My random stories/character rants.

I'm posting some random things I started writing when bored/insomniac/both.

Some are character rants, like journal entries. Others are character interactions...

This was written to the sound of Keep the Faith, by Bon Jovi.


Jo nodded, shaking her head violently, as she walked amongst the trees. It was almost as if she argued with an inner voice that simply wouldn't shut up. She had argued with Crys moments before, and it was her voice Jo still heard in her mind. The accusing tone would always cut more painfully than any blade she had ever felt on her flesh. And she had enough of both over the years.

Crys was simply disappointing at times. With everything she knew, she didn't seem to know anything about Jo, or her nature for that matter. If the person she was closest to in the world couldn't see her properly, who would? What was left for her then if not walking the earth on her own?
She would outlive her few friends, she would see things she wasn't meant to see and not be able to speak of it, since the consequences would be devastating. She would be accused of selfishness for it, yet again. "People are such disappointments!"

Jo let a fireball slip through her fingers and burn a innocent bush along the trail. She kicked up dirt as she walked, she wasn't exactly angered, it was simply painful to think of those words... And they wouldn't seem to go away no matter how far she tried to run. One simple question she couldn't seem to find the answer to tormented her. She voiced that question as she finally collapsed and sat near a tree. "Why do I still care?"

The answer came from the top of a tree. "Because... Deep down you're just a stupid kid, Jo. Exactly like me." Allison dropped from the tree, a serious look in her eyes. Jo stopped herself before tossing another fireball, simply to shut her up. She settled for looking at her with a menacing look, as she cracked open a smile and added. "It's rather frightening isn't it? To feel lost. Trust me... You'll get used to it."
Ali turned away and headed towards the trail Jo had come from, the one that led back to camp. Jo looked up at the sky as it suddenly started to rain.

Jo thought that was the perfect cover. The last thing she needed was for anyone to find her sitting there crying right now.

This is the result of me trying to put Ali in what could have been a romantic scene, but it doesn't quite turn out that way.

Eric is... A romantic interest/childhood friend. Which means she drifts in and out of awkwardness with him. That makes everything twice as weird if you ask me. They're both 16 in this. It's meant to sorta explain why Ali carries that silver cross she'll never take off, same as the gold medallion Eric keeps always hidden. (His ability is speed, if it's not clear in the below text. His char sheet will be done one day).

This was written to the sound of... A hell of a lot of Aerosmith songs, but specially The Other Side


Here it's how it actually turned out:

Allison stood leaning agaist a tree, watching the river flow. Water always calmed her for some reason. Across that wide river once stood the city where she was born, she let her eyes wander to that spot, even if it was too far for her to see without using her enlightenment. There was no need to actually see it, the memories where very fresh in her weary mind. Her blue eyes sparkled and she looked away, sadness spreading across her face.
All of a sudden a shift in the air alerted her to another presence nearby. She sighed and spoke in an annoyed tone. "Is it too much to expect that someone that can run as fast as you actually makes it on time?"

Eric's voice replied with a snicker. "Well, I'm sorry if I didn't think it was a good idea to lead a bunch of angry soldiers to my assassin friend."

She chuckled. "How thoughtful. I'm almost forgiving you for asking to meet here."
Ali felt another shift of air and all of a sudden he was standing next to her, leaning against the tree also, and looking at the river. "I'm sorry sweetie, but it is the safest place I know."
"Don't call me 'sweetie'. I hate it." She sneered without looking at him.
He laughed. "Why do you think I do it? I can't help it... You're just so cute when you're angry."
Ali looked at Eric with a frown and without warning punched him in the arm. "Don't push your luck!"
He winced at the punch, still laughing. "Ouch... Like I said, I can't help it. It's stronger than me."
She looked at him serious. "So am I."

He nodded and with another shift of air, he was suddenly standing on the other side of her. "I'm bigger than you, and I'm faster than you. You can't touch me."
She smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't bet on it if I were you. So... Why did you call me here anyway?"
Eric sighed, impatiently. "I wanted to see that you're still alive. You stopped writing me. And what if I did?"
She looked at him, a little confused, and still a little annoyed. "You said that your uncle's men tracked Tariq straight to you. I figured I should stop for a while. If you did what?"

