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 Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:11 pm
Gaining passage with a caravan into Sauti had not only proven to be the quicker method, but the safest one. The nomads knew the trails as well as any cartographer and they were generous with their knowledge. Along the way the older Sautians would point out markers for Finn to remember on his return trip, areas to avoid and vegetation to steer clear of. At first he'd been skeptical of going with a group, but after a while he found himself grateful for the information.
They didn't pry into why he and Katori were traveling, mostly because they weren't the only foreigners in the small group, but they did expect a certain amount of work. They had to earn their keep in one way or another. Since Finn couldn't hunt, cook, or take care of children he was the designated 'wash girl'.
So, when they'd stopped for the evening, the yaeli lugged three large baskets of sweaty, filthy garments down a ravine to a little river. He piled his hair high on his head, stripped down to his skivvies and got to work.
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:51 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
While Katori was more accustomed to traveling on her own or with only family, the hybrid found it refreshing to work with a caravan for once. Some of the time she rode on her mount but other times she allowed him to roam after them, the quristine happy enough to go at his own pace before catching up whenever it was evening and time to set up camp for the night. When Katori wasn't riding ahead to check for danger or to help with hunting, the hybrid was actually helping with the children since she could entertain them with stories and help others with basic reading lessons. However, for the most part Katori enjoyed scouting more than the rest. It turned out that riding was also a good way to get some distance from Finn before she got into another brawl with him over some disagreement that would arise over anything and everything while traveling together. What had possessed her to stick with the hybrid was beyond Katori, but she was tired of always running into him as it was. Why not travel together? Maybe if she got him safely to Zena then the spirits would lay off and she could go a few years without encountering the frustrating Yaeli.
Today, Katori had opted to help with the hunters since one was feeling under the weather. She had come back with the group carrying enough prey for tonight's stew and while others could cook the hybrid made certain to avoid those duties. It was just for the best if she didn't cook. Katori frowned at the thought before frowning even more as she studied her dirty clothing, the hunting having ruined one of her favorite tunics after she took a tumble to help one of the more reckless Sautians out. Or maybe she had been the reckless one? Who knew? It was blurry in the moment. Either way she may have punched a sermal to get it away from the deer that the huntsman had gotten today. The others seemed to avoid her for the rest of their return trip, the men quickly dispersing once they reached the caravan and leaving Katori to herself.
As if it wasn't normal for someone to get away with punching a sermal across an entire clearing. Katori let out a frustrated sigh as she just tossed her tunic and leggings to the side and stepped into the little river she had noticed nearby. It was close enough to dinner time, right? She figured it would be a nice time to rinse off since everyone else would be near the campfire for food and not out and about...and there came the shriek of surprise whenever she realized that she was not completely alone. "Spirits damn it, Finn!" Katori hissed as she crossed her arms, her undergarments completely soaked where she had swam up river a bit.
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 1:08 pm
Finn had a fairly good system worked out. A few of the garments he'd already washed were laying on the stones to his right to dry while some with deeper stains were being treated in a basket he'd half soaked in the river. As long as they remained there he could keep more of the powder in one spot, giving them longer to clean up and if that didn't work he was just going to let the stream carry them away and call it an accident.
The yaeli had been scrubbing a particularly vicious stain between his hand and a bit of scratchy wool when he saw....Katori....getting closer. Did she...did not not see him? He looked around for a second, wondering who else was with her and if they'd noticed him, but no, just her and she was getting closer! Should he...well he should say something, but...it wasn't as if she were terrible to look at-
-and there it was. All hell had broke loose before he could even think of the consequences and Finn gave a loud, groaning exhale.
"What?" He held up one hand, the other still wrapped up in the soaked tunic. "Don't blame this on me! I'm working! Go get your rocks off somewhere else."
