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 Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 8:13 am
Ruelash had been pretty happy when he had killed a large wild raptrix. Raptrix were awesome, fearsome predators and he felt honored to have fought one and killed one. If he could feel honor. Well, it was something pretty close to it anyway.
Allright, he'd had help, and they'd taken the pelt, the feathers, what meat that was edible, and the bones, but he'd managed to get his hands on the teeth and claws. They had reminded him of the leaf tribe girl who had dropped by Zena a while back- the wimpy one that made sense and wasn't a whiny b***h like everybody else in the world. Didn't she want some claws to make a claw? Hadn't she said that she'd let him use the claws? Besides, she seemed the sort to like pretty and sharp things. His sister didn't, because his sister was a wimp. Too bad.
Normally, the elders kept him in Sauti and Zena, which was fine because while his heart and soul beat for Bergchi's deadly white tundra, the Sauti wilderness was just as fun- a whole different set of challenges. And also Wind Earthlings whine less.
This time, though, his package delivery keep-the-crazy-prentice-busy-so-he-doesn't-try-to-kill-us-all job took him beyond Sauti. He had a few packages for settlements in Zena's belt, and a few that he was to leave at Kesris, Idry, and Tind. But there were two that really got him excited. They were bound for the Tale. He didn't care if it was trade or not, he was going to the desert!
He was to leave them with the headmen of Ist and Vers respectively, but he had another motive that would give him a delay: He had those claws, see, and maybe if he asked around he'd find that Winta girl.
The Sauti treks had gone well. The mountains weren't Zena, but they were rugged, solitary, and fun. It was when he started to get to the warm flatlands, where the Sauti haze started to give way to clear desert air, that he actually gave pause. But he'd been ready. at the last watering hole he knew of, he filled a bunch of canteens, traded some furs and yes, some of the claws and teeth, for food supplies, and shed his coats, leaving them in a new storage place that had been built just for that purpose- travellers to the Tale who needed to shed their warm coats to survive. He'd have to pay the s**t-eating wind tribesman later, but eh. He'd have plenty of stuff, he bet. Tale stuff was going for a lot more these days, and he could always hock his big coat and try to make another. He could use the challenge of having fewer layers in the icelands.
Ist went well. He had a few problems with water management, but Sauti was no fresh mountain lake either so he adapted pretty well. Food management, as always, was fine. He even hunted a few of the little ratty things- hit 'em with a rock and then stick em. Those provided nice things to trade for whatever he needed. A crappy bow and arrow? Sure. Bunch of poscutas and a half a canteen. Need fruit? Trade the spindly running things that he shot with the bow.
Heck, he was starting to have fun in this desert.
Except for the godsawful heat. Chi, it was hot. The sun made the sand like an oven, and he found himself travelling at dusk or night because it was that hot. His lowest layers were soon shed, leaving him in his bare torso and a frayed set of thin underpants- which were, of course long and more covering than a loincloth. It may have been more covering than the leaf tribe was used to, but he felt almost naked without his layers and his coat.
His skin burnt almost blue black though fortunately his dark pigments kept him from burning quite so much. Didn't help the heat though, so by the time he had reached Vers, he was in a bad mood.
he delivered the package to the elder, only for them to write a note and then hand it back, telling him to take it to some old fart in the village. Not in those words.
The elder offered him water, which Ruelash was running out of, and that was the only reason he managed to calm down enough to not punch the leaf man in the face. In an attempt to not punch the guy, he asked about Winta. Surely he knew where she was, maybe. If she was in another village, that would be fine. He'd figure it out.
And here, Ruelash's luck kicked in at last. Turns out, the old biddy he was supposed to deliver to was Wintas gran! And Winta lived there! Talk about killing two Chuka with one stone!
And so it came to pass that a shirtless, sunburnt, violent, touched in the head, survivalist ice man was knocking at the entrance to Winta's family hut, holding a package... Or two.