He laughed. "If I was to bet, what would I get?"
She looked at him as if to mesure him up, then shrugged. "Whatever you want, but if I win you have to give me your silver pendant."
Eric flinched at that proposal. That pendant was very important to him. Ali knew that very well. For a while he simply stared at her, considering the possibilities. Then he finally answered. "Alright. I'll give you five shots at me. Arrows or fists, you choose."

She smiled and nodded in agreement. "No need to waste my arrows on this. And what will you get if you win?"
Eric shoved his hands in his pockets and snickered. "You'll know if I win. Otherwise you might just give up the whole idea. Anyway, it shouldn't matter right? Since you're clearly more skilled than I am..."

Ali shut her smile and looked at him more serious. "I am. You're lazy and incapable of taking things seriously, even in your current situation." She sighed, and went silent. The last thing she wanted was to turn this into an actual fight. Eric simply made a 'Heh' sound behind her back and she managed not to laugh at it. There was no need for her to encourage this kind of behavior. She turned to look at him. "You are fast Eric, but running will only get you so far. One day you'll have to stop and face your past. Then what?"

Eric sighed knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid the conversation. "Then I'll figure it out. I can run and think at the same time you know?"
Ali laughed. "Of course you can, honey."
He frowned at her although he was obviously not upset. "Very funny. Are we doing this or not?"
She nodded cheerfully "Of course."
Eric smiled widely. "Great, feel free to take you first punch whene-"

He hadn't even finished speaking and got hit in the stomach, losing his breath completely. Ali laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you not ready yet?"
Eric wheezed some words out which caused Ali to laugh loudly. "No... I did not cheat. You said whenever." She giggled. "Or at least tried to."
She stopped laughing as Eric was still sitting of the floor grasping for air. She sat down next to him and patted him on the back. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I honestly thought you would dodge this easily."
He nodded, removing the silver chain from around his neck and shoving it in her hand. "You won."
"Wait, what? I was just kidding, I don't want it." She looked slightly shocked and embarrassed. Truth be told... She wasn't expecting to win.
Eric nodded. "No. It was fair. Take it." Then he looked up and smiled. "I would definitely want my prize if I won."
Ali pulled her hand away realizing she was still touching him, and frowned slightly as she asked. "And what would that be? Can I know?"
Eric shrugged and answered without the slightest hesitation. "A kiss."

"I see..." She mumbled awkwardly turning her eyes at the water.
Eric sighed looking up at the sky. "So, I suppose you have to go, huh?"
She nodded in agreement. "If you had gotten here on time..."

"Yeah, yeah..."
Eric stood up and offered her a hand to help her up. Which, of course, she didn't take. Ali got on her feet and grabbed her bow, that had been leaned against the tree. She strapped it to her back, and smiled. "Should I go back to writing you then?"
He nodded. "Unless you want me to show up unexpectedly at camp, you better."

She smiled. "I'll think about it then."

She looked down and removed the medallion she had in a gold chain around her neck, and replace it with the silver chain and silver cross pendant. She then put the gold chain around his neck, and... After more than a moment of hesitation, walked a bit closer and kissed him in the cheek. "I'll assume you won't be dumb to flash my family crest around. But keep it safe alright?"

Eric simply nodded, a little shocked by the sudden display of affection. He did manage to utter some words as she turned around. "You know that this isn't what I meant, right?"

Ali laughed as she walked away. "Yes, but you didn't win the bet, so this will have to do." She waved at him from over her shoulder as she said that.

Eric stood there for a minute, maybe two, watching her leave. He then hid the gold medallion inside his shirt, and with another shift of air, he was gone.

I have no comments on this... Except maybe that it's not quite finished...


"What do you want from me?" She slipped the words out before the pain invaded her body once again. She lost her breath for a few seconds while the blade cut through her flesh. She had no idea how many times she had been stabbed so far, and she had lost track of time a long time ago.
The answer came after the wound finished healing. "I want to know how long it will take for you to beg."
Jo laughed loudly at the man's reponse. "You're in for a long wait pal."

The man chuckled at her response. "Oh, but I am patient Scorpion. In a century or two so will you be. If you manage not to self-destruct until then. After all... You can't help it."

Jo had given up the thought of trying to escape for now. She had been there for at least days. At first she tried, to brake free of the chains that pinned her to stone wall, but there was some kind of magic on them that made them indestructible. She couldn't teleport not knowing where she was... There was no way out, at least not yet. She didn't know how long she had been enprisioned there, but it had been at least days.

