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 Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:40 am
The young man's face contorted and tilted up as he tried to think. One eye closed briefly as if it would somehow help. Really he didn't have many stories that didn't involve some sort of work, let alone anything unbelievable. His life had been fairly simple up until the most recent battle and he had a feeling that neither of them wanted to remember that.
"Well... a man did try to break into the pens shortly before we left," he offered, face falling back to normalcy. One brow remained partially arched, but whether that was a sign of untruthfulness or not was up to Naevius to decide. "I'm not entirely sure what his plans were? but regardless, he came onto the grounds late at night, and I might not have noticed if it weren't for the animals growing nervous outside the walls. They shift and mumble, sort of like people but with significantly more legs, you see." His voice had adopted a rather dramatic flair as he continued the story, building it with his hands and expressions and the tone of his voice. "So I came out to see what was the matter, because especially lazy predators sometimes try to make a run of it, and there he was, climbing over the fence. I didn't see much of him, just that it was a man, so I came from my room and called out to him, and he just sort of stopped." As did the story, just hanging briefly in the air, "After a tense moment I said, 'Leave the grounds or face me!' I cracked my mighty whip once, and I should say he boldly approached and caused a scuffle which I won by a landslide before handing him in to the authorities," But? There was definitely a 'but' there, and Sebastien grinned and laughed slightly. "but in reality he startled and made a funny sound as he pitched over the fence into a pile of dung, was chased by an angry boar, and ran away like a ninny. I don't think he expected anyone to be there."
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:59 pm
Naevius didn't really know what kind of story Sebastien would tell, but she definitely wasn't disappointed. It was obvious that Seb was enjoying telling the story, as it was obvious that Nae was enjoying listening. Her eyes widened as he said he ended up fighting the trespasser and found herself leaning forward slightly at each of the pauses, hanging on his every word. It was when he revealed the true ending that she leaned back again and laughed. "One look at you and I'd run too!" She joked and threw a small stone at him playfully. "Though I can't imagine why anybody would be stupid enough to climb over the fences. We can only hope that they decide to climb the fence of one of the feral pens. That would teach them!" She couldn't help but laugh at the real ending of the story. Surely anyone who was somewhere they weren't supposed to be got surprised when they didn't expect anyone to be there would run away like a ninny, falling in dung and getting chased by a boar were just the icing on the cake.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:15 pm
Sebastian laughed. "Why, thank you!"
He supposed that being frightening was a compliment, or it was to him at least. He strove to be the man that trespassers didn't want to pass with. His work was physical, but he was sure to exercise otherwise. Maybe it was more of a compliment than he realized.
"Your turn," he said, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:29 pm
When it was her turn to tell a story, Naevius sat there thoughtful for a few moments as she debated on what to tell him about or if she should just make something up. It should be exciting as his had been! So nothing from home probably...a memory stuck out at her of a meeting that had gone surprisingly well. "Okay then..." She knew what she was going to tell him about now just what should she change? "So before you arrived, I had been assigned a few guards and I might have snuck away from them one day and wandered into the forest." She started sheepishly. Okay so she had a habit of sneaking away from her guards but was it wrong to want a little freedom? "I knew where I was going though, I kept going in a straight line and I made little marks on the trees to make sure. I really wanted to try and find some of the Juaharan animals. I thought if we learned more about them it might help us against the Tendajians as well as survival in the forest. Anyway, I followed an animal and then it stopped and turned around and started barring its teeth at me and a shifter woman appeared from the trees. I bluffed and said I had guards all around and she said she had beasts all around. But we sat there and just talked about animals, each taking a turn back and forth. Of course I fibbed a lot of the details or told her about little simple creatures back home and made them sound more dangerous. Whether she told me the truth or not, I didn't expect such civility. We ate fruit and talked and then both went on our way." She said it kind of matter of factly and wondered if he wouldn't believe her and think it was made up. This was before her capture and it just conflicted her feelings about Tendajians.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:43 pm
He should have expected as much! Naevius already escaped whatever protection she had to come talk to him. Maybe her escapism had been the reason he was assigned to her. It had already made him feel trusted and useful, and now they had been able to begin a proper friendship. All things considered, Sebastien didn't have many of those. He had coworkers, he would go drink with them, but at the end of the night they went home to their families and he bunked on the job. They were different. Of course, he and Naevius were different too, rather different, maybe even more different... but that was different. He was comfortable with her. She sought him out.
The young man listened to his companions story raptly, brow furrowing. Was this truth or an exaggeration? It was hard to tell. He liked to think that Naevius had actually been able to have a conversation with one of the 'rebels;' he had seen and heard them converse with others. It hadn't been his place to try and chat himself, though.
