blade lord

Lyn. 19. Blade Lord. Nomad of the plains. Marquess Caelin's granddaughter and protector. Independent RP {will interact w/ anyone}

[princeinnes-blog]

prison break, except not really (Innes-Lyn-Levin)

[holygale-blog]

A leisurely pace carried Levin through the halls, more out of curiosity than anything else. He feared the danger little and the darkness even less, but he did want to see how exactly this would all play out. 

Levin glanced from dagger to girl with a look of utter indifference. Light, he could not create, and his vision was not at all enhanced, but he could at least see the glint of the dagger. He sighed. 

“Now, is stabbing anyone going to make this any better?” he asked coolly. “It seems we’ve run into the same dilemma, so I would suggest you save your energy for…” 

He waited, and a low growl rumbled through the damp air. 

“…for whatever that was, hm?” 

[princeinnes-blog]

Innes had been too busy trying to figure out how he was going to escape the dungeon and his pursuers to notice that anyone was behind him. Not only that, but upon colliding with the prison bars, he realized that it wasn’t just a prison cell, it was a cage…For some sort of creature. He glanced down the dimly lit hall only to discover that although some of the cells were empty, most of them were occupied by some incredibly hostile looking animals. The closest he could compare them too were the likes of the baels, demonic spiders summoned by the demon king, but these creatures seemed to be very much alive, and it was unsettling.

When Levin spoke Innes spun around quickly, alarmed expression only lasting for a heartbeat. He nodded hesitantly, eyes flickering from Lyn’s knife to Levin’s face before he spoke, “At least someone’s armed.” He paused, casting another glance down what seemed to be their only escape route before turning back to his new comrades. “I’d suggest we get moving, only so long before whoever is after us catches up.”

[caelinlord-blog]

To her surprise, it appeared that the man was not one of her pursuers - he was unarmed, looking only at her dagger with an expression unamused. Instead of embarrassment, Lyn felt a small bit of aggravation by his tone and the way he worded himself. How she was supposed to make of that, she wasn't sure.

...But now was not the time, and he was right, nonetheless. 

Lyn turned to the other man, nodding at his words. She wasn't certain if she could trust them as allies, but right now she didn't have a choice. 

"You're right. We're still being pursued. Let's move!"

She proceeded through the dark hallway, breaking into a run for a few moments but stopping when her surroundings grew even darker as they moved further down the hall. The monsters caged up in the cells seemed to grow even more restless-- their agitation increased by their presence, it seemed. What even were these creatures, she began to wonder, and why would this Lord Van Sol have them kept in these dungeons...

She turned to face her comrades when they stopped, listening for approaching footsteps from afar.

"The halls grow darker from here, almost pitch black if you look further down... I can't see anything." 

If they were still being pursued, they could lead the assailants into the darkness and knock them out from there, if they were able...

[princeinnes-blog]

prison break, except not really (Innes-Lyn-Levin)

Running away hadn’t really been in Innes’s plans for the night. Running away was rarely in Innes’s plans ever, but he needed to make an exception today, considering he was completely unarmed and attackers were filing into the nearly pitch black ballroom. Fighting them wouldn’t end well, so he raced towards the nearest exit, which just so happened to be a flight of stairs. He nearly tripped running down them and forced a slower pace so he wouldn’t injure himself without even fighting anyone. That would be embarrassing.

Regardless of his attempted caution, he nearly collided with a small wall of prison bars, and he scowled. “Oh, a dungeon. Great, this is exactly where I wanted to be,” he muttered sarcastically.

[caelinlord-blog]

If the invitation and entrance hadn't given her enough strange vibes, the sudden blowing out of lights and sequence of events only did enough to confirm her suspicion. She did make it a point to bring a weapon in the case of such an occurrence, but it was only a small dagger. Suspicious as she was, she still hadn't expected there to be an ambush quite like this. She ran down the flight of stairs in an attempt to escape from her assailants - there were many of them, it seemed, and running down to escape was the only option as it was difficult to fight back with only a dagger in the darkness. 

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she was met with a man in the shadows. It was too dark to see his face, but by his stance she could tell that it was a man, at the very least.