As much as he was trying hard not to look at her it was very hard not to. While the water may have been doing her favors, it wasn't the same for Finn. Every single scar, burn and whip mark was on full display as well as a few knots where his bones hadn't quite mended right. Up until that point he hadn't really shown himself to her beyond his forearms and neck, but now they were both apparently on full display.
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 2:04 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Katori's cheeks darkened, a mixture of fury and embarrassment, "Why are you working out here so late and like this?! Around dinner time too!" She started as she kicked at the water to stay afloat and refused to go towards the shore. Her dirty clothing was up river and in her rush she hadn't even thought of getting anything clean to wear! She was most definitely feeling like an idiot, a blind and reckless one at that, but at the same time it was Finn's fault for not being around food! For once in his life why wasn't he going to shovel anything and everything into his mouth?!
"Seriously. Shouldn't you be off trying to grab as much of the food as possible?" Katori continued, her blood boiling as her cheeks darkened more, but this time she finally glanced over to shoot a glare towards Finn. Was...was he looking?! Did she have mixed feelings about that? No, he was just a perv! "And keep your gaze....away." Her voice carried off at the last word as she finally took a good glance at the Yaeli who was also down to his bare minimum.
Immediately her scowl turned into a confused frown and Katori found herself wading a bit closer, keeping one hand across her chest as she used her other arm to navigate her closer to the shore. "I suppose it's only fair since we've both been caught like this." She mumbled, her silver gaze full of questions even though she kept silent for once. Laundry did not cause scars like that and those were old....old and painful looking. Katori figured that Finn hadn't experienced the happiest of pasts before which was why he had been basically feral in her eyes when they first met and still was a bit (a lot) rough around the edges...but she hadn't realized exactly how much he had endured before.
Katori realized she was staring and so the hybrid quickly looked to the side. "Anyways if you could.....grab my clothing from a few feet up that way? Since you're already working you may as well toss my clothes in."
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 2:17 pm
And it had been so peaceful too~ "Because you always make a fuss whenever I eat around other people so I'm trying to stay distracted until they're done!" He chewed too loud, took too much, scared the children; honestly, the list went on to the point Finn no longer wanted to fight it. All they did was bicker most days and he was trying to pick his battles. Trying being key.
"You're blue, Katori. BLUE AND WHITE. It's really hard not to have my eyes go straight to you." Everything else in their immediate vicinity was some sort of beige so even when he wasn't directly trying to stare there was just a blob of azure in his side view. Of course his skin was warm and he wasn't trying to be called out on his actions, because despite all appearances he wasn't a complete degenerate, but spirits was he just supposed to stare at his feet until she left?!
When he heard water shifting he expected a fight and tensed. Instead, her voice was softer and when he looked up her confusion mirrored his own. For a moment all he could do was furrow his brows until he realized what she was seeking and he took a deep breath. "Yeah...just, stay here."
Picking himself out of the little hole he'd made with his baskets and stones, Finn exited the water to track down her clothes. It wasn't hard; as easy as it was to pick out her thighs from the stones around them it was just as easy to find her tunic.
When he came back it was a little harder to get back into the water, mostly because he didn't want to slip and bust his knee. Still, he made it in and added her clothes to the pile. "How come you're here instead of stuffing your face? Figured you'd be hungry after..hunting, right?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 3:25 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Katori pursed her lips at the response. "It wouldn't be a problem if you would try to learn instead of continuing eating like you do." She protested with another frown. As if this situation could solely be blamed on her when he could have just sucked it up and learned to be more proper or at least less feral! It wasn't her fault the children would come crying after classes to ask if the scary man was going to get them if they misbehaved...honestly whoever started that rumor could be her next target instead of a sermal. How many times did she have to explain that those eyes were normal for a Yaeli? Though Finn's temper and how he acted around others definitely did not help with the whole monster story going around with the children.
