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 Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 3:49 pm
It hadn't been Kalans choice. He had a lizard of his own, a fine raptor class cross with a fairly striking plumage and crest, but he had been feeling a bit under the weather and had been taken away for recovery purposes for the next few weeks, possibly a month or two. Sadly the missions Kalan had been assigned simply could not wait or be postponed because his small male mount was not present and he was going to have to make do with a temporary steed for the time being.
He disliked the females, they were always so reluctant to start out with, not wanting to leave the security and warm of their dens and nests in the holding pens. Once they were out they were trust worthy creatures. The males however were always just so obedient and did as they were told as soon as they were asked. Looked like it was going to be an uphill struggle until he mounted up..
"Come one.." He grumbled gently again, leaning back with his weight on the reins to try and show this lizard he meant business, "One way.. Or.. Another.. Coming.. Out.. Now.." He strained.
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:12 pm
"Well, I suppose telling a lizzard about your preferences is one step easier than telling your parents..." Came an easy voice to the side of Kalan. He'd come down here to pick up a lizard for himself, as honestly, it just made the first leg of a complicated mission a little easier. They handled the terrain easier, and just all in all made a trek a little less arduous.
Seeing Kalan though, had been an unexpected surprise... expecially since the last time he'd seen the smaller Drow he'd been wearing a rather bewildered expression thanks to a rather rudely stolen kiss... he smiled in amusement. At first he had put off going to say hello... it would be awkward, no? And it was unlikely Kalan would recall who he was. He'd been hired to carry out the mission, not talk with the raiders anyway... and he'd been all ready to drag his lizard from her stall when he'd heard that comment, and he'd just not been able to hold his tongue any longer.
He had thought about the diminutive young male over the last few weeks, it had to have been three at least, maybe verging on four now, but what could he do about it..? He'd been to the southdark, carrying out some treacherous work there for the third house he thought... it might have been fourth, and it wasn't likely anyone there would have helped him anyway... so just don't bother trying right..?
Luckily, fate and the spider queen had decided to smile for him for once, and here, on the very same job as he was, was the cute little blue eyed and spikey haired young Drow he'd seen before! Lucky, eh..?
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:23 pm
The smaller drow jumped out of his skin at the voice so close to him, it's not like he'd expected to meet anyone at the pens, and if there had been anyone lurking there, the certainly shouldn't have had any reason to talk to him. He startled to the extent that he let the lizards reins slip through his fings, and thanks to ho he had been leaning, with a small flail of his arms, he wound up falling right onto his rear in a sprawl, large pale eyes wide and staring up at the root cause of his fright and mishaps to find..
"Zakn'fryn..?" he slowly, quizzically arched an eyebrow, "What business do you have here.. After.." He blushed just a little, his cheeks warming as he.. Recalled how they had parted ways those many months ago. Hopefully it wasn't dark enough to show on his skin yet.
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Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 4:38 pm
Okay... so Zakn hadn't meant to startle him that much, nowhere close to that much actually.. maybe just make him jump a little, a very little... okay... a little. But as soon as he saw the other tumble down he crouched as well, holing a hand out to him. "I'm sorry..." he stated, a small worried frown on his face, "That wasn't quite the plan there Kalan... and yeah, Zakn is is..." the frown flipped momentarily to become a grin at that point, but it slipped away again into worry once more.
"What are you doing here anyway, aside from the obvious.." he gestured to the lizard, still holding a hand out to help Kalan up. "I guess you work with them, huh..?" He'd not exactly found out that much about Kalan the last time they'd met, then again, the last time, he'd never really expected there to be a next time, though he wasn't going to complain... regardless though. The timing was terrible.
"I'm running late myself.." he stated with a slightly amused smile once again, "Always the way though, Nath'ynda will yell at me, but that's pretty usual!" He chuckled quietly, he knew most of the time his brother didn't really mean half of the death threats, the other half... he was pretty worried, but oh well... "Are you gonna be okay though..? I can get you some help if you need it... these brutes are stubborn..."
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Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 2:50 am
Kalan gave the giant male quite a disgusted look at the implication that he worked with the lizards.
"Work with them? I certainly don't make a living mucking out their pens if that's what you're implying. I use them. I'm a surface warrior.." With a mildly irritated noise he took the offered hand.
"My own beast it under the weather.. So I'm unfortunately lumbered with these communal, less than gracious beasts for my current mission.."
