The forest, yo. (Private)

"That's rather interesting." He nodded, wanting to try it for himself, although he knew he probably couldn't. A wolf entered the scene.

It was a snow wolf, bigger than Isana, and looked like it was going to charge at her. Zack took one of his swords out.

"Now would be a good time to change back," He suggested, as the wolf growled at him.

OOC: See what I did there?

OOC: You know me, I'm hard at understanding.

Isana nodded and exchanged again her hram with the fox's. It took less time and she was standing again on both her feet, in her cream-colored jeans and blue Camp-shirt.

- Don't hurt it, she warned him.

OOC: I made Athos's pet, Ice, leave to the forest in the courtyard posts, and here he is in the forest.

"Alright..." Zack said slowly, putting his sword back in his scabbard. The snow wolf seemed to have a mutual agreement and trotted off to another area. "Wolf seems to be tame." He said, looking at the area it walked off too.

"If you wanted, could you turn into a wolf too? Or anything for that matter?" He asked her.

OOC: .... I was being ironical Zack. You think I'm authistic or what? XD

- A wolf? Quite interesting, but I could eat you. Not that I would mourn you, but I'd have a bad belly ache afterwards.

Isana turned away and started toying with her pendant.

OOC: No, just hard to detect sarcasm on the internet.

First she's mean to him, then nice, then mean again? What kind of world did Zack live in?

"I would think you would miss me getting your Seidhr things," He replied and smiled. "And why would you want to eat me? I'm way to skinny to even look like a good source of food. It'd be like taking a big bite of a chicken wing." He smiled a bit wider, finding it funny he compared himself to a chicken's wing.

- I didn't say you would taste good.

She looked at him with a studious look.

- Even though, I have to admit.... No, forget that last part.

She chuckled to herself and glanced at the sky.

- To get rid of bad things, people often have to sacrify themselves. That's why I said I would eat you. Got me?

"I...I guess," Zack said, scratching his head, looking confused. And he thought the great questions of life were confusing. He wasn't sure if it was an insult or a compliment, it sounded a bit like both.

"You're an interesting person." He smiled and said, still looking confused about what she said, but he shook it off.

- Of course I am, she frowned. Did anybody say the contrary?

Isana had a gust of wind twirl around her, making her luxurious hair glow in the sunshine. She smiled a frank smile, but it wasn't adressed to Zachary.

"No, just simply commenting." He smirked. The wind in her hair made her look beautiful, and he smiled in his mind. What would she say if he said that?

"You look beautiful," He smiled, now curious of her reaction.

- Tell me, son of the Hammer-carrier, do you always say obvious things?

She kicked a stone out of her way.

- And I don't look beautiful, I am beautiful.

Isana smiled and turned her gaze to him.

- But thanks for saying it anyway.

OOC: She's quite narcissic

Zack smiled a bit wider. He expecting nothing less from this girl.

"Yes, my nickname back home is captain obvious." He joked. He stared back at her, studying her. She was quite interesting, if not a tad bit harsh.

Isana noticed him staring at him and smirked, raising an eyebrow.

- Well then, Captain Obvious, have you any other obvious things to tell me?

"Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, you look pretty amazing, you and I are demigods, etc." He rambled on, continuing to smile. He unnoticeably fiddled with the pommel of his sword, which he usually did when he was in deep thought, not that he was exactly in deep thought.

Isana crossed her arms and studied, a slight smile parting her lips.

- You remind me of a guy I know, at my catamaran club. One day he came to me and said "Dude, I have to tell you something. Water is wet." I bet you'd be best friends.

She noticed his sword.

- Nice blade, she said, although it looks a bit overused. What is it called?

"It's just a normal silver long sword, I don't find the need to name it. I'd name a sword that was special though." He said rather absentmindedly. There seemed to be something he was thinking about, he guessed in his sub conscious, because he didn't know what he was thinking about.

"He seems like a person I would get along with, yes." Zack considered. "Although, what is the meaning of water being wet? It's just the water molecules being attached to something, giving off the impression that you're wet." He said, but shook his head.

"Sorry, I seem to be thinking about something, but I don't know what it is." He chuckled.

The girl raised her eyebrows in a deprecative manner.

- Actually, he said it in French, so I have some difficulties translating it.

She started toying with a strain of hair.

- Do you have a girlfriend? she asked suddenly.

OOC: YEAH she IS weird... XD

OOC: Damn straight.

