[Anonymous] Wanderings.

[Riley Skybane]

OOC -- For Sunnerz or whoever else really. Yay for Riley
Word Count -- 835

"Aww crap." The red haired teenager muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. Vibrant green eyes scanned down the hallway, recognizing nothing. A look of despair crossed his pale face. "Gah, we're so lost Kul." On his shoulder perched a meter long copperhead snake, its pale tongue flickering in and out. It chuckled softly, the dark patches of scales rippling. "It's all your fault, Riley. I told you to take the last left, but no, why listen to me?" The kid opened up a door randomly on his right, sighing in frustration as he found, yet again, a broom closet. He slammed the wooden door shut and stalked off further down the hallway. He replied, his voice filled with irritation. "You can't even remember what you had for breakfast, so you're just as lost as I am." The snake snorted and narrowed his pupils further. Pale eyes blinked down the hallways, seeing in infrared and spotting patches of pink and red through various blue walls. Swishing his tail, the copperhead burrowed itself in Riley's shirt, looping his head around the boy's neck with his tail dripping down his back. He became perfectly still, soaking in Riley's hot body temperature with delight. "Okay, be that way. The silent treatment. I can play that game." Riley muttered, peeking into another door, still as lost as ever.

He opened one of a pair of double doors, the wood darkly stained. Green eyes blinked at the monstrous stacks of books from floor to ceiling inside. The... library? Wasn't he on the other side of the school though? After a pause, he ventured inside. It was pleasantly warm in the room, though a couple windows were open, light cascading through them and onto the wood floor. Books lined the mysteriously clean shelves, each of their spines an array of colors and letters. "I wonder if there's a map of the school in here?" Kul's voice came softly from his shoulder, echoing his own thoughts. It didn't sound unreasonable, but with his luck he would just get lost in the library trying to find a map. He moved down a few isles, glancing at the various signs that read things like "Sci-Fi" and "Non-Fiction." What was the difference between non-fiction and fiction? He hadn't a clue, and something told him that neither did Kulvir. It wasn't like they'd ever been in the library before. The snake flicked its tongue out, tasting the papery air and the scent of those in the room. Obviously he found nothing of interest since he didn't say anything. It wasn't long before Riley was spun in circles, lost in the library just as he knew he would be. Sometimes he could swear that he passed by a certain shelf before, but when he read the title names they were different.

He was back in the section with various books on magic when he gave up. There was a small nook behind some shelves and he flopped down onto a worn, red couch. The window gave off a pleasant breeze, ruffling his red hair. Annoyed, Kulvir burrowed into Riley's shirt, hiding behind his back. "Wouldn't it be ironic if I died in a library?" He chuckled softly, fingering through a book on the different type of magic, yet barely scanning the pages with his eyes. He could read all the words, problem was that he didn't care enough to do so. Riley couldn't really use the type of magic that the book was about anyway. He was a shapeshifter, not a mage. He couldn't bend fire, light, or water into various forms or use it to attack people, or defend. Not that he'd want to. Riley liked his power just fine the way it was. Of course, his limitations bugged him. It wasn't like he could just look at a picture of an animal and change into it, no, he had to have seen the animal at least once in his lifetime, even if he couldn't remember doing so. He hadn't known that he was a shapeshifter when he was young, but his parents or attendants had taken him to zoos, and he'd gained a lot of his forms in his older life that way. Other than that, he'd had to go exploring for new animals to change into. Sighing in frustration, Riley dropped the book onto the table with a soft thump. What was he going to do?

[/blockquote]

[Elaine Skye]

Elaine Skye

Elaine walked into the library cringing the entire time. She hated the indoors, plus she didn't like the librarians. Sure, they were all sweet to the "normal" kids but to the extremely odd ones like Sky or her friend Dawn they were cold and harsh. Now don't get the girl wrong, she could care less what these snotty wimps thought about her it was Dawn she was worried about. Sky mumbled to herself how she would have to meet up with Dawn soon. She hadn't seen her for what seemed like weeks!