He brushed himself off firmly, missing a few patches here and there, "More to the point.. Shouldn't I be asking what you of all people are doing lurking here? Commander Nath'ynda does not usually require the use of lizards for his.. Assignments.. He ventured warily, unsure if he should be talking about any such missions with Zakn for the time being as he waited for the other male to help him up.
Despite the outward appearances, he was thrilled to see the other male once again, despite how they had parted company, and once the initial fright and anger had passed.. Well it made him feel a little nervous in a good way, at least he hoped, to find himself in the friendly males company again.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:12 pm
"Oh I didn't mean you worked with them in that way..." Zakn replied, half flopping a hand at his friend, working now at tugging his own lizard out of the stall, the best objected for a few minutes, but not for very long, the larger Drow's incessant tugging at the harness that connected the reigns wasn't a particularly comfortable sensation, and it relented, walking out to stand still fairly near to the darked haired, bright eyed drow. "I just meant you worked with them... road them... or some-such thing." he petted the beasts neck once or twice and then grinned at Kalan. "A surface raider though, huh? I'd heard you had to be, well, a little strange to do that as a job, that wasn't where I'd classify you thus far..." he smiled then, "But oh well, if its enjoyable work, why not, huh?" He reached over, letting his own lizards reigns flop down for the moment, and gave the creature Kalan had been trying to muster some convincing that getting out of the stall would be a very good idea.
"Nath won't care if I'm a little late anyway," Zakn' stated, now stepping away to procure a second lizard. "I know we don't usually use these beasts, but we need to hit in faster than usual... they know well enough to head back here of their own accord if we don't make it so..." he shrugged slightly. "We were going to take up a smaller group originally, than the one we have now, so I said I'd run down here for a couple of extra mounts for us to take... I guess you're doing the raid on the settlement we're striking at then, huh...? That's good, I wasn't sure they were going to get a team together in time, the run was arranged at some seriously short notice." He patted the lizard again, the second one now standing beside him as well.
"I'm not really as fond of Lizards as I should be, but then again, don't have to use them much..." The streeakh weren't really expected to come back from most of the missions they went on, and it was only the rumoured leadership skill of commander Nath'ynda that kept many of the current squad alive for as long as they had been. His second, his brother, was rumoured to be somewhat skilled as well, though there were of course those that said Nath'ynda had died a really long time ago, and people were just using his name to keep up the ruse of success. Of course, some people in the Underdark were also a little weird....
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 1:31 pm
"Commander Nath'ynda." Kalan automatically corrected his companion, "And I'm sure he will.. Besides of which, being punctual would be very good manners.."
The smaller male pulled a face at Zakn as he successfully coaxed the lizard he had been bothering out of her pen and held a hand out for her reins, "Thanks.. I never had much luck getting through to the other lizards."
His eyebrows knitted together for a moment as he mulled over Zakn's.. Insult was it?
"Hey.. Strange being a surface raider? Odd maybe, but.. Once you're numbed up to the bright lights the benefits for a skilled warrior are pretty unbelievable. The number of interesting, and valuable I might add, artifacts I've found over the years.. And hey, you can't judge.. You.. Well, what do you work as?" He demanded, "I've told you more than enough about myself and you've not told me a thing in return, other than you like to be.. A little more than disrespectful to the commander.. Whether you've saved me or not.. I don't think that excuses you from keeping such a monumental secret for me.." Kalan smiled just a little, teasing Zakn gently, feeling just for a moment at least, a little playful.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 6:18 pm
Zakn had to admit he found himself slightly amused by the other Drow's attempts to correct his offensive dropping of the commanders title, but using it for him would just have been to weird. "I don't think Nath would mind me dropping his title so much.." he stated, handing the reigns over, "I mean, we grew up together after all, he's mu brother.. Nath'ynda and Zakn'fryn De'Faer, also, that kind of explains what I do with myself, I work for him, with him... I run the band of the Streeakh that are here today myself, usually, but the run was deemed important, so you get the both of us!" he grinned hapily.
"Its a mucky job, of course... but you must have heard how good Nath is, I get the odd honourable mention as well, of course..." he chuckled once again, pushing one of his hands back through the black hair that adorned his head. "Of course we lose a few people here and there... but such is the nature of the job, they all know the risks when they sign up, but its not always the most easy way to make friends... I mean.. we're somewhat frowned upon, I suppose, I mean look and Nath and I... I black haired commander and second. Almost unthinkable." he shook his head, eyeing the lizards standing by him.
