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 Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:22 pm
ouchdragon hunt | kiandri | lose It's hard to believe that Thren slept the entire time Leyn and I were out fighting. That's what babies do, I suppose. It was a good thing he didn't try to come along. We were both injured, and I can tell that Leyn really wants to be cross with me for not following his orders, but he's learned that gets him nowhere. He suggested that we put my text to good use and practice defense instead, and that we both work on our healing spells. For once, I agree.
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:29 pm
kick the babydragon hunt | kiandri | lose I would be furious, but I'm just glad we made it out of there alive. I am not speaking to Thren for a time. From the way he stares at me from across the tent, I think this is a suitable enough punishment.
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Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:01 pm
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 10:57 pm
sand, sand everywheredragon hunt | kiandri | win That was glorious! Thren and I make a wonderful team, but I wonder if I am growing soft. My first kill in months and the dragon is barely more than a child. On top of that, I had help.
I know what I need to do.
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Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 6:31 am
one is better than threedragon hunt | kiandri | lose There is no entry on this page.
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Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 6:39 am
start a fire Eanah drew a sharp breath as she awoke, a panicked flutter rushing through her stomach. Where was she? Thren's warm snout lifted her hand and she calmed as she felt the huff of his breath against her palm. The Malro Desert. She was so tired. Closing her eyes once more, she slept.
When she woke again, Eanah was relieved to find her mind had slowed its spinning. She could think beyond her disorientation and her body's pain. She could... What in Soudana's name was she wearing...
"You're awake."
She tried to turn her head, but the movement caused her dizziness to return tenfold. She took a deep breath.
"Yes," she said instead.
"Do you remember anything of what happened?"
She and Thren had beaten a Kiandri. She didn't remember much more than that besides...
"I was flying."
"You fell."
Yes, she knew that now. It was coming back to her in flashes of light and a number of additional exhilarating stomach drops. Was this what it felt like to be an Orderite, to swoop and dive through the sky like some brainless bird?
"How long ago was that?"
"Six days."
Those words seemed to serve as an invitation to her stomach. It growled loudly and she winced, overtaken by an insistent, hollow hunger.
"Can you sit up? I have broth and bread if you think you might—"
"Yes. Please." She bent her elbows and pushed, ignoring her nausea as she rose to a more upright position.
"Once you have some food in you I can try healing your concussion again."
"Hm." She skimmed her hands over the front of her unfamiliar shift, gathering the pale material in her fist. It shimmered under Leyn's faint magical light. "Where did you get this? I didn't... bring it?" It certainly didn't look familiar, that was for sure.
He tensed at her question, recovering quickly as he handed her a bowl of thin, flavorful liquid. His throat bobbed as he swallowed once, and when Leyn spoke his voice was low. "No. I bought it."
"In the last six days?" She smiled. "It's awfully fancy for an invalid." Eanah tipped the bowl to her lips, savoring the warmth of the broth as it trickled down her throat, in spite of their stifling surroundings.
Leyn retreated to the other side of the tent as she ate, looking for all the world like a dog who had shredded his master's favorite robes and was waiting for him to find them so he could be punished. For a long, uncomfortable minute, she couldn't figure out why he was acting so timid, but on her fourth sip, several glaring problems with their current conversation permeated her fuzzy brain.
Okay. He had just readily admitted to purchasing the clothing she wore. No mystery there. What he seemed reluctant to agree to was the time frame she had proposed. If he hadn't bought it since she had been injured, when had he bought it? Why did he have a shimmery sleeping shift in her size just... lying around?
Now that what she was wearing occupied such a prominent place in her thoughts she couldn't help but wonder... by the goddess... had he seen her naked?
Eanah slowly lowered her bowl of broth and locked her gaze on her knees, feeling the additional heat of a blush rising up the back of her neck and settling high in her cheeks.
"You've had this for... how long have you had it? Did you buy it for me?" She looked up. "Did you dress me in it?" She wanted to run from the tent, but she imagined she wouldn't get far in her current condition. Her rational mind knew she was overreacting, but for some reason she couldn't distill into words, she wasn't able to be rational about this. "ANSWER ME!"
A furious shriek echoed from outside the tent. Thren scratched at its flap, demanding to be let inside.
