FIN[PRP:Matori] New Places, New Faces [FleadexShaka]

[Nilah44]

The decision to leave Tendaji hadn't been as easy as she had expected. The ice woman had intended on going to Oba, for what reason she really didn't know. Was it to maybe assuage the little ball of guilt that had built up after the war? Ethelfleade really wasn't sure. What she was sure of was the looks she had gotten, and most definitely had given while going through Oba. The likely hadn't seen many ice people since Oba boarded Juahar they were probably used to shifters. Which made her travel all the more difficult. She remembered the woman Senja telling her about the Oban and Matori dancers and musicians, she'd even watched some of the Matori Dancers. It had been mentioned that a good portion of the Matori's knowledge on their dance and song had been lost because of the enslavement to the Obans and that had stuck in Fleade's mind since then. That thought drove her to change her course and head for Matori.

Fleade decided to make her time in Oba shorter and so she didn't go far into Oba but cut across to Matori. The change from Oba to Matori wasn't that drastic, it was still really sandy causing Fleade to stop often to empty the sand out of her sandles. Perhaps she should stop at the next place she found and buy some new ones. And then, the rain started which made for an even more unhappy Ice woman. It wasn't that she was unaccustomed to rain as she had gotten used to it from the Juaharan rains but in Juahar there were trees to keep most of it off of you. Nevertheless, she continued her travel. She didn't really have any location in mind, just seeing and experiencing Matori culture she guessed was her meaning right now.

[quote="robot kitten"]In the settlements it says Mynshaka is in Besaji which is quite a way into Matori. Fleade can travel that far if we want or Idk if Shaka would be elsewhere in Matori. But at least with this post its started as to why she's even in Matori lol. <3[/quote]

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

Bumi = bushi
Oltia= Snaptrotter

Shaka sat on his bushi's shell and watched his rambunctious Snaptrotter run wild. Sighing he patted Bumi's head as the bushi slowly moved across the sandy beach. You'd think after going to war with him the stupid 'trotter would be more willing to obey him! But noooooo... she just had to run around, roll in the sand and throw him and any baggage off!

Guess this is why Makhaya tells me I need to train her more; he thought wryly as he watched his young snaptrotter roll around int he beach sand. His eyebrow cocked when Oltia suddenly snapped straight up, head starting out in front before she jumped to her feet and darted down the beach and around one of the small copse of trees and greenery that lined the beach.

Wonder what she found he thought as he lounged on the bushi's back.  

[Nilah44]

Fleade had been walking for quite some time now and her shoes were beginning to fill with sand so she promised herself she'd stop as soon as she found a good spot. The past few times she'd stopped was when she found some little groups of trees that provided minimal shelter but the shade as relaxing in any case. It was just as one such group came into view that she sighed in relief and adjusted her course to go straight there. At least, that's what she had planned to do. She was maybe 20 steps from the trees when she heard a rustling from the sand and suddenly this THING was coming around the trees towards her. It was pretty shades of blue and had odd markings but Fleade couldn't help but wonder what in the world it was.

Her guard went up instantly, there was no way for her to know if this beast was domesticated, and even if it was, if it was aggressive or not. Fleade had to think it was aggressive for her own safety. She drew her swords and prepared in case it was going to attack.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

some how my dead mind managed a tag!

Oltia stopped when the weapons came out and hissed, her tail lashing as she began to circle the person. It wasn't from here and the odd scent made Oltia want to investigate.. but not if it meant getting hurt! Maybe the stranger to this lands would taste good?

Mynshaka got off Bushi and ran off after Oltia when he heard the hiss; stupid trotter!

"Oltiaaaaaaaa!" He bellowed when he got through the tree stand and saw Oltia acting aggressive towards a woman. "Ubeli'ae blast ye silly beast! People ain't fer attacking randomly!" He managed to get a hand on his trotter's saddle loop and hold her still... for the msot part. The tail still lashed and Oltia kept trying to get around him at the stranger.

"Sorry fer that.. she's only got a lil bit of training." He apologized over his shoulder.  

