Bayne
Legacy Name: Bayne

Mysterious - Honorable - Gallant - Brave

A vagrant knight; obeying the laws of chivalry but answering to no master save himself. Generally like still pool, Bayne has a calm and gentle aura that soothes ruffled nerves. Don't underestimate him however, his behavior is backed by a terrific strength that leaves his enemies reeling.

Bayne is drawn to natural places, especially those that are unmodified by human hands. Lazy afternoons may find him laying on a rock, admiring the cascading water at a waterfall, or slipping soundlessly through ferns, or leaping from rock to rock to stand at the peak of a mountain.

~The problem with life in the group,~ Alkuma thought wearily, ~Is that it’s so damn crowded.~

This was supposed to be a vacation in the enormous and lavish Lakeview Resort. Everyone in the family got separate rooms, plenty of food and more than enough things to keep them occupied. And while that worked wonders for most of the group, it was just making Alkuma frustrated and feeling irritable.

She ended up keeping an eye on the family members during normal days and no matter what, twenty-four-seven there was a crisis that needed dealing with. Mavhai was bugging the aloof Quitzel. Lacoda was scolding Kehai for stealing spoonfuls of her latest cooking experiment.

Something always kept that precious commodity of peace-and-quiet at bay. And now in a hotel full of stuff to do, or something for one of the others to drag her off to, Alkuma felt like she wasn’t on vacation at all. So with a flick of her tail and customary surly growl, she had disentangled herself from the crowd and slipped off to take a walk by the shores of Veta Lake.

It didn’t take too long for the Reborn Tigrean to find somewhere else to walk when a family of ten decided to have a rambunctious party on the shores nearby. Hissing words that should never be repeated, Alkuma slid into the more heavily forested portion around the lake.

Picking a small and little used trail, Alkuma followed its meandering path. This was more like it. The only sounds were the rustling of the trees, the babbling of running water and the cheerful tweet-tweet-chirrrrp of birds. She heaved a relieved sigh and wandered her way around to the backside of a towering pile of boulders.

Very nice. It almost felt like she was a hundred miles from anyone. She couldn’t possibly be found here. Tensing her muscles, she sprang from boulder to boulder until she reached the highest rock.

~Mmm. Much better.~

The sky was a clear, dazzling blue and the sun was warm on her fur. Satisfied that she was alone, Alkuma lay down and dropped her head onto her paws, sleepily watching the trees rustle in the cool breeze.

***

Bayne had been wandering the forest for hours before he spotted the sun drenched rocks ahead.

An excellent place to view the scenery. He charged, leaping as high as he could and dug his claws into crevices and hauling himself up to the top of the first boulder.

~First step is the hardest.~ He tensed his muscles and sprang again, the stacked rocks acting like stairs for his paws as he leaped higher and higher. ~Almost… there!~ Bayne’s final leap carried him clear to the top of the highest rock.

And almost landed him right on top of the sleeping Reborn Tigrean.

Bayne made a kind of strangled sound and he frantically sparked his powers to life. Blue light swirled around him, slowing his descent and he managed to land straddling her rather than smack dab on top of her. He gulped and very carefully eased away, earning only a twitch of her rounded ear when his whiskers brushed it.

~Whew.~

Bayne backed away a few feet and sat down quietly. ~She must have come here to get away from the crowds too. Meh. Well I sure don’t want to ruin her peace and quiet.~ He turned and sent a sweeping glance over the treetops and the mountains in the distance.

***

Alkuma wasn’t sure what woke her up; was it the muffled thump of someone landing practically on top of her or was it the scent of a strange male? Something brushed her ear, making it twitch. She cracked an eye open and spotted an odd looking Dark Matter Tigrean.

~Why does he look so strange? Oh… Wow, he doesn’t have an Aura. Keh… And I thought I couldn’t be found. Stupid me.~ Her eyebrows drew together unhappily, then a lazy yawn stretched her jaws wide. “Mmm..”

The stranger’s ears turned in her direction, but he didn’t say anything.

~Not a chatterbox anyway.~ She got to her paws and joined him at the edge of the rock.

“Hey,” he spoke first, his voice a soft, rolling baritone, “Sorry I bothered you.”

“Eeh… There ware worse ways of waking up,” Alkuma decided it was better to try civility to start with, which was pretty much a first.

He finally turned and smiled at her, “There are worse ways to wake up than being landed on?”

“Of course. Imagine a child playing ‘brass band’ with a spoon and a cooking pot while marching through your room. At least you missed actually hitting me,” Alkuma’s lip curled in a sarcastic smirk, remembering Mavhai’s particular love for anything insanely loud, annoying and mobile.