"It has been weeks, Grandmaster," said Excelsior in his customary whiny voice. To others it would merely sound like small vibrations, but Sky could hear and understand his every word. And unfortunately she could understand his tone too. The sword got grumpy when he didn't fight, even if it was just dueling. Sky wasn't much for violence so Excelsior was more often than not in a grumpy mood. Elaine smacked a calloused hand on the sword's silver and steel hilt and he quickly hushed up. The girl smiled and kept walking. She sauntered right up to the front desk, a metal toothpick stuck in her mouth. She called out maybe a bit overly loud, but she was satisfied when the head librarian jumped out of her seat at the unexpected disturbance,

"Miss...show me to it."

The librarian rolled her eyes at Sky and then got up from her desk. Goodness, she was even more grumpy than Excelsior. With a motion of her hand she told the girl to follow her to the back of the library. They entered one of the small nooks and Sky was immediately confronted by the damage. Apparently two Warrior boys had gotten a little too rowdy even for the easy going librarians at SHH. Rumor had it that both boys were under dorm arrest. Sky snorted at the recklessness and was immediately absorbed in the work. The librarian seeing she was being ignored tried one more stab at gaining the upper hand,

"You know the way out."

And with a loud sniff of disdain, and her nose in the air the librarian was out. Sky merely rolled her eyes and laughed at the plain silliness of the woman. Putting her out of her mind, Sky stared at the wrecked case for some time. It was a newer type of bookcase made out of cheap metals. The girl leaned down and started to sort out the pieces of the collapsed wreck. In a matter of no time the metal started to jump into her hands, and the sound of it clanging together made Sky happy. She whistled quietly, her own special working song which sounded just like the sound of metals clanging together. Soon the bottom half of the bookcase was assembled, and in a matter of maybe an hour the whole thing was finished.

Sky stood back admiring her handiwork. She had been a bit bored with the simple task so she decided she would liven it up some. From her backpack which she had set on the ground beside Excelsior she had taken some silver and tin. She weaved it into the weak aluminum along with some steel. The result was a much more beautiful piece of art. The sides were made out of the silver, tin and steel cords which Sky had made look like waves, then she made the bookshelves which she had melted down with her fire breath into the special bowl she had. She strengthened the materials with steel and then reshaped them into shelves. She sat down on the ground and etched into the malleable metals pretty lace designs. Finally after another hour the bookshelf was entirely remade, stronger and prettier if Sky did say so herself.

Sky was studying it, and wondering if she had any time to add a few leaves to the vine like sculptures on the back when she heard someone muttering. She had been so absorbed in her work she hadn't seen that she was no longer alone in her small nook. On the old red couch(which she had failed to notice when she first came in) was a boy about her age with a book from the floor in his hand. He seemed a bit disgruntled, about what Sky could only wonder. The strong girl sighed, knowing the only polite thing to do would be to talk to this boy. She wasn't much of a conversationalist but she had to gather up all those books and set them into her new bookcase. An idea started up in Sky's head. Maybe this boy would have an interest in Metal Working? Maybe she could show him her bookcase?

Making her decision quickly Sky stepped out from behind the bookcase scooped up Excelsior from the ground and slinging him over her shoulder and attaching him by the metal links that she had connected onto his leather sheath. She then proceeded to the boy cautiously and cleared her throat hoping this would keep him from being startled. She walked up to where he sat on the couch and promptly stuck out her gloved hand at him. She spoke her voice low and her words a bit hoarse at the beginning until she coughed to clear her throat,

"Hello, I'm Elaine but please call me Sky. I didn't notice you walking in. I get a a bit absorbed in my work sometimes. So, what is your name?"