"Girlfriend? Oh, no. I'm much to myself to even consider." Zack said, shaking his head.

"Feelings, I have noticed, get in the way of thinking normally. I don't like to encourage their growth all that much." He added.

- Oh, so you don't want any girlfriend, or what? she asked, sounding disappointed.

In fact, she wasn't. She just wanted to flirt with a guy and have fun. Him or someone else...
She had had loads of boyfriends so one more or one less wouldn't make the big difference.
Isana looked at the sun and a ray fell on her face, making her eyes glow emerald green. Biting her lip, she put a hand in front of her to cast a shadow on her.

"I didn't say I don't want one per se, just that it'd be more difficult to persuade me." He added, smirking playfully. He had better things to do, though, at least he thought, then flirting with girls, although he wouldn't mind to get his mind off the great questions of life to screw around.

- That's good. I take this as a personal challenge, she smirked. I'm sure I could persuade you.

She took a step forward, and examined his torso, then turned her back to him.

- But you'll have to persuade me as well, she playfully added.

Zack smiled. He took this as a challenge too, now. He plotted what he would say in the back of his head. She was rather narcissistic, so it would be a waste complimenting her...Or would it?

"You know, I think I found something comparable to the beauty of the stars at night: Your gorgeous self." He started off, rather proud of himself for making it up.

- Well, that smells of Internet, Isana snapped, but smiling nonetheless.

She rather appreciated being compared to stars, and she ran a hand through her deep auburn hair.
She took a step forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

- You've got something, there, she said, stroking away an imaginary leaf or feather. There, gone now.

She took a step back and folded her arms, looking directly into his eyes.

OOC: I really did make that one up

Zack smiled and looked into her eyes, too.

"Can you read minds with your Seidhr?" He asked, and made sure that if she could his mind was filled with compliments.

OOC: You have a good imagination, then! *me punches his shoulder*

Isana frowned and twitched the end of her shirt.

- Well, you know, mind-reading isn't exactly like what you're told in books. I mean, when you're thinking, you're not thinking sentence per sentence. It's more like a continuous stream of words, images, sounds and impressions. If I were to read in your mind, I wouldn't understand a thing because of the conscious and subconscious thought's you're having and all that stuff apart, like I said, images, sounds, feelings, memories. You're not having one thought at a time. If you were, then I surely could read your mind.

She leaned agains a tree and looked at its leaves, above her.

- But I can feel your impressions, and that's quite useful, in fighting for example.

"That does sound like quite a use in fighting." He said. He would know, he fought a lot. But he had a strange question now...

"What of animals? Can you read their minds? Do you know why they don't question things the same way as us humans do- I mean, demigods?" He asked, curious. It was the question he had when it entered here, perhaps the riddle could be solved.

- I can't read their minds, but I feel their feelings. And it's quite good to know them, so you know if they're gonna attack you or not. And no, they don't really question things. They live, that's all.

She sat down between the tree's roots and smiled at him.

- Did I answer your question?

"Mostly," He said, running his hand through his hair and now pacing back and forth.

"They don't ponder, they live. What makes us so special as to not have this mindset?" He asked himself, stroking his chin.

"Perhaps they do not have the area of the brain that allows them to." He muttered.

"But that would mean we would have a need to evolve that way!"

"Then what makes it so where they wouldn't need it to evolve? What purpose would we have to develop that part of the brain? Why didn't we just grow fur, and stay animalistic?" Zack said, standing still for a moment.

"We're just mother nature's experiments. It, for one moment, made one of its species want to question. We are the result." He answered.

"Eh, forget it." He said, waving his hand. Zack ran his hand through his hair once more.

"Sorry about that," He laughed, "I get like that sometimes. Where were we? Ah, yes, this 'challenge.' Right. Your smile is like a light in a dark place; it gives hope to all." He smiled, looking into her eyes. "And your eyes are like that of emeralds against rock; the miner knows he has struck it rich and is joyful." He commented.

OOC: I can't believe I'm actually making these up. Give me a moment, I'm high fiving myself.

Isana had raised one of her slanted auburn eyebrows as she listened to his philosphic questions, quite interested.
Then, hearing the compliments, she smiled prettily.

- Thanks, she said, pushing her havy hair out of her face.

She winked at him, her long dark eyelashes casting a beautiful shadow on her gaze.

- And what makes you think my smile gives you hope? Hope of what? she asked again, smiling faintly.

