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[Done on discord w/Mr. Glacial]

Esai had not expected to spend his afternoon around the volcanoes of southern Yael but here he was. The darker Yaeli had gone into a local village in the morning as part of his training, exploring the local settlements to offer aid where he could in order to grow stronger, and somehow had been asked to check after a pair of rampant limbaras. Something had startled the creatures and whether it was poachers or wirenth hunting them the pair had destroyed several of the villager's animal pens and crops by running through them and had even toppled over a merchant's wagon on the nearby road! The villagers were desperate to prevent such a disaster from occurring again so they requested the aid of the traveler to seek out whatever had caused such a ruckus in the first place. Some were even beginning to spread rumors that a vryhx had stirred in the nearby volcano, but that was surely impossible as the creatures had not been seen in ages. More than likely it was wirenth or poachers, at least that was Esai's opinion as he agreed to help. There was someone else that was mentioned, some crazy foreigner who had brightened up at the prospect of any of those creatures needing taken care of but many doubted she was serious. What would one lone foreigner do whereas Esai was the one blessed by the gods and carried their mark? They would be so grateful if he could investigate for them! They were simple farmers and not prepared for any of the potential dangers in the area, so they would send him with their best wishes and prepare a feast upon his return!
Esai honestly preferred to avoid this area of Yael but his desire to help others trumped his own comfort and so he had trudged along the path outside of the village. Now that he was closer to the volcano the humidity clung to his skin, the constant warmth from the volcano making the air heavier than normal and the ground beneath his boots was quickly turning into rocky terrain with only the moss and vines crawling along the rocky formations bringing splashes of green and purple to the otherwise gray area. It definitely was a different setting from the village which had been nestled in between fields of crops and golden grasses. Hopefully it would be a quick trip to see what had disturbed the creatures and to make certain that they stayed away from the village going forward. If they were truly wild and something was wrong with them then Esai realized that it would take a fight as he surely would have to end the creatures lives. If it was a pack of wirenth startling the local creatures then it would be the same story.

"I guess we'll see what I have to fight soon enough." He frowned at the thought, shifting so that his traveling bag was snug against his bare back. It was simply too hot and bothersome for him to wear a tunic or a cloak and so the Yaeli had left the small inn with his gauntlets and the bare minimum clothing. Of course his protective medallion gleamed in the sunlight, but that was something he rarely took off since leaving his home behind to travel. The only other thing he carried with him was a bo staff and the hunting knives tucked into his sash. He was prepared to fight whatever awaited him at the base of the mountain. His pace immediately turned into a sprint though at the familiar sound of wirenths howling. His staff at the ready, the Yaeli started darting across the path and back down towards the area of forest that circled the base of the volcano where he heard the fighting.

Esai didn't really have time to completely absorb the situation that he was facing. The wirenth were angry and unfortunately their target was a foreigner....maybe? Esai frowned as he only caught blurs of colors whenever the stranger moved, her skin almost appearing blue in the dim lighting of the forest. He had sprinted from the path as soon as he heard sounds of the fighting but he had not expected it to be one woman holding off three wirenth! At first he was worried it was just ill luck and that the traveler would be in dire trouble, but then he vaguely remembered the villagers mentioning something about a strange woman who wanted to try to take on the beasts herself. And that grin....Esai blinked in surprise as he watched the foreigner being backed against a tree only to grin menacingly at the wirenth before preparing to charge again. Was this truly a living person or a spirit of the forest that he had grown up with so many stories of?

She was just so strange and very much blue now that he could see her with some of the sunlight trickling in from the foliage around them. Her golden gaze made his heart leap in his throat but not nearly as much as how intense it was as she charged at a wirenth. "Hey!" He managed before moving forward himself to block a wirenth from ripping into her side, his bo staff knocking the creature to the side with immense force. Even though he rarely used blades to fight the man's brute strength was enough to crack a rib and to cause the beast to howl in pain before darting off to the side so that an opening could be made for Esai to jump in. He held his staff at the ready as he pressed against the stranger's side, bracing himself for the next attack as the other two wirenth circled them with the third looming in the background. "Spirit or not it looks like you could use some help." He offered before raising his staff and swinging it against the next wirenth that lunged their way.