"Eanah! Calm down!" Leyn held out his hands and spoke softly as if he was calming a skittish hastar. She was embarrassed to realize that it was working. She didn't want it to work.
"Yes. I bought it for you. I've had it for... a while. And I thought you might die. As horrible as this sounds... I wanted to see you in it." He had moved closer, but not too close. Leyn stopped, giving her just enough space so that she didn't feel crowded. He lowered his hands. "We are friends, always. Am I wrong? You couldn't wear what you had on and I had this and... I didn't look more than I had to." He turned away. The next words out of his mouth sounded like he was forming them against his will. "Besides... there is nothing of you I haven't seen."
She closed her eyes, the dizziness returning. "That is not something I needed to hear."
"I will not lie to you anymore, Eanah. I've kept quiet for—"
"Stop! Just stop talking! I can't..." She took a deep breath and pushed herself forward onto her hands and knees. It took every ounce of her strength to crawl to the tent flap and slide outside onto the sand. She was surprised to find she was crying. She hadn't cried since the day she had arrived at the Sanctuary, and she couldn't recall having ever done so before then.
Thren helped her to sit up again, and when she turned and shed her silent tears into his neck, he hummed softly and leaned against her in a comforting drakein hug.
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Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 6:43 am
awkwarddragon hunt | kiandri | win There is also no entry on this page, but there are several spots where the paper has been distorted, probably as a result of moisture.
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Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 5:02 pm
farewell Everything was packed in the same canvas knapsack it had arrived in, but this time the bag was secured to Thren's back instead of her own. Had it been her decision, Eanah would have lingered on Eowyn for another month, but now that she had attacked him, Leyn had clearly started to think that it might be better if she left after all. He hadn't cracked a smile in her presence since she'd killed the dragon, but she had heard him joking with Thren about any number of silly things in that time. He would be fine. He would be better without her.
The plan was for Eanah to catch the first ship in the morning, a trip that they had prearranged the day before due to the fact that she'd be leading a drakein aboard. Tonight, Eanah and Thren would be staying in town, and right now, she was stalling. The only thing that was making her feel better about the whole situation was that Leyn seemed to be stalling as much as she was.
"I can carry that tome back with me and leave it for you at the Sanctuary. It's no trouble."
"No, it's fine in my pack. I had Thren's egg in there before, remember? There's plenty of room now. And I only brought it as a joke anyway. I should be the one to take it back."
Leyn nodded. "It did come in handy though."
"It did."
He looked almost wistful. It wasn't a smile, but it warmed Eanah's heart all the same.
"Leyn?"
"Hm?"
"I want to thank you."
"You don't need to—"
"No. Just listen." Eanah pressed her hands together, digging her nails into her palms to keep from fidgeting. "I didn't know what to think when we were paired together all those years ago. I knew I needed training, but after Maon chose me, I thought he would be overseeing what I learned. But then... I met you. I questioned myself and chafed against what you had to show me, but in the end... you were what I needed. So, thank you."
She didn't wait for permission from her brain because she knew it wouldn't be granted. Eanah closed the two short steps between them and wrapped her arms around behind Leyn, closing her eyes and pressing her ear to his chest. It shouldn't have made her happy to hear his heartbeat quicken and feel his arms tighten against her back, but it did. It only lasted a moment all the same. She pulled away gently, looking up at him and swallowing.
He held onto her for a second or two longer, his fingers trailing through the ends of her hair as he let her go.
"Eanah. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
He smiled then, but it was only the result of a sarcastic scoff. "If I don't need to apologize, then why—"
She pulled back further, completely out of his reach, her hands clapping over her ears. Eanah stood straight again when Thren let out an unhappy whine, shocked out of her upset anger by the effect it had on her drakein. "This is... I can't explain. I... I need time." She bent stiffly, retrieving the smaller bag at her feet and pulling it over her shoulder. "I need time. Goodbye, Leyn."
He drew a breath to speak again, but before he could, she was gone.
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Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 11:58 am
supplies Eanah was exhausted, both inside and out. Each breath she took seemed like more of an effort than the last, but her difficulties had little to do with her recent injuries. She was physically tired, of course. In her months here, trekking across the desert had never gotten any easier, and today she was in a rush on top of it. She knew she was setting herself up for a wait in town before her ship departed, but she didn't care at the moment. The more space she put between Leyn and herself, the better she felt. No, it wasn't her body that was feeling the brunt of her weariness—it was her mind.