It appeared she wasn't the only one being chased.

She meant to speak with him, to perhaps see if he could be an ally, but she heard slow, approaching footsteps from behind. Quickly grasping for the dagger she meant to hold, she turned swiftly and faced the stranger, holding the dagger out in a stance that meant him harm if he dared to approach even further.

[armads]

Sneaking around like thieves [ lyn / hector ]

[armads]

“Well, that was close.” he stated plainly, looking past the corner to make sure were indeed gone: it seemed quiet enough now.

“Man, a few seconds later and we would’ve been goners. Good thing you still have that super hearing, eh? I have to thank you for— Hey…” Despite being mostly oblivious to their situation in that small space, it was thanks to their faces being inches apart that Hector seemed to notice a sudden rosiness on her cheeks. “Hey, you all right? You all flushed.” Almost instinctively, Hector lifted a hand and roughly pressed it against her forehead. “Man, you’re not sick or anything, are you?”

[caelinlord-blog]

"O-of course not!" 

Slapping his hand away, she moved out of the space just as quickly, silently cursing at herself for that involuntary display of... embarrassment? To have his face so close to her like that; had he any idea of the consequences of... Of how it would make others feel?!

She let out a sharp breath, looking around once more to see if the coast was clear.  

"What do you think we should do? That door... Do you think..."

Slowly, she moved right back to where the two men had come from. The door at the far end of the corridor. 

"Do you think we should look inside?"

[armads]

Sneaking around like thieves [ lyn / hector ]

[armads]

“—Hey! And what is that exactly supposed to mean!?” Hector grumbled, but before he could receive a reply, she passed him and kept heading down the corridor: it was one long, large corridor, bathed in white light thanks to the oil-fueled lamps hanging on the sides of the ceiling. It was the same light that reflected on the cream marble pavement and gave it a mirror-like appearance. Being an inner corridor, there were no windows — unlike the ballroom, full of those big, tall glass windows — and a large door was at its end.

“Man. Give me a break.” He grunted once he had caught up with her, in front of the door. “And I sure can’t hold a candle to you though. Gotta say, I was surprised you really did fit in that thing, eh? You know, with that rack of yours and—”

But Hector, stomping carelessly on the floor like he was used to, he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.

[caelinlord-blog]

Now that was just uncalled for.

"What did you just--?!"

But those footsteps approaching from the other side of the door did not miss her ears. Despite his infuriating comment, she was forced to halt her outburst, whipping her head around madly to look for a place to hide. Spotting a dark, secluded area of the corridor just to their left, she glared at him and pointed, then signalling for him to follow as she ran swiftly but quietly, looking behind her constantly to make sure that he followed.

When she reached the shadowed, cramped up area, followed by Hector's arrival, two men came out of the room, holding what seemed to be books and pieces of parchment on top. Lyn tried desperately to eavesdrop as much as she could, but she only heard the words...

".. make sure..."

"--escape"

And then they were gone. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned her attention back to Hector, who'd been cramped up in the space right next to her. She'd been too preoccupied with listening in to the two men's conversation that she hadn't noticed how close together they were until now, what with the little space they had.

[armads]

Sneaking around like thieves [ lyn / hector ]

[armads]

“Nope, not a clue either.” he replied, giving one last look at the crowd before turning and following her. “Doubt he’s around here waiting to introduce himself, though. All I’ve seen is guards and lackeys. Man, they sure want to keep us confined in this— Hold on, hey! You sure took your time back there! I’ve been waiting— Whoa…”

Maybe because of the crowd, or maybe because he was busy listening to her, he hadn’t really had the chance to look at her get-up until that moment, when, away from the swarm, they stopped near the wall, and a “whoa” escaped his mouth almost on its own: for the event, she had tied up her hair and was wearing a long dress which revealed her shoulders. That was enough to make her look gorgeous.

“Lyn, you…”

…But something was quick to tell him he was better off shutting up, for both of their sakes.

“—Nothing. Um, never mind. …Hey, is that a corridor over there?” Hector looked around; he didn’t spot any guard close to it. “All right, looks pretty unguarded to me. C’mon, we better start sneaking around before— …Man, that just made me sound like Matthew.”