[Esai 2]

Esai winced at the accusation. While he didn't want to outright state that the foreigner was correct in her assumption, the man also wasn't one to lie. "It's hard for any Yaeli to believe in something other than our gods." He simply stated before watching her fell the wirenth with amazement. Surely she was some sort of vengeful spirit! It was impressive to to see how quickly she reacted and caught the beast with her sword. Esai was thankful that she wasn't fighting against him. At least it appeared that she was in favor of the villagers instead of against them. Esai nodded respectfully towards the fallen wirenth, his gaze solemn as he offered a quick prayer for its spirit. Even if it had caused trouble for the village the creature was simply living the life that it knew as a predator and Esai could not fault it for following its nature.
While the other beast ran away, Esai was not as merciful towards the final wirenth. The creature was not about to back down and Esai knew that he couldn't let it get away, not when it would just haunt the villagers later when the other wirenth recovered its injuries. At least he could hope that if the other one didn't have a pack it would roam to a new area away from any settlement to hunt instead of harming those living nearby. He had nearly expected the pale woman to go after the final one with her sword but when he glanced over it was obvious that she was watching him instead. Was this a test then? Were the gods sending a spirit to see how strong he had become since receiving his blessing? Esai's fingers tightened around his staff at the thought. It was not as if he had time to debate the matter since the last wirenth was foaming at the mouth in rage, the beast leaping towards the Yaeli. Rather than knocking it aside though Esai dug his staff into the ground and swung his body so that he could instead mount the beast as it landed on the ground. Surely he was blessed for being able to escape such an attack! At least that is what other Yaeli would say when Esai had instead trained for years to gain the grace and strength he demonstrated now by gripping onto the back of the creature with his thighs, his staff crossing in front of its neck to cut away any chance of air before ending it all in a decisive backwards jerk of his weapon. Unlike the spirit who seemed to revel in blood (at least that was his assumption based upon her weapon of choice and how she was smirking a moment ago) Esai did not like to spill blood and instead tried to make it a merciful and quick death. "Be at peace." He whispered quietly before stepping away from the body, a hand reaching up to clutch the sun medallion hanging around his neck. The metal was cool against his flushed skin, the exertion from the fight making his bare chest shimmer with some sweat from the afternoon heat.
Now that the danger was passed the man could only glance back towards the stranger, curiousity burning in his gaze even though he did not make any moves towards her. Would she simply fade away if she were a spirit or would she approach if she was actually a foreign warrior?

[Esai 3]

Words were being spoken with such conviction that even Esai found himself swayed. If she felt so strongly then surely she was real. He even doubted a trickster spirit could pull off such a feeling with their words. Though speaking of feeling....Esai's already dark cheeks flushed even more as his hand was stolen and pressed against the woman's chest. For even though he wasn't certain what type of foreigner she was the man was definitely able to see her figure in such clothing. She was warm though and truly living as proven by the pounding rhythm of the heart beneath his palm. "My apologies." Esai finally managed as he caught sight of that fierce golden gaze, his hand still trapped by her own. He feared removing it despite his awkwardness because he dare not insult her further and so he stayed still while his mind raced.

"I am afraid that I am prone to superstitions as are many of my kind. I had never seen someone like you before so it startled me." His voice was sincere as Esai was not a liar and always spoke from the heart. "Such a beautiful and deadly figure was hard for me to comprehend. I did not doubt your skills after watching you fell such a beast but rather I thought I had witnessed a spirit come to defend her own. You are from overseas then?" He offered his curiosity before glancing down at his hand and the obvious cleavage below. Esai's gaze quickly snapped upwards back to her own as he quietly added. "I believe that you are truly a living being...would it be acceptable to remove my hand now?"