Once she had reached the first couple of stalls, Eanah slowed down considerably, one hand on Thren's back to keep him close. Nearly everyone stared as they passed, the only notable exception being an old, blind Dovaa who had no reason to. Some met her gaze with fear, some with suspicion, and a scant few with the open warmth she knew they also would have displayed had she been alone. She meandered toward those booths, returning the peddlers' smiles with cautious versions of her own. As vapid and ignorant as she normally found members of the other races, she needed their happy lack of judgment today.
The booth that finally caught her eye was set apart from the others, but it was no less garish than its nearest neighbors. Its owner seemed just as happy to see her as any of the other people she had passed, but for some reason this place felt as though it would hold wares of greater interest to her than these other shops. The fact that it was manned by an Oblivionite certainly helped.
"Hello, lovely girl. What would you and your boy be looking for today?"
Her... boy? Eanah froze for a second, feeling Leyn's presence even though he was far away. When she realized the woman meant Thren, she cast a sidelong glance at the keindred and chuckled. Her boy? Yes, she supposed he was. "I don't know," she replied. She had originally planned to spend another month or two in the desert, so she had all of the stipend she would have needed for a stay of that length burning a figurative hole in her pocket. "What do you have?"
The woman smiled, her toothy grin taking up the entirety of her face. "Souls, tears, supplies, all direct from Arick. Show me your gold and I'll give you the best deal for your money, lovely girl."
Eanah smirked back, reaching into her cloak. She wasn't going to hand over all of her money by any means, but she couldn't help the curiosity she felt over what this woman would choose for her. When she held out her gold, the other Oblivionite's sockets widened with glee. She reached into a satchel at her side and brought out a dragon soul and two crystalline items that might have been nothing more than particularly shiny jewelry had Eanah not been able to see their colors.
"Very special indeed," the peddler said.
"Yes, I see that." She jingled the coins in her hand. It might not have been everything that she had, but it was still quite a sum. Were these gems worth all of this?
Thren huffed with excitement. "Special," he parroted, showing Eanah and the older woman an image of him wearing the tears as earrings, similar to the pair the peddler wore. Eanah chuckled.
"All right. Thren seems taken with them, so I shall relieve you of these three without any of the customary haggling."
The peddler smiled, wrapping Eanah's purchases in a soft cloth and taking all of the money except for five golden coins. "I will save you the trouble of needing to haggle in the first place, lovely girl. I am glad to see your smile. Have a wonderful day."
Eanah swallowed, clearly touched by the woman's small kindness. "Thank you. I hope yours is wonderful as well."
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 8:25 pm
not interesteddragon hunt | kiandri | lose I surrendered to a Kiandri today. I have no thirst for the blood of lightning dragons anymore. Perhaps I am just tired, or maybe it is one last gift to him. I do not know anymore.
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 8:26 pm
antsyhunt | riistäjä | lose I have heard many tales of the Riistäjä that prowl near Koralifel over the years, but since going there at night to see them for myself was frowned upon, I never met one face to face until now.
They are very annoying creatures.
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 8:27 pm
unpreparedhunt | riistäjä | lose I am ashamed. It is one thing to lose to a dragon and entirely another to fall asleep in a field when you are meant to be training. I must try harder. This can never happen again.
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 8:28 pm
not good enough Her mother had always scolded her for running indoors. Eanah could almost hear Maira's disapproving voice echoing through the halls of the Oblivion Sanctuary as she raced toward Draco Verrano's meeting chambers, her long skirts held up high around her calves. The thought irritated her, as did most thoughts of her parents these days. When she had first arrived here, she had made a point of forgetting her old life back home, but ever since her falling out with Leyn, her mother and father had been creeping back into her thoughts more and more. They weren't welcome. She had never thought that she would yearn to be a child again, but if this was what growing up entailed, she wanted no part of it.
