[Matori] This Is Not Okay! (Taijana/Kieran)

[Painted Moose]

Taijana was fresh off the boat and scared out of her mind.

The other earthlings couldn't stop pointing her out in the crowd, which made the small yaeli all the more nervous. She clutched the strap of her satchel with both hands, wringing the leather back and forth in an effort to keep her nerves in check. What beauty was held in this land was diminished considerably by the awkward situation she was in. There were so many eyes upon her; all strange, golden eyes with horizontal pupils and ears that made them look like fish...

It didn't take long for her to shuffle away from the crowded dock and onto the more open beach. True, it was a more exposed area, but there were less bodies here. Most were out on the water bringing in the days catch and for that she was grateful. Taijana could breath here. After a few deep inhales the petite huntress settled down on the soft sand and tucked her legs close to her chest.

How was she going to make it to Oba if she couldn't even handle...what was this? Matori? Her mission was doomed before it even began! She could still hear the rumors floating around the market about her; purple hair, glowing eyes and all the stories that came with it. Seeing her crossbow made them think she was a danger; oh, if only they knew! If only they had bothered to ask instead of whispering behind her back.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

When he went through the markets Kieran still stuck to his cloak for privacy. Even though a few years had passed there was still a high chance of others causing a ruckus for any of his kind that came through the area. So even though he had been on the mainland for several moons now the male still opted to keep his hood up and his business to himself. Only a select few in this certain market had gotten used to the random appearance of the cloaked male and it was those few that Kieran often went with for trade.

"Back again, stranger?" An older Matori with enough wrinkles to write a history of his own smiled at the cloaked figure who approached his booth of wares, "Same orders new trades?" He held out a hand expectantly as Kieran placed an empty satchel into it along with some gemstones, "Those are mighty nice - come from your own shores I gather?"

Kieran smiled, "Yes they do."

"Must be priceless to ya." The old Matori placed one of the rocks back into the Yaeli's hand, "Ye come 'ere oft enough so have a discount today." He filled up the bag and paused before handing it over. "Ya know if you've already been caught out here why bother with the hood? I'm hearin' all about some strange purple haired creature this morn.'

"Wait, someone from Yaeli is here?" Kieran found himself blurting out as he grabbed his purchase from the Matori, "Do you know anything else?" Not that he was hoping to see his own kind that badly...or actually maybe he was. Either way he was curious, who was out here fresh off the boat? Slinging his satchel back over his shoulders the male thanked the merchant before heading back through the winding maze of stalls. From the way whispers were roaming about the marketplace it seemed the Yaeli had left and headed further along the shore.

Pursing his lips, Kieran moved forward rather hastily in hopes that he could catch up to this other stranger from Yael. Then as he walked for a few minutes the boy almost gave up on his search. It wasn't like he would know the other Yael - mostly he had kept to himself on the homeland so his recognition of others was fairly limited. And he was not expecting whoever it was from Yael to just be simply huddled in the sands. In fact, Kieran almost passed it by for a rock before slow recognition hit him. No - no way. Taking a few more steps he shrugged off the feeling. What was he? "I'm imagining things on the shore now." Obviously that had to just be a strange rock hunkered down there...with purple hair and a shaking body.

Frowning, Kieran turned around and stared back a few feet at the 'rock' he had just passed. "Are you...no." He blinked and took off his glasses to wipe them on his cloak before placing them back on his face for a better look, "Tai-Taijana?!"
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Taijana dug her bare toes into the soft sand and clenched them with everything hiccuped breath. She wasn't crying, not yet, but the petite yaeli was standing on the threshold of losing it all.

There were no Gods here to guide her, and even if she were to go to the Matori deities for guidance would they even help? Her plethora of trips to the Sanctum before leaving Yael hadn't seemed to give her the inner strength she had so fervently prayed for. Taijana was lost, both physically and spiritually; if only there was a sign, some sort of clue or-

She raised her head, big doe eyes glistening with unshed tears and fear. Her arms were clutch around her knees still, but the familiar sight loosened her grip from a needy lifeline to a softer hold. "Kieran? Kieran!" Her legs turned on their own accord, moving in such a way so as to spring load their mistress onto her feet. Taijana scrambled for enough of a foot hold to carry her closer to Kieran, and in an instant she had launched herself at the poor man.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Oh gods - seeing that face he didn't even feel up to teasing her. How terrified was the poor girl to be here out of all places? Kieran was still in disbelief to see her. The mainland and Taijana? Now that was something he would have never believed possible! What had driven her to come all the way out here? Was something perhaps wrong back on Yael? The thought was enough to nearly make him stumble from worry. Now look here...I'm catching that worry bug from her. He teased himself, but still the fear was there. What if something really was wrong?

Admittedly he hadn't been expecting the launch attack from the girl so Kieran barely managed to open his arms to catch the petite woman. His footing, however, was awful in the sands and the Yaeli male found himself falling backwards. Thankfully the sand was soft so when they both crashed to the ground it was only a faint 'umph' which escaped him along with some of his breath. "Tai...jana." He managed while he rolled her on top of him. His glasses askew Kieran was still thankful to see a familiar face out here. It truly was...nice especially that it was Taijana's face he saw. Who knew he could have missed those tearful eyes so much?

