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 Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:11 am
Masika stood in the middle of a field next to her Janarim with a look of confusion. Her mother had sent her ahead to find a place to stay and was sure she'd gotten turned around somewhere. She'd been told if she only just cut across to the east then she'd arrive in no time. It was likely a bad time to mention that if there were no roads then she was horrible at navigating.
She turned her head to look around and see where it was she'd managed to find herself. She didn't see anything resembling a road or a house anywhere. The hybrid sighed slightly and looked at her familiar with a worried look. "Sorry, I think I got us lost." Possibly. Masika moved to the saddle bag on the side of her beast companion and opened it so that she could dig in and pull out the map. When she had it she unrolled it and held it up. She turned it this way and that and turned to face several directions. "This would be easier if I had paid attention when it was explained to me."
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:21 pm
Eurig had been on his own for a few months now and traveling wasn't nearly as terrifying now as it had been in the beginning. At first he'd worried about a variety of things; getting lost, being robbed, etc. Turns out after years of traveling between Jauhar and Tale he'd picked up a lot, and the natural skills he'd learned from all of his parents really came in handy. It was almost relaxing now, being out in nature, especially when he knew all of the drama he'd left back at home was behind him.
For the time being he was camped out in Tale. For a few weeks he'd visited his grandfather's new little family, but Eurig had since moved on. In all actuality he was on his way out of Tale when he heard a fair bit of noise just south of his camp. At first he'd passed it off as wild beasts, but after a while paranoia set in. Snuffing out his fire, Eurig stood and made his way closer.
By the time he got close enough to hear it was easy enough to tell it wasn't just a beast, but it's rider as well. And by the sound of things they weren't exactly happy to be here. Clearing his throat, the large leafling took his slow, sweet time stepping out into the open so as not to spook anyone. He'd seen a janarim a few times before and wanted nothing to do with those teeth. "Excuse me, but...are you lost? My camps just across the way and I could hear you from there."
She definitely wasn't a local by any means. Blue skin and antennae? A hybrid, then. By why was she so far out into the wilds?
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2020 1:02 pm
It was her companion that heard the noise first, the Janarim responding by stomping and nodding their head in an agitated way. That was enough to get Masika to pause and look at them right before she heard the voice of someone else behind her. A gasp and quick turn of her head had her stepping into her beast so that her shoulder rubbed up against them. This got the large beast to turn slightly so that both were semi facing Eurig. Masika stayed wide eyed for a moment before her hand went out to steady Edaj, her other hand left with the upside-down map. "I.. Uh.. yeah. A little." An embarrassed blush started to spread across her cheeks as it was mentioned that her confusion could be heard all the way at the man's camp. "Sorry about that." A breath was taken and she looked at the map in her hands. If she had stayed on main roads she wouldn't have had such a problem. But someone had told her that a short cut across the countryside would be easier. That's what she got for listening. A small whimper left her as she tried to think of a way to fix her situation. They could back track. That was a gamble itself since she wasn't even sure she went in a straight line. There had been that one spot where they had gone around a ravine. With a quick peek toward the man again she offered a shy smile. "I don't suppose you know how to read a map?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 1:05 pm
Eurig's already kind smile softened considerably at her reaction. "It's alright; no harm done." It wasn't as if he were trying to sleep or anything. Besides, if she was this far out without any clear direction making noise might have been for the best, as strange as it was to say. Without it he wouldn't have known she was here, and who knows how long it would have taken her to find someone else...
"I've got some experience, but...would you want to come back to my camp with me? You don't have to if you don't want to, I know it sounds a little odd, but I thought you might be hungry and tired, same as your janarim there." Following a stranger sounded...Well, it was something his mother would have easily popped off with, but Eurig was far less bold. Besides, he wasn't asking her back for anything nefarious, but how was he supposed to tell her that?
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:17 pm
His smile put her at ease and she seemed to relax a little but his invitation to return to his camp was a bit strange. Masika looked past him to see if there was someone else waiting behind him. A partner perhaps. She looked skeptical as she brought her gaze back to his face. His mention of hunger seemed to be the cue her stomach had been waiting on before it spoke up. A growl coming from her small waist caused her to look even more embarrassed. The hybrid placed a hand over her stomach and tried to ignore the noise it just made. "Are... Are you a bandit?" She asked as if a real bandit would just come out and say it. "I-if you try anything.. Edaj will attack." What else was she suppose to do? Fighting wasn't her thing. She knew just enough self defense to get out of someone's hold if they weren't really strong. Her main line of defense on the road was her Janarim. Her stomach made another noise and she flushed anew. She had some food with her she just needed a fire to cook over. If this man had one then surely it wouldn't hurt? She ducked her head shyly. "Food sounds lovely, if you don't mind."