[Nilah44]

AH so the animal was only a bit domesticated, at least in the presence of whom Fleade figured was the owner she relaxed a bit. She still kept her swords in hand but her stance was visibly more relaxed. With a weary sigh, she kept an eye on the beast. "So you're a beast tamer? What kind of beast is this?" The man was of matori descent which made her mind babble with questions she wanted to ask, most of which would probably be fairly rude so she refrained obviously. Fleade then realized she had been rather abrupt with her question especially since he was the one keeping the beast from eating her. "Oh um, sorry. I'm not from around here...which you probably already figured out. I'm Ethelfleade, Fleade for short." She figured she might as well introduce herself so even if she does get eaten they'd at least know her name, it was quite silly really.

robot kitten

Yay dead mind! <3 lol

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

Shaka chuckled; "Ain't no tamer! Gonna be a rider! Iffn Ah was a tamer Oltia'd be tamed.. .not running wild like this! "

He pulled his trotters tail gently to let her know she needed to stop circling and settle down. Oltia just looked at him and stalked off to go perch upon the much larger full grown bushi that was still trying to catch up. "Mah names Mynshaka, or SHaka to most. Oltia's a Trotter.. Snaptrotter. Rather nasty in the wild so ye gotta catch em young. Ah think Ah caught her a bit too old to be frank. Bumi there is mah bushi. They are prolly worse than Trotters! Slow as all get out.. but in the water they're fast and that shell makes em hard to fight.. plus they got poison." Since she was new he'd better warn her right?  

[Nilah44]

Fleade laughed slightly with him and her pose relaxed even more especially as the snaptrotter stopped circling around her. The way he, Shaka, spoke interested her to no end. It was an interesting dialect and she wondered if all of the Matori spoke in this manner. Fleade smiled at him. "Well nice to meet you, Shake Oltia and Bumi." Fleade knew that tamers often thought very highly of their beasts so likely riders were the same way right? So she wouldn't look foolish for greeting the two animals. "These two are so different from anything I've ever seen before. Very interesting looking! But...poison?" Fleade took a slight step back and looked at the one he called Bumi with a weary glance. "Are there many poisonous things here in Matori?" It would be a good thing to know if she were to travel here a considerable amount.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

Mynshaka laughed; "All sorts of types! Most won't her ye iffn ye don't eat it. A few like the bushi's can hurt iffn they bite ye. So long as yer careful ye won't get hurt.. much." Some things couldn't be avoided like hungry beasts and the ocean. The ocean was a tricky mistress who could be calm and safe or a cruel and dangerous monster.

"Guess cause ye come from ... sum place." he wasn't sure where she'd come from.. he knew the rest of Tendaji lay north and east of Oba but not much more than that. Different lands make different people and critters... Where're ye from anyways? ye got colors sorta like us but yer lacking any markings... and got stones."  

[Nilah44]

"Good to know...stay away from any and all animals. Gotcha." Fleade laughed nervously. Her eyes kept straying nervously from Shaka to both of the beasts, weary of them. He did say he was a rider not a tamer so who knew what these two would be capable of.

Though, at his description of her, she laughed genuinely. She sheathed her swords and put both of her arms in front of her as if inspecting them against him, her resistance tattoo caught her eye as she smiled slightly at the remembrance. "I suppose you are right with the colorings. Now stones aren't all that bad." She touched her own close to her right shoulder that always resembled a snowflake to her. "I was born in Zena, the very northern most land, also the coldest. I've been in Jauhar for a good portion of time though as I tried to make myself useful during the--" Would he think it was rude if she talked about the war? After all, there was no way of knowing if he was one that had been enslaved or not. "I was in Jauhar before to help with the war efforts but I didn't feel the need to go home after it was over. So Zena is where I'm from, but I'm not so sure I'd call it home anymore." The look on her face was content, yet also like she was contemplating some thing at the same time.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

"Ahhh they ain't all bad!" He chuckled at her reaction and pated Bumi's head as the beast finally made it over. "Bumi here's a sweet heart! Likes music. so just sing at em to make em calm down iffn he tries to bite... course ye need to make sure to stay outta reach of his bite! They may be slow walkers but they're super fast when it comes to bites."


"Do stones hurt or itch at all? Like... iffn someone breaks it? Or pulls it out?" he asked morbidly; seemed like a problem if it was like someone pulling at a finger nail! Be a weakness that he didn't want!

He laughed out loud and grinned raucously when she tried to be polite about the war. "So long as ye weren't on the obans side ye got no worries about mentioning it! And where ye come from ain't gotta be yer home. tis for most but each to their won right?"

He looked out at the ocean. "Tis fer me anyways." His voice was quieter before he looked back and grinned again; "Welcome to Matori Ah guess! Maybe it can be yer home iffn ye feel like it. Some Matorians feel Oba is still home and are trying to adjust since they ain't ever seen Matori afore. Iffn they can come to call this home why not others?"

Homes were important; having a place to call your own was something vital if you asked Mynshaka. You needed a place to hide, to feel safe in, someplace you owned.  

[Nilah44]

"Duly noted!" Ethelfleade said happily. She'd take all the tips and tricks for surviving Matori since she had intended to stay for awhile and explore it.