"I guess you are probably right on the topic of the sanity of surface raiders, I'm not one, I just go on hearsay..." he stated, smiling in what he hoped was a soft way at the other Drow.. he hadn't meant to offend him after all, "And I'm terribly sorry for keeping secrets, though, you'll have to tell me what you think of me now you know, or, I'm afraid I might just go mad with worry.." he was evidently not being too deathly serious with that threat, but at the same time, he was also apparently curious. Not that many people in the Streeakh were... socially well adjusted... they were either outcasts or fanatics... Nath was both, and well... they tended to try not to get too close to others on the principle that you never knew when you were going to fail to come home.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:49 pm
"You.. Grew up with the Commander..?" Kalan seemed a little taken aback by that for a moment, "Well I guess that would explain why you're so.. Quick to lose the formalities where he is concerned." He mused aloud for a moment then.
"And a Streeakh? And you dare tell me a surface raider is insane!?" He laughed a little, though not whole-heartedly. It was always the attractive ones, the ones who he thought that it could be fun to be with, that were so unattainable, the ones who could disappear off the face of the underdark or the surface for good in the blink of an eye that he managed to work up an attraction for. His previous love had proven that fact quite pointedly.
Which led him on to wonder, why he was letting himself feel so bitter about Zakn once this had come to light. He was still pretty much a stranger. An attractive stranger, indeed. An attractive stranger that he may have had the occasional day-dream about when he had a moment of peace from working or from Shi'n..
"Yes.. I can imagine it to be mucky.." He continued suddenly after his rather pregnant pause then slowly looked up with just a hint of an impish little smile, "But honorable mentions..? No no.. I think you'll find that the Commander is the one who has all the adoration and praise. I'm not sure I'd ever heard your name brought up in de-briefing reports.."
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:56 pm
Zak'n shrugged very slightly and tilted his head to the side, "I think Nath would die of shock the day I ever actually called him commander with a straight face..." he stated, "Its just not the way we roll..." the taller drow stretched slightly, his darker blue eyes fixed on the smaller as he finished speaking... he looked... thoughtful. "You know, You're probably right, it is a nutty job, I mean.. no one expects us to come back from each run we make, but damn, Nath and I... we're good you know? We know what we're doing." For a moment he'd been half tempted to ask what was on the others mind, okay, more than half tempted if he was truly honest about it, Kalan just brought out this nosy streak in him... he'd wondered on the other more than once since he'd met him that one time a while... the stranger he'd stolen a kiss from... damn cute stranger he was to.
He'd just about resolved to ask him what was on his mind, as he knew it wasn't really any of his business at all, when Kalan actually spoke again... totally throwing off his train of thought with the comedic little comment. "You're right you know, no one ever knows my name when they meet me, or even after I introduce myself..." he chuckled, his hand lifting to brush back through his wild black mane of hair. "But hey, as long as it works I guess it doesn't matter right..? I mean.. you're not gonna forget me, are you..? And as long as you know me... what more do I have to worry about...?" It didn't dawn on him until after he'd said it how... specific that had sounded... how much of a direct attention to the other, and... when he thought of maybe making some effort to dilute it a little, he found he didn't really want to....
"One day I'll make my own name..." he stated with that friendly smile of his back in place once again. "One day, till then, I'm just happy proving the system wrong." And he was pretty good at it, twenty odd years and then some working with his brother and he was still breathing.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:40 pm
Kalan hummed a little in agreement, "Yes.. If you've been working in the squads for that long then.. Well, we hear a lot of good things about the Commander and his elites so.." he just nodded a little, averting his eyes back down to the reins in his hands. He felt.. Oddly self conscious all of a sudden, at what he was.. Thinking he should be saying to what Zakn had just.. Had he meant to admit that.. He mattered to him?
He can't really have meant it in anything more than a platonic way, but all the same.. It made his insides squirm that he could have meant it in another way. He did kiss him when they had last parted ways.. And then once again the thoughts of his profession and the loneliness came creeping back inside.