There was a slight eyeroll but nothing else was said whenever her coloring was pointed out. "Sure, my skin color and hair colors are the only reason you're looking this way." She quipped before opting to drop it at that unless Finn said otherwise. At least he was willing to get her clothes and help wash them. Katori let out a soft sigh as she watched the Yaeli walk way. Admittedly it took a few good seconds for her to move her gaze away, mostly just in time so that when he turned back this way he wouldn't catch her staring, and Katori tensed whenever Finn came back with questions of his own.
At this point she had drifted behind a little patch of reeds and a huff left her as she thought about her reasons behind this encounter. "I can't stand feeling so grimy. Hunting got a bit...complicated." Katori started before shaking her head. "And apparently men can't stand a woman who can punch a sermal across a clearing on her own. Once again I'm too strong and scary for my own good." The children though Finn was the monster but the way that those hunters reacted to her brute strength...Katori shook her head. Just a bunch of fools.
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 3:26 pm
He was hungry so he ate! It’s what everyone else did so why was he always the one to be chastised? Just because he’d snapped at one kid who tried to sneak away with a roll close to his plate he’d been deemed a ‘problem’ and now the caravan’s stores had to be monitored. Seriously? Maybe they should have been teaching their kids better manners! Beyond the few elders who were patient enough to deal with him the caravan didn’t care for his presence, mainly the parents of said children, but he wasn’t making friends.
Still stung though.
“If I say anything else you’re going to hit me.” He stated bluntly. It wasn’t her hair that he’d been looking at and they both knew it. Taking up her tunic, he stretched the fabric out across the half-submerged stone, reached for his scrubbing wool and got to work. At least with Katori’s clothes he didn’t have to worry about frayed holes and worn hems. He could work a little harder with it and make sure the fabric was clean.
Complicated? He lifted his head again to get another look, this time to check for injuries but she’d already ducked behind some reeds. Pursing his lips Finn went back to his work. When she mentioned punching the sermal, though, he couldn’t help the bark of laughter that slipped out. “What were they scared of? Having their pride shrivel up and go back in?” Finn tossed a little more powder onto the tunic and dipped his head down as he worked. The act caused a few of locks of hair to slip out and soon enough a chunk of indigo hair was flopping into the water. “You punched a sermal, Katori. Across a CLEARING. You shouldn’t be hiding down here; you should be rubbing it in their faces. I don’t know of anyone else who is brave enough to get close to one of those things let alone tackle it head on.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 1:47 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Katori opened and closed her mouth. It would be a lie to say that her first response wouldn't be violence, especially when she was already accustomed to skirmishes with Finn. Maybe she could try to work on the whole punching first and asking questions later thing...maybe. Katori was somewhat proud of herself since she hadn't completely raged at him whenever she realized her predicament with the Yaeli having a good show of her swimming in the river. Not that she could completely rage all things considered - that would only make matters worse by getting in his face. Either way it counted!
Admittedly she couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips at the sound of Finn's sudden laugh. "Maybe." She managed as she peeked around her cover of reeds with amusement. Katori floated a bit closer so that she could watch Finn work. "I suppose it was a bit cool. Like you should have seen the sermal's face. It definitely was surprised!" Her gaze gleamed at the memory as she thought about it. Usually though her mood got ruined whenever she glanced back and her triumphant expression was met with just pure shock from her companions. The Sautians had been a bit off after realizing the petite girl was packing more than your average punch and it was something that Katori immediately noticed. "Thanks, Finn." She found herself saying quietly as she noticed his hair getting into the water, a slight frown crossing her lips as she made a decision and finally emerged.
"Just uh...try not to look back." Katori ordered sheepishly as she climbed onto the shore so that she could move behind the Yaeli and tuck the stray strands of indigo hair back out of the water. "It's probably annoying to have that in your face while you're cleaning." She explained quickly with a flush before crossing her arms back across her chest and staring in the opposite direction away from him, her chin lifting up defiantly as if daring him to contest her reasoning.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:21 pm
[5/10]
Washing clothes wasn't as hard as it was tedious. Generally it was the same process; Mix some powder with the water, scrub the cloth, let it soak if there was a stain and keep it up. At first Finn had chafed under the elder Nomads insistence that he pick up the job, but now Finn was mindlessly resolved to it. It kept his fingers moving while the children ate, kept the parents happy and when it was finished he could stuff his face with whatever was left.