[caelinlord-blog]

"Hm?"

She wasn't paying much attention to what he'd been saying as they walked. She was only half-listening; her mind a bit too preoccupied with her worries. How in the world were they supposed to pull this off? True that she'd decided to do some investigating around here with him, but being the clumsy loudmouth that he was, she couldn't exactly rely on Hector's oh-so-impeccable expertise in sneaking around and going off unnoticed. His yelling wasn't really helping right now either. Well, at least he wasn't wearing his clunky armour. Maybe that'd help. But then he stopped talking abruptly, and when she turned to look... maybe she was just imagining it, but for a moment she caught him staring at her in awe of... something. Her dress, maybe? But before she even had the chance to comment on that, he walked off to examine the corridor from across the area. She sighed, only then looking at the unguarded corridor herself and nodded.

"Okay, let's move."

It was only then she noticed the suit he was wearing, too. Quite the formal attire it was. She thought to sneak a teasing comment about how it maybe, very surprisingly looks good on him. Maybe. Looking around before she crossed, she quickly made her way to the designated area, signalling for Hector to follow before successfully sneaking in the words:

"How long did it take for you to get dressed in that, hm? I didn't know Hector could clean up this well, what a surprise!"

[armads]

Hector and Parties don't go along with each other [ lyn / hector ]

Hector snorted, tugging at his collar. Standing in the middle of that swarm of people, he wondered who even made him do it. Oh, right. Lyn did. They could learn more about this world, she said. They could sneak around and stuff, she said. Great. And now she’s nowhere and I’m the one standing here dressed like my Brother would… Bah.

He wished he could say he felt like a fish out of its water, but in reality he was used to it by now: this place or Ostia, a ball was no different. He had been brought to such formalities ever since he was as tall as a stick and yet, while he had learned to know them, that didn’t mean he knew how to deal with them: his Brother was the one who could. He smiled wryly: parties stuff always made him think of his Brother. Not that he had given parties that often, but he’d never forget how much he’d enjoy them, with his savoir faire. And dancing. Uther had been at least a thousand times better at dancing than he ever hoped to be.

Hector shrugged, tapping on his fingers as if they were an imaginary weapon: he was really starting to lose his patience. Man, Lyn sure is taking her time…

[caelinlord-blog]

These shoes are really difficult to walk in...

But what a relief it was to find that she still had a bit of gold in her pockets, even after waking up in this strange land unprepared. Perhaps it was foolish to have to spend what little she had just to buy a proper dress, despite the low price she'd managed to bargain for. But she and Hector had agreed upon investigating, and so she had to find a proper dress to blend in with the crowd somehow.

Upon her arrival, she spotted him right away-- Hector was looking quite a bit more displeased than ever. Well, he could mope about it all he wants, but in the end, he knew being here was the right choice; she'd convinced him that they needed to find out more about why they'd been sent here, and if Van Sol had something to do with this, they needed to find out why.

She spotted Hector, next to finding others she might know, she also tried to locate the man called Van Sol in this room. Or, at least, someone who might just be him. Lyn knew nothing about how he looked, which brought her great annoyance, and what was even more infuriating was that this Van Sol and his messenger seemed to know how she and Hector looked. A suspicious man he was, no doubt. 

"Hector! Over here!"

She called out to him amongst the crowd of people, signalling him to follow as she moved over to a less crowded area of the hall.

"Did you find him? Do you know what Van Sol looks like? Because I certainly don't!"

[armads]

Letters and Fancy invitations [ Hector & Lyn ]

Hector silently examined the piece of parchment he had just been given with a suspicious look on his face, as if expecting something fishy to jump out of it all of a sudden. But no matter how much he turned it in his hands, the letter seemed to be… well, a pretty normal letter written in pretty normal ink. He still couldn’t shake the odd feeling he had about it, though: why would anyone invite total strangers to a ball? And — boy, a ball! A refined party with courtesies and nobles dancing and— …Whoever this Van Sol dude was, it was clear even to him that he had not bothered to look Hector up before sending him a scented invitation.

“Man… I don’t get it.” Hector snapped, giving up on his now-creased letter and addressing Lyn with a snort. “Guess they’re being nice and courtly but… This smells fishy if you ask me, you know!”