[Esai 4]

Esai felt relief whenever his hand returned to his side, his fingers still warm from the unexpected contact. It was not as if the foreigner was repulsive, she was the opposite honestly, but more that he wasn't really accustomed to such..contact. Esai shook his head slightly at the thought before focusing on the foreigner's introduction. "I see." He managed after a moment, giving a polite nod in response to the bow. "A pleasure to meet a hardworking adventurer such as yourself, Kukiko." The foreign name was strange but not unpleasant and he rather enjoyed how the syllables worked together once he repeated the name. If she was from Zena then her strange appearance made sense. He had not personally seen anyone from Zena but had gathered from merchants and the like in the capital that they came from far away, even further than the ports of Matori and Oba. Though...he thought it was cold that way up in the mountains. Was that why the Zenan was blue? From the cold? Esai pursed his lips at the thought before pushing it aside in favor of more important matters. "I am called Esai. I am similar to you as I travel to help others out." He held out a hand, his expression somber as Kukiko's looked irritated. "The Yaeli gods blessed me so I roam to take away anything that curses others. It would be a waste of my gift and an insult to the goddess." He studied his much darker skin, a sign of his blessing before lowering his hand again and nodding once more towards Kukiko. "I am assuming you're staying at the nearby village then? They sent me this way just in case something happened as I am known as a protector of sorts in these parts. Would you be offended if I offered to escort you back? I may stay the night before moving on myself to see whatever else I may while training and helping others."

[Esai 5]

Esai's head tilted in confusion when Kukiko burst into laughter. Was the idea of him escorting her such a ridiculous notion? Others would have felt blessed for the chance to be near the god blessed Yaeli who absorbed curses. It truly was baffling to try and understand the wild foreigner next to him. She was pretty enough to pose as a lady, that much was obvious despite how different she looked from the Yaeli, and there was just something about her that had some grace until the fighter came back into action. Then she was simply a whirlwind of death from what Esai had just experienced while fighting alongside of her against the wirenth. All he could do is raise a brow in turn before nodding. "I suppose there are things I still need to learn about others." He mused as he pondered how different the customs of Zena could be to cause such a reaction from the woman who found his offer so amusing. Already her attitude and everything he had seen was different from many that he had encountered before though that was surely not impossible considering the smaller village he had been raised in with so many superstitious Yaeli that were shy of foreigners and other dangers. His time in the capital had taught him more while some chance encounters even with an Elaria had opened up his view of the world that existed beyond his smaller village.

"Have you been in Yael long?" Esai managed after shifting, making certain to give the fallen creatures one last prayer before grabbing his staff and walking forward so that Kukiko could walk alongside of him. At least this time he could enjoy the path despite the humidity since there was no rush into uncertain danger to save anyone....that much was granted after watching Kukiko fighting. "I suppose we may be a bit different from your Zena though I'm not even certain what your home was like." He admitted with a small shrug as he walked along, his voice calm as he continued moving while only pausing if he felt like his companion was distracted.
On occasion he would also glance to the sky, wary that the humidity may result in a sudden storm which was also common for the area of Yael since they were near the coast. Though perhaps a warm shower would not be the worst thing considering some of the grime they had acquired with their recent endeavor against the wirenth.

[Esai 6]

"Ah, yes. Then perhaps with time you'll learn more about Yael..." Esai trailed off thoughtfully as he continued navigating the way back. "If anything I can answer any questions you may have until we part ways." He offered before the sudden rain took away from their conversation, the sudden dampness on his skin startling him as the heavy raindrops started falling all around. Ah, it seemed the spirits truly were playing with him today. They were so close to the village could the skies have not waited a moment more?

Still as he watched Kukiko's reaction to the rainstorm the man couldn't help chuckling. Perhaps it was just a helpful event to give him more insight into the type of person this foreigner was. After a moment though he recognized what was happening to her limited attire and a flush decorated his cheeks. "Here." Esai unclapsed his own cloak to drape over her shoulders. "Wear this into town. It is best to not catch a cold." He managed before quickly turning away to walk along the path back to the village, his pace increasing to hurry their return and to decrease the temptation to look back.

[Esai 7]