Ьȴʊє Ͻ a r a v a n 🚙 🚙 🚙 (new thread!)

Favorite Character Poll Round 10!

Lucien Balthazar Mchale - Vicious hunter of humans and dragons.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Vasul Calim Shahrad - Crown Prince of Shahrazad and righteous eagle among a flock of vultures.	9.1%	[ 1 ]
Lorelei 'Ellie' Katerini - Knight Errant and Defender of Justice who will kick your butt!	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Inyri Ven - Sharp-minded beauty and budding lady of wares.	18.2%	[ 2 ]
Eriol Epheis - Mysterious man with an eye for the prize.	27.3%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 11 ]

This poll closed on November 27, 2014.
No longer accepting new votes.

[Watervoir]

Ѵeȴɩus Kɩɾʈɑ
ɳoble


He blinked. "Me? Participate?" He gave her a small tilt of his head. "Now why would I do anything like that?" he challenged her softly and concealing his misgivings with a smooth grin. She was treading into dangerous territory. A Shahrazadian wasn't supposed to have any magical powers, especially not one as highborn as him, and although swordplay was usually his forte, there weren't many ways to make it that exciting without the right props and stage accompaniment. He was aware that he was probably making it pretty obvious that he only intended to watch, and had few plans to make a display of any of his own talents.

Was that to say that aside from his wealth, this noble had nothing else to flaunt? Far from it, in fact, as he could think of at least one thing that might draw some interest from the others. But would Nesa opt to prod him further on this subject? He would have to see, but first he had a few more questions of his own: "Tell me more about this dance you're having. When will this happen? And who will be your music makers?" He paused a moment, mulling over the best of the thoughts that were beckoning him to fire at her. "Oh! I know why you're holding a dance out of all things. You're interested in..." He snickered, and a devilish grin washed over his face as he pointed a finger at Nesa's pendant. "I have you found out!"

He was quiet for a moment as he stole a listen in on the guards' decision making, but he was also keenly attuned to anything Nesa had to say. Already standing, he turned slightly and waved at the girl, gesturing for them to depart as well. Now that Caden was leaving, likely satisfied with his state of health, Velius had little reason to stick around. The newcomer was interesting, but there was a chance Caden wouldn't accept him onto the caravan and Lucien was more or less dead to him until he was. The others he was sure he would see again. In the meantime, he itched for the campfire and a warm bowl of soup. "By the way, how old are you turning, Nesa? You don't look too into your years, really. I think you've chosen the right beas-... er, boy." He gave her a sweet smile and finally gave her the seconds she'd need to consider his words.

[artfreek]

~~~~Nesa Comec~~~~


"Now why would I do anything like that?" Velius said tilting his head like a curious bird. Somehow he managed to have and underlining edge to the gesture.

“I don't know, maybe you can balance a chair on your nose or talk a maple tree into giving you an apple. I just think it would be nice to see a talent from everyone no matter how small. Just for the the fun of it. Also since I am organizing this lovely talent show for you I think, as a present to me, you can be one of the acts. You can folds us a paper bird if you'd like, but I would like to see you do something.” She answered him truthfully. It would be a lovely gift to see what the noble leader could do.

Nesa furrowed her brow at Velius's questions. She hadn't thought of who would play music. Why hadn't she thought of such an obvious thing. She guessed she had just been too excited about the idea to think of the details. She would have to think of something. Maybe they could sing. She knew quite a few tunes that were easily learned.

"Oh! I know why you're holding a dance out of all things. Your interested in...”

She looked at him confused then blushed a deep shade of red as he pointed to the pendant. She turned away from him trying to hide it. Goodness this man loved seeing her fuss. Couldn't he give it a rest?

“That is not why.” She trying to sound offended, though she doubted he would think that to be true. Well it wasn't completely the reason it was more of an after thought, a bonus. “I just haven't danced in the longest time since the caravan has been moving so much. I miss it.” She said a little forlorn. Then she gathered her self again. It felt odd to show raw emotion in front of Velius when he seemed so collected all the time. “ It was my profession you know.” She said looking up at him with a wry smile.

Velius waved for them to move forward and Nesa followed with slight reluctance. She wondered if Velius was comparable to an older brother. He could annoy her, but somehow she still felt the need to impress him.

“Sixteen.” She answered slightly confused when he asked her age. It seemed like an odd thing for him to ask.

“You don't look too into your years, really. I think you've chosen the right beas-... er, boy."

She was confused by his words. She ignored his slip on calling Rachelle a beast. She knew he wasn't the most normal looking boy. Was he saying her and Rachelle were close in age? Did she look young for her age? Was it the same for Rachelle?