His arms around the girl, Kieran rubbed her back soothingly. "It's okay, you're alright now." Then in the next second reality sank in and the boy had to push back from her - gently of course. Depositing her on the sands, he stared over at her and fixed his glasses. "I'm glad to see you, but what the seven hells are you doing out here?!" He managed - a rare sign of excitement from the typically reserved male, "I mean what are you thinking? Did something happen at home? What if you hadn't run into me here? Did you even think about that?" He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. While he was glad to see her the male was certainly full of questions and concern!
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Taijana wasn't just crying; she was sobbing. Great, heaving sobs that left her face a hot mess and that nearly took her breath. She clung to him as if at any moment he would simply disappear. The fall didn't throw her off beat for a moment; her hands, now claws, were digging into his vest while her face buried itself into his chest.

One moment she was receiving comfort, and calming down, and then the next - an abrupt end. Taijana's breathing was still erratic as she sat back on her knees, one hand rising to wipe at her eyes while the other moved to hold onto her own clothing now instead of his. "I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Taijana's tears started to fall again and the girl lowered her head. She seemed to crumple in on herself. She had hoped he would be happy to see her, relieved even, but what she hadn't expected was for him to be unhappy.. She should have known; it was something her mother had taught her, that people were rarely happy to have a nuisance around.

She couldn't even answer his questions. She just kept murmuring "sorry" over and over in between her hiccuped breaths. Taijana had thought she was doing a good thing, something a true friend would do, and now he didn't want her, so she should leave, but she couldn't move and-

Taijana didn't realize she was hyperventilating until it was already upon her.
 

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

His heart racing in his chest, Kieran stared at the girl sobbing in his arms. What did he do now? After years of basically living on his own the boy definitely had no experience with comforting anyone - especially a crying woman. And to add onto that his friend was apologizing over and over! He wanted to lecture her - tell her that she should be sorry because what she had done was foolish and reckless. His own stomach knotted at the thought. What would he have done if something had happened to her?! Dammit, woman. The Yaeli frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to sort his scrambled thoughts. Out of all the things he had expected today this was far from any of them.

As she started to hyperventilate, Kieran nearly jumped. Alright then so much for getting an answer. Instead he instantly rushed forward to slide into the sand next to her and pulled her into his lap. Wasn't this something he had seen once? "It's okay, Taijana. I promise you're fine now. I'm here - so the gods must have meant for us to run into each other." How else could fate work for her to fall into his way so easily? Not like it's hard to trace rumors of another Yaeli on the mainland, but still. What if he had been in Oba still? The thought was enough to make him furrow his brow once more as he circled his arms around the girl and slowly began to move her back and forth with him.

"Deep breaths. In and out, in and out. Okay?"
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Breathing was becoming a chore for Taijana. It took a great amount of effort to draw in the amount of oxygen she needed to keep up with her tears, and she felt so guilty over it. which inevitably made things worse. She clawed at the cloth over her lungs, her skin gaining qualities that made it both clammy and overly warm all at once.

And now he was holding her, and that made it worse. First he was yelling, now he was holding and Taijana just wanted to crawl into her own skin to die...She couldn't even bother looking up at him, and that ringing in her ears...it made it impossible to decipher what it was he was saying...

I shouldn't have come. Why did I come? I shouldn't be heeerreee...

At least her body seemed to give, taking in one final, deep breath before the girls eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in his arms. Taijana had lost her battle with consciousness, but at least, for the time being, her breathing was even.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Kieran cursed softly under his breath as the girl went limp in his arms. This was why he worried about her coming to the mainland. How was she going to handle meeting the foreigners? Would she pass out every time a Matori or an Oban walked past? What if an Alkidike...the thought made him stomach clench. Regardless of whether or not the extremists were outcasts he still couldn't stand looking at the strange race. Each and every one of them made him flinch and instinctively he would reach for a weapon - anything to brace himself for attack.

"Seems like I'm always causing you strife." Shaking off his wandering thoughts Kieran glanced down to the girl in his lap, "I thought sending you a letter was to comfort you, but I suppose it wasn't the best idea." Good job, Key, good job. Sighing, the Yaeli picked the slender girl up in his arms and started to walk through the sands. Maybe if she woke up in a more comfortable place she would be able to transition better? "You better hide, Aia." Warned Kieran to his familiar who slithered back inside of his cloak.

.......

Thankfully his camp was close by. A few moments later Kieran would lay Taijana down on his bedroll in the makeshift tent that he had set up near the beaches - away from the docks, but close enough that a decent walk could get to the markets. Still, it was quiet here save for the trickling of water from the cliffs nearby.

Taking out a copper pot, the boy decided to brew some tea while he waited...
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Taijana awoke with a slight migraine, centered near her right temple, and a case of cotton mouth. She groaned, throwing her hands over her eyes before rubbing the exhausted orbs. What had...? With a surge of panic, she opened her eyes and pulled her hands away, looking anxiously for Kieran.