She had pointed to the only empty bookshelf in the room when she talked of her work. This was actually quite a long speech for Sky and she was feeling slightly uncomfortable. She just wanted to grab the books, pile them in her bookcase, and then maybe go hike up into the mountains before it got too dark. Despite herself however, she found herself intrigued by this red headed boy. Judging by his very long legs which were splayed along the couch, he was taller than Elaine which was neither usual or unusual. His hair was short and dark red. Movement caught Sky's eyes as she saw a large copperhead sitting on his shoulder. Sky's eyes widened for only a moment, but then her slight frown turned into a huge grin. She was used to random creatures popping up on people's shoulders due to her friend Dawn's power. Her eyes traveled down to his waist where Sky was surprised to see a long thin sword resting on the side of his long body. Excelsior chirped his excitement and his words invaded the air,

"Maybe HE could take me out and practice with me! If I stay in this sheath much longer I will rust into dust!" whined the sword. Sky rolled her eyes and whispered over her back to him,

"Quit whining, you know I made you rust proof."

"Ya, ya...just ask him!"

Elaine sighed and wondered how she was going to explain that her sword wanted a playmate. Instead of asking the boy right away she chose to think about it for a second. She started to gather the books scattered across the room and walked over to the bookcase. She looked back at the boy and waited. When he did nothing Sky spoke,

"A little help?"

Even though she didn't really need help, she figured the longer she kept him around the more likely she could figure out how to bring up Excelsior and his wish. The sword could get downright irritating when he didn't get his way.

[/color][/center]

[Riley Skybane]

OOC -- Yay, more Riley!! Oh, and I thought I'd find a picture similar to Riley's sword for you. It looks like this, but the sheath is a bit different. It's also about 73 cm long. Hope that helps some with visual since Riley doesn't think about it enough to explain it in posts.
Word Count -- 908

He picked up another book, its cover a sleek emerald green with gold print. The Wondrous Rainbow by E.G. Mueller. Oh jeez. He dropped the book immediately, and glanced around, finally noticing the huge mess tumbled all around him. Normally he would have leaned backward, but Kul was completely tucked up next to his back, and the last thing he wanted was another snake bite. He leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees and listening to the library sounds with his keen hearing. You'd think that with his exceptional abilities, far beyond human, that he'd be the last person to get lost. At this rate he wouldn't get back to the dorms until after dark. By that time, Kul would be complaining about the cold in full force. The spoiled snake, out in the wild he'd have to suffer with a bit of cold every now and then. However, since he'd befriended Riley, the snake had seldom gone without something warm to nestle up against. A voice interrupted his thoughts, and he glanced up to find a girl with short brown hair and blue eyes. She looked rather strange, but then again he really couldn't be one to think that. "Hello, I'm Elaine but please call me Sky. I didn't notice you walking in. I get a a bit absorbed in my work sometimes. So, what is your name?" Her voice felt almost forced as she coughed before talking, he wondered what she'd been doing when she noticed him. Huh. A new thought dawned on him rather suddenly. He probably could have asked someone for directions. Ahh jeez. Talk about stupidity.

Kulvir stirred slightly on Riley's back at the noise, he'd obviously fallen asleep that fast. Irritating little monster. Hey, I'm Riley... uhh.. Skybane." He wasn't sure if he really had a right to use his last name anymore, being disowned and all. Ahh well, too late. He was registered under that name anyway. He pulled a smile onto his face, chuckling softly while shaking her hand from his place on the couch. "Don't feel bad, I didn't notice you at all either." He liked to joke a bit to keep things light and entertaining. Riley did find it amusing how neither of them had noticed each other. He wiggled his shoulders a bit, changing the body temperature of his back to a cooler temperature that would hopefully wake the snake up. He felt awkward and rude sitting on the couch while she was standing, but he also didn't want Kul to fall out onto the couch and get angry. There was a silent moment between the two people as Sky talked to her sword (without Riley even noticing), and as Riley tried to wake Kul up. He really didn't even consider the movement of time. Talk about unobservant. "A little help?" He watched her pick up the books and put them on a fancy metal shelf. Green eyes widened a bit, then he realized what she wanted and resisted a complete face palm moment. "Yea, hold on." He spoke before looking behind him, gently he rolled his shoulders.