He then picked up the torn envelope he had mercilessly ripped in his completely graceless attempt at opening it; it had Hector’s name written on it with gold ink.

“Well, wouldn’t you look at that. Sure looks like this guy knows more than a thing or two about us… Huh.”

[caelinlord-blog]

It being "fishy" was an understatement, perhaps. For this Van Sol to know her name, and Hector's... It wouldn't be surprising had they been in the same continent, considering she was Marquess Caelin's granddaughter. The same would be true for Hector and his title. But being lost in this island not knowing how they'd been sent here, not to mention her and Sue's discovery that they'd been taken from different time periods as well... The questions that once clouded her mind may just be enlightened with answers.

"Hector, I think... He may be the one responsible for having us sent here. Or at least have some part in it... How else would they know of our names, or how we look like?"

Her mouth twisted into a suspicious frown. He could have heard about them from afar, but how did he know of their arrival so quickly? And it's not like they've been around long enough to meet different people and had their names exposed..

"You're not thinking of skipping it, are you? What say you we look around, talk to this man and find some answers?"

[armads]

Child's Play: The Aftermath

[armads]

“My mannerisms? MY mannerisms!?” He replied back, snorting, unable to let her get away with it. “Hey, you’re one to talk! I sure can’t hold a candle to you, you know!”

When she moved to get up — and he thought he was free from her clutches at last — and suddenly stopped, grimacing, he realized something was amiss, and it didn’t take him much to see her arm was, indeed, starting to bleed. The wounds from the woods… He had almost forgotten about his own, since they didn’t hurt that much, but he wasn’t sure he could say the same about her.

“Whoa, and you call these scratches? These sure look like they hurt…  Look, you don’t gotta pretend you’re strong in front of me, got it? Besides, it wouldn’t make it any easier if you sloshed blood everywhere and fainted on me or something, you know!” He grunted. Not that she’d ever admit it… He grunted again. “C’mon, here’s hoping there is some kind of healing herb around here. We’re in a pond, right? Those things do grow in places like these, don’t they? We just get some water and—”

But he suddenly had a better idea.

“…Hey. Thanks to you, we’re all drenched in water already. Might just as well go all the way, eh?”

In a flash, he picked her up with both arms, rose to his feet and then let her go, with a loud SPLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH as she crashed into the waters, once again.

[caelinlord-blog]

What... What did he just say?! Pretend she was strong? Fainted in front of him? What, with these scratches? The blood? She's lost so much more before, and this... This was..

"Wh-- I'm not pretending to be-- How dare you!" 

And maybe she was about to burst into a spiral of curses at him to express her indignation at his words, until he decided to pick her up, lifting her quite a ways above the water, and--

..SPLASH

Down she crashed into the pond, her face the first to slap into the water that furthered the depths of her bubbling anger. Maybe she would have thought it funny had this been an incident that happened further back in the past, but this sort of anger was one, as she only begun to realize, that only Hector seemed to be the master of triggering at the very best and brightest of times.

...Of course.

Moving her arms to lift herself up, she made a quick gasp for air as soon as she got her head off the water. Surprisingly.....she no longer had anything to say to him at this point. Neither words, nor the thought of vengeance by having him crash into the water again would do. Feigning nonchalance instead, she remained in the water and made to wash off her wounds, not even looking at Hector but only continued to go about the washing of her wounds, as if nothing had happened to her at all. 

[armads]

Child's Play: The Aftermath

[armads]

As if the seaweed didn’t tickle him already, her smooth fingertips weren’t helping either. He snorted at the sheer enjoyment she was getting at his expense.

“Hey! Stop playing with my face!” he grunted, trying to throw her off but her weight and the water prevented him from tossing her. On top of this, she didn’t seem to have the slightest intention to give up, judging from her expression. That smug expression… Aye, she was a determined one, she was.

“C’mon, give me a— Hey!! I said, sto—”

But in spite of his words, she kept fiddling with all the squishy seaweed: The nerve! Fed up, his hands brusquely and abruptly grabbed hold of both her wrists and held them tightly, pushing her away from his face. Not that he was expecting her to let up just like that, but whoa, was she resisting!