"So long as.. I know huh..?" He mumbled a little at first, "Well I'm.. Pretty sure that you'll make a good name for yourself if you just keep on doing that, huh? Messing up the average life expectancy for the Streeakh one mission at a time." He gave the reins a little tug to keep the lizard from trying to wander too much and brushed the hair a little more out of his eyes as he dared to peek up at the dark haired drow again, his source of curiosity and internal discomfort.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:56 pm
Zakn shrugged slightly and gave the two lizards he was holding a thoughtful look. "Should probably be getting back really, huh..." he queried, almost to no one for a moment, before he let his gaze flicker to Kalan again. "Well, its always good to be remembered, huh..?" He asked with a smile, "And if you remember me, then I can't ever be really forgotten can I..?" He chuckled. "I'm probably just talking nonsense. Hey though..!" He'd actually taken a few steps towards the door, intent now on starting off at least heading back towards the assembly point, "Do you live around here, I mean... in a few days, would you like to get a drink or something, have a chat..? We've bumped into each other twice now.. so... I thought it could be fun!"
He flicked his eyes back to the door again. "C'mon Kalan, I'll walk to back to the raider ranks before I head on myself. Its not like its miles out of my way..." he chuckled again. "Don't mind the companny do you..?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:13 pm
The smaller male snapped to a little as Zakn brought his attention back to the time-scale they should have been working to and nodded in agreement, "Oh yes.. Most definitely. If I'm not careful I'll be on the receiving end of disciplinary for punctuality.. It's shocking really how strict they get the night before a mission." And almost like that, once him mind was.. Averted from his personal life, he could function again with some semblance of normality with Zakn. It was getting a little ridiculous in his opinion.
"Of course I'll remember you.. You're the death-defying streeakh who is not known publicly and who steals both lizards and kisses of total strangers. Not something you'd forget in a hurry." He smiled a little, reaching out to take the reins of the lizard he had chosen, brushing his fingertips against the other males hand for a moment.
"I guess you could walk me if you'd like if we are going the same way.. I didn't know your teams were involved, so I had no idea you'd be camping out here.." He motioned for Zakn to lead the way out of the slightly narrower passages leading away from the lizard pens, "And a drink.. I think would be in order to celebrate the impending success of a mission.. If we can find each other after wards and so long as.. Well so long as you continue to destroy those statistics.." He peeked up through his white hair again, "And.. You will keep doing that.. Right..?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:24 pm
"Ah! You remembered that as well huh!" The taller male actually had the grace to look ever so slightly embarrassed at the way he had behaved the first time they'd met... his eyes however were caught by the hand that had just brushed his... was it intentional..? Oh by Lloth he hoped it was. It meant that Kalan was at least... to some degree starting to mirror his own feelings... that had to be a good thing.
"I think we should meet up here in a couple of days... Nath and I... well, we won't be back down here in the Underdark for a good few hours after the run's over. We have to make sure we clear out as many of their leaders as possible, and then keep ourselves from being eliminated if we can, but... if we come back here in three days time, I know I'll be able to find you, right..? And I'll be there..." he grinned slightly once again, lifting a hand, the reigns falling out of his fingers, to brush the pretty white hair out of the others eyes, his palm gently cupping the smaller Drow's cheek.
"I promise Kalan, statistics ain't got nothing on me..." he was confident, but that was how he lived his life. He had no doubts that he'd succeed, he had no doubts regarding his own skills, and he certainly had none pertaining to his brothers. "So yeah... I'll keep doing that..." he was slightly surprised to note that the other seemed... concerned... he hoped he could chase some of that away...
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:07 pm
Kalan tried hard not to smile too too much as Zakn fought with a somewhat embarrassed expression and just.. Couldn't help but tease him ever so slightly in return, he got the impression that it wasn't an easy task to get the upper hand on the fairly easy-going streeakh, "Well it was pretty hard to forget being pounced on out of the blue by a complete stranger who rushed you not too long before that moment and almost got you snacked upon, huh?"
"A few days..?" He repeated, trying very very hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice and expression. It was likely he'd have been found another assignment by then, either a raid or a task from the G'elds.
"Here at the pens or..? Either way.. I'll do my best to keep myself freed up for then 'cause.." He paused as his hair was adjusted.. And not by his own hand. He pouted fractionally for a second before going just a little wide eyed at the fingertips over his cheek.. And then the hand.. He looked up a little cautiously, mostly looking through his eyelashes and what little hair was still obscuring his face.
"I.." He started and paused for a little while, "Honestly.. I don't know why but.. I trust you.." He continued a little shyly, fidgeting just a little bit closer, stretching up to press the quickest of kisses yo Zakn's chin.. Then fleeing like a salamander from a drider.. Only a little more graceful.
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