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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 6:52 am
Noj's sleep was troubled with images of his past. His small squad, which eventually evolved into a platoon, in the Andoran army, the the following battle against Darkspawn, leaving him the only survivor of his men, following into around the time of the last battle, where try as he might, he could protect that small town, and again was left alive and alone. Alive and alone, seemed to be a reoccurring theme in his life. The thought left him awake in his stirrings, though he left no physical sign of his wakefulness. It always happened because he was too powerless. But now he was making large strides in both his swordsmanship and his control over the power. That much was evident by the sole fact he lived through that horde of men. The Warder had given him little credit over the fact he'd fallen twenty plus men with his blade, after creeping through them in whole and disabling their leader. The power had helped, but his grip was still too tenuous for him to lean on it incredibly in a fight, but he could grab it at will. And no matter how skilled a man was, such as the Warder, a man was still helpless against the power. That left the Aes Sedai. She couldn't do anything offensive unless she or her Warder were in threat of harm, so the trick was too disable the Warder without harming him. He mulled the thought over before sighing through his teeth and drifting asleep again.
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 10:02 am
"I hope they have a Wise Woman or something wherever we're going," Cellyn thought hopefully, resisting the urge to rub her cheek against the pain. The cut wasn't that deep, but she had the sinking feeling something had been damaged by the pain, which had worsened from a dull ache to a sharp knife in her face. There was nothing to do for it but accept it, though, and she had dealt with worse. She just hoped it didn't scar. She wasn't vain, exactly, but figured there was nothing wrong with enjoying having a pretty face - especially when said face made dealing with men much easier. Usually. She wondered what Noj thought of everything, since he hadn't asked about the kidnapping, and then wondered if he even cared. Apparently, he had taken his job as an escort to also mean bodyguard - why else would he rescue her? She couldn't reconcile his words about being a decent man with everything else about him. Not that she thought he wasn't - oh, bloody Light. It didn't make sense. She didn't care what he thought anyway and that was that. She was probably just another spoiled entitled brat for him to make money off of. Cellyn looked around again, even though there was no point. Light Dancer was taking his own time about traveling through the woods, which she found oddly reassuring. If there had been anything bad left, she reasoned, he would have hurried. Instead he kept up his leisurely pace, leaving her to sit and stare at the snow, hoping Noj didn't make any sudden movements that would cause her to lose her balance.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 12:32 pm
Noj continued to flit to and from consciousness for a while, seeing and thinking of many things that may or may not have been true or realistic. He knew they had meaning, but couldn't decipher them. Eventually, everything stilled, and Noj found himself sitting in a room by himself, which was strange. He'd just been on his horse with Cellyn, and knew he still was. There was nothing off about the room, it wasn't a cage or cell, or anything grand like a throne room. It could barely be described as a room, more like a space that just barely fit the description. All he knew was that he was sitting at a table, and across from him, he saw an old man, who was looking off into the distance, though it seemed that he had finally taken note of Noj's presence, and tilted his head a little. "What do we have here? It's been a long time since anyone's visited me here."
Noj looked around again, confused. "Where exactly are we?"
The old man shrugged. "It has many names, a place where dreamers go, lots of things happen here I guess. Though, your visit is strange. I sense none of the talent to come here in you, but your presence here is too strong for an ordinary dream, strange indeed. Though, given the circumstance, it's understandable at the same time. You're an odd one, and let's leave it at that."
The old man seemed to be talking in circles, contradicting himself and not plainly answering a thing. "Odd? Interesting maybe but why odd?"
"Because, your existence is misfitted. Well not just here. Let's just say you're a conglomeration. An important conglomeration traveling with an important person, who is bound to meet more important people, and do important things with those important people."
What? "Conglomeration?" The hell? "And important things? All of the important things one can imagine have already happened in this age. The taint on Saidin cleansed, the Dark One resealed, the land united. There is still turmoil, but I cannot imagine what else could happen."
The old man tilted his head side to side again. "Well yes, what you said is true, many things of note have happened in that age, all of the things that were supposed to happen did, but you're wrong on one account. That was a past age, the Last Battle was a marker for it, you're in a new one now, which appears to be catalyzing much sooner than normal. Then again, the last Dragon was a clumsy fool so it's not to be unexpected that things already meet the criteria for more grand chaotic things to happen." The man laughed, seemingly to a private joke. Or might as well have been, because Noj was completely lost.