The snake stirred a bit before popping out of his collar, yawning widely and revealing a fleshy pink mouth and long, dagger-like fangs. "Urg, what do you want?" Riley rolled his eyes, warming his body temperature up again. Kulvir peered over Riley's shoulder, remembering the girl and the books. He glanced at Riley with is pale, slim eyes before wrapping himself around the boy's neck. "Thanks." He muttered darkly. Riley sighed and stood up, stretching out his long arms a bit. He wore a simple black short sleeved shirt and blue jeans, his long, thin sword hung in a black sheath off his belt. The curved blade bumped the couch as he rose. After his quick stretch, Riley bent over and scooped up five or six books off the floor without counting them. He rotated them around, glancing at the titles. "Do they need to be put in a certain order or something?" He asked, but saw her just plopping them onto the shelf. Shrugging, he did the same. The last one fell over, and Kul chuckled, his arrow shaped head just barely outside Riley's shirt collar. The rest of the snake's body curled once around his torso and down his back, but it was unnoticeable underneath his shirt. The stupid snake looked just like a second head. Riley set the book up before moving off to pick up more books. It was a methodical process, and he filled up the top shelf with ease. When he was done, he stepped back and looked up and down the shelf. "Pretty dang proud of yourself, ain't you Riley?" Kul chuckled, meaning that Riley hadn't tripped over something so knocked the shelf over or something. Riley threw him a venomous glare, but ignored him.

[/blockquote]

[Elaine Skye]

Elaine Skye

Hey, I'm Riley... uhh.. Skybane."
Sky's eyes twinkled as the corner of her mouth twitched up into a half smile. Riley's hesitation in his last name was kind of amusing. In a manner most people did not see when Elaine was concerned, she teased him saying,

"Do you not know your name, or something?"

She didn't expect an answer, but if he chose to she would acknowledge him. She picked up some more books as Riley stood there looking a bit lost. She had a whole other row finished when his voice was heard again in the small nook,

"Don't feel bad, I didn't notice you at all either."

Sky's was very close to outright chuckling now, but she managed to hold it in. At her plea for help the boy finally realizing what she was asking scooped up the books, speaking once more as he stood there,

"Do they need to be put in a certain order or something?"

Elaine was about to answer him when instead he, taking after her example, plopped some books on the top shelf. Since that was the last row, Sky stepped back and studied the red headed boy. He looked pleased with himself at that simple job, and the snake seemed to be ribbing him about something. Elaine was used to being left out when animals were concerned. Until she had come to SHH and met Dawn she had been terrified of almost every little animal. Now, however, due to her friend's gentle help she actually found herself almost enjoying other creatures. Except Jeck and horses. Horses were plain scary, and Jeck was almost as annoying as Excelsior. Suddenly she heard a voice popping up from behind her. It was quite shrill and annoying,

"Hello, Laine love. Miss me?"

A tiny little shiny silver head appeared on Sky's shoulder. Sky jumped thinking in her mind on how speak of the annoying little devil and he would come. Elaine whispered to the little silver gecko, fiercely wishing he had chosen anytime, but now to pop up.

"Quite honestly no. Now shoo, can't you see I'm busy!"

Jeck chuckled and then proceeded to the front of her shirt where he clung to a spot right below her neck. If one didn't pay much attention it almost looked like he was a necklace attached to the steel link chain that kept Excelsior on Sky's back. Jeck spoke his tail twitching all about and catching in the cotton fibers of Sky's blouse,

"Naow, is that any way to talk to an ol' friend? Tisk, tisk me girl!"

The girl flinched as the gecko's shrill words echoed throughout the nook. She hoped Riley had not heard them. Walking up until she was beside him, she decided to speak trying to cover up the noises that now both Excelsior and Jeck were making.

"So Riley, what is your friend's name? I'm afraid unlike most people at this school I can't speak any of the tongues of animal. Maybe sometime you could meet my friend Dawn however. She has a friend who might like to speak to your snake friend."