She stared into the cold blue eyes of her captor, she knew them well by now. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her... But she thought they looked familiar.
"Who the hell are you?"

"Glad you asked..." With those words he stabbed her one more time.Then he pulled the knife out and watched the wound heal. "You can call me Luckas. Although I haven't been called by this name in decades." He smiled. "Now that you are done talking about how you will get out of here and torture me... Maybe we can have a conversation."

Jo nodded and her eyes began to flash a reddish tone. Luckas laughed. "Oh, please do try. I dare you. The next stab wound will be the last."

Jo took a deep breath and controlled herself. "I'll ask again... What do you want from me?"

"You know nothing of your own nature, your own destiny... It's so disappointing." He stabbed her again, and chuckled when she screamed in pain. She had managed to control herself not to, but it slipped. "Your mother was just this stubborn, you know? She broke eventually... She begged me not to hurt you. It was very amusing actually. Unfortunately... That was one promise I just couldn't keep. See Joanne... You are very special to me. "

Those words made Jo forget all reason and her eyes glowed red as flames invaded the room. Of course, they didn't cause a single scratch on Luckas, if it was that simple she wouldn't be there in the first place. All it did was waste her energy, and anger the man."You stupid child! What have I told you? Do not waste your energy!"

The man's eyes darkened to a jet black and sudenly Jo screamed and cried as every painful event she has ever experienced came rushing back to her, at the same time. As quickly as the pain came, it vanished. Leaving her in a shivering mess. Luckas spoke again, this time in a cold and empty tone. "Don't push your luck, or I will prove to you how nice I have been so far."

Jo replied, her voice weak and shaken. "Why won't you just kill me then?"
Luckas smirked. "Death is such a sweet blessing, is it not? No... I waited too long for another like me to be born. I had to wait more than I wanted to after that fool I sent to take you from your mother lost track of you. I had to wait until you learned to you use your powers... It was such a hassle just to get to you Joanne. And I barely began to play with you."

Jo frowned at that statement. She didn't know what he meant by 'playing', she surely didn't want to find out. All of a sudden she heard a familiar voice in the back of her mind, a little weak, and failing, but she was sure it was there. "Jo... Can you hear me?" It was Annie's voice for sure. That's when reality hit her. She was trapped inside the Hollow. She shivered again as the thought passed through her mind.

The Hollow was a place in between all dimensions. A place that few living humans have actually been to. A place Jo visited for split seconds everytime she teleported somewhere. A place where she had been once trapped in upon failing to teleport. When she got out she discovered she had jumped 30 years to the future. Luckily, she managed to return to her own time, and she had perfected her ability since that incident. Even so... Being trapped there meant two things: 1- No one would ever find her. 2- He had literally all time in the world to torture her.

Shit! What to do now? Annie was using her telepathy to seek her out, however she wouldn't be able to find her. She was literally in the middle of nowhere.

"That's it... I'm officially screwed now."

Just something that popped in my head.

"That's ridiculous!" Annie said with a giggle. I couldn't help but smile myself, even if I hated myself for it.
"Why is it ridiculous? It is a very rational fear."

This statement made Annie curious, and that's not good. When she's curious about something, there's no stoping her until she gets answers. And I could pretty much feel her brown eyes piercing right through. "Why do you say that?"

She sat up from the grass where we were lying and looked at me seriously. I shrugged as I answered the question. "Fearing friendship is a natural thing. After all... The better a person knows you, the more she can hurt you."

Annie nodded, impatiently. "So, what's the alternative? Walking the earth alone is simply suicidal."
I shrugged once again. "I don't know. I'm just saying that it is not an irrational fear the way I see it. Being alone is perfectly fine, if you ask me."

Annie laughed. "I would never ask you. Your social skills are... Dead or dying."

I laughed at the comment. It was the honest truth. However... I did have plenty of friends in my life. Maybe I should be more afraid of being stabbed in the back. All of a sudden Annie's voices broke through my thoughts. "If I wanted I could just have left you to die. So I doubt you should worry now."

I looked at her seriously. "Do not..."

"I haven't. I just know you all too well." She laid back in the grass letting out a sigh. "What that says about me, I don't know."
I was slightly intrigued by that comment, but didn't ask. Some things are just way better when left alone.

I finish reading your stories and your characters have a feeling of life to them. Non of them are mary sues. ^-^

Thanks!