Truly, it was a bit too much for Noj to really take in at once, and was convinced that he was having a delusion of some sort due to blood loss, or...something. "So wait...who are you?"
"Me? I'm...an important person. I told you that you'd meet a lot of important people right? Well, I'm vain enough to include myself. Anyhow, we've talked long enough, I'm sure your lady friend is getting lonely without your...friendly banter? Whatever the case, till next time."
Furrowing his brow, Noj was about to say...something, when suddenly he felt a force pulling him, powerfully. The shock of it nearly felt like a bucket of ice water being poured down his back. Jerking up, looked around quickly, before hit by a wave of pain from his wounds. Where ever he was, he wasn't there anymore, and was back on his horse, with a village in sight, and a rather perturbed Cellyn next to him on the saddle.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:27 am
Cellyn tilted her head, wincing slightly at the pain. "Are you all right?" she asked cautiously. "I mean, are you worse than before?" she amended with a shrug. "You were muttering in your sleep and I tried to wake you up. Light Dancer brought us right to a village, even if he did take his sweet time about it." She sent the warhorse a glare with those words, which was returned with a whicker that sounded to close to a laugh for her liking. The ride had been incredibly boring. She never liked being stuck alone with her thoughts, especially when there was no business to focus on. Instead, there was just the thoughts of being kidnapped and slapped around, having that creep follow her and know where she was for so long. It gave her the creeps. There wasn't much for it, however. She sort of hoped that he ran into the Aes Sedai and her Warder - there was no way he would be able to avoid insulting one of them. She smiled at the thought, although the gesture hurt. At least she would never be so stupid as to fall for another man again, she had realized that shortly after the 'incident'. "What a pleasant way to put it," she thought snidely. It was her father's word for it. She was his daughter, yes, but appearances were everything to a merchant, especially one as prosperous as him. She would have thought attempted rape would reflect poorly on the man, but no - it was somehow her fault. Her father never said so, but he had certainly never pursued charges against the milksucking Light-blasted man. Cellyn shrugged to herself in resignation. She'd probably always be haunted by the man, especially if he tried anything again. Because she'd kill him and then really be haunted.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:24 pm
Noj looked around and shook his head. "I...I'm not sure, I'm the same as before, I was just having a strange dream, something about important people...not sure, it probably doesn't matter." Nudging Light Dancer with his knees, he led the horse into the town, toward the first thing that looked like an inn. The dream was strange, but the memory of it slid between his fingers like water, leaving only droplets on his fingers for him to remember. He felt there was some significance to it, but as to what it could be, would be anyone's guess. "Hey Cellyn, would you mind getting the room for us, I probably look a little...too rough to be taken seriously." It was probably true, he was bruised and battered, and covered in bloodstained bandages, which'd make most sensible people avoid him most likely.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:45 pm
"Whereas I just look like a battered housewife," she remarked dryly, shaking her head. Cellyn sighed as Light Dancer came to a stop outside the inn, a small one-story affair that didn't seem to be crowded. She slid carefully to the cold ground, wrapping her cloak around her as best she could. Thankful she at least had a change of clothes left, she did her best to look every inch an entitled merchant woman as she swept into the building, finding only a young-ish woman at a table near the door. The common room was empty. "Yes?" The woman blinked owlishly through spectacles, having apparently been interruped reading. "My mother is currently away, but if you'd like a room I'm able to provide one." "That would be good." Cellyn nodded briskly, inspecting the place. It was growing dark, perhaps a reason the room was empty. That, and it didn't seem they provided meals here - most likely everyone was out eating. "I need a room with two beds, I have a companion with me. I'd also appreciate if a hot bath could be prepared, we've traveled a long way." "I can tell," the woman remarked, the only thing touching on Cellyn's