Sky phrased her words carefully, knowing some animals were not considered pets to a lot of people at this school. She knew how they feel, sometimes Excelsior didn't feel like "just a sword" to Sky.

Speaking of Excelsior he had been pretty quiet. Sighing, Sky decided that she would take him out and see if Riley would consent to practicing with him sometime. She had only one thought in her head.

This was going to be awkward.

She unslung the sword from behind her back and held him out in front of her, his blade in one hand and the hilt in the other. She jostled Jeck roughly who had been hanging onto to Excelsior's chain, and Sky smiled in satisfaction at the gecko's sounds of protest. Clearing her throat she started to speak,

"I know this may sound a bit weird, but I noticed you carried a sword, and well Excelsior here," she patted Excelsior with the hand that had been holding the hilt, "well, he's no ordinary sword, and he needs to be practiced with daily or he gets...grumpy."

With one swift motion she unsheathed the sword which was two and a half feet long. By now the sword was humming loudly with satisfaction and was glowing with a pale silver light. He was double edged and thick not quite close enough to be a foot wide. His blade was unadorned and his hilt was a simple design of two points sticking out where the blade met the hilt(which was to protect the users hands) and the hilt was a simple spiral design with a round ball at the end which was to keep the sword from slipping out of someone's hand. The ball was a crystal and etched inside it was one word.

Excelsior.

Sky laid the sword out on her palms so Riley could see him easily, shifting nervously from foot to foot as she waited for Riley to speak. She was hoping that neither Excelsior nor Jeck would decide to mouth off before Riley could speak. They goons would probably chase him off.

[Riley Skybane]

OOC -- lol, poor Jeck.
Word Count -- 896

Riley chuckled at the name comment, not at all offended. He had sounded like a retard pausing before his last name like that, and deserved to be made fun of. That was part of it too, it was all in good fun. He efficiently managed to bend over a few times and stack the remaining books on the shelf. He felt a bit bad that she'd done most of the work even after she'd asked him for help, but that was only a small, drifting thought. Riley glared at Kul's irritating comment, and Kul stared back harshly, but Riley was surprised when the snake was suddenly distracted from the silent battle. Kul's pink tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air. His tail twitched indicating that he smelled something tasty, which only confused Riley even more. That was when a shiny silver lizard popped up, his voice shrill in Riley's ears. "Hello, Laine love. Miss me?" Oh great. What was he going to say when his snake at her pet lizard? "Sorry, not like I can muzzle him. It's okay though, I have some brown lizards for his dinner tonight, and you can have one if you want?" That would be a complete failure right there. "Quite honestly no. Now shoo, can't you see I'm busy!" He almost sighed in relief to find that she didn't like the lizard. He'd pretend that he didn't know anything if it mysteriously disappeared then. "Naow, is that any way to talk to an ol' friend? Tisk, tisk me girl!" The copperhead flickered his tongue and twitched his tail. "Don't even think about it." Riley nearly growled at Kul under his breath. Kul flashed him a dirty look.

"So Riley, what is your friend's name? I'm afraid unlike most people at this school I can't speak any of the tongues of animal. Maybe sometime you could meet my friend Dawn however. She has a friend who might like to speak to your snake friend." Kul, suddenly realizing that he hadn't been introduced at all, puffed up and coiled tightly around Riley's neck. "How dare you?" He sniffed, pretending to be upset. Riley could see his true motive though, as the silver lizard reflected in the snake's eyes. "This is Kulvir, and it's probably best you can't understand him. Sometimes I wish I couldn't." He chuckled softly, smiling at Kul's dangerous "I'm going to bite you if you ever say that again" look. "That'd be cool to meet Dawn, it's always nice to meet new people, right?" What kind of name was Dawn? Who was he to judge? Next question. Kul uncoiled slightly, his scales rubbing along Riley's neck and collar. "I'm so hungry." He complained, his pale eyes staring at the lizard intently; mesmerized. Riley resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes and ignored the snake. The lizard didn't even look all that great, it reflected too much light for Riley's comfort. Besides the voice and slight body heat coming off it, it didn't seem very real. Then again, who was Riley, the person who got lost in his own school, to judge?