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:36 pm
"What? No." Eurig's smile dropped a little into genuine surprised horror. Was that how he looked to her? How else would you look? Big guy like you, coming out of the woods...She probably thinks you're going to rob her blind. "I'm not - I swear I'm not a thief, but I don't really have any way to prove that...I just...Do you like beetroot? It's all I've got." Deciding that he wasn't really getting anywhere trying to prove his innocence, Eurig shifted into a more 'productive' line of conversation. His cheeks burned with a darker, dusky tan that seemed to stretch up to the tips of his ears.
"I'm not much of a hunter, but I can cook pretty well. It's not much for Edaj, though..." Too bad he didn't have a surplus of meat hanging around to endear the janarim to him. Having some kind of assurance that he wouldn't be munched on might have put his nerves at ease.
"Anyway, it's just this way." Nodding his head, Eurig started to walk back towards his camp. He took it slow, so as not to lose them, but it wasn't as if it was very far anyway. Even from there if you really looked you could see the fire. "Do you....Would you mind telling me your name?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:46 pm
When she saw the look of horror on his face and noticed that he seemed to be turning color in the face she moved her hand from her stomach to her mouth to cover a giggle. Masika guessed that if someone had that reaction to being called a bandit then they must not be. Her gaze went to the saddle bags that her Janarim had then back to the man. "Beetroot is nice, I have some other ingredients as well." As the man took it upon himself to lead the way she gave a small pat to Edaj before she took the first few steps to follow. Her beast remained still for a second and let her get about a few feet in front of them before they moved to follow along. If anything her companion looked bored with the idea. Without a direct order from the hybrid it seemed to lack all aggression. "Oh it's uh.. Masika. My name is Masika." With her dress being floor length and full of flowy material it was hard to catch up quickly. Or to be quiet. "What's yours?" She went from looking down at her feet to watch where she was going to looking up at his back to make sure she hadn't lost him.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 4:09 pm
"It's Eurig." He picked his way through a bramble patch, trying his best to limit the amount of thorns would p***k his skin, and halfway through he turned back to look at her....Reality hit him fairly quickly causing the leafling to backtrack. If she came this way she was only going to tear her dress! "H-here, let's go around. It's not much longer." He motioned to the less 'treacherous' side route that seemed to encircle the much more direct path. If she'd been mounted it wouldn't be a struggle, but making her go through that just seemed mean.
"Miss Masika, may I ask why you're out here? We're pretty far away from the closest village and you aren't exactly dressed for this." If she'd been any sort of adventurer then maybe Masika would have had thicker boots, or even woolen pants, but everything about the way she was dressed gave the complete opposite impression.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 5:12 pm
"Eurig.." She tested the name a few times. "Eurig. Its a very nice name." And not that common where she was from. Masika wondered if that were different in the area they were in now. She noticed the briars and slowed, trying to think of s way to get through without getting caught, when Eurig seemed to look back and understand. He back tracked some to lead her around and Masika offered a soft, sweet smile. No bandit would worry about her getting caught in a pricker bush so she trusted him a little more. "Thank you, that's very considerate of you." She followed along to the easier way but still alternated between looking down at the ground and then up at him. "Im supposed to meet my mother in another town. She sent me ahead to get a place to stay." Although that didn't explain her being miles away from a road. "Ah.. Someone said cutting across the countryside was a short cut. I just forgot that I'm terrible with directions." Her cheeks brightened again at her own shortcomings. "I admit my dress isn't exactly... Ideal... For travel. But I have nothing else." Masika had another dress in her bag but it was just as long and flowy and useless in the wilderness.
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 1:28 pm
"Does your mother travel a lot, then?" Maybe she was just meeting up with a long lost family member? It didn't answer all of Eurig's questions, not by far, but at least it was helping to connect some lines. As they neared the camp he could see that his fire had started to die, giving off more smoke than he would have liked, but that was fine. When they walked into his little cleared spot Eurig stopped long enough to grab a few logs and make his way over to stoke the fading embers.
His camp wasn't official at all; in all actuality it looked pretty makeshift. A small, modest tent was set up some odd feet away and most of his things were gathered near a large stone just south of the fire. Beyond that he'd drug an old log in to serve as seating and the rest was bare. "Maybe it's a shortcut if you're local, but for you..." He winced sympathetically. She should have never taken that kind of route, but Eurig wasn't about to say it.
