Death Should Part Us ( Open and Mod)

[Adalaine Lancaster]

Timestamp: 30th Day of Summer, 509 AV

Under the heat of the sun walking on the cobbled road a woman with long curly red hair clothed in a white cotton short sleeved tunic and brown breeches walked with a sort of urgency.

" Your face is scrunched up as if you ate a lemon. You need to relax Addy my dear and have a bit of fun. I have more fun then you and I don't even have a pulse", said Lucian with a chuckle.

On the day marking her tenth year the raven haired green eyed ghost made himself first known. At first Addy thought that he was the product her imagination to ease the loneliness that she felt as a child. Quickly she found out that was not the case as he had a mouth that would rival the most experienced sailor and his personality vastly differed from her own.

At times Lucian's escapades were far to much for the socially awkward scholar. For the moment Addy had decided to ignore the ghost that had been with her since her tenth birthday. As a child she had found his curse words amusing and often mimicked them like a pirates parrot. That is until she had dropped a clay bowl in a cave which shattered upon meeting the stoned floor, apparently saying " boils on a whore", was not very ladylike no matter how upset you were. The taste of soap was quite unpleasant and did well to subdue a growing caustic mouth.

" It is not very polite to ignore someone who is speaking to you. I know that you can here me Addy. I am sorry but you were not much of a conversationalist, with your nose buried in that book. So I decided to entertain myself. The lady had a lovely and ample bosom I just had to see if they were real. Not my fault that her corset's ties mysteriously loosened ", Lucian said as a mischievous smile curved his lips.

"He is blaming me for his behavior", thought Adalaine it was absurd. "When you were alive were you as much of a cad? Do not blame me for your short attention span. You are responsible for your own behavior and you mortified that poor woman in the tavern, and stop calling me Addy my name is Adalaine, said Adalaine in a soft tone filled with annoyance. As she continued to walk down the road.

"See I knew you could not ignore me for long Addy, and I am not a cad. The chivalrous knight's in your fairy tale's are an illusion my dear. I am a man and even if some of my limbs do not work I still enjoy the sight of a beautiful woman. I promise though to try and not be so public", Lucian said with a boyish smile as he lifted one of his hands and made a cross over his chest were his heart would be. " I cross my heart and hope to die".

Again a soft sigh escaped Adalaine's lips Lucian was incorrigible.

[Ursus Umosa]

Ursus he watched a young (possibly crazy?) woman walk down the road carrying on a conversation with herself. Standing at his side young Wren followed the young (yep, she's crazy) woman with unrepentant fascination. She looked up at Ursus with a quizzical look and the burly warrior chuckled shrugged his shoulders.

"For nigh on 500 years Mizahar has been in the grips of madness little one." Ursus explained.
"Oh." Wren answered and made a beeline towards Adalaine.

Ursus watched little Wren with amusement. Now before you start criticizing his child rearing skills, this was his way. As a Kelvic he thought of Wren as a little adult not a child. After all Kelvics grew fast and could bear young at a year old. Of course he was realistic and didn't let Wren run in front of coaches, but he allowed the young girl an amazing amount of latitude. While many parents tried to shield their children from sniffles and scraped knees, Ursus would just keep a watchful eye and make sure that the child would not get eaten.

So the little girl was interested in this young (possibly drunk?) woman for her own reasons. Ursus followed along a few paces back.

Adalaine would find her path blocked by a serious looking three year old girl. Her hair was black, straight, and pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a simple powder blue dress, a little frayed from the road but still in good condition. Wren was not much of a talker to people she didn't trust, which meant she only really talked to Ursus. So Adalaine would find the kid just standing there studying her.

"Forgive her,she's a bit shy." Ursus walked to Wren's side and put a hand on her head. "We are visiting this city, where might a place be spend the night? A barn or shed would suit us fine."

