, not moving his eyes from the stranger, Talnic sheathed his knife. He didn't know why, but he somehow knew that this man was not a threat. Talnic nodded. "You may join us if you would like."

A figure stepped out from behind a tree. Talnic stopped in his tracks, settling into a solid defensive stance, knife at the ready. "Why were you watching us?" Talnic asked, eyeing the figure. Something seemed to be very... Off... About the man. For one, he was standing barefoot in the snow. But he also didn't seem to be entirely present. Even being within several feet of the person, all Talnic felt from the man was a very faint and almost nonexistent sense of life.

I think... I think I just confuse people. I might have had a few people think I'm intimidating... But... Yeah, I don't know. I generally have no facial expressions or very large and obvious ones, and it's weird... People often think I look grumpy, though, when I am not showing any expression.