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:20 am
Since Winta had last seen Ruelash she had made a lot of improvement in regards to her spear making skills. It had extended much further than that as well and she could efficiently make knives now. Her spears were still fragile but they were less choppy and it was clear she was close to being able to make a useful one. However, Winta hadn't given herself a moment to get to excited about her improvement and instead devoted any extra free time to making some items from her talk with the boy she'd met in Zena. Ruelash and her seemed to have somewhat similar ideals although he obviously was more into the killing and she was more interested in the things that aided in that aspect. Since her grandmother was an Artisan, Winta had grown up learning how to sew so making the fabric part of the items wasn't too difficult for her as she'd been practicing how to do it pretty much every day of her life since she was able to hold a needle. "It's done!" She said enthusiastically, holding up a boot with extra lining on the inside to keep out the cold. She'd already completed the left boot and now the right was done as well. It had taken some time for Winta figure out how to rig a device that would allow a small knife to come out when prompted and she'd even needed to go to the tinkerer's of the settlement to get some help but it'd worked. Now all she needed to do was make the miniature knife that would go inside. That hadn't been the only thing she'd worked on either. In her spare time she'd also made a ton of gloves for different types of climbing and had attempted to make the claws and grabbles that went with them. There was still a lot of room for improvement but at least if Ruelash did come to visit her she'd have something to show him. Her heart swelled at the idea of him coming to Tale. Unlike most girls her age Winta wasn't excited to see Ruelash because he was oh so handsome or something like that. Nope. She was excited to show him and even give him weapons to kill things with. Then tell her how they had worked and how she could improve them.
Her joy was short lived when she heard someone knocking on the door. Lately her grandmother had made feeble attempts at getting a boy that lived just a couple huts down together with her. It seemed he always showed up at the worst of times too. Like now. Or so she thought. Winta walked to the door and didn't even pay attention to who it was before she blurted out what she had intended to say to someone other than Ruelash. "For the last time, no I will not go on a date with you!" She half-yelled. Then she realized who it was standing in front of her and her cheeks turned bright red. Her only thoughts then were of 'oh my gods, what?' and a couple curse words aimed at herself. "I--- Uhh..." Her mouth tried to form the words of an apology and then she was suddenly distracted by the half-naked form before her. Why was Ruelash not wearing a shirt? It wasn't a common thing for guys to wear one in Tale or nearly pants but the fact that this was Ruelash whom she'd met with a ton of layers on, it was a shock. "Why are you naked?" Was all she could ask, her eyes couldn't look away from his bare chest. Were those muscles? He was thin and fit? Like, really, really fit. It had never occurred to her that there could be well, this, hiding under all that. For some reason she seemed to be completely captivated by his body for some reason. "Wow." It was unclear what she'd meant exactly by that but it seemed to be the only word she could get out. Her brain seemed to short circuit.
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 9:19 pm
Ruelash was confused but unphased by her initial outburst. O... kay. Well, he didn't care about a date, so he didn't have a problem.
His lips did twitch into something vaguely a smile, pretty good for him, especially with how grumpy he was. He'd been looking forward to this. Winta had been fun to talk to. And she'd promised him something- a weapon, he thought. He'd already gotten the desert survival experience he wanted.
But right now she wasn't acting like the Winta he was looking for.
"Uh" why was he naked... what? "It's ********' hot." he said, grumpily, forcibly reminded at how vulnerable he was right now. No layers, only skin and a tiny tiny tiny bit of cloth. He was not happy, not at all. But he was surviving, and it felt good to manage the new wilderness. Not master- you don't master Bergchi, and the moment you think you are, you die.
"... Got a package." he said gruffly, hauling up the wrapped box, the bag of claws and teeth on top of it for stability.
He definitely didn't mean the innuendo.
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 8:52 pm
When Winta saw Rue's smile she snapped out of her brain dead moment. Okay, what had just happened? She had to shake her head a little to free herself from the image of his bare chest. Why was it so appealing? Winta wasn't usually the type to stare at guys but for some reason she couldn't help it when Ruelash showed up on her doorstep almost completely naked. "Right." She replied, her eyes finally detaching from his chest to focus on his eyes. "You're not used to the heat. Do you want to come in?" This time she managed a smile and a little bit of a laugh. She moved out of the way so he could enter if he wanted to. "My grandmother." Winta rolled her eyes a little before turning around and going further inside her home. She promptly took the package down the hallway to her grandmothers room and placed it in her crafting area. It'd be the first place she'd look.
