Welcome to Gaia! ::

Getting back on the road & holding onto the fox head in his pack, Dusk had walked a long way looking for a place to stay for the upcoming night. Unfortunately he had no luck in finding a place that would welcome a dark creature such as he even though he helped others in need. Still walking up the road Dusk saw some suspicious people who were huttled around on the side of the road. Rushing off the road & into the trees he over heard their plan to ambush the next traveler(s) in chances of getting something of value from the traveler(s). Dusk quickly thought of a plan to stop them. He pulled out some rope & tossed the fox head still covered in cloth near the group of bandits. As they looked & went towards the covered item, Dusk unsheathed one of his swords & grabbed the rope in hopes of ambushing the bandits them selves.

As they drew closer to the covered item, they wondered what kind of treasure they would find, being as stupid as them they oviously didnt know it was a trap of some sort. Dusk was ready to jump out from behind the tree as soon as they untied the cloth. As soon as they untied the cloth they wondered what in the world was a severed fox head doing covered up in a cloth. Dusk had soon jumped out & threw the rope around the group of bandits & held tightly on to it with one hand & with the sword in the other. Just then the bandits leader was able to get free from the rope & ran away to get help from others. Dusk thought to him self "maybe they werent all as dumb as i thought."

Dusk tied up the bandits to a tree. After he was done with that he ran off in the direction the bandit's leader had gone, but suddenly reached a clearing and was confused as to where the bandit had gotten to. Deciding to head back, Dusk went on his way once again. Following the road he was on, Dusk noticed that mysteriously all the men that were tied to a tree were stabbed to death by some one or something, but continued on his way once again.

((Gah! Use some marker when speaking out of character. While I can tell you aren't in-character, it's bothersome. I don't know why.

And I completely agree with you on your point. The edit button is there for a reason.))

He couldn't take it. The silence, the nothingness, it was eating away at him. He had been a soldier for so very long. He had been in countless battles. He had slain many enemies, and had always triumphed. But he had never known anything of peace. His peace was war. He was a tool of his King and Queen. He was a one man-army, and his definition of peace was different from others. Many others thought of peace as Love, not war. They thought of peace as everyone getting along together in harmony, with no pain or suffering. Jaster had realized this was never true. People suffered. People felt pain. Even in peaceful times. He had decided long ago that Peace was giving his life every day so that others would not have to give theirs. He fought wars so that his family and his friends and his allies would need only worry about their rations and their clothing, and not their very lives.

But this, he thought to himself, this was a quiet spell. There was no declaration of war across the lands. Battles sprung up here and there, but there were none to protect from the inherently evil. For once, Jaster Alan Tikaris did not know what to do. His mind whirled and whirled, spinning like gears in an eternal clock. He went back into the tavern and tossed a few more doubloons on the bar. "Jus' 'nother pint," he said. He took the mug and seated himself in the same booth he was just in. Must be warrior habit, he thought to himself. He looked around the tavern, and watched the antics. Many of the civilians were having a grand time, and it was a racous place. He smiled. This was exactly what he kept fighting for. They could be here enjoying themselves instead of sleeping with one eye open. His eye caught a young lady, however, who was not having a wonderful time. She was in fact very quiet and reserved. He watched her intently for a moment, almost to reassure himself that she was real. After a while, he got up, and walked to her. His platemail clanked with every step of his boots, and when he reached her booth he looked down at her with soft blue eyes. "Why are you here alone, whilst the others are entertained and happy?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he could do to cheer her up. Most times all he knew to do was to fight so that others didn't need to. That cheered most people up. Talking, especially to women, wasn't his strong suit. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he added.

Jaster flashed a toothy grin. He listened without speaking as she stammered through her explanations. After her interrogation was complete, he smiled and made a slight bow before seating himself. He took a swig of his ale and, with militaristic precision, rattled off answers to her questions. "About me, milady, is a long story. And from your state of being, I can tell you would not wake throughout it all. However, should you mean to ask why I am here at this time, not enjoying myself like the others, I have the same answer as you. Their method of enjoyment is not the same as mine. I derive my happiness from seeing others happy. If I can make their lives easier, I know I've done my job. My name, milady, is Jaster Alan Tikaris. I have been alone for nigh on three years now. I am a freelance knight, previously under the tutlage of Sir Gaspain. I know not what I shall do with my life, and as we all must start somewhere, why not in a friendly place?"