“How old are you then?” She said looking up at him, trying to mask the lingering questions from her face.

[ChinchiIIin]

Dae'elis Baequirretyn

Dae found herself almost becoming impatient with the girl's embarrassment with the situation, though at the same time curiosity began to creep into her. Her innocence was puzzling to the elf, though she did have to admit that she herself was less than modest when it came to her body. She had been blessed with a very attractive figure. Her slightly taller than average height and slender build allowed her a grace few had; had she not been born an elf she might have become a dancer of sorts, something which had bemused her thoughts a few times in her life. However, unlike this priestess, Dae had been blessed with a larger chest than most of her build would have, something her attire showed very well when not covered by her cloak. It was a body men lusted for and women envied, but she had long since stopped caring about such things unless it proved fruitful in a goal she was trying to reach.

Yes, she had used her body to persuade and seduce in the past, and if ever asked she would say so without even a sliver of shame. It was another thing the Artemist priestesses back in Ogaeunlund had tried to use against her, calling her a whore a few times before realizing she remained unaffected by their taunts. A longer lifespan had put many things into a much better perspective for her, and such petty quarrels over what others thought was 'ladylike' and what was not had failed to matter for some time to elves. Dae lived by her own morals, even among the elves there were differences. Just as there were denominations withing the other religions, so were there philosophies that shifted back and forth among her people. Whether or not to accept the persecution they received for living differently as they had for generations or go off in search of a place where no such persecution existed was perhaps the biggest rift between her people. It seemed as though even if most of her people were like Dae and had long since come to simply live with and accept the harsh reality of it, the younger generation was not so accepting of it.

She found herself sympathizing with them some, a very faint frown coming to her lips as she thought of it, the girl temporarily forgotten. She remembered well the first time she had ever gone outside of her village when she was still very young. The harsh words and disgusted glares from everyone around her had upset her younger self a great deal, to the point where she had even cried. She had discovered later that her parents had purposefully taken her out when the worst of the persecution took place in order to make it a lesson to her as to what those who followed. It had been a hard lesson to learn, of that she had no doubt. It was a festival time and her younger self, having only been around other elves, had not yet truly learned of what the rest of Ogeaundlund thought of her people. And so when she had first approached other children her age to try and get along it became a very harsh reality for the girl that things were different outside of the village. Vehement disgust being a learned behavior from their elders, the other children had gone so far as to even throw small rocks at her to chase her back to her parents in tears, their parents soon driving the family out of the festival grounds entirely.

As a small bit of pain lanced through her palm, Dae was brought out of the memory, her hand having formed a small fist and her nails biting into the skin a bit. Taking a deep breath she relaxed her hand, losing that small frown as she finished filling her final water skin, corking it tightly to stand and look over at the priestess who was now covered and out of the water. She was smaller than Dae, but really only in height and bust, as Dae was just as slender in build; a common thing for magic users it seemed. It was odd, having an Artemist be kind to her, likely due to the fact that they had a bit of distance between them and the priestess could not see her features well. Or perhaps this girl, young as she was, had not yet met an elf? Dae was certain she would have heard of her people and been taught to hate them as all priests did, but if she had never actually met and elf that might prove why she was being polite in this situation.

Amusement filtered into her at the thought that this girl had no idea what she was, it could prove entertaining to see how long it would take for her to realize the truth of what was right before her eyes. Of course she would likely curse Dae for 'deceiving' her, despite the fact that the elf never told anyone what she was unless directly questioned about it. Not that a priestess would care of such a truth as none ever have. “I am Dae'Elis Baequirretyn, a wandering scholar in search of a caravan to travel with,” she said calmly, lifting her staff into her hand again. Ah, perhaps this girl was a member of a caravan, and thus she felt safe to bathe alone. And opportunity she could not pass up. “Might you belong to such a group of people? If so could you inform me of their location so I may inquire about joining?”

[Watervoir]

Ѵeȴɩus Kɩɾʈɑ
ɳoble

Velius nodded. "Ah yes, you were a dancer before you were my personal splash guard," he said offhandedly, his mind on other things. He turned his eyes not towards the campfire, but towards the wagons. Nesa might have realized that he was taking her in the direction of his wagon, but whatever her thoughts were, Velius was meaning it to be a harmless venture. He only wanted to pick up his gift to her.

"I am older and much wiser and more experienced than you. But by no means should you let that stand in the way of your budding relationship," he answered when it was his turn to be under the firing line. He snuck his eyes in her direction, glancing surreptitiously in search of a reddening of cheeks. It would have told him whether he was winning or not at their little game.