Well, Crys is awesome. So I had to write a little about her training Ali, just for the kicks.
Crys is all about the tough love. lol
Ali would be only 14 in this. So... Whiny and bitchy. A little bit, at least.


---------

"I can't"

"Yes you can. Hold it!"

The pain was invading Ali's body slowly as she held the bow drawn. The arrow pointed at Crys. She was not to release it until she moved, but she had been there for what it felt like hours ans Crys hadn't moved a finger. Finaly... Crys moved aside, exposing the target. Ali released the arrow and fell to her knees, exhaustion setting in. She could hear Crys walking around her, she hadn't said anything yet, and that couldn't be good. "Not bad..." Crys stated. "But you didn't hit the bullseye. So, get yourself on your feet, and we're trying this again."

Ali didn't move. Her back and shoulders where hurting badly. "I can't take anymore." She knew she shouldn't have said that the moment it came out of her mouth, she knew Crys hated whining. This would cost her.

Crys kneeled beside her, the tone in her voice was soft, and dangerously cold. "I'll decide what you can, or cannot, take. Now get on your feet. Or I'll make sure you don't stand for a long time."

Ali stood, slowly, the pain showing on her face, but she didn't utter another word. She took a deep breath, and another, at the third she nocked an arrow and drew. Crys didn't stand in front of the target this time, she stood beside Ali. "You'll release when I order you to, and not a moment sooner. And you better make this shot perfect or we'll do this again."

Ali didn't know how long she stood there, it felt like a long time to her. It felt like an eternity... "Release." The word came to her ears as a blessing. She released the arrow. This time a perfect shot.
She felt Crys' hand on her shoulder and heard her sigh. "Good. You are dismissed for the day. Go get some rest."

Ali didn't reply, she simply left the training field and walked towards a small lake almost outside their territory. She sat near the water, she took a deep breath and simply let the tears escape her. She sat there for a little while. It was almost dark when she heard a loud whistle. She turned to find an apple being tossed her way. She grabbed the fruit in the air, and nodded. "What do you want?"

Crys laughed at the question, and sat on the ground next to her. "You're angry, I get it, but do you at least understand the exercise?"

Ali took a bite off the apple and shrugged. Crys couldn't have seen that, but must have understood because she sighed. "Kid, you can't let your mind slip away when you feel your body can't take anymore. If you are strong enough to hold that bow drawn forever, it doesn't matter if you can't think clearly enough to hit the target. Your mind is the one thing that saves you when shit happens on a mission, Allison. If you lose your ability to think, you have nothing, and then you're dead."

Crys smiled at her, and then added. "Hate me if you will... But I am your instructor. It is my job to make sure you stay alive to hate me. It doesn't matter how many times I have to brake you to do it."

Ali sighed as Crys got on her feet and walked away. "Well, it still freaking hurts." she muttered.

I honestly can't explain why I've been writing so much lately. I honestly just hope it won't go away anytime soon.


Ali would be 16 in this.



Ali woke up in a panic. She was screaming, but no sound would come out. Finally coming to her senses she realized what had happened...

Crys was holding her down. She had shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth to muffle the sound of screaming that had come from her room. Her voice was calm as she constantly repeated the same words over and over, waiting for Ali to come to her senses and respond. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up..."

Finally, she managed to stop screaming. Her breathing was erratic, she had drops of sweat and tears rolling down her face. There was a knock ond the door to which Crys responded. "Everything is fine. Go back to your posts."
She waited long enough for the guards outside to walk away before finally releasing Ali. "It's alright. You're alright. Just remember to breath."

Crys was kneeled on the floor next to Ali's bed. The worried expression she carried didn't exactly seem to belong. She backed away as Ali sat up, and moved to sit next to her on the bed. Ali felt herself shiver uncontrolably and struggled to contain the tears that insisted on slipping out despite her desire to conceal them. Finally finding it useless to try and hold it together she gave up. Hiding her head between her knees she started sobbing. She expected Crys to tell her it was just a dream, she expected her to demand some sort of control from Ali, but no. All Crys had done was pat her on the back and repeat that she would be alright.

Finally after a few minutes Ali managed to stop crying and take a long deep breath. The shivering seemed to tone down, although it hadn't completely ceased. She rubbed her eyes as her sight was still a little blurry, know becoming more and more aware of the fact she had completely lost all control of herself in front of her instructor. Shame started to set in.