"A shifter? The ones that change color?" He had never met a member of one of the other Earthling clans before the battle and that was hardly a time to count. He had known that they existed, though, and just wanted to make sure that they had the same people in mind. They were all very interesting, especially the tall women with the green skin. Alkidike, that had been their name. "I can't tell if you're lying or not..." He was still smiling, though, and the fact that he trusted her to tell him which it was a bit surprising even to him.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:50 pm
Naevius nodded her head. "Yeah, she was like that one male that had attacked Saraf, the injured one. Except her eyes were different...weirder." She smiled with a little bit of satisfaction as he admitted that he didn't know if she was lying. "Would it surprise you if I told you I wasn't? I know I know I shouldn't sneak away from my guards...but I can't learn anything if they're romping around so loudly. I guess I should count myself lucky it was peaceful. I...I'm really conflicted and I don't know what to think about them anymore." Naevius admitted to him with a slight frown on her face. "Because on one hand, there was that shifter who acted, well, who didn't act like a savage. But then there are the ones from the camp that had abducted us. I guess its just like you had said when we had spoken of a similar topic that they could vary just as we do." She smiled and shrugged, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed that she didn't lie.
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Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:21 pm
"A little, I suppose," Sebastien admitted. He wasn't surprised that she had escaped her guards, of course, but that she had met an Earthling and acted civilly? Perhaps. It wasn't anything against Naevius' sensibilities, of course. It just so happened that most Obans loathed the rebels and anyone who looked similar, and the rebels hated the Obans. The latter made more sense to him, but that was beyond the point. Naevius was talking about conflicting emotions on Earthlings and he was curious. He titled his head and furrowed his brow.
"I do think they can be varied," he agreed, "and I don't think that the actions of few should impact upon your view of the many. If someone compared all Obans to the idiot Captain, I'd be annoyed, so it must be the same for them. From what I've seen, they're just people. People our people attacked, right?" he shrugged. "We would defend Oba with our lives, and so would they. I think I'd like to meet one now, uh... pleasantly. I don't much like the idea of being at the end of anyone's sword." He was struck by some thought then that caused a familiar smirk to grace his features. It was a shame they were already home, wasn't it? He might have been able to go with Naevius to meet a member of one of the other races. Certainly two of them was safer than just her wandering off alone. He didn't share his musings, though, at least not at the moment.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:08 pm
He was always so level headed, wasn't he? Naevius thought to herself. She felt so comfortable confiding in him and was glad when he would give his opinion in return. "You are right. We did attack them first. And our generals did abduct their leaders so I suppose the act of taking us might have just been revenge. It is in our nature to seek revenge as well so I suppose it could be in theirs." She fiddled a little bit before putting her elbows on her knees and placing her chin in her hands. It wasn't extremely lady-like, but it was comfortable. "Would you ever think of going back to Tendaji? I mean, there is that treaty now. I suppose Neued could be visited safely enough." The thought of him leaving made her regret saying what she did, but if it was what he wanted to do who was she to stop him? Oh, a noble, that's right. She could if she wanted to, but she never would. Naevius had to admit, though, the thought of going back to Tendaji under different circumstances was alluring. And honestly, she hadn't gotten to see many of their beasts which she definitely regretted.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:26 pm
Sebastien pulled a face that said he wasn't quite sure, but his half-grin bespoke his positive inclinations.
"Well, ah... maybe not so soon. Neued might be safe, but I'm sure there are some who would still like to sock an Oban in the face. The idea of staying to help struck me once, but there would be no friends for me there. Besides, I'm technically still under your father's orders, here and with you. He would like to go back, though. He'd like to speak to a person on the other side and learn more about their lives. He had never been outside of Oba simply because there had never been a reason to be. Curiosity was reason enough, though, wasn't it? "Some day, though. I'd like to see what the fauna is like out there. It must be different, must'n't it? Matori has proven itself to have all sorts of exotic beasts. We could, ah... spread our fingers out across the land with a treaty in action, couldn't we?" He indeed spread his fingers wide and wiggled them as he said as such. He had absolutely nothing to say against Naevius' posture, either.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:43 pm
Sebastien's grin and the sentences after caused Naevius to laugh. So he wanted to go back but wasn't too eager to do so. It was smart though, and he was right that not all of them will be friendly instantly. His reminders of her father's orders brought her back down though and it made her wonder if he was only spending time with her because her father ordered it so. It was a thought that was quickly dismissed, however, as Seb's kindness seemed much to genuine. "So I suppose that since we're almost back your orders would be finished then? Um, what are you going to do afterwards? You're not going to leave immediately...are you?" There were touches of curiosity in her voice, but more so a sadness that she unsuccessfully tried to mask. Nae smiled quickly and moved on hopefully so he wouldn't catch that in her voice. "I'm sure it would be very neat to see all the different exotic beasts that lie in not only Matori but in Tendaji as well. It would definitely be interesting." She ducked her head down at him when she felt a blush coming over her cheeks when he wiggled his fingers at her. With all her might, she resisted lacing her fingers between his and holding his hand, a sweet sentiment, just as the kiss had been from him, but she wasn't sure how it would be received and thus was the cause of her restraint.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:50 pm
He caught the sad little twinge in Naevius' voice and couldn't quite place it. Did she think he was going to abandon her friendship when her father released him from duty? Did she think he was going to simply disappear? He didn't ask, thinking it rude to pry into emotions that had not been openly offered, so just smiled and shrugged.