What was meant with his slip about Rachelle was that he was not simply a boy. Never in his life would he be able to escape being called a monster, and treated with equal disgust -- or indecency. If people didn't see him as a mindless hunter, they'd mindlessly hunt him like they did with all animals with exquisite horns and feathery wings. His fate was worst than that of a native to Northenwood, who were more often put on display than reviled. No one would accept him, or anyone associated with him. It wasn't clear in her being together with him whether she was more doing him a favour or doing herself the opposite.

When they reached his wagon, he indicated for her to wait outside for him briefly. He continued as he went about retrieving what he was looking for and raising his voice for her to hear. "So, no music and no singers. It's hardly a party. You also need to keep in mind that not everyone is a professional dancer like you. Have you talked to anyone to see what interest there is in your little dance activity? It's not much of a show if all the world's an audience." He had an idea of what the doll was for, but he was not a fool enough to test his theories during a time when they needed their guards the most. Still, as he dug through to the bottom of his knapsack, it occurred to him that perhaps he could have taken better care of the doll that which bore a strange resemblance to Caden's bosom buddy. It didn't seem to matter much though, because if Phedre had felt anything unusual, she had given no sign of it. He took the doll and snuck it into a pocket when he was sure Nesa wasn't looking, trading it for the water skin that Resuia had graciously taken for her own without a second thought. Honestly, he wished that she would have taken to washing the mouth of that instead of him. "These people are travellers of a caravan, not a circus, remember that. Some of them won't have time for your little games." He sounded like a concerned friend through and through, perhaps a bit on the blunt side, but it was still a voice of reason. The truth was though that he really just wanted to plant the seed of doubt and watch her squirm. "Or are you secretly hoping to he the only one to perform?" He doubted the girl was so self-centred, but this game was fun. He exited the wagon and tsked at her before starting to lead her elsewhere.

"As for the the talent show, well, if you intend to have everyone performing, I can't expect myself to back down. Very well, I'll join in, but only if you promise you will have everyone in the act." He was interested in what everyone else could do. "No taking no as an answer. I wonder if you can do it. Let's have a try at it, shall we?" he proposed just as the campfire and the three women came into view."I'm sure they have the ear to hear of some announcements from the star of the day," he encouraged her with a small push from behind.

[NlETZSCHE]

Lucien Balthazar Mchale
Bounty Hunter
XXXXXXxxxXXXxxXXXXXXXXXXXXReckless ರೃ Potty mouthed ರೃ Mal-tempered

XXXX"Everything is full of [bullshit]!! Life is full of bullshit. People are full of bullshit. Hope is bullshit. It's my job to find the bullshit and crush it like a bug, like an ant, like a butterfly. Yeah, that sounds good. Hope is like a butterfly, it hides in the flowers, and flutters around like a pretty colourful beacon. But seriously...what good are they? So fragile! If you rip off their wings, hope is lost and with nowhere to go, it quickly dies."

"There's no [hope], Lucien?"

"No, But there is [survival]."

"Caden, right...." He noted.

"Oh certainly." He mused to Phedre, "I wouldn't mind learning more about you, also." His voice was lighter, a little flirty when he talked to the ladies. For Caden and any other fellow with a member between his legs, he was much more authoritative, if you will. Had a much more aggressive tone and manner. It wasn't that he respected women like Phedre's authority any less. In all grand honesty, he just thought she was hot. The feminine creatures were just different then the males. However, he didn't trust a lady any more than he'd trust a gent, and just because he treated them with much more softness, doesn't mean he fell for a lot of their s**t. In all honesty, Lucien was weary of everyone. Big, small, young, old, lady or gent.

"Ah, I've never had the pleasure of huntin' with a dog." He remarked in a gruff tone of voice that was like sandpaper. Admittedly, that's the tone his voice took most of the time. A lackluster sort of voice. "Me and my family...We preferred to just hunt on our own skill. Let's just say, we're practically programmed for it. A special family skill, in our blood." He shrugged.

Hunting for things is how he was raised, and yes, his 'special skill' did help a lot. Not to mention, he was 2 of five in his siblings to get the sight. He'd seen how the others struggled without it. They could have probably benefited from the assistance of a hunting dog. Some of them adapted, and the rest just died. Suffice to say, Lucien came from a very very VERY rough and tumble family life. The place he came from had a shortage of everything, so it was literally kill or be killed. It was a small village of vagabonds, thieves, gypsies and murderers. It got pretty desperate there, sometimes, especially among his family. With criminals everywhere, situations would escalate rather rapidly. Not to mention his father wasn't the most merry of fathers, and his mother was un-affectionate. In his family it was a race 100% of the time to be on top. Lucien was not, even with his special sight. Sometimes he was barely able to make rations before his siblings would come and steal his hunt.