She stopped to marvel at the intricately carved door as she had a number of times before, even when she wasn't coming here specifically. Eanah was not the blasphemous sort, and she would never think to covet Draco's position as the voice of Soudana, but surely she could covet his chambers without wishing his job was her own. She knocked as she had the last time she had visited here, and when no one told her to stand her ground, she pushed open the heavy door and entered the room beyond. Little had changed since the last time she had brought dragon souls to their leader as tribute. The space still seemed impossibly wide and she felt small and fragile inside of it.
"Have you brought me more souls than you did before, little mage?"
Eanah managed to keep herself from frowning, but only barely. At least she had been given an upgrade of sorts.
"Yes, Draco Verrano. I bring you five souls."
His features did not shift, but Eanah could almost feel the disappointment roll off of the Oblivionite in waves.
"Many of your class and rank bring me far greater numbers. Has your training gone poorly?"
"No. Many of my class and rank are untested brutes. I may have brought you fewer souls, but that is only because I have spent more of my time pursuing realistic goals than bashing dragons' skulls in."
Draco's large hand curled into a threatening fist. Perhaps she had gone too far. Eanah swallowed. "I am sorry. I spoke out of turn..."
"Do not apologize." She had been watching his hand, but she still flinched a bit when it slammed onto the table. "Children of your age are often hot-blooded. Your bleats are amusing to me and do not offend. You are still a child, even if you think yourself grown, and such words mean no more than those of an Apprentice. You now enter a higher tier of training, however. If you come to me again with such pettiness on your lips..."
He didn't continue his thought, but the threat was there. Eanah inclined her head and moved to open her bag. "Yes, I understand. Shall I show you—"
"There is no need. I... trust you." He grinned ferally, as if he found their entire conversation amusing. "Take your souls and go. And do better next time."
With another short bow, Eanah closed the flap on her satchel and fled from their meeting.
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 8:29 pm
breakdown Quote: Eanah has lost someone very close to her heart recently and by her own hand at that! A companion and dear mentor that she has known for years named Leyn. She and Thren have left and it's now time for some reflecting!
Eanah seems to be thinking about Leyn a bit more now that Leyn is out of the picture. What are some of her thoughts on Leyn? Does she seem to be having similar feelings? What exactly is holding her back from exploring those feelings? Or, with more thought, does she really only see Leyn as a friend and mentor? Tell us what Eanah is thinking and where she sees herself going in the future!
Four and a half months passed before her emptiness and grief truly caught up with her. To say she was not prepared would have been an understatement.
The library was quiet and warm that afternoon, a stark contrast to the chilly air outside. The weather was unseasonably cool, especially at night, but it was still comfortable enough to sit in the courtyard and read. A week ago, she might have been looked at askance or even mildly scolded for choosing to remain indoors, but no one would confront her now. The place was teeming with melee troops, called together by Draco Verrano to prepare for war. It was no fit place to read now, even for one who was expected on the battlefield as well.
Instead, the girl sat inside with a book in her lap, lounging in a cushioned chair so large it seemed to devour her. For once, her reading material had nothing to do with academia, though there was magic involved, if one felt like being pedantic. It was a perfectly mindless fictional tale of beautiful, brave Oblivionites, vanquishing their enemies and falling in love. She hadn't anticipated that last part until she was a number of chapters into the story, though had she been paying attention, even she might have guessed as much from the cover illustration alone. She had been searching for an escape, but it seemed she had stumbled into a trap instead.
Several skimmed pages of shy glances and quickening pulses later, she felt her empty eyes sting with unshed tears. She closed the book abruptly, wincing as the slamming of its pages echoed through the silent room. Scrambling to her feet, Eanah wrapped her arms around her torso in an attempt to cease her shaking. This was weakness... madness even... Why was she reacting this way to a mere story? Why did her chest ache with fear and shame when she recalled that day in the desert? Why had she left?
Eanah saw his face in her mind's eye, his brows knit in disappointment and pain. She heart his heart beat faster when he held her, and she fervently wished she could do so again, that she could have such a profound effect on someone she... no. If she didn't acknowledge it, it wouldn't be true.
She was halfway to Dares' room before she realized her feet were bare. The stones beneath her were dry and cold, and darkness had fallen more quickly than she had anticipated. She couldn't pay an unscheduled visit to her etiquette instructor at this late hour. It would be... unseemly. She abruptly changed direction at the next split in the hall and broke into a run, her skirts pulled up nearly to her waist.
