The Mystics discussion

With his hoodie draped over his head, Marcus continued to stroll outside the tower. As he heard the trickle of calm water, he made his way to the tall grasses until he stopped abruptly to the Brook. He stared at his reflection, seeing the identical guy below him, staring back. Kneeling down, he gently touched the water with his finger, causing ripples of his image. He was a nice view, he had to admit, but he couldn't lie to himself to the fact that what was inside him was a whole different person. "Damn Fraudulent," he cursed under his breath as he sighed.

Andromeda walked along the water's edge, sulking. Stupid nurses, I am perfectly able to continue healing. Who needs rest when there's a sick child in the infirmary? She thought, feeling moody.

Marcus was a bit startled by the sudden impact of the diving toad. He looked around his surroundings and saw a girl for the first time. Her long and frizzled white hair bugged him. Adding to the fact that she held a sword made his brain set to alarm mode. Not your ordinary female, isn't it? Standing back up, Marcus made a curious face to her. A face that made sure he wasn't a threat to her. And Marcus was genuine about it. He was defensless. He had no weapon of some sort. Just him and his traveling bag. "Hi," he said calmly.

Andromeda kicked at a rock and froze when she looked to see where it landed and noticed a girl talking with a boy further down looking into the water. She slowly reached down and grabbed the hilt on her chain sickle.

Andromeda gripped her weapon's hilt even harder and slowly walked up to the two people. Something told her this was all a very bad idea but she had to find out who they were before she started raising nay alarms.

"Hello to you too." Marcus made a weak smile. "I'm Marcus," he introduced politely. "I'm new here and trailed a bit off from the...place." He almost said tower, which means it was easy for her to identify him as a Fraudulent. He really didn't want other to find out about him being a Fraudulent. It's like knowing other people that he was gay. Or so he thought. Wow, this was hard.

A sudden movement of a rock caught his attention, which made him aware of his surroundings. Because of the tall grass, he couldn't quite picture the shady character from afar.

"Identify yourselves." Andromeda said in a steely voice with her chin jut out.

Marcus clenched his hands, making balls of fists. He should've sensed the intruder earlier to prepare. No time right now, she was already here. "Marcus," he clarified. And for some reason, this will turn out to be one messy day.

"And where do your allegiances lie, Chidori and Marcus?" Andromeda asked, trying not to outwardly show just how nervous she was. Tomlin usually went with her when she left the tower but he was with Jewel and that was something she didn't want to interfere with.

"That does not matter, stranger," Marcus countered, raising his voice and trying to outbeat her. "Identify yourself." From the outside, he looks touh and all dominant. But from the inside? He was like, Ooooh! Maarcus Wisperwood strikes again! together with an imaginary fist pump in the air.

"I am Andromeda of the Fraudulents." She said, fingers still tightly gripping her weapon. She smirked and tilted her head, "well Marcus you must be new to our neck of the woods." She kept an eye on the Incorruptible and tried to keep her old anger down. What they had done to her was unforgivable but attacking one of them would get her nowhere.

"Yes, I am," Marcus said, his face etched in awareness. "And I was hoping to be welcomed warmly. Though I didn't realize my hopes were useless." Standing on his ground, he stared at Andromeda for quite some time before glancing at Chidori.

Andromeda focused on Chidori, "well if you happened upon two people whom you had never met before what would you ask?" She asked with a sneer before turning to Marcus, "and who ever said you wouldn't get a warm welcome? I haven't attacked either of you, all I asked was your name and your side."

"Aha!" Marcus exclaimed, pointing a finger at her like a child blackmailing his siblings. "So you did plan on attacking us!"

"I think you mean nuetral ground. And even if this is nuetral it doesn't mean you won't find enemies who will ignore boundaries and kill you wherever you stand." Andromeda rolled her eyes at Marcus, "why would I attack you? We're on the same side. I may have taken a chance with Chidori but I see no reason to as long as she doesn't attack me."

Andromeda stuck her tongue out at Chidori and yelled, "look whose talkin'!"

Watching Chidori walking back behind, Marcus turned to Andromeda. "What... do you need something?" A nicely quick change of words. He was about to say, "what do you want?!" but he was lucky he was quick enough to rephrase it. He didn't want to be rude to a fellow Fraudulent.

Andromeda cocked her head and looked at him thoughtfully. "You are a Fraudulent yet you don't like other Fraudulents." She said, it wasn't a question.

Marcus's lip twitched. "It's not like that," he protested. "I am a Fraudulent, but that doesn't mean I dislike Incorruptibles." Despite being in an awkward situation, Marcus managed to make a laugh. "Weird, isn't it? I might be the only Fraudulent like this."

"That's not what I said. Anyway individually there are only a few Incorruptibles that I actually don't like. As a whole though I can't say I'm too fond of the way they handle society." Andromeda said and crossed her arms over her chest.

Marcus shrugged. "I guess equalities really is a complicated issue," he said to himself.

"So what are you doing here? Newbies are supposed to stick near the tower." Andromeda said and fought back a yawn, maybe those nurses were right. She thought begrudgingly.

"I was bored," Marcus quickly answered. "I didn't even last an hour there." The tower was nice, but admitting to himself, he likes the outside environment more. That's where he's more powerful and safe.

Andromeda rubbed at her eyes and shrugged, "well our training grounds are pretty interesting and you could always visit the lake. One of our leaders has a dragon and she keeps him there."

Cestus was watching the water ripple as she heard voices rise and fall over the distance. Sighing quietly, she picked up a small pebble nearby and stood, skipping it over the water and watching as the ripples expanded as if they were rings of a tree. Looking over, she made out three figures, and cocked an eyebrow.

He gasped. "They have dragons?!" Marcus couldn't fight back the childish reactions of his oozing out from him. But at least he managed to refrain himself from being jumpy.

Andromeda nodded, "well only Jewel does but I'm sure she'd let you feed him. Just wait for her ok because I'm pretty sure he would try to eat anyone else if they tried to approach him while she wasn't there."

"Oh okay," Marcus said lowly. But inside, he was eager on seeing a dragon.

Just then did continuous splashes of water came to his hearing. Someone skipped a pebble, which stopped abruptly and sank down. When he turned to the clearing, he saw a tanned girl in the distance, obviously the thrower.

Andromeda turned as well, her hand immediately going to her weapon.

Cestus saw them both turn to her and stepped back a slight, holding her hands up in defense. "I don't mean any harm!" she called out.

"Are you Fraudulent or Incorruptible?" Andromeda asked suspiciously.

"F-fraudulent..." Cestus answered hesitantly, on the ready to defend against anyone who would attack her. Her fingers slipped around the handle of her machete.

Andromeda relaxed, "can never be too careful can you?"

Cestus let out the breath she had been holding in. "No, not in this age..."

"What is up with all the newbs wandering around? You guys really should stick close to the tower." Andromeda huffed.

"Excuse you?" Cestus snapped, putting a hand on her hip.

Andromeda rolled her eyes,"don't get your panties in a twist. I'm just saying you don't want to get lost or attacked. You'll have no idea how to get back to the tower."

Marcus, watching them back and forth like a tennis match, just shrugged about it. "Nothing to the inside the tower, I guess."

"Exactly. There's nothing to do in the tower unless someone makes a move to strike the fraudulents."

Andromeda frowned, "there's plenty to do. The real problem is finding someone to do it with."