Crys' voice broke through the silence, in the same calm tone as before. "Feeling better now?"

Ali nodded, but after a while forced herself to speak remembering that Crys couldn't see her. "A little."

"Do you need to talk?"

"Probably..." Ali shrugged "I'd rather not though."

Crys sighed as she grabbed Ali's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Then you should try and go back to sleep. Because once the sun is out I will unleash hell on you as if this never happened. You'd better be well rested by then."

Ali chuckled at the warning, although she knew it was not a joke. She was simply glad Crys wasn't making a huge deal out of this. "I'm sure whatever it is you throw at me I will take it."

Crys snickered as she got on her feet. "I wouldn't be so certain if I were you."

She left and Ali laid herself down again, letting out a sigh as she watched the moonlight sneak in through the cracks on the ceiling. "As if this never happened..." She repeated to herself as she closed her eyes.

Okay, so... I found this amongst my many, many, many, many... You get the picture... Many, unfinished drafts. And, behold, I finished it!

I started writing this months ago actually, and... I left it unfinished for obvious reasons. The last bit had stopped in "I love you" I added the "stupid" a bit later. heh.
I didn't know how to make Ali react to something like this, and I dropped it. Well, I hope now I got it right. Anyways. First POV is Annie, second is Ali (you should all recognize her color by now), and the last one is Eric (damned unfinished character sheet!).

This was finished to the sound of: The Space Between - Dave Matthews Band Awesome song, I do recommend it!

-----------------

Annie let out a sigh as she stepped out of the room. She had blood on her clothes and hands, something she was more than used to. The look she now saw on Ali's eyes, was something she could never get used to. "He'll live." She stated simply as she walked past her to a bowl of water, looking to wash of the blood on her hands.

Ali's voice sounded slightly weak as she finally spoke. "How long will it take him to recover from this?"

Annie nodded, still trying to wipe off the blood. "Can't say. Not yet. Depends on how he will react to the medicine. My mother's potions can be slightly unpredictable, as I'm sure you might recall."

Ali shivered slightly at the memory. "Yes, I do. How is he now? Can you give me that at least?"

Annie finished cleaning up, and sat on the chair across from Ali, her brown eyes fixed on hers. "He was in pain, and most importantly... He wouldn't shut up. So I knocked him out. He will be unconscious for a day, maybe two."

Ali chuckled. "He is just an idiot like that. Never knows when to shut it" Her expression turned a little more serious. "Do you think he still might..." She sighed. "You know..."

"Die? No, I don't think so. You can, you know... Go see him if you want. He'll never know you were there." Annie smiled kindly as she said that, knowing very well that Ali would much rather go unnoticed.

Ali simply nodded to that little bit of information. "I will, just... Not yet."

Annie nodded in agreement, and kept silent. She had never seen Ali this way before. In all the time they knew each other, no matter what, Ali was always unaffected. Or at least she always had managed to appear that way. This time it was very noticeable that she was shaken. Looking at her, Annie noticed she still had blood on her hands, on her clothes... Her eyes were reddish. Annie assumed she had been crying, but knew better than to mention it.

"This is all my fault." Ali said after a while.

Annie sighed impatient. "Yes, Ali. Because we all know the world revolves around you."

Ali laughed at the comment. "Yes, it does. And can you honestly say Eric couldn't have gotten himself out of that situation if I wasn't there?"

Annie sighed. "Well... No, I can't. Even so, they weren't after you. You didn't put him in any danger, actually it was quite the opposite."

Ali nodded. "I have to wash up. And change my clothes..."

"Sleep." Annie finished the sentence. "How long have you been awake? Two days, three?"

Ali smirked, her blue eyes sparkling slightly. "Five." She sighed. "Eight would be a stretch... Ten is the most your mother has gone without sleep, correct?"

"Even so, Ali. You shouldn't push yourself this far."

Ali snickered. "I've been up for fifteen one time..." then she threw Annie a friendly smile. "Don't worry... I don't ever plan on repeating that. I'm not suicidal, you know?"

Annie watched Ali stand up and walk out of the cabin with a little smirk crossing her face. "We have different definitions of 'suicidal', Blackbird." Annie whispered the words into her friend's mind and heard her giggle as she walked away.

------

"What do you want?"