"Yeah yeah." Getting a thanks from her instead of some kind of barbed retort or sass made him uncomfortable. Instead of making him feel comfortable it almost made Finn feel as if he'd done something wrong or that she was sick. A few more locks of hair slipped out of his bun, this time obscuring his face completely much to his chagrin.
"At what-?" On impulse the yaeli immediately started to turn around, caught himself and looked forward instead. Whatever this was he didn't want to ruin it by coming face to face with something he shouldn't. "...My teacher in Oba tried to get me to cut it. When it's wet it's heavy and my neck hurts." As much as he really wanted to Finn didn't dare look behind him. She might have been able to walk away from a skirmish with a sermal, but he definitely wouldn't.
"Like I'd ever someone get that close to my neck with a blade." He groused. Ah, but now he could see again, couldn't he? Finn reached up to touch his hair and hmmed. While he wasn't entirely sold on the idea of having someone touch his hair frequently, Finn didn't mind as much this time around. "So, can all of your family punch monsters into ash or is that just you?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 1:11 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
"I should have known that would be your reason." Katori quipped though her tone was light. Of course he would be concerned that someone would try to backstab him during a haircut. Though now that she saw the scars...her expression dropped as she realized there was surely a reason for his wariness. "Well I've had plenty of chances to stab you in the middle of the night but I haven't yet." She mused after a moment, her fingers twisting up a few more locks of hair to keep them from Finn's face. "I've had to learn to keep my own hair short on the road so if you ever need a cut then maybe you could trust me?" It was one of the few things she could do that didn't end in a complete mess.
Katori crossed her arms at the question before sinking down onto the ground, her body angled slightly behind Finn's with her back mostly to him while her feet pointed in the opposite direction to give them both a sense of some privacy for their current lack of attire. "Just me." She began though she pursed her lips thoughtfully after a moment. "Well maybe one of my younger cousins, but his punches are more just brute force and less magically inclined. We have a bunch of mages in our family but I'm the only one who couldn't cast spells normally. All of my abilities are more physical hence the super punches....it was so fun growing up when I had no control and ended up denting and breaking quite a few things." She shook her head with a low chuckle. "My mother tends to animals with healing magic while my uncle and father are mystics who study the arts." Then you had her brother, younger cousin and spirits knew who else in their family line that practiced magic...so far Katori was the only problem child with the chaotic abilities. Everyone else could control it. The very thought made the young woman huff.
"What about you...is your family full of feral Yaeli?" She asked quietly. If they were traveling together why not learn a bit more?
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 1:29 pm
“Yet.” He repeated in a heavy murmur. While Finn trusted Katori enough to let his guard drop like this there was still a barrier. There was only one man alive who had managed to breach it, and even then the depths of it kept hold of Tacrith. It judged every move he made, every word that slipped out and the actions he took with others.
He couldn’t let her get that close with a blade, but he could continue his work while she played with his hair.
“My family is dead.” Without pause he reached over to the shore for a handful of washing powder and added it to the last of his load. To hear him talk about it was the same as someone discussing a misty day or any other slight inconvenience. “My parents were slaughtered by Aishans. I don’t remember them enough to know what they were like, but my brother says that our magic came from father.” For a moment he lifted the runed necklace around his neck, brushed his thumb against the older carving and went back to work. “Tacrith wasn’t taken when I was and when I saw him a few years ago he was healing people. He healed me, but I wasn’t…I’m not like that.” He scrubbed harder, this time frustration seeping through his trained nonchalance.