Once the package was put away Winta headed back towards the door, the claws and teeth in her hand. "Not to say my grandmother can't use these. . . just not her usual item." Winta told Ruelash as she inspected them, not realizing that they were actually for her. "Wait. I have something you'll love!" She finally said with a grin before waving for him to follow her to her room where the weapons were waiting.
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:49 pm
Ruelash noticed where she was looking and looked down at his chest as well. Why was she looking at him like that, was there something there, like a wound he should take care of, or a... he didn't know?
Nah, there was nothing. She was being wierd Winta, and he was starting to get cranky. Was he misremembering her or something?
Then she stopped being wierd-Winta and went back to the Winta he knew, and he threw that thought out. Nah. This was definitely Winta as he remembered her.
Also, yes. He did want to come in. The tundra had sun, but this was a whole different level of sun. He came in, glad to be relieved of his packages.
"Mmh." he grunted. Yeah, it was for her grandmother. He almost wanted to ask what was in it, but he was more distracted by what she was getting for him.
Was it the weapon he had been dreaming about every star-filled sandy Tale night? Or what?
He was so of guard that he forgot to tell her that the claws and teeth were hers. Well, he could do that later.
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Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:24 pm
Once Winta entered her room she promptly went to work gathering up the items that were ready right then and there for him to take. This consisted of the gloves with various tools attached to them and a couple knives with different curves to them and a couple that had jagged edges. All were pointy and sharp. "Here's a few things." She said, handing them over to Ruelash before going to the boots and putting them on. "These still need the small knives that will go in them, but more or less this is it." She added before pushing the heel into the floor to make the device which would hold a knife pop out. "So, what do you think?" Winta asked enthusiastically. It may have just been her excitement over her creations but she felt like she had made something useful and new. Having Ruelash's approval would be a bonus. Not to mention he was really the only one she had to ask about the efficiency of weapons. Well, there was another person she could ask but they lived in Jahuar and that place was hard to navigate. So much life and abundance of everything.
As she waited for him to respond she found her eyes going back to his bare chest. She felt compelled to touch it. As if his abs weren't real but held herself back. Winta had never looked at anyone like this, let alone a boy. However, seeing Rue there in her house half naked just made her mind confused. She couldn't say if she found him attractive or interesting but if he didn't get some clothes on soon she wasn't sure what she might do. Maybe if she asked he'd let her touch his chest. A little touch couldn't hurt, could it? "Ruelash? Can I touch your chest?" She blurted out. "I want to know how strong you are and what type of weapons you're best suited for." Winta added, trying to recover. What was this girly emotion springing up on her? Since when she go around touching others chest? Since when she want to do that?
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Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 5:24 am
Ruelash had been expecting one weapon, not a large collection of knives and sharp things. He was surprised at the quantity. Pleasantly surprised. Definitely in a good way. His eyes went wide, glittering at the treasure trove of sharpness, and he grinned. He took the knives and lifted each of them in turn. He had never seen blades like this... and he liked it. He grinned (though it was a little awkward to carry them all).
The knives alone were wonderful, but she had the boots as well- the stabbing boots of stabbing and OH CHI THEY ACTUALLY WORKED! Without their knives, but they actually worked.
It was the quantity that was throwing him. Multiple (Multiple!) knives, claw gloves WITH TOOLS (he couldn't wait to try them out oh wow!) And boots that (would soon) be extra special for kicking!
What did he think? He had no words, only a maniacal grin ad a gleam of awe in his eyes. He took in a deep, almost reverant breath for the sharpness and awesomeness around him and was about to give words a try when she caught him off guard.
"What?" She wanted to touch his chest... what the hell? He looked down again. Ugh, he felt so exposed. It had nothing to do with pretty girls, or guys, or whatever. He just felt really naked. Why the hell did she want to touch his chest. Her explanation seemed a bit fishy, but he... didn't see.... why... not?