The girl seemed to pause a bit, a splash of awkwardness coating the conversation. She carefully pulled a sword off her back and showed it to him. He looked at it carefully, taking in the fancy hilt and straight double-edge, thinking "so what?" Personally he liked his own style of sword much better. The single edged, slightly curved blade was good for exceptionally quick attacks, his favorite kind. It could slice anyone to ribbons with hardly any effort at all, and it glided out of its sheath like silk. He was very proud to own such a blade. She spoke, her words hitting him at an odd angle. "I know this may sound a bit weird, but I noticed you carried a sword, and well Excelsior here, well, he's no ordinary sword, and he needs to be practiced with daily or he gets...grumpy." He was only going to think the question, but he rose his eyebrows and it came out anyway. "Grumpy?" Okay, that sounded really weird. He realized his error, and pulled himself together the next second. "Of course I'd be happy to spar with you." He said, smiling brightly. Then he looked up and around the library. "We'd have to go outside or someplace bigger though. I need more room, or I'll break something I'm afraid." He laughed, rubbing a hand through his hair. "What do you think would be a good place?" Also, could you lead me there because I'm utterly lost? On his shoulder, Kul huffed in his version of a chuckle. He was thinking the exact same thing as Riley was.

[/blockquote]

[Elaine Skye]

Elaine Skye

Elaine smiled as Riley introduced the copperhead snake. She noticed him eyeing Jeck intently and Sky hlf-wished the snake would eat him up the annoying little creature. Unfortunately for Jeck, Sky, and Kul he wasn't a very tasty treat. Sky waved to Kulvir and spoke to him, hoping the snake could understand human.

"He's not a very tasty treat Kulvir. Unless you happen to enjoy silver?"

The girl wrenched the protesting lizard from her shirt and put the lizard on the ground near Riley and his snake. Looking up she heard Riley's next question,

"Grumpy?"

It was a totally reasonable question to normal people. After all Excelsior was a sword, of course, not an ordinary sword, but still a sword. Excelsior piped up once again whining,

"Oh hurry up and explain to the boy. You'd think you were ashamed of me, Grandmaster." the sword sniffed haughtily.

Sky sighed and rolled her eyes at the sword. She shook him a bit hoping he would shut up. Why, Sky wondered, did I even make you? Looking Riley straight in the eye she opened her mouth to answer him, but before she could he carried on trying to erase the previous grumpy comment.

"Of course I'd be happy to spar with you. We'd have to go outside or someplace bigger though. I need more room, or I'll break something I'm afraid. What do you think would be a good place?"

Sky's eyes grew wider as she realized Riley wanted to spar with her. Now Sky wasn't totally averse to fighting but she much preferred to use her own two fists then a sword. especially Excelsior because when she used him it was almost like cheating. She had really never actually used a sword in her entire life. She just loved to make them. She wished they weren't going out of style so fast. Maybe she would start on making guns someday. Suddenly Excelsior's annoyed hum pulled Sky from her thoughts. She shook herself, as a cold draft hit her shoulders. And then she realized that she was still indoors. Ew. Quickly the girl sheathed Excelsior and walked to the exit of the nook. She looked back at Riley and started to speak as she leaned against a bookcase which made the narrow opening.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant. You see I don't know how to use a sword. The only reason why I made Excelsior is because I love to make things out of metal, and swords are such beautiful things. And well you see, here Sky's voice was barely a whisper, when I made Excelsior he sort of came to life. I'm a Metal Whisperer. No, you probably haven't heard of it. And I can't really explain it. Let's just say I'm a blacksmith and a Wizard combined ya? And yes, unfortunately Excelsior does get grumpy, mostly because I refuse to use him. I'm not a sword wielding person and never will be. One day when I can find someone who can understand Excelsior the way I can, and knows how to wield a sword I'll give Excelsior to him or her.