“You still don’t give up. Hmph. Talk about same old stubborn girl!” That made him smile, in his usual rough, saucy way; he was sure the day Lyn stopped being so annoying and headstrong, the world would collapse or split apart or something… His smile quickly turned into a mischievous grin. “…But guess it’d be hard for me to pull through if your bossy head weren’t there to beat the heck outta me all the time, eh?”

[caelinlord-blog]

"Me, bossy?"

A once playful smile shifted into a look of mock annoyance, if only to somehow contrast his mischievous grin.

"Well, it's not like you don't need it. I can't even begin to tell you of your actions and mannerisms that need to be reminded every now and then." Realizing that their positions were rather awkward, she began to move backwards, detaching herself from him. A playful smile was once again moving into her lips now. "But at least it's something you care to adm-- Ah!"

A sharp pain. Several sharp pains stung on her arm that she had forgotten just moments before. The cuts were not bleeding too heavily, but upon closer inspection she could see that the wounds were cut open quite deep, as if the fallen leaves themselves were indeed actual steel blades.

She frowned slightly, despite the irony of the situation. They'd come here wash their wounds in the water and the very thing they supposedly had done by now was left unaccomplished... And all because of her not-so-innocently pushing him into the water, they'd forgotten all about it.

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

Between the leaves [ Lyn / Sue ]

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

Sue felt a bit strange, when Lyn checked if she had been injured. She had been on her mount this whole time and not at all gotten into direct contact with this unfamiliar beast; why should she be hurt? The Lorca girl should be more worried about herself, after that fall. Besides, Lyn’s attired had taken a few splatters of blood from the wild animal and Sue’s brows furrowed slightly at the sight; hopefully the smell of blood would not attract more enemies.

“I’m fine”, the young Kutolah replied and gently freed herself from the other’s reach. “We should get moving. And… thank you.” Having that said, she returned to Kana, who had patiently been waiting for her rider, keeping her distance from the dead beast. Apparently the horse had already learned to fear these beings, which was good, in a way. It would keep her away from them, if they’d encounter any more of these animals. With a swift, well-trained motion, Sue was already seated in Kana’s saddle again, determined to get out of this forest as quickly as possible.

Waiting for Lyn to follow her lead, memories began to flood her thoughts. “Yes, my father taught me how to shoot”, she explained, a shy smile playing about her lips. “It was one of the few moments I could be close to him, I… liked to practice archery with him. I liked it a lot.” 

But that was in the past. Her father was no more. Although she had been training with her grandfather, Shin or other of her fellow tribesmen instead, it was simply not the same and a hint of sadness crept into Sue’s smile.

[caelinlord-blog]

More and more, Sue was beginning to remind her of that man... Even if the girl had been lying to her, a thought she found she didn't even begin to consider once her words were spoken, the young Kutolah's actions and words... The girl's simple way of carrying herself. Even her aura left no room for second thoughts. She had to be... This girl could only be indeed Rath's daughter. Or a sister, perhaps, if only because of the startling resemblance they shared. She had to admit it was a little hard to imagine how Rath would look as a man twice the age in which she saw him last.

Following the younger girl's trail, she walked over to Kana, giving the steed a gentle pat in the head as a thank you before climbing on her back, albeit not quite as quick and smooth as the other. It had been quite a while since she had last ridden a horse. Not counting this day, of course.

"You must miss him..."

The longing hint of sadness in Sue's voice was enough for her to know. And that had also served as a reminder that Rath was no more... Lyn had almost forgotten. He was still young and alive when they saw each other last. They fought to save Elibe, as a group... She had seen his face in the final battle. Solemn, which of course was not surprising, but filled with relief and content. To get her head around thinking he was dead now? It made her heart twist in ways she never would have thought.

"Has it...been a while since he...?" No...that was improper of her to ask. Must her curiosity get the best of her? Lyn herself had lost her parents, and they were very close. Though Sue and Rath may not have shared the same closeness, that cannot mean it hurt her any less.