Now that the fire was nice and healthy once more Eurig turned his attention back to Masika. Her dress...well, yeah, it wasn't practical at all, but it was lovely. He'd never really seen anything like it. Realizing he'd been staring for far too long Eurig cleared his throat and motioned to the log. "Please, have a seat. I'll get the water and maybe you can get your map out so I can see where you started from?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 1:56 pm
The long way proved easier for her to traverse and eventually they were at Eurig's camp. She took it in an smiled. It was small and bare but for one person who likely only meant to stop for a night it didn't need much. "She does. I decided to join her for a bit until I find a place to stay." It was Dem's bad luck she didn't know Masika sucked at navigating. As Eurig went about stoking the fire she patted her dress down to rid it of any dust or grass that might stick to it. The poor hem was a lost cause at this point but she could fix that later. Since she was busy trying to straighten herself up she didn't notice the staring. Eurig's sudden clearing of his throat brought her attention up to him and she offered a nod. "Sure, I'd appreciate the help." With Edaj staying on the outer part of the camp she moved over to the saddlebags and pulled out some bread and dried meat that she'd gotten in the last town. Since Eurig was willing to help she felt she should share. Going back to the log she sat done prettily and waited with the things in her lap. The map was folded neatly under the wrapped food and she seemed to watch Eurig as he went about doing things.
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 2:19 pm
Something about that struck Eurig as odd. He furrowed his brow as the leafling went about gathering up his waterskin and a few handmade wooden cups. "Do you not normally have a place to stay?" He'd just assumed she had another parent to live with or at the very least family to care for her. Why is someone dressed like she is wondering around looking for her mother if she has nowhere to go? When he returned to her side not only did Eurig have the water but he'd also managed to bring along some stewed beetroot that had been simmering by the fire. "It's not much," he offered sheepishly, "but the taste is good."
There was something about having a woman in his camp sitting so daintily and poised that made him feel very out of place. He was likely covered in sweat, dirt and a number of other nasty things from the road. At the very least he hoped he didn't stink too bad.
"Alright, so, where are you trying to go?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 3:55 pm
"Ah well.. I used to live in Oba. I gave up my place when I came to meet up with my mother." Masika reached up and tucked her hair behind an ear awkwardly. "I used to own a shop. I'm a seamstress." Her goal was to find a place she could open up a new shop while she traveled with her mother. She smiled at the beat root and offered him some of the bread and dried meat she had as well. "I have this. The meat might be a bit spicy though." She had a taste for spices. When he asked where she was going she worked to unfold the map and lay it over her lap so that she could show him where she was headed. Thankfully the town she was looking for was circled. "That place there." If Eurig paid any attention though, he'd notice that Masika had somehow gotten off course. "I came from the Oban border town." She pointed to her starting place just to be sure he knew.
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:31 pm
[7/10]
Shop of her own in Oba? That would certainly explain her outfit. "Did you make your dress? If you did you're very talented; I've never seen anything like it." He couldn't imagine how so many layers would have been comfortable in Oba of all places, but maybe the cloth was lighter than it looked.
Eurig balanced the beetroot on the log at his side and took up the offered food. "I'm sure it's fine." Admittedly he was a little worried about the spice. Ujana had cooked with them from time to time, thanks to her own upbringing in Oba, but it wasn't as if she actually cooked often.
It didn't take him long to see where she'd gone wrong. "See, right here on the map; there should have been a split in the road next to a little river. If you'd stayed on the main road you would have almost been there by now, but instead you took the shortcut which ended up taking you further East." Eurig trailed his finger along the top of the map, just close enough to see but not enough to touch her, until he landed over their rough position. Once he'd made his point he leaned back and took a bite out of the meat.
And immediately raised his brows. The taste was good, but yep, he definitely was not suited for spice.
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 7:12 pm
"I did, thank you." At the praise she smiled and brought her hand up to the neckline of her dress and patted it affectionately. Masika was proud of her needlework. "I may have to make something with a bit less fabric for traveling though." She supposed she could always alter her other dress. She seemed pleased that he took the food she offered and even gave a cute little straitening of her shoulders like she was proud. Her eyes followed his finger on the map and she leaned close to see where it was she'd gone wrong. "I really should stay on roads." They had signs she could follow. Masika looked up at Eurig to smile brightly and thank him but she noticed the look on his face. She quickly noticed that it was from the meat and instantly reached into the small pocket hidden inside the neckline of her dress. She pulled out a small wrapped package and opened it, broke off a piece and handed it to him. "Here. This will help. Its sun dried honey. The sweetness will counteract the spice." She usually had the treat on hand for when she was working but old habits and all that. "Sorry Eurig. Do you need something to drink?"
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