appearance. She noted something down in a ledger before her and handed Cellyn a key. "We have a small place, but it's clean. I'll arrange for the maid to prepare the bath for you, you're the second door on the left just down that hall." And with those instructions, it was back to the book. Cellyn sighed again and returned outside, feeling that she looked as depressed as she felt. Her face was beginning to pain her, but Noj looked worse off. "I have a room, they'll prepare a bath for you so you can wash all that blood off," she told him, retrieving some money from her saddlebag. "I'll go get you a change of clothes, so here's the key." She repeated the directions for the room and trudged off in the snow, the tailor's shop very close by. The whole village was very close by, a tightly-knit haven against the forest surrounding them.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:08 am
Noj gave a nod in thanks, before sliding off the horse and hitting the ground with a grunt of pain. He probably looked a bit like death, but he was fine with that he supposed. "Take Light Dancer with you, he can carry things, which he deserves to do. He's the only one who got out unscathed." He gave the creature a look before walking in, ignoring the looks he got and went straight to the room, and began carefully taking off his bandages before wrapping himself in his cloak and leaning against the bed. He needed new clothes too, come to think of it, though, he had the coin to get it on his own, and he had one spare outfit that was dilapidated. Deciding to take a nap, Noj curled up a little tighter into as comfortable a position he could. He figured by the time he woke up Cellyn would be done and the bath ready.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:28 am
Light Dancer waited patiently outside the tailor as Cellyn found an outfit for Noj in record time - underclothes, for which she got a strange look from the woman running the counter for, breeches, a shirt, boots, and a new cloak in case his was stained beyond repair. Her bundle fit in the pack easily and she trudged back to the inn. A stable boy took the warhorse off her hands, a coin extracting a promise of a good scrubdown for the creature. "Milady, the maid went to bring the bath in but..." "But what?" Cellyn demanded, the saddlebag slung over her shoulder. The woman cowered for a moment before rallying. "There was a man wearing only a cloak and she ran," she admitted. Cellyn sighed in exasperation before regaining her wits. "Have her bring it in, I'm here now. And he's harmless, merely exhausted and filthy. Which was the point of the bath," she added. "I'll want another one brought for myself afterwards, I'll pay extra for all your trouble." This brought a thin smile to the woman's lips, to which Cellyn paid no attention to. Sure enough, the maid dragged in the tub, following Cellyn into the room and slipping out without another look. Cellyn dropped the bag on the ground and crouched next to Noj. She was fairly sure he'd wake up easily, but had had some experience waking up men and wasn't sure if he'd come up swinging, so she nudged his shoulder gently. "Noj, I'm back and the bath is waiting for you," she said, doing her best to keep her gaze from traveling southward. "Wake up, you bloody idiot, so I can clean up and change too," she continued, shaking him a little harder.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 12:15 pm
Noj opened an eye and looked around, mostly woken up by the breeze he felt, which was strange, he remembered covering up with his cloak. No matter. "Right, right." Standing up carefully, so as to not injure himself or surprise Cellyn, he got into the blissfully warm tub, and began scrubbing off the dirt, grim, and blood from his person, which probably improved his appearance greatly. He was stilled scratched up, but they were scabbed, and would probably heal into impressive scars, so he didn't mind. Originally, he would have covered himself and had a bit more shame, but Cellyn had probably already gotten an eyeful as it was, so his care for it was gone. He doubted she had any intention to jump his skin, or really anyone else did for that matter. He didn't look bad, but his personality was rather off putting. Meh. After he finished washing his hair, which admittedly shouldn't reach as close to his shoulders as it did, he got out, eyeing the new clothes that Cellyn had bought and dressed himself, and on a whim located the mirror and shaved, with his skinning knife due to a lack of a razor. "Alright, I'm done, though you might want to change out the water, since I was rather...messy. If you want I can help change it out."