“My magic wasn’t controlled either. He can study a spell and use it to the fullest, but I can’t. If I needed to stay warm I’d start a fire, but then the stones would melt, and if the ship needed wind I’d wreck the sails with a hurricane.” He would sink all of Yael if he could. Drag the entirety of the island to the bottom of the sea, Yaeli and Aishans alike, all screaming until their lungs filled with water.
“Magic takes stamina to train, stamina takes food and you can’t get far on scraps.” With the last bit of washing done he sat back, pressing his back against hers. “Don’t apologize or feel less just because you’ve had to learn how to use a gift you never asked for. They’re not living your life; they don’t know what it’s like.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2022 11:51 am
[Sabra via Discord]
"Hmm." Katori pursed her lips in a pout, surprisingly upset that Finn didn't quite trust her. Still she understood that things took time and even though that thought also startled the young woman she kept silent. It wasn't as if he had said never but instead had given some hope to that matter. Not like she would want to be reliable to cut his hair in the future or anything! Once they got to Zena that was that. Katori's gaze closed for a moment as she collected herself before she opened her eyes again to continue twisting Finn's hair back out of his way.
"Ah." Katori's expression shifted at the explanation, her heart twisting more and more as Finn continued explaining his background. "I wish they had never exiled the extremists." She expressed with a sudden scowl, the hybrid more prone to anger than wallowing in sorrow. "They just sent them to another country to be someone else's problem...how could they not check out to see if there were people living there first?" So much of Finn's life could have been so different! While her family normally presented the idea of mercy, of second chances and the like they also knew when to stomp out pure evil. At least that was what she liked to think based upon what she knew of certain family members that did not allow others to suffer because of such villains. "Taken?" The question slipped out, her gaze narrowing as she glanced at Finn's back. Why was she so heated to hear about his misfortunes? Certainly Katori wanted to help out others but something about hearing all of this from Finn truly made her ferocious. She wanted to track down whoever she could find and let them see how easy it would be to take him now! Though Finn could do the same. Katori shook her head. "Everyone has their own talents...especially with the right circumstances to bring them to light."
"I guess we're just a couple of oddballs, very explosive ones at that." Replied Katori with a slight grin, as she tried to sort through the tangle of emotions that this conversation was surprisingly bringing. "But hey. If there wasn't anyone to fight then who would protect the healers? They can have their fancy writing and poultices. I've learned to be more satisfied by feeling the ground move beneath my fist." The feeling of Finn's back even with its rough ridges from the scars and knots was somehow comforting against Katori's own back and she found herself leaning into it. "Fair enough. Wise words from a feral man." She teased quietly though there was somberness to her tone despite the words. "Maybe we were never in the wrong. We're just too powerful and rare for others to understand so we had to find our own way. My uncle always said that sometimes it takes really rough waters and high pressure to bring out the best gems."
"Thank you, Finn." She found herself adding quietly, almost a whisper as she stared at the ground while her cheeks heated. "I never realized how much I don't know about you. I'm truly glad that you shared that." It was strange to be actually talking and not be at each other's throats for once. Strange, but not completely unwelcome. He hated feeling pitied but at the same time she wished she could just express that he wouldn't have to live on scraps anymore if she could help it. Katori let out a soft chuckle. "I could use a training partner that can cast hurricanes. If you can't train on scraps then we should remedy that, right? Just without scaring the children of course."
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:51 pm
Finn's opinions on Aishans were as clear as the day he'd spit at an Alkidike in the street of Jauhar. He hated their kind and wasn't ashamed to show it. Unlike so many things in his life that had ebbed with care and attention the rage he felt in his soul toward those women ate at him like a vein of molten steel. If he'd remained on Yael then Finn may very well have tried to set their village aflame with a massive pillar of fire. At the time he didn't care if he lived or died trying; now he had other goals.