The first thing she noticed, however, was that she had been moved. For a moment she wasn't sure where to, but the bedroll and tent made it obvious she was in a camp of sorts. She moved to sit up, pressing the palm of her hand against her head as she did so. Taijana knew that with a fair amount of water she might be able to get rid of it, but for now, it would just have to ache.

The young huntress stood, then moved aside the tent flap to see the beach and Kieran. At first she didn't know what to say. He seemed busy enough with his tea that she might be able to slip away...but that would be rude. He had been kind enough to bring her back here, so she owed him a thank you, at least.

And that's what she did. She moved closer to him, head lowered, and spoke words of thanks without looking up.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Kieran had been so focused on the tea and his worry that the sudden whisper truly took him by surprise. Letting out a shocked breath the male nearly jumped before turning to see Taijana standing nearby, "You don't have to seem so ashamed." He replied quietly before turning back to pour a cup of tea, "Here." Reaching it out to her the man smiled, "Hopefully this will help you. I'm sure your head must hurt since you've been out for a bit now."

Awkwardly he handed it over before simply staring around the beach. What did he even say? How did he even begin talking with Taijana? Honestly the Yaeli was still startled by the fact that she actually had made a journey all the way to the mainland. Why had she taken such a risk? It truly puzzled him...
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

She looked down at the offered tea cup before awkwardly sitting herself down on the sand. For a moment she didn't say anything, didn't even drink the tea, but that subsided. Her migraine was too annoying for her not to drink, especially as it promised to ease some of her aches.

After she'd had a few sips Taijana sat her cup down in the sand and dug around the small satchel attached to her hip. She pulled one of his letters out, the one with the blood stains, and handed it over to him. "T-this is why I came...I thought that you...I thought you might be hurt and I got worried and I s-s-shouldn't be here..."

She took a deep breath. "I'll leave in the morning."
 

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Blinking, Kieran reached over and took the letter. "You came all the way over here because you thought I was injured?" He sat down in the sands and looked over the parchment. How had blood? Frowning, the man stared at the document, "I didn't realize...that my writing would worry you so. Nor did I notice the blood." It was his turn to hang his head in shame, "I'm so sorry, Taijana. I never meant to worry you." Yet he was touched. She had taken such a dangerous journey just to check on him?

A small smile flickered over his features, "You cared about me..." He wanted to tease her, but her next statement made Kieran's features fall, "You want to leave so soon?" His face flushed a bit before he glanced away again, "I suppose I can't blame you, but you already made such a journey...shouldn't you stay for a while? Just to explore this area a bit at least? Or...something?"
 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Once the letter was taken from her Taijana picked up the tea cup once more; more or less to have something to fiddle with. Her fingers nervously ran over it's exterior, eyes fluttering from the sand, the tea, Kieran and back again. "I didn't know what to think. You hear all these bad stories back home about the mainland, and then that letter-" She took a deep breath to steady herself, and exhaled shakily.

"Well, I-I mean I hadn't thought about staying, and when we first met you didn't seem like you wanted me here so I was...just going to go...home." She ended awkwardly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, since you left on your own and now that you are I just thought that I should go."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Kieran shook his head, "I mean I don't blame you! I just..." He trailed off and let out a soft sigh, "I thought telling you my adventures would give you some peace of mind since you know I'd have to be alive to write them." The Yaeli smiled weakly, "I suppose being alone for so long and then having a friend to write to made me a bit excited. I shouldn't have worried you so." That was probably why they made the saying that no news was good news, right?

Kieran glanced up with a frown, "I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome. I was just surprised and worried. What if something had happened to you on the way here? I would never have forgiven myself, Tai." He admitted, "Though I'm happy to see a familiar face I didn't like the idea of you getting hurt for me. It's why I did so much alone. I don't want anyone to ever get harmed for my sake again." He scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully, "But I won't force you to stay if you truly wish to go back right away."

Though...was it a bit selfish to want to keep his friend a bit longer?

Kieran crinkled his nose before suddenly gasping and rubbing his arm, "Ow. I guess maybe my arm is still a bit hurt...not to worry you of course! I'm totally okay if you need to leave...though it feels a bit painful ever since I took that fall from the cliff side a couple of days ago..." Not a complete lie since he did have bandages wrapped around from scrapping his arm on a rock, but the Yaeli was treating it like a bad sprain or something...  

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

"I didn't mean to worry you like that." In all honesty, she had been worried more for his safety than her own. If she had been smart she would have agreed to let her brother come along, for extra protection, but he wouldn't have let her search long for Kieran. If she hadn't found him as quickly as she did Tyrios would have told her to come home.

At his sudden gasp Taijana squeaked, jumping a little in her 'seat'. "N-not to worry...of course I'm worried! Kieran, you fell from a cliff?!" She dropped her tea cup in the sand and moved closer, hesitating a moment before reaching out to touch his arm as gently as possible. "This is why you shouldn't have come alone. What if you get hurt? Who will be there to help you?"