He followed behind miss Phedre, his hands keeping hold of the strap on his bag, since he had just been asked to ditch his weapons.

He stared at the rest of the hunting crew that was there, and smirked a little at the thought of out hunting these chuckle heads. He was very competitive, even when it was not necessary. It was in his nurturing to be that way. Not to mention, hunting was his whole lifestyle. It was pretty much his only skill, and out of his family he wasn't even the best at it, so you can only imagine what his brothers and one sister were like. However, this really wouldn't be fair, they all looked like newbies, save from Caden and Phedre of course.

He waved at Whitnee when mentioned, a simple two fingered salute sort of gesture. "How's it goin' mate?"

[Watervoir]

xxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxx
xxxxCaden AlinarixxxxGuard
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"I'd set up a few traps earlier this morning, so we won't have to wait that long really," he corrected her with the smuggest of smiles. "We'll be hunting too. Phedre, you know I have a good eye for prey," he said, winking at her.

He watched her as she spoke with Graves and Whitnee. "Oh, he's coming with you?" He quirked a brow at the woman, considered it for a moment, and then shrugged. This man couldn't have been any worst than a magical savage bull...thing. Still, he couldn't shake off an unsettled feeling. There was no guarantee that the other three would remain in the proximity of his sixth sense, and therefore no guarantee that Caden would have been able to do anything should everything fall awry... "Very well, but he's not to go back to the camp without you with him." There were so many who could get in danger: Velius... Everyone else at camp... Phedre herself...

"Anyway, did you say we are to make a game out of this?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders. "Three against two, I like the odds," he said wryly. It didn't matter to him. It would be unfair no matter how they split it, and quantity didn't mean quality. "One quick learner is worth two of any body." He tossed a wink at Oliver. Making one last check of his inventory before waving for the merchant to follow him off in one direction towards the forest. "Off we go!"

They treaded in silence for several minutes. Any words of Oliver's would have been met with nods and grunts for the time. His sixth sense made it easy for him to gauge when they would be out of earshot of the other party, and it was only when he was sure they were that he finally spoke. "Say, Oliver. You were there when Velius was hit by a knife, right? Did the black ghosts do that?" He turned his eyes to the canopy, studying the shapes of the branches. From them, he could tell that were nearing one of his traps. A particular favourite one. "I have a feeling it won't be the last time we see them, so that's why I'd like to find out as much as I can about them." He bent down over one of the traps he'd set up that morning. Caught in between the metal teeth was what was once a healthy rabbit. "This trap isn't very friendly to the pelt, so I'm not sure if you or Kemun will be wanting to have this one, but I've been wanting to give it a try for the longest time. This baby's been waiting patiently in Medayo's wagon for a long time for some blood." He traced the trap's row of teeth with a finger. "See what it's done to this rabbit? I'm not usually sentimental with what I hunt, but this reminds me of what happened to Velius, and it gets my blood boiling so much. You should tell me who it was that did it to him so the next time that I see that idiot, I can drive a knife up their gut and see how they like it, yeah?" He glanced up at Oliver, grinning and completely oblivious to the fact that he was really looking at the very 'idiot' he was so eager to harm.

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x x

[TrueLazy]

Mei Dagher

Artemist Priestess

Location: Spring xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Activity: Talking with Dae'Ellis

A small silence fell in place after she had spoken. It did not seem like the woman had not heard her, but was more occupied with her own activity or perhaps lost in a train of thought. Whatever it was, it gave Mei an opportunity to get a better grip of the current situation and a more extensive look at this woman that interrupted her bath. As she had noted earlier, the hooded woman did not seem to carry a weapon of any sorts aside her staff which, now that she looked closer at it, looked more ceremonial than a fighting one to the priestess, not that she was an expert on staff weapons by any length. A magic staff? Mei had met quite a few magic users through her years, she would not call herself an expert on this either, but her knowledge on magic was broader than her knowledge on weapons and she had read and learned that some magic users used objects to channel their magic, staff being one of them. Then there were of course objects that were magical on themselves, created with magic or even formed out of magic alone, which could also be the case here, though those were few in numbers as well. Small time blessed and charms to ward off bad luck, disease, grant safe travels or grant a blessing of any other sorts, those kinds were everywhere, but even the majority of those were non-magical in nature.

