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 Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:20 pm
On the Road
Class Solo Yejide shook the bun out of her hair, running her fingers loosely over the sore dreads, coaxing her skull to make some sort of peace with her. They were so heavy sometimes. The moon was already high in the sky and she had just barely cleared the Oban borders. She looked back at where she had come from and shook her head, her eyes rolling around in her skull. The further she was, the better. No one would come looking for her here, in enemy territory. She had barely had time to think out her plan, or to pack anything except the bare essentials, and now she was feeling the bitterness of it all.
The scene came back to her in a quick flash, the clatter in the market, the crushing sound of her target when she fell, the guards eyes... and she took off. She was not going to stick around for whatever justice she might have to endure later. No doubt her parents would have heard about the source of the recent thefts in Oba and that their precious daughter was the culprit. She thought of her brother, back in Oba no doubt, and sighed. Today was a day she felt lonely. She patted the back of her head, itching her sore scalp, and pulled the meek sack she managed to carry with her up further on her shoulder. It would be a long hike to the nearest population where she could lift some food.
With one last rustle of her dreads, she pulled her hair to rest on her shoulders still loose and continued her trek out of Oba and into the unknown. She was better off this way anyways. Her parents were out of the picture now and she could do what she pleased, instead of always searching for a way to get away from her mother. She was better off alone.
The desert was cold in the night, the sand not keeping in nearly enough of the heat to keep it warm and she was grateful when she finally reached the line of trees to the north. It was eternally warm and damp in the Jauhar forests, but she knew she was walking into dangerous territory. These were the enemies. They were the inferior creatures that had the nerve to think that they could stand up the might of Oba, and while her father was a general, she could say that she couldn't care less about the outcome. Serves Oba right if they lose, and serves the vermin right if they're pulled into slavery. Either way they probably got what they deserved by the end of it all. Yejide didn't let her mind linger on the war though. If anything it was a suitable distraction to getting out and away without being noticed. Maybe they would think she had died. That might be good.
Then she thought to Nkole again. She could send him a note once the smoke cleared and let him know. She wouldn't want to have him thinking there was no hope after all. Where would he be without her then?
Her thoughts had carried her father into Jauhar than she had expected and before long she could see the flickering light of a flame ahead. Multiple flames, as if there were torches. Had she found a town already? She creeped closer to inspect and pulled back to the shadowed safety of a nearby tree when she spotted the red regalia. Oban troops. These were the front lines then. She shook her head at her own damned luck to be walking right toward her people, the only people she didn't want to see. But at least they would have food.
In the stillness of the night's forest she scouted what she was looking for. The food tents. There was smoke billowing from inside, but she couldn't see any movement from where she was at. They only ones awake at this hour would be inside the tents.
She carefully moved the corner of the tent open to peek inside. The only two in there were baking bread for the next morning. Perfect. They were both playing cards at a table, their backs turned toward her. She could sneak a roll out no problem. Her eyes sparked with a smug grin as she spotted the last batch to have come out of the oven so near to her. She was in and out within a couple of seconds and tucked two loafs in her sack and a third under her arm. This would last her until she could get clear of any Oban lackeys around. Without anyone knowing the wiser, she had left the Oban camp and turned north. With any luck she would reach something new and people she didn't know and wouldn't know her.
She reached for the bread under her arm and pinch off a still warm piece. It wasn’t so bad. And her stomach had no reason to protest, it was the first piece of food it had seen since that morning. Her thoughts turned to what was to come and she couldn’t help but sigh. Alone was better, but still, now she would have to somehow get food for herself. Food and shelter, and who knew what else. Maybe different clothes to blend in? It was looking to be like a thief’s kind of life for her at this point. Maybe she had been building up to it her whole life? She couldn’t help but think to herself that she had been good at it before in Oba, when the prize was expensive trinkets she had taken for fun more than anything else. She wasn’t cut out for a noble woman’s life – doing what her mother wanted and never doing anything, and now that she was free she would be building her own path, her own road to take to get to where she wanted to be in life. And if stealing was the way to get there… then that was that now wasn’t it?
(Word Count: 1,006)
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:28 pm
The End of the War Yejide had spent the past month in and out of homes and villages alike, her sticky fingers taking what she liked and her surliness making sure no one saw her. She had been alone so long now she was starting to forget why it was she even felt lonely that first night that she had ran off into forest. She hadn't made it that far, she wasn't trying for distance, just for security, and had landed herself in Sol before she had heard the news.
Homes had been easy pickings during the war. There were only the women and children around and most of the time not even that since both parents tended to fight and the children went along for the ride. They didn't have slaves that would watch the younglings while they were away, the primitives. The heists were boring at this point, she was in and out with whatever food she could carry and she was well fed to say the least. The homes that were left completely empty she stayed in for cover for days at a time, enjoying the amenities of being under an actual roof away from the rain and with a solid fire. Of course she had to be careful which houses she chose. The neighbors who were left would notice if a house just suddenly lit back up again… so it was the hermits she went looking for. Those were the easy pickings. The ones that built their tree forts far away from the rest, for whatever reason she couldn’t guess, but it suited her just fine.