"I don't know, it sounded good." Zack chuckled. "But if I were to elaborate, I would say your smile gives me hope of a...brighter future." He smiled and nodded. "And no problem, my dear." Zack bowed again.

Isana appreciated him bowing to her. She usually liked when people bowed to her.

- A brighter future? What makes you feel so self-assured, Zachary? she asked, raising again an eyebrow.

"Oh, I don't know." Zack smirked and shrugged. He continued pacing for a moment, then stopped.

"Have I not complimented your voice yet? It is that of a thousand Valkyries singing in harmony." He said, although he was running dry of such compliments, she had yet to persuade him.

- Well, that's not a convincing one, even if it is good. I mean, my mother is Valkyrie.

She watched him pace then stood up.

- I'm not very good at complimenting, but I'd say you have awesome hair. And awesome muscles, she added, winking slightly.

OOC: Just a random thing, how do you wink slightly?

BIC: Zack looked at his muscles. He didn't really see them as awesome, though he knew he had denser muscles, and it helped him in surprising his opponents when they seen a skinny kid, then seeing that he was a good swordsman. He had got the compliment about his hair plenty of times, though.

"Thank you, m'lady, but I've heard the hair compliment all too often." Zack told, bowing low.

"Although I haven't heard the muscle one before." He smiled. He scratched his head, waiting for a flirt or something to come up. He took two paces to the left, stopped for a moment to stroke his chin, and continued walking slowly.

"Your aura is that of a perfectly divine beauty. I don't think I would be going that far as to say that any organism you come in contact with is graced by your presence." Zack stated romantically, looking into her eyes.

OOC: Winking discreetely... Not the great obvious wink. XD

BIC: Isana shrugged; she hadn't appreciated what he had first said. An extremely beautiful girl made him a compliment, and all he could answer was that he had heard it too often?
She rolled her eyes.
But she forgave him because of the next compliment.
She tilted her head to the side, so he could see her silky white neck, and smiled in a coquettish way.

- You seem to be worth something, it seems, she thoughtfully said. But I'm not really good at complimenting guys, she added, stroking her hair.

Zack blushed rather intensely when she showed her neck and smiled like that. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair.

"I have to say, you don't really need to compliment me when you do that," Zack smiled and felt his heart beat a bit faster.

"And worth something? I most certainly hope I'm worth something," He laughed, "But I have to remember that's a rather big compliment coming from you, so I'm happy." He said.

If I weren't crazy, I'd say for a fact she has you persuaded!

Shut up, am not.

Are too!

No, I'm not. Feelings for her would interfere with normal thinking. That's what you do! Things like that cannot happen. It's rather stupid. Come on, man! Think this out!

Zack had shut off his thoughts, though. He had decided that she had persuaded him, and even if it went against thinking it would be an interesting experience. And so what if it interfered with normal thinking? He could then just think about that instead.

Isana noticed he was quite confused and laughed her cheeky laugh, stroking her lower lip with her thumb.

- You should, she said. Being happy, I mean.

She studied him.

- I don't know if you know this proverb: success is not the clue to happiness, happiness is the clue to success.

Isana gave him a long stare, biting her lip some.

- So? Do you think you're happy enough to be successful?

"Well, no, I have not heard that proverb before. Although, I would love to debate about it, as it depends on what you view success as. Do you view it as happiness? Then the quote is destroyed. If you view success as something other than happiness, then I wouldn't consider it so much as a success. But, then again, you're talking to a boy who talks to himself." He laughed a bit. He had really enjoyed her gestures such as biting her lip, he had felt his heart beat speed up some, but stayed calm nonetheless.

"But, in view of the way people can perceive the proverb, yes, I can say that I'm happy enough to stay successful. And what of yourself, my lady?" He asked her, smiling and looking into her lovely green eyes.

Isana bit her lip more.

- I am always successful, she whispered, looking back into his blue eyes.

She tilted her head back.

- And as for the proverb.... I view success as the truecoming of all your dreams.

"Always successful? Prove it." Zack challenged her, smiling a bit wider. He could tell she would do something unpredictable, so he kept his guard up.

"I have to agree with you on your view on success. In which case agrees with my view, you cannot be happy without accomplishing your dreams, no? What are your dreams?" He asked her, still playfully smiling at her, and still looking into her eyes.

- I proved that in the Arena, and in my martial arts school, back then in Berlin, she smiled, braiding absent-mindedly one strain of her hair.

Isana thought for a moment.

- My dreams? she finally said. First of all, meeting my mother. I think that's my number one dream.