Ali heard the words as she entered her cabin and smiled at the sound of Jo's voice, for the very first time. "You owe me a favor, remember?" Ali smiled, still unable to see the woman.
"Humph." Jo turned visible, seated at a chair in front of her. "Yes, I remember. So what?"
"I would like to collect that favor, if I may."
Jo laughed. "An assassin ordering a hit on someone... That's just precious."
Ali snickered. "Oh... You wish. No, that's not what I want."

Jo sighed, still smiling. "You're absolutely no fun kid."
Ali sat across from her and rubbed her eyes, showing signs of exhaustion. "I want you to heal Eric."
Jo nodded, shuting her smile. "You called me here for him? I heard Annie say he would be fine. Why are you wasting this on him?"

Ali sighed. "Did you also hear Crys telling me her mother wants him out of here as soon as he is able to stand?"
Jo frowned. "What do I care?"
Ali smiled. "I care. I don't want him running around wounded. He'll end up dropping dead somewhere."

Jo got on her feet and leaned forward, both her hands on the wooden table, her face was inches away from Ali as she spoke. "Do you understand what healing someone takes out of me? If I do this... I won't be just repaying you." She smiled widely. "You will owe me for this."

Ali chuckled, leaning back in her chair and laying her feet on the table, between Jo's hands. "Whatever you say. Just do it."

Jo frowned slightly at the response. She expected a little bit more hesitation, maybe. She stood up straight, and nodded. "It's your grave... Kid." she said with a wicked smile. Ali knew she wasn't joking either... She would think of some way to torture Ali for this. Only now... Ali didn't care the least about that.

------

"Son of a bitch!" Eric muttered as he tried to sit up and failed miserably. His head was aching so badly he couldn't bear to move it. He stared at the ceiling, as he remembered the events that led him there. He was meeting Ali by the river, as he had many times before... How did they know he would be there? They couldn't have followed him. "Ali..." he mumbled, frowning, trying to remember if she had been hurt.
"What?"
Eric turned his head to where the voice had come from and cursed again, as the pain spiked. He closed his eyes and tears escaped them as he started to feel faint. As he opened his eyes again he spotted Ali sitting on the floor by the bed. She chuckled, nodding at the surprised expression on his face. "Idiot. You can't move around like that yet."

Eric winced at the loud tone of her voice. "You don't say." He muttered, closing his eyes again. "Allison... Are we dead?"

She nodded at the question. "No! Why do you ask that?"

"Well..." He sighed. "I remember a sword going right through me. The wound is gone, so... I figured I died."

She snickered. "Way to be optimistic, Eric. No... Jo healed you."
"Why would she do that? She hates me." he asked with a curious look in his eyes.
"She doesn't... " Ali nodded, laughing half wat through the lie. "No, you're right, she hates you. She owed me a favor though, so I used it."

"Why do that?" He mumbled, a serious look in his eyes. Eric never liked being rescued, and he didn't like Ali's tendencie to always blame herself for things.

She nodded. "Our dear leader wants you out of here as soon as possible. And the possibility of having you run around with a stab wound that you probably would not treat properly, just doesn't go well with my insomnia." She smiled. "Completely selfish reason, I swear."

Eric laughed at the comment. "Well, you are a selfish idiot at times, but I doubt it."

She raised a brow at him, smiling. "I'm a selfish idiot? Why do you stay around me then?"

Eric sighed, rubbing his temples. "Well... I love you, stupid."

Silence filled the room following those words. Eric immediately thought he shoud have kept to himself. Still... She had to know how he felt. It was impossible that she didn't. Not after all this time.

Still.. she simply sat there... And soon the silence became way too unbarable. "Ali, I'm sorry, I..."
"No. Just... Don't." She cut him off, and literally turned her back to him, leaning against the bed. All he could tell is that she had her head down. He felt stupid. He knew her well enough to know he should have kept quiet.

Suddenly she broke the silence, her voice sounded slightly weak, and her tone was reluctant as if she forced herself to speak.
"Eric..."
"Yes?"
"Will you promise me one thing?"
"Sure... What?"
She turned to face him, with a very serious look in her eyes. "When this is all over and done with, and we don't have worry about having an army suddenly trying to kill us..." She smirked slightly. "Say that again."

I would love to read some of these but the bright colors and my bad eyes... maybe I'll try to C&P it in to a document or something.