"Uh... Sure?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:58 pm
Winta had only briefly noticed the joy that spread on his face as she had presented him with a bountiful amount of gifts. Of course she was happy that he was happy with them. Not to mention excited to see what he thought of them when he actually got to use them. However, his bare chest had taken over her mind. The curiosity of how it would feel when she touched it was just too much to bare. Would it be hard like a rock? Or would it be soft to the touch? Winta could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she moved closer to him and began to extend her hand to touch the gloriousness of his chest. "Okay." She said, almost after the fact. Her hand had already been itching to touch him.
When her fingers were close to touching him she closed her eyes tightly and turned her head a little away from him. As if touching him was equivalent to touching a Mammu for the first time who might or might not kill you once you did. Which, could be true in Rue's case. It wasn't that Winta was really afraid though. Once her fingers finally came into contact with his skin her eyes flew open and her attention was set on his chest again. His skin felt soft and rugged all at the same time. His muscles were tough underneath but not all at the same time. Before she realized it her other hand flew up to his chest too and they began inspecting his muscles. "Wow. Whoa. Oh!" Was all she could manage to say as she gently pushed on the muscles in his chest and stomach. Ruelash was this strong? Of course he was. Winta took in a large intake of breath, pulled her hands away and then moved herself over to her work desk. What was she doing? Her cheeks felt hot. What was going on? Why did she want to touch his chest? Why had she touched his chest? Why did her heart feel like it might just burst out of her chest. Maybe she was sick. Yeah, she should probably go see a healer. If she wasn't sick then what else could it be? Was she losing her mind? Winta's hands sat firmly on the top of the table and her back was arched over them so that she could hide herself from Ruelash. Winta knew what she had done was not only weird but wrong in some way. How right it felt though.
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Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:32 am
Ruelash was a bit uneasy. He carefully put down the sharp things as she touched his arms and chest.
It wasn't that being touched and groped and prodded was exactly a bad thing, but it was just really strange. He gave her an odd look, like the sort that a wild animal might make when uncertain, but allowing touch for the first time. The sort of look that said he might lash out or leap away if she wasn't careful. He did neither.
"Um..."
What was she even doing? Testing his muscles for weapons, like she had said? He guessed it made sense, in a really strange sort of way. When she was done, he crossed his arms across his chest, feeling uncomfortable and very exposed.
"Well? Whats the... uh... verdict?" he asked, walking over to her work desk. He'd been grabbed at like a piece of meat- what had she gotten from that?
He knew what he had gotten: Nervous. For some reason. He didn't like nerves. Damn, he really wanted to cover up with a blanket or something.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 3:30 pm
Winta really didn't understand or like the feelings she had in her chest. It hurt and ached. What the hell was wrong with her? It was a little worrying but it only happened after she'd touched Ruelashs' chest. Her breathing seemed a bit more heavy too, for reasons she once again couldn't explain. When Ruelash walked over to where she was at her desk she turned her head away from him. Her cheeks and even her ears felt hot. "Y--Y--You're p--p--p--pretty strong." Her voice sounded weird. Was it weird? Maybe it was just her. Why was it so hot? This room was way too small all of a sudden. It was like she could feel every breath he took. Something was really, really wrong with her and she had no idea what it was or how to stop it.
"I--I think I c--c--can make you some--t--t--thing." Winta blurted out. Her hands closed tightly around the edge of the desk. Ruelash probably thought something was wrong with her. Something was. Probably more then he could guess. Why had she wanted to touch his chest? Why did touching it cause, this, to happen to her? Then an idea made it's way into her head. This could all just be a symptom of sleep deprivation or maybe she wasn't hydrated enough. Those seemed plausible. When she started to work on weapons she blocked out the world and could only focus on what she was doing. So it seemed very likely that all this was caused by her inability to take care of herself properly when she threw herself into her weapon making. Yeah. That had to be it. Winta gulped silently as she tried to wet her mouth and throat. They seemed awfully dry for some reason. "You're muscles are impressive." What in the world was she saying? Had that just come out of her mouth? Winta wanted to kill herself right then and there. Hopefully this was all a dream and she'd wake up.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 5:13 pm
"Uh... thanks?" he said, giving her a look that was almost unreadable. He was actually getting concerned. She wasn't acting like Winta. Again. Maybe it was this damnable desert heat messing with her head or something?