Magical or not, that kind of staff combined with the white cloak that was draped around the woman’s body was not something you saw every day. The thought that the woman could be religious herself crossed her mind. It could be she was a priest of Artemism herself, most likely a follower of Aduro if so. There was not exactly a dress code for them, but the white cloak, a Light priest felt more likely to her even so. She was at least fairly sure the white cloak had some meaning to it as traveling in white clothing was not exactly the best way to go about for obvious reasons. Mei pushed these thoughts to the back of her head and focused her gaze upward on the face of the woman, or at least the side of it. She could spot little of her actual face in the position the woman was in right now, but she could now clearly see strands of white hair. The shape of the hood suggested most likely ornamental hairpieces, like her own hairpins. Before she could let her mind ponder on this however the woman broke her kneeling position and raised herself, almost as if she felt the eyes of Mei trying to pierce her hood as she turned herself around and looked straight back.

Grey eyes, white hair, a young face, taller than her, but the same kind of slim build seemed to be beneath the cloak, that all was now clear for Mei to see. The woman had finished filling her water skin and her focus was back on her. However unlike before Mei was not going to blush under her gaze or presence now, although she was sure her cheeks harboured the faint proof of it happening before for which she was still feeling like a complete idiot about. Dae’Elis Baequirretyn, she repeated that name a few times in her head. It did not ring a bell for her right now, but that did not mean a thing really, well for now. She had more memories than most people twice her age had inside her head, this name or perhaps this person itself, could easily be a part of one of them and she just could not recall it right now. There was far too much in her head to remember each and every memory on the spot, let alone every detail of it. A wandering scholar that was trying to find a caravan to travel with, this seemed a lot like herself. Sure she was a priestess, not the same as a scholar, but her ability had given Mei quite the knowledge base, just more personalized and lively than from a book, among other things.

Mentally she made a note to, if this scholar would end up on the same caravan as her, have a real conversation with her in a more comfortable situation than the one they met each other in now. “Mei Dagher, it’s nice meeting you Dae’Elis, despite the timing of our, uuh…, well meeting.” She widened her warm smile a bit as she spoke these soft words even though she still felt a shred of embarrassment. “Unfortunately I am not part of a caravan. I was here at the spring for…. meditation and self-reflection, but the group of travellers that are supposed to pick me up haven’t shown. May Mother keep them safe.” She paused herself for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. Not just because of her own explanation on why she was here, which was anything but what happened this morning so far, but also because her thoughts wandered again to the travellers and their fate. In her mind she muttered a quick prayer for their well-being while her hands found themselves occupied tying the cloth band around her robe to keep it closed and on her body on its own. “So I am looking as well starting today, but I do believe one is close-by right now. A few minutes travel at most that way.” Mei raised her now free hand to the direction she saw each previous visitor leave. She did feel a bit bad leaving the other visitors unmentioned, but she was not exactly looking forward to explaining how she had not made contact with any of them. A peeping priest, just the image I need…. Lightly she shook her head to rid herself of this thought. “If you wouldn't mind we could travel there together.” For a moment her eyes turned away from Dae’Elis as she looked down at her own possessions. Realising now again that she was still not exactly completely dressed with just this robe wrapped around her still wet body. I should dry myself and get dressed before going anywhere. As she looked back up at the scholar she grabbed a hold of her long wet hair with both hands and started to squeeze some water out of it without getting her robe wet even more than it already was from clinging to her wet body. “Uuhm… I may need a moment here.”

[WanderingMercenary]

---------------
Oliver Mendel
Merchant
---------------

Oliver grabbed a quiver of arrows before he departed with Caden. On their way to the forest, he slung it over his shoulder, testing out the reach before being satisfied with it. "I've always wondered how easily a skilled hunter can trap his prey. I imagine it gets rather easy after a while, learning to read the language of the animal and the surrounding." he said, only getting a nod and a grunt in return. He could see that Caden was busy watching the surroundings, so he took to that as well. There was peace to be found in the forest.

He brought his attention back to Caden once he asked about Velius's injury. He stiffened briefly, and tried to get himself to relax. He didn't say anything at first, since they had arrived at a trap and Caden started discussing it. He was right, the trap had ruined a good part of the pelt. It wouldn't be good for trading, but it would still be good for the meat. The fur could be used for a personal item, like the lining of gloves or coat. But his thoughts were drawn away from that when Caden brought up the injury again.

Oliver wished he was back in the safety of the caravan. Or at least have one other person around. He wasn't sure what Caden would do once he told him the truth. After all, it was an accident, and Oliver was trying to save Velius from the black creatures. He was sure Caden would find something noble in that. "It.." he started, but he had to clear his throat before he went on. "It was me. It was an accident though. I threw my knife at one of the shadow creatures attacking Velius, but either my aim was off or the wind caught it and it hit Velius instead. I've apologized already, and Velius doesn't seem to be holding a grudge, although you can't quite tell with that man."

He felt better for getting it off his chest, but he took a small step back nonetheless.