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 3:13 pm
Cellyn shook her head. "The maid is bringing in a new tub for me, I figured you'd be as filthy as you were." She retreated from the room, having kept her eyes closed while Noj bathed and dressed, and returned momentarily with a large woman who silently dragged the used tub from the room and brought in a fresh one in only a few moments. She eyed the pair disdainfully, but left without any remarks. "I'll wait until you're done and then you can get out. I'll bathe by myself, thank you," Cellyn informed him, sitting down on one of the beds and eyeing him critically. He did look much better now that he was clean, as she already knew. There were many thing she was willing to put up with, but if she didn't have to have him in the room, she'd bathe alone, if it was all the same to anyone. She wasn't that loose, despite what certain people could have suggested.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:12 pm
Noj shrugged and walked out of the room, still in a bit of pain, but something about being clean, well dressed, and groomed, made it much more bearable, so he was able to for the most part walk in a relaxed manner, though he was still lacking a majority of the wolfish grace that he kept about him when he was fully healthy. Whatever. Drawing his cloak closed he walked out, pulling his hood over his head. He figured he should hide his white hair, and had an excuse to cause of the cold wind. He was quite certain that the Aes Sedai would have one of two reactions, ignore him or hassle him, but the Warder would attempt to phase out of sight if he was recognized, so Noj kept his head down and looked around. A dejected posture would most likely contradict the man's image of him. He was rather amazed really, how clearly and concisely he could think when he had to. Pondering his situation a little, he considered dyeing his hair and cutting it short, but he lacked the resources and time, so it'd probably have to wait. After buying a carrot for Light Dancer, he slipped it into his sleeve to stop himself from twirling it, since it'd be a dead give away for his dejected demeanor. On a whim, he also bought some black die, tsking a little over the price. Black die was rather expensive, mostly as a trap for earning money from nobility. Black dye didn't take very long to fade to purple, so many clothes had to be dyed often to keep the dark color. Never the less, brown dye was even harder to come by because most things tended to be brown. Whatever. Heading back to the inn, he whistled through his teeth, deciding that he'd get a basin of water to dye his hair once he returned. It was a rather tight nit community, and he was sure that a story of a filthy naked man with white hair had already spread aflame through the town at this point, so dying his hair would make him more easily looked over anyway.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:20 pm
Cellyn sighed in relief as she soaked in the tub, scrubbing the grime from her face and body with relish. The soap stung the cut on her cheek and she winced, glancing across the room at herself. It was a nasty gash, but she didn't think it needed stiching or anything of that sort. Reluctantly getting out, she dried herself and pulled clothes from the saddlebag, settling on a brown and silver gown that was heavy enough to keep her warm outside, even without a cloak. She pinned her hair back and stepped out of the room, signaling the maid before fetching the saddlebag once more. After the last incident, she wasn't about to let her posessions out of her sight again, no matter how silly she appeared with the large bag draped across her back. It was easy enough to get the name of the local tavern from the woman in charge - it seemed there was never too many travelers or business, so rowdy drunks were rare. Cellyn was relieved, hoping to avoid incident at least one night, and wrapped her cloak around her as she stepped into the snow, hoping to catch sight of Noj.
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:32 pm
Noj walked sighed as he trudged through the snow, mostly due to hate of the cold. To many things had happened to him in cold weather, his family, his squad, the little town, meh. Part of the reason he loved blacksmithing was because of the fact that during the entire process, no matter where you were you were enveloped in heat. Kinda of an escape he supposed. Whatever. He'd have to put that to the side since he was rather wounded. Walking around he was fine, but he'd probably break a few wounds open if he did any sort of exercise, which he wasn't looking forward too. He had resigned himself to it, since he was sure the Warder wouldn't leave without a fight, but he wasn't looking forward to it. The only thing that he was completely sure of, was that the Warder wouldn't up and kidnap her. The Aes Sedai needed her permission, or at least to twist her words into what she believed was permission, before she could take Cellyn with her. And she was semi certain that she'd at least want some sort of reconciliation with Noj, whether in thanks, coin, or otherwise before she left, even if she had her arm twisted, so he knew that he'd be seeing someone at least, probably a Warder with a cryptic message. Women. Spotting Cellyn, he waved before walking up. "Do you have anything incredible planned? Because I need to head back to the room for a bit."
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:37 pm
Cellyn looked up at him with a smile. "I was going to get food - plenty of it. I'm sure you're hungry too, come on." She took his arm easily and guided him to walk along with her towards the tavern, another small building like all the others in the village. There was almost no one inside, save for what looked like a few locals judging by the looks they earned. She ignored them and headed to a table near the wall, looking eager as the waitress approached. "I'm starving," she admitted, before ordering almost one of everything and looking pleased with herself as she glanced over at Noj.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 4:10 pm
It was a bit bothersome to go eat, but Noj put up with it. He was planning on cutting and dyeing his hair, but it could wait, though he was certain he knew where around at least half of those looks were coming from. Whatever. Deciding to refrain from ordering, seeing as Cellyn was going to buy out the food supply, he decided he'd just bum food from her, cause he knew she wouldn't eat it all. Despite recent activity, she didn't really seem active enough to be able to eat that much in a sitting while Noj...well, let's just say he can eat a lot. "We have been through quite a bit at this point together haven't we? And we've only known each other for a handful of days, not even really a week. Crazy." The scope of it was. They'd been together around four days, which was roughly half a week, yet they'd fought darkspawn, had encounters with Asha'man, Aes Sedai, assassins, and whatever else was gonna be thrown at them. It was, in short, kinda crazy. He was sure things would slow down, but by the Light, if every day of his life was as eventful as these past few, his poor heart would give out. And that was saying something.
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