Or... she was sick.
He came closer, leaning over her desk to see what she was doing.
"Hey... Winta... Are ya feelin' well?" he asked, trying to read her face, actually concerned, "Yer foot better?"
It ought to be, it had been weeks, months even.
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Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 5:51 pm
Why did he get closer? Winta thought she was suffocating by being near him, yet it felt good to do so. His concerned voice made sense but her brain had too much to process. This time when she tried to speak though she found her mouth dry up once more. Only, she couldn't speak. Instead Winta managed a head nod. Was she feeling well? To herself, no. Yet, all of these feelings as odd and weird as they were, also had a strange sense of rightness. Winta found herself wanting to explain this to Ruelash but she didn't want him to think she was a complete weirdo despite thinking she was one herself. Ruelash's opinion about her mattered in a way she'd never felt before. She didn't want him to hate her. Would hate her if she didn't tell him though?
Winta took in a deep breath and kept herself looking in the opposite direction, her body still tense. "My. . foots fine." Good it was the first step. "I'm not sick. . . . I just. . ." She quietly managed to get out. Winta didn't know what to do. Should she tell him this weirdness that had happened or not?
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Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 4:21 pm
"Thats... good?" and she was still acting all wierd. Had their conversation back in Zena been one of those whatchamacallit... flukes?
"I mean, it shoulda healed by now, so 'was wonderin..."
He looked in the direction she was looking, then back at her. What was she looking at? The wall? O...kay?
"... Ya sure? 'Cause, I mean, if theres a temperature ya should, uh, deal with that."
Yeah. Getting sick would make her act un-winta-like. Maybe that was it. Damn, this heat was horrible. He hated it so ******** much.
"Uh. Anyway. So. I got these for ya." he said, bringing over the bag of teeth and claws, "I killed a raptrix an' they let me keep 'is sharp bits. Thought ya might like them."
That whole thing with the raptrix and the bandit had been awesome. He replayed it in his mind over and over again during the long desert nights when his sunburns made it hard to sleep. The fight and the blood and the action. It had been so badass!
"What can ya make from those?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:43 pm
Things were getting awkward and embarrassing quick for Winta. "Yeah, you're a good doctor so I think that helped." She told him, her face still bright red. She couldn't really explain to herself why she didn't want him to hate her but the notion of that made her heart sink. "Huh?" Just when Winta was about to come clean about all the weird she didn't understand that was going on with her, Ruelash offered her an escape and needless to say she jumped on the change of conversation.
"Oh, these are cool." Her face was still red but it had been forgotten when she saw the items Ruelash had brought with them. Apparently they weren't for her grandmother, but for her! A smile grew on her lips once more. "Whatever you want!" Winta said excitedly, looking into the bag he was holding but far too excited over the contents to actually take it from him. What could she make out of them? The possibilities were once again endless but it was picking one that would be the difficult part.
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Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:09 am
"Whatever I want...?!" Ruelash was somewhat taken aback. What did he want? "Ya already know what I want...?" hadn't he told her already? Whatever. Now she was acting more like Winta. Maybe she just had a dizzy spell or something. He kept getting them down here in the Tale. Less, when he discovered he could get water from the gourdy things under the ground and from the grass. He didn't like the Tale like he did the Tundra, but they really were beasts of a similar feather. Despite the heat, he had been, on some twisted masochistic level, enjoying the experience.
Speaking of.
"Hey, got any water?" he asked. Of course she did, but he wanted to know where it was so he could have some because he was, come to think of it, running low. And any cloth he added silently. Looked like there was plenty of that... now to just swipe something long and not too heat retaining and wrap that around himself so he could be less naked...
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