The stranger gave a sympathetic shudder, “Oh, my name is Bayne,” he dropped into a gallant bow.

“Alkuma,” she dipped her head slightly.

“Lady Alkuma, I’m honored” he smiled warmly.

“Er… no, just Alkuma is fine,” she felt a strange, awkward tingle when he said it like that.

“All right,” he was smiling still, seemingly amused, “Alkuma, what brings you out here, so far from everyone else?”

“Oh,” she turned her head slightly at the faint sounds of splashing and squealing back at the lake, “Just trying to get away from it all. Well, further away from it all than the Resort has for me anyway.”

A particularly high pitched squeal made Bayne flinch, “You don’t have to explain it to me, I’m the same way.”

~Odd,~ Alkuma thought, ~For some reason I don’t feel grumpy around him. Maybe it’s just refreshing not to have someone babbling brainlessly about something.~

“Would you like to walk with me? I know a few nice places we could go that are definitely ‘away from it all’,” Bayne offered.

“Sounds good actually,” Alkuma stretched luxuriously before nodding to him, “Lead on.”

Bayne’s eyes had widened slightly at the stretch, but he coughed and nodded, leaping clear of the high boulder. Blue energy exploded around his body like fire and he floated to the ground as gently as a bubble.

Alkuma stared.

He turned back and smiled up at her, “Come on! I’ll catch you.”

“Uh…” Alkuma eyed the drop dubiously.

“Come on,” he coaxed, much more gently now, “It doesn’t hurt. It’s not really fire.”

Alkuma hesitated, then shrugged to herself and leaped into open space. There was only a heartbeat where she felt like she was falling, and suddenly she was surrounded by the blue light of his magic. It was an odd sensation, not so much like being grabbed as just feeling lighter. She sailed gently down to the ground, and once her paws were firmly under her the blue light vanished and her weight returned to normal.

“See,” Bayne smiled, “Nothing to it.”

“What else can you do?” Alkuma’s interest was sparked now, and the pair took a relaxing walk through the trees.

Bayne obligingly showed her how he could summon stones to his paws, or lift globes of water high into the air. The pair of them enjoyed sprinting across the surface of a deep pool at the base of the waterfall.

Deciding to be fair, Alkuma told him a story, creating illusions to illustrate both her power and show what was happening in her story.

Bayne was enraptured, batting lightly at illusionary butterflies and drifting flowers as she sent them drifting past his nose.

By the time the sun was setting, Alkuma found herself loosening up for the first time she could remember. Bayne was good company and she found she could talk and even laugh in his presence.

Bayne on the other hand, was relishing Alkuma’s sharp with and appreciation for the things he liked. She even taught him about clouds, which she loved laying back and watching.

Finally the pair made their way back to the resort as the sun began to set. As the light began to dim, so did Alkuma’s good mood. Night. She had to go back to her room and separate from Bayne, who had been the best company she’d ever enjoyed.

Bayne sensed her descending mood and turned to her with a smile as they neared the Resort, “Hey,” he offered, “Y’know I’m gonna be here for the rest of the week. What do you say we meet up again tomorrow and have a picnic at that waterfall I showed you?”

Her ears perked, “Sounds good. What shall I bring?”

“Yourself of course,” Bayne grinned, “But also maybe some dessert and fresh fruit would be great too. I’ll bring the meats and sandwich makings.”

“It’s a date,” Alkuma said, finding she liked that word all of a sudden.

“Until tomorrow, Lady Alkuma,” Bayne purred, and gave her cheek a soft lick before vanishing into the crowd.

Alkuma froze, totally stunned for a moment, then turned slowly back to the entrance of the building and made her way to her rooms, humming softly to herself.

Name: Bayne
Age: 24
Relationship: Alkuma
Family: Unknown
Likes: Long, slow walks, beaches, strawberries
Favorite Color: Blue
Dislikes: cities, noise, pollution, littering
Eyes: One blue, one gold
Body: powerful, long legged build. Excellent at running, climbing and outdoor sports. His fur is a smooth coal black, navy stripes tracing dark lines through it. His aura is usually hidden until he uses his powers, which make it flare up like blue flames.
Power: Telekinesis

A sprightly fellow with an insatiable curiosity. There's always something that catches his attention; anything from a squirrel burrow to an interesting scent to a tree that grows oddly.

Kutake also likes to collect interesting things, and has a small horde of shiny things; from sand washed glass to river tumbled pebbles to winking gems, it doesn't really matter. The best was to win his heart is to offer him something for his collection.