[Adalaine Lancaster]

" It seems as though you have drawn a bit of an audience Addy", Lucian said with a chuckle as he motioned for Addy to look at the little girl that stood before her. For the moment her bickering Lucian was forgotten as she gazed upon the girl who was as still as a statue. What a peculiar little girl. Is she going to just stand their and study me? The young woman was used to being stared and whispered words. Feeling slightly uncomfortable under the girl's curious stare Addy folded her arms protectively across her chest.

" She is but a child, Addy I am sure that you can carry a bit of a conversation with her". Turning her head, a frown curved her lips as she gazed upon Lucian. " You have stoked her curiosity, by not being quiet. I am sure she just wishes to gaze upon the crazy lady who speaks to herself."

Realizing that she was doing little to change the little girl's mind, Addy gazed upon the little girl. " Umm Hello their", Adalaine murmured to the little girl.

Before the little girl could respond, a rather tall man joined them. The young woman greatly disliked being the center of attention and out of her comfort zone. This man had an imposing air about him. Taking a slight step back, " Well I know of one Bar near the docks I believe it is called the Kelp Bar. They serve a disgusting drink."

" It is a man drink! It is far better then that frowzy herbal tea you drink."

Once again she looked beside her giving Lucian an annoyed look, which of course caused him to chuckle and bringing two pinched fingers to his lips and making a zipping motion.

Turning her gaze back to the man, " The tavern is riffled though with sailor's and it may not be a place to bring a child. They have a penchant for using colorful language."

[Ursus Umosa]

The little girl shyly hid behind Ursus, her eyes still curiously inspecting Adalaine. Sensing little trouble she even ventured a small smile. In a way she was reminded of her mother- maybe not in appearance but both embodied a kind nature that was so lacking in her travels with Ursus.

Ursus though, was not much of a smiler. His face remained stoic and blank. He had a tendency to take a long time to reply and let a long, kind of awkward moment stretch out between them. It was more than enough time for Adalaine to get a decent look at Ursus. Ursus was dressed in a comfortable brown shirt and pants which allowed him much mobility and comfort. At his waist hung a large Katana and a smaller sword, one on each hip.

"I seldom drink much beyond water and tea." Ursus answered truthfully to Adalaine. His eyes narrowed slightly and patted Wren on the head. "And this child..." Has heard and seen much worse than a curse word he almost said but stopped short.

"Is hungry." He said instead. "Is there a decent place to eat without the presence of drunkards?" Ursus asked in his monotone droll. Wren tugged on his shirt, looking for his attention. He bent down and the child whispered into his ear. Ursus listened, nodded and turned to Ada.

"The little one wants to know if you are hungry as well."

[Adalaine Lancaster]

The two were a peculiar duo that intrigued Adalaine. It seemed as though the little girl was not much of a talker Addy guessed as her companion answered for her. Upon seeing the hint of a smile grace the little girl's lips, Adalaine managed one in return. She had little experience with children and the ones she did have were not very pleasant. It was apparent from the man's mannerisms that he cared greatly for the little girl. Kate rarely showed affection to Adalaine when she was a child.

"Well their is the Kelp Bar but I would not eat anything from that kitchen. Anywhere you go though the meal shall be fish. Do to the lack of farming and land the tavern's menus are scarce in variation. I never really liked fish no matter how you dress it up it still tastes and smells like fish", Addy said with a sigh.

Was I just invited for a meal?

For a long moment, Addy was silent as she contemplated accepting the invitation. If she did not then she would be rude and if she did then she would have to indulge in awkward small talk.

" My goodness Addy you do not have to over analyze everything. Accept the damn invitation.", Lucian said in a exasperated tone.

It seemed as though Lucian's vow of silence did not last very long.

" I can eat, I have some dried meat's and fruit's in my pack. I was going to head to the docks to eat. Their is a beach their and I could lay out one of my blanket's for us to sit upon while we eat. My name is Adalaine", after offering her suggestion and name Addy walked towards the docks leaving the man and child to accept or refuse her invitation.