Sky took in a huge breath. That was probably the longest thing she'd ever said in her whole life. She was't really a chatty person. Mostly she just liked silence or listening to someone else. Riley probably thought she was crazy and annoying right about now. Behind her she could hear Excelsior chuckling at her discomfort,

"My, my aren't we chatty today?

Sky merely glared at the sword. She then turned her head back to Riley and Kulvir waiting for their reply.[/center]

[Riley Skybane]

OOC -- Ohh, not my best post. Sorry about that, I didn't really know where to go with it.
Word Count -- 805

Needless to say, Kulvir was a little put out by this strange girl and her tasty-looking lizard he hissed slightly as she waved to him and spoke. "He's not a very tasty treat Kulvir. Unless you happen to enjoy silver?" He watched with interest as she set the creature on the ground. So it wasn't food? What kind of cheap joke was that? He swung his arrowhead around and opened his jaws slightly to bare his pale fangs. "Cut it out Kul." Riley chided sternly, and the snake proceeded to turn his venomous glare upon his friend. After a couple seconds the copperhead huffed loudly before promptly turning around and burying himself in Riley's shirt. He wrapped himself around Riley's waist and refused to acknowledge anyone. Riley sighed. "Sorry, he has a slight attitude." He had hoped slightly that the copperhead would have been at least mildly civil toward the stranger, or at least kept his fangs inside his mouth. Oh well, part of the problem was that Kul had already been grumpy since the two had gotten lost. The snake had insisted on several turns, and Riley had ignored him. Lone be told, they'd ended up on the wrong side of the school following Riley's intuition. Maybe he'd let Kul rub in a little "I told you so" later.

He couldn't figure out what he'd said wrong to surprise Sky when her eyes went wide and she walked away. He followed her, leaning carefully against the opposite book shelf, trying to not squish Kul. "Oh no, that's not what I meant. You see I don't know how to use a sword. Okay what? Was he the only one confused by that? She had a sword that... she didn't know how to use? The only reason why I made Excelsior is because I love to make things out of metal, and swords are such beautiful things. Beautiful? Weren't girls supposed to find flowers and... puppies beautiful? Oh geez he was so hopeless. And well you see, when I made Excelsior he sort of came to life. I'm a Metal Whisperer. No, you probably haven't heard of it. And I can't really explain it. Let's just say I'm a blacksmith and a Wizard combined ya? Uhh, okay? Riley wasn't all that surprised. It seemed like everyone he met had some sort of wacky power, himself included. And yes, unfortunately Excelsior does get grumpy, mostly because I refuse to use him. I'm not a sword wielding person and never will be. One day when I can find someone who can understand Excelsior the way I can, and knows how to wield a sword I'll give Excelsior to him or her. Well that explained absolutely nothing. Riley raised his eyebrows, confused by her expression and her words. Underneath his shirt, Kulvir chuckled. "Wow, what a loon, eh Riley?" It took a lot of self control to not allow his face to twist into laughter.

Riley chuckled softly instead, rubbing a hand through his messy hair in confusion, something he seemed to do a lot. "Heh. Okay then. So what is it that you need me to do?" Some how in all her speech she hadn't actually gotten to the point. "I'll distract her and you can shapeshift into the librarian and we can sneak out. You never know if she's contagious." Riley cooled the skin where Kul was resting, giving the snake a firm "shut up" without words. He was deeply glad that the girl couldn't understand the snake. If she was lying and actually could then he was so screwed over. Riley really did think of Kulvir as his best friend, it was just sometimes hard to deal with the snake's terrible attitude, especially his attitude toward strangers. The two of them fought like brothers, and Kul was often the winner... which was strange, but not at the same time. Part of the problem was the fact that Kulvir was a venomous snake. Riley had gotten to the point where he was nearly immune to the venom, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt like crazy. Kulvir dropped off onto the floor with a soft plop. Riley's green eyes caught sight of the snake's devious smirk as the creature slithered behind a bookshelf.

[/blockquote]