Did stones....hurt? "Hmmm. I'm not really sure how to answer that question. I've never had one break or lost for any reason. To me, it's as much a part of me as my hair or finger nails are. I've heard...of some of those extremists who dislike earthlings would hunt them for their stones. But I've never met any, obviously, nor have I really met anyone who's lost theirs." She'd have to look around on that though, and ask others.

Fleade frowned as he said as long as she wasn't on the Obans side. "I wasn't on the Obans side in the way one would think. I was captured as a prentice and held hostage in the Oban's camp but I, along with the help of several others, orchestrated an escape. Which was just at the right time when our fellow Tendajians came to rescue us. I crossed Oba as quickly as I could to get here..." She smiled slightly, but it was sort of sad as she recalled that.

"I suppose you're right, in a way. Home is where you make it. I planned to stick around Matori for a little bit and see what all it holds." Fleade smiled back at Shaka, happy to have started off her trip in Matori in such a manner.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

So they were less fragile than bone maybe? or perhaps they just had a less rough and tumble time as they grew up! He put those thoughts aside and listened as she continued.

"Ye got captured? Ah heard that had happened... like they'd attacked a city or sumthin' and caught a bunch of shifters.. but ye ain't a shifter? Did they get all the way north to yer home?" Did the other tribes mix a lot? He hadn't really thought of things outside his own small world here at the end of Matori. maybe he should start thinking about the others. After his freedom he'd come home as fast as possible and hadn't even taken the time to think about seeing the other places or learning about the other tribes.

"Why'd ye come here as fast as possible? Do ya not like yer home up north? Matori's got great land but Ah heard ye had tall mountains in yer lands? Ah'd like some mountains about here.. best we got is a huge cliff with a waterfall.. Love it but Ah'd like mountains." Mountains were defensible so it'd be good if they'd ever got attacked again but they were also something for him to climb and conquer!  

[Nilah44]

Ethelfleade nodded her head to his first question but figured a little bit of clarification was probably needed. "No they didn't get all the way to my home. I think they got as far as Tale but no where near Zena. The city they attacked was the Shifter city of Neued and it was one of the forefront bases for the Tendajian army. I was there to help with the war efforts." She sort of snorted at herself. "I feel like I can use the word 'help' loosely, I don't feel like I really helped much back then. I was confused at that point in my life on what I wanted to do." Her head shook slightly but there was a slight smile on her face. "At least the war helped with that." Her palms tapped slightly on the pommels of her swords.

"But, it isn't that I don't like Zena and we do have tall mountains. They're often treacherous to climb though, the cold temperatures and chances for avalanches make it to where if you don't have to climb them you normally don't. I just wanted to get across Oba was what I meant really, the less interaction I'd have to have with them the better." Fleade's head cocked at the word waterfall. She thought Juahar might of had one or two but she couldn't recall. "A waterfall sounds interesting! I bet it's a sight to see." She tried to imagine it but was without success.

robot kitten

 

[robot kitten]

Nilah44

post 7

Shaka chuckled; "Ah dun think any one person does much to win a war.. other than the leader whose orders can make or break it. Us grunts just fight and try to survive Ah guess. Is a good place to figure out iffn ye are the type to fight or flee, true! I got to test out my riding skills the last battle against the extremists." He shook his head. "Needs work... Oltia is a difficult mistress!"


"Oh tis a sight indeed! Flows off the tall cliffs to our north that make it impossible to get into Tale so we have to use Oba as our main route." He made a face. "Ye can come down the waterfall.. iffn ye feel lucky! Or know how to scale wet rocks but tis dangerous. Also loud."


He hesitated a moment: "Ah kin understand me and mine not liking Oba... but why ye? They didna get to yer land all...."  

[Nilah44]

"I suppose with wars it is more on a macro scale. Every person does want to feel like they made a difference though. I can only imagine having to work with an animal to do your job. I'm sure it must be difficult! As difficult as it would likely be to scale wet rocks or climb the tallest Zenan mountain!"

Fleade thought on his words for a minute. How could she begin to describe the things she had seen in that camp? Perhaps he already knew what the Obans were capable of. She couldn't recall if he had said he had been enslaved or not but figured she'd handle it lightly in any case.

"As I mentioned I was captured. I saw some...not so great stuff while in the Oban encampment. They didn't exactly treat us the best. There was a-uh-a pregnant woman. Most of us tried to make sure she got what she needed. But the eyes of some of their soldiers on us were unnerving. When they took Neued, though, it was terrifying. They. They killed my mentor. And I...I ran...which still led to my capture. I suppose we all learn from our mistakes though. But I can't....I don't think it's possible, to forget the things I saw during that time." Her expression was rather sad thinking back on things but she tried to clear her mind and not think about everything.

robot kitten