Once at the beach, Addy laid out one of her blanket's upon the sand and began to remove the dried meat, cheese, bread and fruit's from her pack.

[Ursus Umosa]

To tell the truth Ursus was not the most socially fluent person either. He felt as awkward as Adalaine but damned if the child didn't want to know more about this young woman. Ursus sucked it up and followed along.

Little Wren ran ahead of him and walked a while alongside Adalaine to the beach, though she said nothing. What was there that she could say? Wren was a girl of little words, at least nowadays. Ursus thought sadly of the days of her babbling. Those days were long gone and the Kelvic saw the child turn more like him each day.

She should resemble her mother, isn't that the way? Ursus wondered to himself though his knowledge of families was rather limited. Ursus had in fact turned out like his father, but not every child grew up in a military atmosphere like him. Wren would grow up strong with Ursus but would never be as kind, as beautiful as her mother. That fact mad the wandering ronin very sad indeed.

He walked to the beach and sat down on the offered blanket. Little Wren sat down beside him and watched the food intensely but was too polite and well raised to take without being offered anything.

Ursus had a couple pears in his pack that he had brought from outside the city.

"Allow my contribution to the meal," He said and added. "Adalaine."

After a bit he suddenly asked a question.

"Tell me, what gods are worshipped here?"

[Adalaine Lancaster]

A bit unnerving it was to be on the other side of the magnifying glass. Like the little unnamed girl, Addy was curious as a child but not as social. The little girl walked beside her in silence towards the beach with her guardian following behind.

Once at the beach, Adalaine laid out the meal on the blanket in silence. Never before had Addy entertained guests and the social protocol was foreign to her. Was she to say something like, " Lunch is ready?" It was evident that the little girl was waiting for a signal of sorts.

What is their story? The unlikely pair was beginning to stoke her curiosity. The silent little girl and the heavily armed secretive man. If she asked questions and they were not of his liking would he silence her with the sharpened blade of his katanna?

It was the voice of the unnamed man that brought Addy back to the present. "The pear's would be a wonderful addition. Such an exotic fruit I have not tasted them in many months."

Taking a hunk of bread, Addy cut a piece off and placed some cheese upon it and handed it to the little girl. " Go a head and eat. Feel free to take whatever you wish", Addy said softly to the little girl.

The matters of the gods had always intrigued Addy as did the Valterrian. " The god Laviku is worshiped here. A great deal of the men here are sailor's their is a temple here for him. Though I worship Eyris the goddess of knowledge. I am a firm believer that understanding one's past secures one's future. For knowledge is man's greatest treasure and in the wrong hand's can be a formidable weapon", said Addy as she handed the man a piece of bread. " You have yet to introduce yourself if you wish keep some secrecy then a alias shall do. I wish not to result to hey you as that is quite rude."

Cutting a piece of bread for self, Addy nibbled at a dry end. I am hoping to gain a position at the university and do some field work. I have a passion for Anthroplogy, Archiology and Cryptography."

Growing tired of being a hidden observer and seeing a potential business deal, Lucian began to materialize in his corporel form. Seeing the little girl, Lucian gave her a wink as he sat on the blanket and moved a pear in her direction. " Far better then that stinky cheese."

Turning his head, Lucian looked at Ursus and nodded in greeting. " I was the one that she was speaking to on the street. My latest escapade upset her, but Addy is so tightly wound most thing's upset her", Lucien said with a chuckle.

Rarely did Lucien materialize in front of stranger's and for a moment, Addy just stared at him. " Behave Lucien and watch your tongue."

" That there is Lucien the bane of my existence. I must have appeared to be crazy. I usually wait to scold him in private", Addy said as she took another bite of her bread.

[Ursus Umosa]

Both Ursus and the young Wren accepted the food with respectful nods.

"Forgive my rudeness," Ursus said without any embarrassment, after all he was a warrior not Miss Manners. However he knew that he had to pay attention to the niceties of social interaction, if only to provide the example for the young girl. "I am Ursus and the girl is named Wren. We thank you for your hospitality." He gave a look to the girl.

