[Dark Elite_H2]

DAY ONE....

The early morning stirred quietly with Stranger only awake, dressing himself silently as could be without disturbing the lump under the blanket in the front room.
He tip-toed to the door, putting his hat on his head from the rack next to the door. He opened the door slowly, whipping out, and closing the door, locking it.
He gave a great sigh, treading through the crunchy snow.
The houses were dim of the dark lavender sky. The sun was still hiding behind the flat-top mountains.
Stranger walked carefully across the short dock to his boat. He knew the waves splashed among the wood, and froze overnight, which made the dock slick.
He sat down beside each oar, rowing off from the shore, and breaking the ice in chunks holding down the boat.
He kept repeating his only task that he must appease before the sun went down by today.
'Must get my armor...' he thought.
He rowed to the path back to Last Legs. It was too early to take a thirty-minute boat ride down to the capitol just to pick up his armor, but if he didn't do it any earlier, he'd forget.
He sighed ruefully, brushing his frizzy hair back to his neck, then began to row again.

The sun glowed brightly through her tightly-closed eyes.
She hated being bothered by the sun and its antagonizing wake-up call.
Umi pulled the blanket over her head, turning away from the window brittle from the cold winds.
She felt herself alone, without another body right in front of her. She blinked her eyes open, staring at the shuffled empty blankets. She groaned irritatingly.
'It's every morning you have to be gone, huh, Stranger?' she thought.
She emerged through the blanket, her hair a whipped-up nightmare. She patted her hair, then frowned.
"Now I got's ter take a damn shower...Oh, I wish I were more lazy..."
She stomped tiredly to the bathroom, and slammed the door. She stared at the rectangular-piece of mirror reflecting her exhausted image to her eyes. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue, and her face was a pale-white. She always looked like this when she first got up.
She scoffed, undressing herself of her pajamas, and starting up the water.
The steam whipped up quickly, shrouding her essence under a blanket of warm fog.
She examined her new scars on her arms and legs. She shook her head disappointingly.
"And I thought through how much trouble I got in, I would have more..." she told herself.
"I usually get 30 per month..."
She stopped looking at her new scars, carefully entering the warm shower.
She slid the curtains closed, and the warm sensation exploding her senses awake. She looked down below her feet, and a stream of brown-red colored water flowed under her legs.
The extra blood caked on her back and her hair ran off her rough skin, spiraling down the drain.
She became mezmerized by the heat giving off the water, almost stopping her from getting out the shower.
She wrapped herself in a soft, jade-green towel, velvety to the touch. She walked out with her senses refreshed, trotting out to the bedroom, where all their clothes were resewn.
She laid out her shirt and vest on the table near the door of the bedroom. She scratched the towel around her hair, then dropping the towel on the flat carpet of clean grass.
Patches of similar fabric were stitched over the torn holes in her vest and pants. Only her shirt was sewn with black thread. She released a relaxed sigh, brushing down her conditioned hair.
"There's something I want to do out in town today," she smiled to herself, pulling over her red shirt.
She secured her belt over her waist, patting down her hair, and tying it up in her scarf Stranger gave to her.
She wrote down on a piece of paper a note, leaving it curled on the counter. She walked outside, locking the door, and running down the icy path. She followed Stranger's boot steps he left down to the docks. She turned away from the dock, running vertically with the flat canyon, and a hand-made path leading close beside the frozen Mongo River.
She didn't stop running. She was excited. It was a fresh morning, and she was going to get a surprise for Stranger.
Umi giggled to herself. She didn't understand exactly why she laughed. Maybe the cold, crisp air was getting to her mind...
She ran for 15 minutes straight down to the village marketplace.
Smells of fried to cooked fish swarmed lively around the bustling market. Happy, business-liek voices slammed their fists on their wooded countertops, smiling as a deal was made.
Umi nodded greetfully to the waving Grubbs. She examined around the jewelery departments, female Grubbs showing off sparkling jewelery to their customers. They blinked hopefully to the human observing their stands. She stopped at one, leaning at a hanging necklace in pairs beside each other.
"Wow," Umi blinked happily.
The saleswoman turned to the human, smiling sweetly, as she took down the necklaces.
"That's my best work you're holding there," she said, propping an elbow on the counter.
Umi smiled at the necklace.
It was a light silver snake dragon swiveling its body in an S-shape. Its wings were folded near its back, and its arms were cringed near its body. The eye was the mesmerizing part. The eye was a bright ruby-red shining under its silver eyelids.
Umi blinked back to the saleswoman.
"How much?" Umi asked.
The Grubb grinned.
"Two Haplefish," she nodded.
Umi blinked confusingly at the Grubb.
"What's that?"
The Grubb's grin began to diminish to a frown.
"You-" she began. "you've never seen a Haplefish before?"
Umi shook her head slowly.
The Grubb frowned, then ratted apart her fingers.
"I apologize, human. But...no Haplefish, no sale," she shrugged.
Umi put the two necklaces on the counter.
"How do I get these?" Umi asked.
The Grubb shrugged.
"Sorry. It's winter. The Haplefish only come out during the summers and falls. You'll have to wait next year,"
Umi frowned.
"But-but, is there anyway to get these without fishing for them?"
The Grubb shook her head apologetically.
"Sorry..."
Umi sighed in failure, as she turned away from the stand.
Until a voice called out...
"Hold up, Loraine!"
A female Grubb ran up to the stand.
"How much you say it was?" it asked.
The saleswomans blinked at the female Grubb.
"Two Haplefish,"
The Grubb slapped down two brgihtly green throny fish to the clerk.
The clerk smiled, sliding the necklaces to the Grubb.
"Thank you, kindly," she nodded.
The Grubb turned to Umi, holding out the necklaces to her.
Umi grinned happily.
"Thanks fer the save, Jala," Umi took the necklaces in her hand.
The Grubb smiled sweetly under her purple-painted eyelids. Her eyes were a dim sky blue.
"Although, I still thank yo fer the markings you gave me," Umi touched her painted stripes on her face.
Jala nodded shyly.
"It's the best way I could say thanks, Umi. You really saved our hides from the Wolvarks," she said.
"It's my job, Jala. Had really no choice but to," Umi scratched the back of her head.
Jala blinked away from Umi, then looking back up brightly.
"Say, I was going clothes shopping. You...wanna come with? I could use a handy helper," Jala invited.
But Umi shook her head.
"Sorry. Love to, but I got'a get home 'fore Stranger blows his lid that I went out again," Umi shrugged.
"Why? I though he trusted you out on yer own," Jala frowned.
"Well...last night was a bit of a screw up...Out too late..." Umi looked down.
"Oh..."
Both kept quiet, looking around dreamlessly around the market area.
"Well...I best be goin'. take care, Jala! I'll make it up to you somehow tomorrow!" Umi ran down the path out.
Jala waved to her.
"See ya'!" Jala smiled.