"Not by them." He spread the last of his washing out across the warm stones and settled back against Katori. "A man found me; a fisherman named Llyr. Told me they had taken over the island and us survivors needed to hide out to live. That if I didn't do what he said he'd toss me back out to them. I was...smaller than Misa when I was taken and when I found out the truth I was around Korri's age." Both names being that of children in their traveling group. Misa was a chubby little windling who was just getting a grasp on languages and dressing herself while Korri was little over sixteen summers. Even though Finn was nearly ten years older than Korri the younger windling was nearly a head taller than him. He'd never known starvation a day in his life and while Finn was happy for him he was also horribly jealous.
"Books never did much for me anyway; let'em rot." He quirked his mouth a little into a self defeating smirk. "Healers can fix wounds, but I could level a mountain if I wanted to and you can punch sermals back to the womb." It didn't make up for the hurt or the pain; didn't make any of their scars any easier to bear. Still, at least they hadn't walked away from all of that with nothing. "Your Uncle's full of s**t." He laughed, but this time instead of bitterly it was a genuine chuckle. "Who talks like that? If I was born with this magic then I'd be just as powerful if I was big as a bloated fish."
Talking this openly was admittedly more than he'd been comfortable with for a long time. It still didn't settle well with him, but....but what? What was he supposed to feel? Happy that he'd shared, angry that she knew, embarrassed or scared? It was a lot to process. "Yeah just...just remember it because I don't like repeating myself." Takin stock of the clothing situation, Finn knew that most of it would be dry by now, but some were still damp. It was nothing a few warm winds coutesy of magic wouldn't cure though.
"I'm not making any promises, but I do want some food and I think I can whip up a few monsoons for you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:16 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Katori let out a huff at the explanation. "Sounds like a complete a** to me." She replied without skipping a beat, her expression darkening at the thought of anyone taking advantage of a child like that. Traveling had shown her how fortunate and spoiled her childhood had been, but listening to Finn showed her that there was even more darkness than she had ever personally witnessed in this world. She still refused to allow herself to be bitter and Katori shifted slightly as she pressed against Finn's back, maybe to support her own position or to show some comfort to him. Not that she would ever admit the one option, but still. "At least you found your brother again." She murmured before his laugh caught her by surprise.
It was almost contagious to hear a genuine chuckle from him that wasn't bitter. Katori's lips lifted at the sound of it as she echoed the noise with a soft laugh of her own. "He is fairly known for being full of s**t." She agreed after a moment. "Though I'd think a bloated fish full of magic may still have issues while we can hopefully grow and adapt with our abilities. I do rather like picture books though so it would be a shame to let them all rot." She teased as she glanced towards the sky, her expression bright despite the heaviness of their earlier conversation. "Got it." She chuckled again before nodding. "I'll take that offer, especially if we stop by my home in Zena." Her cheeks darkened slightly as she pondered the option. "If you'd like of course. It's not too far from the Sautian border so it would be good to stock up before going further into Zena."
"Speaking of food...how goes that laundry? Do you need help so we can get back before they eat everything?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2022 1:33 pm
[8/10]
"Sounds like it." Finn said through his chuckling and ended up smiling for once. Anyone who talked like that had to be full of it. A man like that was probably bloated with some kind of ridiculous mustache or something just as stupid looking. He'd seen the type a time or two in Oba, and he could imagine the same in Zena, just blue and furry.
The idea of stopping by her home, though..."Ahhh..." There was a lull in the conversation while Finn processed the possibilities. Stopping by for supplies wouldn't be the worst thing, but being around Katori's family might be...a little much? He was just now getting used to her and he already knew from the way she talked that her family was big, at least by his standards.
"You want me to visit your family. Are you okay? Hit your head on the hunt?" He gingerly started to pick himself up, making sure not to move so fast that she would have fallen, and started to gather up the laundry. A few channeled warm breezes finished up the drying process, even if it left some extra wrinkles. The yaeli dipped down to pick up her clothing and handed it back behind him without actually turning to look. "Just get dressed first and then you can help me carry it back. I need to get my pants on anyway."
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