[anais nighteyed]

x

artwork by Rain, from Midnight Inks Illustrationsxxx

xxxxxxxxＫｅｍｕｎ Ｅｌｄｓｔｒａ

As Willa wept, Kemun looked on with a furrowed brow. Her questions, though well intentioned, only seemed to act as a catalyst for the woman’s tears. Hastily setting aside the finished glove, she began to pat the pockets of her robe in search of a handkerchief or a spare bit of cloth. Her fingers brushed the two pieces of her broken pipe but she found nothing for the woman’s watering eyes. She was again reminded that she could not satisfy her growing desire to smoke, but as she fretted over Willa she wished for a pipe to light.

Kemun doubted Oliver would lend his to her and she wasn’t about to ask him. To her knowledge none of the caravan merchants held pipes in their inventories, but there was still a merchant woman she hadn’t yet spoken with. Her thoughts were wandering, and she brushed aside her want of a proper pipe to focus on the present. “Have I done something to cause offense?” she asked Willa, her hands fluttering with worry. The cultures of foreigners were mostly a mystery to her, and now she wondered if she had erred in some great and terrible way that brought her friend to tears.

She couldn’t imagine what she might have done to bring this about. By the look she wore, one could assume she was almost frightened of Willa’s distress. She could navigate treacherous mountain passes and manage an obstinate horse, she could care for the objects her kin entrusted her to sell and haggle with customers until they settled upon a reasonable price. Tears flummoxed her, and Kemun silently cursed her lack of know-how. Her brother-in-law, on the other hand, was knowledgeable about the world and its workings, and she often thought he would fare better in her place.

At a loss, she placed a hand on Willa’s shoulder. When her sobs ebbed and she finally spoke again, Kemun was taken aback by her question. “What?” An enchantment had given her a child? Confused, she threw a helpless glance at Halima, hoping she could offer input. Was this a commonplace belief in the outside world, or was this ignorance? She hadn’t asked Willa about the circumstances that had brought her to the caravan, so she couldn’t imagine how it was that no one had taken the time to explain these matters to her.

Kemun looked about them in a way that hinted she hoped to find someone to assist her. What was she to do? “This ought to be discussed later, I think. Over tea,” she finally said, passing one hand over Willa’s back to console her. With the other, she used her sleeve to gingerly dab at the woman’s face. “Why it happened isn’t so important, not now. You haven’t any money, but you have wits and skills. That is valuable.” She took a breath, struggling to find the proper words. “There are good folk here in the caravan who will help you find your way.”

[Watervoir]

xxxx
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xxx
xxxxCaden AlinarixxxxGuard
______________________________________________________________


He blinked. "It was... you?" His hands around the trap loosened and he straightened up, his prized killing machine temporarily forgotten. He mirrored Oliver's actions of stepping back, though not out of safety but space to move. "I can't believe it." He threw his hands in the air but they immediately returned to his sides, and closer to where his weapons were. "I thought you are a merchant, not a bodyguard."

Still, his mind weighed the merchant's words. The scene played in his head like a film reel. There was Velius, struggling with one of the demons, and then there was Oliver trying to judge the toss that would be needed to hit a moving target, all the while on top of a moving wagon himself. Meanwhile, Caden was at the tail of the wagon train, fending off one of the rogue shadows that was creeping towards his comatose body. He remembered waving his dagger through the creature and watching it melt into the sunlight. Somehow, something similar happened at the caravan's head, and when the blade met flesh, Velius grimaced and Oliver's eyes widened in shock.

But then, the mood of the scene shifted, and when the noble was not looking, the merchant smiled. It was a devilish grin. Caden knew that Oliver didn't have any magic, save for the little trinket he so well received from the Mage. The merchant was also well travelled, and that made him qualified enough to have very well been working under the Shahrazadian King, and here to exterminate the likes of Velius, magical folk that should not have been. Oliver could really be truly innocent, but how could anyone tell? Anyone could be a good actor, and all the world was a stage.

"Velius and his family are not without their enemies," he explained to Oliver carefully. His eyes were serious and locked on the tall man's every move as he positioned his bow in one hand. "My family hasn't always had the easiest time watching over their safety. Sometimes it's not so easy to tell when something was really an accident of not. Sometimes..." His fingers wrapped around the wooden shaft of an arrow and with one smooth motion it was nocked and aimed at Oliver. "It's easier to just exterminate the rats." He was well aware that the entire preparation often gave his prey a window of many seconds, but it was never enough to escape, not when Caden had his sixth-sense.

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x x

[WanderingMercenary]

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Oliver Mendel
Merchant
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At first, Oliver thought that Caden was going to praise him for his efforts in trying to save Velius. He knew that Velius knew that. At least, Oliver hoped he knew that. But when Caden started speaking slower, with more purpose, Oliver knew that something wasn't right. He watched the man's movements carefully. Bow held tight, hand reaching for an arrow....