"...Forgive me. You don't have to say anything. I don't mean to make you remember, it's just..." She closed her eyes. "I lost my parents too...when my tribe was attacked. It's not a day I like to remember, and it took almost a year for me to recover... Still, those thoughts and images would always come back to me, haunt me in my dreams... Though the pain has subsided enough for me to talk about it, there are times I begin to think that it isn't something I've fully come to accept, even now."

[armads]

Child's Play: The Aftermath

[armads]

“Hey, watch where— Ooow!”

He had just made an effort to get up, and she… fell all over him, just like that! Grrr… The nerve of that girl!

“Man… This is getting ridiculous.”

She fell right on top of him, pulling him down into the water… again. Like that mattered anymore… They were both more drenched than fish anyway. But she kind of got lucky and, while her legs ended up in the water in the middle of his, her upper waist was on his, her arms holding on to him, tightly grasping the fabric of his cape.

“…….You can stop hugging me like a bear now, you know.”

But as soon as their eyes met, the sight of her hanging on to him for dear life in a two-feet deep pond with a “Talk-Of-This-And-You’re-Dead’ look on her face… It was almost too much for him to bear.

“Ha… Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You… Man, if you could see your face!! Ha ha ha ha ha…” he started laughing like he hadn’t in ages, still in the water and with seaweed on both their faces.

[caelinlord-blog]

And just for a moment the awkwardness of the situation sank into her. And when he spoke of hugging him like a bear to break the silence, it was all she could do not to punch him in the face right there and then. Okay, it was getting a little harder to resist, but when he started laughing, she quelled her annoyance by simply letting out a frustrated noise. And he laughed some more.

"My face? You should have a look at yours!"

She inched even closer to his face, picking out the thickest bits of seaweed dangling by the side of his head, spread them over her hands, and...

Slap!

Slapped the seaweed onto the sides of his face.

Her lips curved into a smug smile.

"Perfect! Now if only I had a mirror somewhere..."

[nearingdreamsend-blog1]

Stranger (Lyn-Lucius)

[nearingdreamsend-blog1]

“Yes your ladyship,” Lucius replied. He remembered his dream clear as day, but hesitated in telling her however. It was rather personal, reflecting on something in his own young life that even he didn’t remember, or barely knew. Still, if sharing dreams was the way to learn how they found themselves here, then it would be rude not to. Perhaps he could only give the bare details.

“I dreamed of my mother,” he said, his usually cheerful mood dropping slightly, “I can remember a few of the things she said to me before she died but… she said more than just those. She talked of things in my life that she never witnessed. Also she told me to be brave. I couldn’t talk back to her though, the dream wouldn’t let me.”

Why would the gods manipulate something as precious as his memories of his mother? Was this test really so important that those thoughts had to be used? The gods were so strange and almost cruel in their ways lately.

“Perhaps you ladyship,” he replied, “If there are others, who also dreamt, then maybe the gods are trying to convey something to us through our personal memories mixed in with whatever they are trying to teach us.” Still, it seemed incredibly harsh.

[caelinlord-blog]

Maybe it was better she didn't ask. The drop of cheerfulness in his tone, followed by the details of his dream was saddening. Had she triggered a painful memory Lucius would rather not have spoken of, but only did so because she had to ask? She thought to apologize and say something to uplift his spirits, but his next statement only reflected his thoughts...perhaps guesses. Guessing was all they could do at this point. 

"Well... What do you think it's trying to tell you?" She frowned slightly upon remembering. "I'm not sure what to believe, but I do know that there is something else... I'm not sure if it's related, but you see, Hector and I... A ghost appeared to us the other day. It spoke of parents leaving their children and I... I have no child. And neither does Hector. It appeared to us in the form of a girl I've never seen before, and she spoke as though it was hurt that we've abandoned it.."

[armads]

Child's Play: The Aftermath

[armads]

“W-Whooooooooa!” he yelled as he lost his balance and plummeted in the water like a rock in a pond. Really though, the pool was so shallow he couldn’t drown in there even if he tried to, but his armor and weight weren’t helping and he went all the way into the water; even when he got up and managed to stand on his legs, he was still spluttering and coughing like he had drunk the water of the entire river.