The armory was not a place she frequented on a normal day, so it was no wonder that Eanah tripped over an empty sword stand as she entered, falling forward onto her hands and knees with a wince and a grunted curse. She felt Thren awaken in response, and she quickly sent a soothing missive to her bonded, even as her own temper continued to boil. It wouldn't do to have a drakein rampaging through the practice room, even if she did have an urge to destroy something.
Satisfied that Thren would not rush to her aid at the moment, Eanah pushed herself to her feet and crossed the room, her jaw set as she swung wide and punched one of the bags in the corner with all of her strength. The impact jarred its way up her arm, and she let out a sudden bark of laughter at the sensation. She swung and struck again, and with it came another laugh, this one louder. The third time she hit the bag, her laugh was tinged with pain. She peered down at her split knuckles and the shimmering lines of blood oozing from them. She hated being injured, but in this instance, she couldn't help feeling as though she deserved it.
By the time Anat awoke and realized that someone was in the practice ring after hours, Eanah had bloodied more than her hands. The punching bag was tacky with dark splotches and she was still punching, her bruised fists dripping onto the floor at even intervals. The weapons instructor hurried up behind her and grabbed her arms, pinning them at her sides.
"Eanah! What in the name of Soudana are you doing?"
The girl struggled and kicked, all of her protests confined to the silent thrashing of her body. She was out of practice. Anat had no trouble holding her still. He even managed to turn her around in his grasp so he could see the pain etched into her face.
"What happened? Did something—"
Her arm flailed out of his grasp, slamming hard into his jaw. Anat subdued her again, giving her a single bone-rattling shake in lieu of a slap. "What's the matter with you?"
And, like that, Eanah stopped fighting.
She didn't stop because she realized she had been behaving like a fool or because she was worried about upsetting Thren. Eanah stopped fighting because there was something the matter, something that went beyond her and Leyn somehow, but still managed to taint everything she felt toward him. Even though she could admit there was a problem, she still had no idea what it was, and if she never discovered its source, she didn't think it would ever be fixed.
Eanah dropped to the floor like a sack of grain and began to cry.
To his credit, Anat didn't fuss over her or freeze up, he simply knelt beside her and rested his hands on her shivering shoulders, folding her into a hug when she turned to face him. A short time later she pushed away, wiping her nose and trying to compose herself.
"I... I don't know why I'm..."
"It's fine." Anat rose to his feet again and offered her a hand up. "You forget that I have a daughter now. Sometimes... you cry." He shrugged, the ghost of a smile touching his lips.
"I don't." She hadn't since... all right, fine. Maybe she had. But she certainly hadn't done so in front of anyone else.
"Don't worry. I won't spread it around. The Adept waiting in my chambers might not be so generous." Anat kept a straight face for a moment, finally chuckling at Eanah's stricken expression. "Kidding. I'm kidding."
"You kid too much."
"And you not enough." He looked as if he might say more on the subject, but instead he shrugged again and folded his arms. "You don't train anymore. You should. I can teach you how to hit so you don't bloody your hands."
Eanah flexed her fists and almost tucked them behind her back before she realized he had already seen plenty of her injuries. "Yes," she said cautiously. "I should." She straightened proudly, a calm settling over her that made her seem as tall as her instructor for a moment. "I want to thank you, Anat."
He shook his head. "Don't m—"
"I used to think you were half a step above a lackwit, but you are... kind. You have been far kinder that I deserve."
Anat barely kept his mirth contained while she spoke. Soon he was chuckling in earnest, then laughing outright, his hands dropping back to his sides as he shook a teasing finger at the girl.
"I am only as kind as you deserve. When you enter that door as a proper student again, you won't have many reasons to be quite so complimentary." He moved toward the door, pushing her toward it as well by his proximity. "And I am a full step above a lackwit, I'll have you know."
"Hmph." Eanah smirked and shook her head, the urge to yawn threatening at the back of her throat. When she reached the armory's exit, she turned and put a hand on his arm, then she was gone.
Despite her exhaustion, Eanah stopped by the library on the way back to her room to pick up her shoes, meeting Thren along the way. She left the book behind. The next time she picked it up, she promised herself she wouldn't have a reason to cry over it.
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:40 pm
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