s**t

Oliver didn't wait to hear the last part of Caden's exposition. He immediately turned and ran as fast as he could. He weaved between the trees, hoping that would throw off the guards aim and that the arrow would hit a tree. He can't really be serious, can he? he asked himself, answering his question as soon as he answered it. Of the man was serious. He was going to shoot him! On a suspicion that Oliver might be working to kill Velius. Oliver didn't even know Velius's was that famous, or where the man even hailed from. Certainly from somewhere that held political and familial positions in high regard.

He looked behind him to see if Caden was following. It didn't seem like he was. That didn't mean he should slow down. He wanted to gain as much ground as he could, and then swing back towards the caravan...if he knew which direction it was in. For all he knew he was heading further away from safe company. At the moment, he was heading further away from Caden, and that was good.

The next few moments were confusing. Oliver's foot hit something, and then he began to roll, and then suddenly he was wet. He opened his eyes, having been shut during the fall, to find that he was submerged. He sat himself up, gasping for air, when he stopped, mouth agape. Standing before him were two women. One was clasping robes around her, and was also wet, and the other was also dressed in robes, but were dry. If he had time to think he would understand why this was so, but in his confusion and panic all he was able to say was,

"Ah..."

[azora natashi]

XXXXXXXXXXXX❀ R є s υ ι a ❀

Resuia wiped her mucky face with the back of her hand. After a good cry she felt weary but better. That and the awful man and his awful self were gone. And she thought Medayo would be her friend, her savior, and she was. But somehow that trust was ruined now, somehow she knew that the threat was true, her neck was in danger. As she stood a thought came upon her, that she hadn't thought of her hair or her skin or anything shallow or beautiful in weeks. And it had only been weeks since she had left her home prison.

The fact that she was worrying at the moment about those sort of things was probably hardwired into her, she had been a courtesan after all. And what now? Something whimpered pathetically into the half light of the woods. Running away seemed like a good option. She wasn't going back to that blue death trap.

Resuia found some animal trail in the brush and followed the broken twigs and slightly parted shrubbery. She had no idea where she was going but as she walked she touched the cool stone in the palm of her hand. It caused her so much trouble, but she didn't want to part with it.

Something large fluffy and white blindsided her from behind a tree and she found herself lying in the dirt and clovers. "What the hell? What are you?!" She yelled at the strange four legged horse with a long neck. Four legged things were never her friends.

[Dayum We Roll Hard]

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THERE IS HISTORY BEHIND THESE MACHINATIONS. . .


In the far reaches of eastern Bethryl, the downpour that had assaulted the spelunking party earlier had long departed and veered northward towards the rocky outback known as Cliffrock. Similarly the treasure hunting party was not sticking around. Having decided to head eastward, the group was wrapping up one adventure and setting off for another. For a night and a day they journeyed for Lenti and a sturdy roof for a shelter. Mistrust was definitely not lost amongst the travellers, but for the most part their time passed uneventfully, distracted as everyone was with the future prospect of comfort. But as much as they yearned for a soft mattress that they could undoubtedly afford with their newfound riches, these travellers were in no hurry to exhaust their horses, which were not easily renewable resources in the wilderness.

It was with this precautionary measure in their minds and hearts that the group decided on their pace. The plan was to not skip any supper, weary as they already were, and to spend the nights under the canopy of the trees where they could chart their course against the stars. Some hours would be left to hunt – because by no means did what they gather from the golden room include such things as salt, and the lack of it or other preservatives meant food had to be gathered fresh, not that it was a problem in the wild but bountiful forests of central Bethryl.

And so these travellers rounded their steeds and tied them down to make camp. The day was growing old, meaning that the preparations for supper were in order. It was another time for them to get to know each other better and to continue to recover from their previous battles. Surrounded by nothing but the rustling of leaves and the light of the afternoon, they were almost stars of their own galaxy, and lost to the rest of the world.

Only, of course, they were not, and even galaxies migrate and are part of a grander while. Between and hour and half an hour's distance from their camp was the one belonging to the Blue Caravan. There was plenty of room for them to never encounter, yet there was plenty too of the case opposite. How would the strings of fate intertwine, if ever? Already, the cook that had left the group in disgust of its outlaws was destined to run into the blue caravan's hunting party. Lucien, too, had also appeared almost out of nowhere – who was to say that no other newcomers would run into members of the caravan remained by Kemun's campfire, and continue to organize the evening's events?