It was in one of these houses that she finally found the news.
She had her sandals off, her feet pointed toward the fire, and her hands on a book from one of the owners many bookshelves. She had decided that the people who lived her were obviously a magic couple. There were herbs and trinkets that reeked of magic incantations and books lining an entire wall, mostly pertaining to healing and magic, though a couple of them were just for kicks. And while there was only one bed the house had an air of feminine charm that made sure to say whatever man lived here was married. She flipped through another page when she heard the sounds from outside. It was a rustling in the leaves and a voice questioning the light from above.
Yejide quickly pulled her shoes on and popped the book back where it had been. She couldn't turn out the lights, but she could make it look like she was never there. She ran her hand over the kitchen counter and with a gentle push her feet were through the window and onto the stabilizing branch for the house in the sky. The people of Jauhar were too interesting this way. All of their homes were in the air. They just hugged the trees as if they had wanted to be there all along and the heights were dizzying at times. Yejide had the same meek sack she had left with in her hands and onto her shoulder while she slid against the wall, flattening herself to listen for the signal that she would be clear to leave without being noticed.
She could hear the couple enter, and their questioning remarks about the light, but couldn't find anything weird or out of place. She heard the man suggest that a neighbor somewhere had started it to warm the house for their return. Good. She was about to take her leave when she heard it. The relieved sigh of "We won" hung in the air above Yejide. So the war was over. And Oba lost. This was an interesting turn of events. She wondered if her father was still alive. He would have been in the fray no doubt. But so would her brother, now that he was old enough to be of some use. The last thought put a lump in her throat. Was he alright? She couldn't imagine him not being, but if the cretins had won, then anything was possible.
She silently dropped to a lower branch and out of sight, moving through the forest at a sprint. She wasn’t the best at climbing these ridiculously large trees, but she managed – and pushed herself to get faster with each step she took. She headed west, closer to the battle grounds, closer to Oba. She could find him, this she knew for sure.
But she screeched to a halt and her force had her hugging one of the overly large trees in Jauhar. No. This was stupid. He was fine. And she wasn't going back. She had made up her mind that night she left.
She squeezes the hard bark under her hands and sighed. She had just been away too long, that was all. She was homesick for her brother. Once she rationalized it, her feeling of dread was gone. But maybe she should hang closer to home. Maybe she could find out more. No doubt with losing the war the least of her parents worries was reprimanding their daughter. The more she thought about it, the more she thought of it as an intel job. If she could just hear something from anyone about her brother she would feel better. Maybe she could sneak a letter in for him to join her. The two of them together, stealing and conning through Tendaji, it would be hard for her to resist the idea and the thrill of it.
She smirked, her hands pulling away from the trunk and to her disheveled hair. She had it down when she left the house. She carefully sat down on the branch she was in and pulled her hair slowly into its normal bun and shape. Once satisfied, she decided that it was time to get her bearings and find out where she had ran to. And for that she would need to get on the ground.
(Word Count: 995)
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Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:30 pm
Snowball FightYejide x GroupYejide makes it as far as Zena before getting caught in a snowball fight.
[Finished]
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2014 8:33 am
We Meet AgainYejide x NkoleYejide finally finds her brother, though she's not sure if she really wanted to at this point.
[Cancelled]
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:47 am
Caught In the ActYejide x NuriYejide gets caught stealing.
[Cancelled]
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Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:48 am
Rising StormMeta[Finished]
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:28 pm
Class Quest Solo Pickpocket
Yejide leaned back against the hard headboard to her bed. It felt strange to be in a room again. Something she actually paid for on top of that. She had managed to scratch up enough extra with her lifting to get to the Tale border and stop off for the night at an actual inn. The bed itself was much too soft compared to what she was used to, but the headboard was a sharp contrast that had her back aching while she sat there propped up. She looked to the blank walls and the ceiling over her head and sighed. For months now she had been staying out in the open. Since the war with Oba had ended she hadn’t had the luxury of empty houses to borrow for the night while their occupants were away at war. Instead she had hard tree trunks or the solid ground of Jauhar with open air and miles all around her. She felt claustrophobic here.
She let herself sink until she was laying completely on the bed and closed her eyes, drowning out the sounds of the inn around her and willing herself to sleep. She had barely dozed off before there was a sound at her door. A gentle knock followed by silence… and then the rustling of something small at the floor. She rolled over. They must have realized she was asleep and just left whatever it was for the morning.
When she opened her eyes again there was sunlight filtering in through the window. It was morning already she realized, and late morning by the looks of it. She sat up in the bed and stretched. It felt good to wake up without aches and pains. She rolled her shoulders and lightly padded out of bed and to the door. There was a letter waiting for her, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach she noticed the seal. It was from her parents.
She gripped her elbows in her hands, unsure whether she should even touch it. She wasn’t one to shy away from things, but her parents… they were the one thing she was avoiding for months. Since she had left home. They were the reason she was on the road in the first place. Not that she wanted to return to her old life, but they had seen to it that it was pretty much impossible.