He gazed upon this woman before him, took another swig from his mug, flashed another toothy grin, and continued. "Willing women they may be, but they receive no good times from me. And if I may pose a question unto you, why is it that you would mind if a stranger in the tavern happened across a willing woman?" He grinned, and finished his ale. "Is there anything else you would like to know, milady?"

She definitely wasn't like the other women he had known. He had known few women, and of the ones he did know, there were two types. There were the hopelessly romantic types, fallen for aggravatingly handsome knights who had many mistresses, and there were the willing types, the types who enjoyed a good time so much that they would accept it from any willing man. This woman before him was neither. And for some reason, Jaster was drawn to her. It was as if she was a beacon of light, a lighthouse on the shore in complete darkness. Only she stood out amongst the many. His curiousity was piqued, and he wanted to ask her about herself and learn what made her different, but his training held his tongue. He spoke when spoken to. He wasn't slow or stupid, but since he never held them, conversations were not his specialty.

Kernyel eyed Jaster a bit before speaking. "Well, at least you're right about staying awake... I've nothing to keep me up anymore, it seems." She was thinking as fast as her slightly intoxicated, extremely tired mind would work. Not the first time an altruistic knight's crossed my path, but he seems at least moderately genuine. "Oy, and I don't mind who comes upon willing women or not, but it's an odd day when a strange knight approaches my table in a loud tavern with beautiful women; can't fault me for seeing the practicalities." She said a bit crossly. Her mood was shifty with each sip of her drink, it seemed.

"And enough with the 'milady' this and 'milady' that; plain old Kernyel's enough for me." She closed her mouth with a nod of satisfaction before taking another drink and looking up at him again. Something in his eyes made her terribly suspicious for some reason, though of what she was not sure. Well, you've spent plenty enough time of your night speaking with strange clinking men in a loud bar! With that thought, she drained her mug, looked up at Jaster, "Well, Sir Knight, as charming as this evening has been, I think it very much past my hour of wakefulness and I most graciously excuse myself from your fine company. Perhaps I will see you in town..." She said with a graceful, if old fashioned motion of bowing out. Her long braid actually swung behind her as she turned to leave the tavern. He had her name and she had his; Tier was not yet large enough that she would fail to come across him again before she moved on.

Her brain was feeling foggy and it was an effort to remain focused enough to continue her exodus with some form of dignity. Gods! but I need sleep... She made sure her ankles and wrists were covered, as well as her many-ringed ears before she got too far. No sense in tempting trouble tonight... She knew her appearance was vanity and risk, but she couldn't help herself. A girl's got to have something to feel beautiful about, she reasoned. She looked around her as she reached the street to get her bearings (sp?) before turning right and heading back towards the Golden Pike for a desperately needed and ardently sought after rest.

Kernyel made her way quietly to the 'Pike and headed upstairs to her room. She sat for a while, filling in a part of her map that had originally plagued her mind enough to make her get up and search it out enough to be able to map it accurately. Her head was heavy and it was a painstaking task, but she was never one to let herself put anything off until the next day. Well, usually anyways...

After taking her boots off and taking advantage of the washstand, she slipped into a night dress (Remarkably similar to her day dress...) and replaited her hair without her intricate brass clasp and also divested herself of all other jewelry save the drop of the sea that her mother had given her on their last day together. She looked on the pile of gold. She loved every piece and loved even more that few ever knew the extent of her collection. They were her own private works of art, wrought with love and water. The two armbands snaked nicely about her two cuffs and all were draped by two anklets, each with a small bell on it. She sighed and chuckled a bit at herself. It was a silly fixation, really.... but she liked hidden things, and each of these were hidden from view for the most part and each hid another secret all its own...

Sighing, she laid down neatly on her bed, pulled up the covers, and made sure they were perfectly balanced over the bed. With that verified, she waved her hand and a small breeze blew out the candle next to her bed. She went to sleep with a smile on her face, her mind a chaotic mix of ocean, city streets, blue eyes, and sparkling metal that shifted from gold to silver and back. It would be a long, deep sleep before her eyes would awaken once more to begin a new day.