[NlETZSCHE]

★Bay★
Lucien's Beloved Llama

Bay was a nice sturdy animal. She stood fairly tall, and fairly proud, with a lazy look on her face as she lounged around the cliffside, waiting for Lucien to return. She'd occasionally dip her long neck to take a drink from the cool water he'd left her, and munch on the bits of dry grass and food he'd left/was hanging around on the mountain. She was never very fond of being alone, but she didn't mind it all too much. She could handle it. He'd return swiftly. She could be patient for that time. He'd asked her nicely, to wait, and who could ignore such a pretty mortal. Still, she wondered how long it would take; usually not long at all. However something felt quite different about this mission. She snorted at the thought of being tied up there forever, left to die slowly with her dwindling food and drink. And what of a mountain lion? How cruel a fate that would be. She'd be unable to run, unable to fight, bridled up to a rock as she so thoughtfully was. Would he make it in time to save her? What if he didn't? She didn't favor the idea of death. Besides, he'd known her long enough to know she wouldn't run away. She had no reason to, since, you know, her mortal was kind and very handsome.

Just as she thought this, she felt a rather unintentional face to her side, what was that? She took a lazy turn to look, her eyes a gentle half-lidded glaze, one common to most llamas. However, she had a lot of personality for a simple pack animal. Her ears flicked at the yelling of Resuia, and Bay found herself relieved that it wasn't a mountain lion.

For a moment, she wondered if this was the girl Lucien had been in a tizzy about. She looked sad, and dirty. It was very possible she'd been chased here, yes? Maybe her Lucien was right around the corner? Bay let out a little grunt and leaned over to lick the poor girl's face. Distractions, right? She'd be easier to find if she stayed in one place. Also, it would be nice to have a calm girl on her back as opposed to a flailing angry one. I mean, yes Bay was only a llama, but, who knew? Maybe the gesture would win her some kindness? Heh. Silly thinking for a llama. Humans were really persnickety, no matter what.

Anyways, She planted a nice big sticky wet one on Resuia's cheek, salty with tears. Wait a minute. There was no way this was her. Lucien would have already tackled her. Plus, her tears were all wrong. She didn't look terrified, just sad. With a little huff, she wondered what to do next.

The girl was obviously upset...But what could she do about that? She was just a llama?

[Agent Of Dreams]

Aiden Hale

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Remember the past, live in the present, and fight for the future.

Yeh know what I feel like?: Tense
S'nothing that I haven't dealt with before: Prefect
They're not so bad...: Dark Haired Bowman

Yeah, I've been around. Yeh wan' to hear about it?
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Aiden didn't wait for the rest of the others to wake up. By the time everyone was awake, he had already gone. While he most certainly would have liked to stick around just to knock some sense and manners into Daggers, he had a bag of gems that was just clamoring to be changed into money. Of course, his goal was to find a proper travelling group. He knew from maps he had seen before he came here that there was a town somewhere abouts this area. That would be the best place to get himself into a group. Hopefully he'd get lucky and find himself travelling with a trade caravan of some kind. They would surely welcome him simply for his cooking skills. There were two flaws in his plan, such as it was. One of them being that he had no map of the local area. And, even if he did have a map, he still didn't know exactly where he was, so there would have been no way for him to locate himself on said fantasy map to get an idea of which direction he should help. The best he could do was wander around for a while and hope that he came upon a road that would eventually lead him into the town.

Of course, one couldn't always get what one wanted. He wandered for a while, but found no road. He did, however, find a clear spring which he drank from. It was spring time in a heavily forested area, which meant there were plenty of wild edibles about for him to eat. He found many kinds of berries, from Wild Strawberries to Raspberries. But he didn't find the one thing he wanted to find most, which was a road. Well, actually, that wasn't what he wanted most. What he wanted was to somehow stumble into the town without having to find a road to follow. And while he was wishing, some more bolts for his crossbow would have been nice. Because of his little adventure, he was down more then a few bolts.

He was just about to take a little break when he heard voices coming through the trees. Excited, he started towards them, thinking he had gotten lucky and come across a hunting party. As he got closer, however, he realized that the conversation that was being had didn't seem like on he should just barge into. So when he finally found who was talking, he didn't just walk right in. He placed his bag on the ground and watched.

It seemed he arrived just in time, though, because it was clear, just from the way the one with black hair and a bow was speaking that things were about to turn ugly. For some reason, Aiden didn't think that the other man, who seemed scared, didn't warrant the other man, who was now raising his bow, to shoot him. So Aiden quietly pulled the string out and notched a bolt. Right then, the other man made a run for it, and just as he did, Aiden aimed his crossbow directly at the head of the bowman and stepped out towards.

"How about we put that down and yeh don't get shot?" he said clearly to the man.


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