She stared at it for a while, letting the strength go in her grip and forcing herself to relax. It’s not like a letter could hurt her. She gingerly picked it up, breaking the seal and holding it to the light. It was long and long winded. It was her mother of course. She read it with a scowl on her face. Her mother was demanding that she return home. Apparently they had finally found her after their months apart and without even the slightest hesitation they were forcing her to go home. To face her punishment, and to resume life as a lady. “Time to stop with the mockery of her family’s name” as her mother so eloquently put it. Yejide was angry. She crumpled up the letter and tossed it to the corner of the room.
Go back. As if she could even if she wanted to. But the question was, did she want to go back? Was she happy here, living alone constantly, not knowing where her brother was, not knowing what was happening in Oba? From what she heard there would be no slaves to go back to, life had changed pretty dramatically in Oba for everyone there, and the outsiders were roaming the streets like tourists, gawking at the sights and her people as if they were novelties. Well she supposed most of that had calmed down by now, but no one talked about things like that so how would she even know? All she had to go on was what she could overhear from other’s conversations.
She pulled on her shoes and tied her hair back into its bun. She would just forget about it. She was actually starting to make a life for herself. She had money, she had her belongings in her bag, and she would just move onto the next place until she felt like stopping. She grabbed her bag and left the inn. She would just move on. They wouldn’t know where she went.
Yejide made it to the front door of the inn after checking out when she felt a hand grab her from behind. ”You wanna watch where you’re grabbing buddy?” She shot out, turning to see who would have the gall to grab random strangers, but was met with an Oban almost twice her size and dressed in armor. She didn’t like the looks of him, and she had a feeling she knew now who had given the inn the letter to deliver to her.
”I know exactly what I’m grabbing. A little girl who ran away instead of just taking her spanking from her parents.” He smirked, his grip tightening on her arm.
Yejide pulled, trying to free herself from his grip. There were people looking at them now, she could probably make a scene and get out of there. She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could he just yanked and pulled her onto his back. ”Keep your mouth shut or I’ll have to make you.” He threatened, already moving out of the door and away from the inn.
Yejide kicked and thrashed, but he just held tighter before sighing and clocking her on the head. She saw stars, everything went bright, and then it was dark.
When she awoke they were already halfway through Jauhar and rearing on the Oban border. Her head hurt and she could feel a bruise where his fist had landed but she was too tired to argue any more. She was going home then. And that was it.
They reached Oba, and her captor seemed to be in a near chipper mood; she guessed he didn’t think she would have actually listened about keeping her mouth shut. The only thing she had said for the entirety of the journey was just to ask to be put down. He had obeyed, but not before tying her hands. He must have thought that would have stopped Yejide from escaping, but at that point she just didn’t care. ”You’re almost making this too easy. Soon I’ll have my big fat reward and you’ll be sniffling to your parents no doubt.” He called out to her from over his shoulder. She just grunted and continued to walk. But the sights and sounds of Oba called to her. she had missed home. She had missed the crowded streets and the scents of the foods, and the feeling of being among her own people, not slinking around in the shadows. No one looked at her with distrust when she walked through the streets here. It was home.
They reached the gates to her family’s estate and was let in. She looked at the Obans who opened the gate for the two of them. Definitely not slaves anymore she thought to herself. There were more Obans in the courtyard, working away and gathering things for dinner that night. She shook her head. She almost couldn’t believe that it was true. When led inside she sighed when she saw her mother already waiting for her. No doubt someone had announced her return before they were even inside the gates. She just gave Yejide this look. That look of reproach that had followed her for most of her childhood, but this time it was more severe. Yejide couldn’t blame her, she had messed up pretty bad the last time she was still in Oba. ”You. You are coming with me.” her mother announced. She gave her captor a hefty sack of coins before grabbing Yejide’s wrist and taking her away. The man who never gave her his name left with a grin on his face and her mother’s voice just sliced through the air, pounding against her head as she started on her speech and chastising Yejide. Her mother turned for only a moment to put a hand on the place where her captor had hit her in the head during their introductions. She sighed and shook her head. ”The buffoon couldn’t even bring you back without marring your face.” She commented before turning and continuing her speech and her her herding Yejide back to her room.
Life would be different. Yejide would have to adjust. Or escape again. This time on her own terms instead of having no other choice. She groaned when she heard her mother speak of punishment and reteaching her daughter proper manners. Yejide didn’t know if she really felt that coming back was worth it anymore.
With another glance at the daughter she was dragging along, her voice rang out. ”And this will be the end of your thieving no doubt. There is nothing proper or respectable about thieves.”
(Word Count: 1,522)
[Yejide has been on the run trying to get out of taking responsibility for a heist gone wrong. She has to finally come to terms with not being able to run forever and thinking about what kind of life she's living to begin with being in the shadows.]
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 3:22 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:51 am
The Grand MarketMeta[Finished]
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:05 pm
Yejide vs SriinaBattleNRP Battle
[Finished]
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