Stranger turned back to the clerk behind the counter. He frowned angrily.
"What d'ya mean I can't have my armor?" Stranger demanded firmly.
The Grubb only shrugged with its eyes closed.
"Sorry, Steef. It's under renovation," it said.
Stranger curled a fist on the counter.
"I'll renovate you if yer don't give's it ter me..." Stranger growled.
The Grubb turned away from him.
"I told you, Steef! I can't give it to you!"
Stranger snorted impatiently. He had the urge to jump over the counter and snatch his suit back in the backroom.
An older-looking Grubb trotted out of the employee door besides the counter. He blinked oddly at the Steef, then at his employee.
"Kenji...What's goin' on here?" it asked in a deep tone.
The Grubb jumped from its manager's voice, turning right to him.
"Oh! Uh...Steef here wants his armor," it replied shakily.
He shook his head, then back up.
"Kenji, he needs it for the ceremony next week," he siad gravely.
Stranger turned back to the clerk with a successful grin.
The Grubb looked back to the Steef with nervous eyes.
"Oh..." it droned, blinking down from him.
"You could've said that,"
The clerk ran back behind it, shuffling and grunting around the backroom.
The manager smiled back to the Steef, straightening its focals.
"Sorry about Kenji, Steef. He's a lil' trickster at times,"
Stranger understood, nodding back to the manager, and turning back to the counter.
The Grubb clerk ran back to the counter, weighing heavily under the Steef's armor, the last he used to defeat Sekto.
It threw it on the counter, throwing a relieved sigh.
"Well, here ya go, Steef! Hope the ceremony goes well! I'm-a be there!" it wiped a speckle of sweat off its forehead.
Stranger nodded respectfully to the Grubb, bundling his armor under his arm, and tipping his hat to the manager.
"Thanks," Stranger grinned, then walked out of the shop.
Sun streaks through the heavy grey sky popped out of the blue, warming up the frozen-over snow.
Stranger sighed, white smog emitting thorugh his nostrils. He walked through the snow, leaving jagged edges as he made his way to the docks. He laid his armor with the bow, sitting back with the oar handles. He pushed off the docks, and rowed back down to home.

It got colder as Stranger pulled his boat up to the dock. He grabbed his parcel, and treaded back up the hill to him home.
The door was locked. That gave him the idea Umi was still home. But as he entered, it was as quiet as a slapped Grubb.
"Umi?" Stranger called, laying his suit in the bedroom.
No answer.
Stranger's ear perked up.
"Umi?" he called louder.
When no answer came, he growled disappointingly.
'She left again...'
He put his hat on the rack, and ran back outside.

Umi pulled up to the docks, Stranger's boat floating aloft with the gentle waves. She felt a rock form in her throat.
"Uh oh..."
She ran up the hill, immediately stopped by Stranger, whose eyes were as bright as diamonds.
He sighed relieved, kneeling down to her level.
"Where'd you go?" he asked firmly.
"D-down to the marketplace," Umi replied.
Stranger blinked skeptically, but continued.
"Why?"
"I got you something,"
Umi reached in her pocket, bringing up two small red-velvet boxes, and handed one to him.
He took the box, and opened it.
The silver dragon shone brilliantly in his eyes.
He looked back to Umi with a thankful grin.
"Ah, kid..."
He took her in his arms.
"You didn't have ter..."
Umi shrugged under his embrace.
"I just wanted ter get a pendant, you know...so we don't forget each other if somethin' happened..."
Stranger pulled away from Umi.
"I don't think that'll ever happen," Stranger smiled.
He opened the box again, staring deeply at the ruby-red eye glaring back.
"Here. Let's put it on,"
Umi jumped to his back, and wrapped the gold chain around his neck loosely. She clipped it on through the loop, and dropped it. She ran back to his face, then nodded.
"Looks cute on yer. Fierce as a dragon, you are," she grinned, putting on her pendent as well.
Stranger fickled with it, then put it under his green top, looking back to Umi.
"Thanks again, kid," he kissed her forehead.
Umi grinned away.
"It's the least I could do since you gave me the scarf," Umi whipped the scarf from under her hair.
Stranger stood back up, carrying Umi back to the house. It really was a cool gift.
But now Umi had to be bothered by how to pay back Jala.