"Well, I haven't spoken to your father since so I could very well be relieved now," he said. It was spoken more in reassurance than by necessity. He'd always assumed that he was to continue his duties until he heard otherwise. "I do work for him, though. I live in the back room at the compound, as a matter of fact. There's nowhere for me to go, and I'm not one to just abandon my job to indulge my own wanderlust. Maybe some day, though, but not any time so soon." What it must be like to be free to do as you pleased! Naevius was able to pursue her interests and take part in whatever she so wished, as a noble. He was tied down to a job and the need for coin to survive. Of course he didn't envy her her position. Nobility came with its own rules and restrictions that he could only barely comprehend. They were from two entirely different worlds. It was funny how distant that fact was from his mind when they talked, and he imagined it was the same for Naevius. Nobility stuck their nose up at him, and they had ever right to do so. Naevius, the cousin of the king, never had.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:05 pm
Naevius continued to smile with the small reassurance that he wasn't going anywhere, at least not yet. It would be nice to know that he would be at the compound still and hopefully continue his work with the beasts. "I hope you do stick around. Perhaps then we could train together some time?" Nae didn't know what he would think of that, but training with another person made things go better, right? And you had someone else to see what you're doing right and wrong. It could be beneficial to them both! "And then maybe we could-" "Sebastien!" A call rang out. Upon closer inspection, it was from a young prentice around their age, rather lighter skinned for an Oban but Naevius recognized him as one of the lancer prentices that had come along with them. "Ah Sebastien, I thought I would find you here. Klance wanted me to come and get you because that one--" The young prentice visibly blanched when he finally noticed Naevius sitting in the shade. "Oh, pardon me, my Lady. I-I didn't see you there." He sent Sebastien a rather confused look as he bowed hastily to Naevius. Even though she was interrupted, Nae smiled at the other and sighed slightly at the obvious change her presence brought. "It's fine, please, continue." She said, straightening her posture as she did so. The young man, Nalt, hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Um, er, right. Uh, Klance sent me to get you because one of them um, one of the Radaku we captured is acting up." Despite Naevius' politeness, he shifted nervously from foot to foot.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:14 pm
Sebastian nodded and had opened his mouth to respond, but his head snapped up at the sound of his name. He recognized the lancer who assuredly recognized the noble sitting in the dust with him. He put his fingers to his nose to cover his mouth when Nalt noticed Naevius, but his eyes were laughing. He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head when the boy stumbled over his words.
"Sure, I'll come," he nodded, still grinning. He stood and turned to Naevius and for a moment had the inkling to kiss her hand before he left. No, that would suggest familiarity and Naevius didn't need rumors starting. Instead he dipped low in a bow and put out one arm. "Milady." He winked before he stood and turned. "Alright, Nalt. Lead the way."
He waved to the noblewoman behind his back as they began away.
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Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:22 pm
Smiling, although regretably, Naevius stood when Sebastien did. She knew and understood that he was still technically working. And as one of the few beast tamers who were in their little group, and one of the better ones at that, of course they would come to him for help. It was only logical after all. As he stood and bowed to her, she blushed again, and she couldn't help but notice his wink. "Bye Sebastien..." Thankfully, the prentice Nalt had already started walking away and so neither he nor Sebastien saw the hopeless look on Naevius' face. She knew what was happening. She was falling for him. And she knew, that even though he wouldn't accept the whip, she was going to leave it in his tent for him to have anyway. The bit of stubborn-ness fueled her forward to sneak back as he went the opposite way to leave her gift. He was one of her few friends after all.
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