"Thank you Adalaine." The girl said very softly in almost a whisper while blushing profusely.

Ursus ate while listening to Adalaine gine a run down of the Gods of the city as well as a little about herself. He was very polite while he listened, but truth be told he understood little of the fields that this woman was interested in. Archeology? Crypto-what?

She did have a point about understanding the past. The past was exactly the reason they sat here this day, eating bread and cheese on a strange beach with an intellectual woman. If their fate took another fork in the road both of them would be very different people. So yes, in a way Ursus wanted to understand the past but only certain aspects and facts. Once armed with this knowledge he would use it to secure the girl's future. His own life was immaterial, in fact he was almost certain that he would perish before the end of this journey, all that mattered was the girl and her honor.

"I wish you luck in your pursuits." Ursus said and then the ghost materialized.

Wren dropped her bread and cheese and let out a little eeep! She scooted towards Ursus out of habit. Ursus himself did not notice the ghost first, but instead noticed Wren's reaction. In a flash he was on his feet, his hand securely gripping the hilt of his Katana. He finally spied Lucian and his eyes widened for a second, his only show of emotion. The large man huffed before sitting back down.

"Lucien," Ursus repeated. "What is your story?"

[Adalaine Lancaster]

" Your welcome Wren", Addy said in a soft tone. When she was a child Kate too had to often gently persuade Adalaine to talk others. For it was imperative to have some social skills when sharing theories and information with other scholar's. While her mother had good intentions perhaps that had contributed to Addy's shyness. A flower could not be forced to bloom but was a gradual process.

The two adult's seemed to be struggling to find something that they had in common to discuss but it was proving to be a trying task. From his garb and deadly weapon's it was evident that Ursus was a warrior, and Addy had never held a sword.

Upon hearing the little girl's eep, Adalaine immediately knew the cause, for Lucian did enjoy making a grand entrance, at times he could be a bit of a diva. My he is quick, thought Adalaine as she watched Ursus stand up and draw out his sword in a flash.

" I did not mean to frighten you child. If I did so then I apologize", Lucian said in a soft tone to the child. Not at all intimated by Ursus defensive stance, the ghost leaned slightly back so that he was resting on his hands, and looked up at Ursus with a slight grin. " I lived did some interesting things in between and then died. Now I follow Addy around. This is perhaps the most interesting event that has happened to Addy for some time. Their is no need to draw out your sword. I did not mean to interrupt the riveting conversation. I can see that you are as much of a skilled conversationalist as my Addy", Lucian said with a chuckle.

Again Adalaine gave Lucian a stern look. " Lucian behave." Again meeting Urus's gaze, Addy said softly, " He find's himself amusing, while most do not. I am sure that he was this incorrigible while alive. Please just ignore him for that is what I mostly do", Addy said as she invited Urus to sit down once more.

" Addy you are far to tightly wound. I did not mean any offense and my remarks were in jest". Quietly for a time, Lucian studied Urus and the sword that he held. " Are you skilled with that sword?"

[Ursus Umosa]

Ursus regarded Lucian coldly, letting the ghost ramble on. Ursus was not the bragging type, in fact he actually preferred to keep a low profile- he never liked attention. He usually stayed in his human for the same sort of reason, why let everyone know your true skill? The warrior smiled inwardly at past enemies who were surprised by a large bear where they had once saw Ursus.

He listened to Adalaine's comments with a nod but without any questions or comments.

"I can handle myself." Was how Ursus replied as he sat down. Wren calmed down but continued to have a wary eye cast upon Lucian. She liked Adalaine just fine but because she was a bit scared about being around a ghost she kept close to the large warrior. However, she gave Adalaine a small smile as if to say, I don't know about your buddy here, but we're still friends.

Sword sheathed, Ursus began once again to eat.

"Why do you ask?"