“Wh-What the heck are yo— I mean… Hey! What was that even for!?” Hector managed to blurt between a cough and a snort: he was completely soaked, his clothes drenched and his armor so full of water he could be a living reserve, and pieces of sticky seaweed hanging from his face.

“Wait until I get my hands on you, you little…”

But the water and his clothes slowed him down considerably, making him struggle even to reach the shore to get out. He was already close to it, when he slipped on the squishy ground and, unintentionally grabbing Lyn’s clothes, he dragged her in the water with him; while she landed in the water next to him in a rather graceful way, he clumsily ended up face downwards, once again.

And once again, he came out of it spluttering. “Man… Look at what you— Hey… Don’t look at me like that! You’re the one who started it! And this is not funny! Not funny, you got it?”

While he was serious and not amused enough, he couldn’t really deny there was a tiny bit of amusement he was getting out of it.

[caelinlord-blog]

She couldn't even hold back the slightest bit of laughter as she watched just how clumsily Hector had fallen into the water with his armor. She didn't expect him to notice that push until it was too late--and she was right about that. But the details of his fall turned out to be more hilarious than she pictured in her head.

Finally she held back the rest of her laughter with a smirk as he reached out in an attempt to reach the shore. As if he was actually going to--

His hand abruptly reached the bottom of her clothes and..

"Hey!!"

Sploosh!

Down she went into the water, her legs forced downwards that made her sit at  the bottom of the pond. Now even she and her clothes were all wet. She turned a sharp glare at Hector--

Hey… Don’t look at me like that! You’re the one who started it! And this is not funny! Not funny, you got it?

That look on his face, though... His serious, angered expression betrayed simply by the comical sense she was getting from this picture: his damp hair messed and split in different directions, with him sputtering water all over. All the while acting like a child saying it wasn't funny, and she was the one who started it. 

"Not funny?" she was on the verge of laughter again. Nonetheless, she made an attempt to stand.

"You should see how you loo--" but when her foot got caught in between a rock somewhere at the bottom of the pond, she fell forwards on top of him, causing yet another splashing of water in the pond-- just a bit weaker than when Hector fell into the water with his armor, though.

[goddess-of-thunder-deactivated2]

the start of a beautiful friendship? (Lyn-Ishtar)

Ishtar didn’t like money or shopping much. She had been around to access such high funds and seen people with such little, that she didn’t have the heart to waste money on frivolous things.

But still, the clothing shop was so alluring from the window, and she knew it was only a matter of seconds befor—

Never mind, her secret desire to buy clothes actually dominated her free will.

Now, this wasn’t particularly a dress shop or a fashion store, but it did have very useful clothing for combat, especially. I suppose that wasn’t a complete waste of money. But…no one was fighting in this strange land, except in the arena.

This shop was particularly designed for those with certain ranks that shopped for clothes in their general section. She was a sage though, and sages tended to have more expensive and intricately designed robes made of lighter and thinner material that kept them warm and fashionable. That was a plus.

But sometimes, she envied those with the heavier or thicker clothes. At least they didn’t have to pile on as much clothes as Ishtar did in a winter setting if it were cold, they moved a lot and warmed themselves up.

And speaking of which, a myrmidon, she guessed was only a rack away, picking through the dresses. Well, dresses that were sort of like the one she was wearing right now. What caught Ishtar’s attention, however, was her bright, luscious green hair.

“How do you keep your hair like that?” Ishtar asked her, instead of a proper hello. Nice one. She backpedaled. “Oh my, sorry, I am Ishtar. You just have really thick and beautiful hair.”

And it looked natural. Her hair did look a little tossed, but the shine of it would tell you it was still in great condition. Maybe she just washed it this morning. And there was nothing more Ishtar loved talking about than hair. And she was in a clothing store. 

[caelinlord-blog]

Maybe if her clothing wasn't so damp, she wouldn't need to be here in the first place. Not that she didn't enjoy looking for new clothes to wear. In the days of war, she simply had no time for it. But looking through these dresses she thought that maybe... Shopping for different types of clothing in her leisure time could be a fun thing to do, after all. She took a hold of one... One that was velvet red in color, a little similar to what she had worn... It was beautiful, but the designs and frills made it look far too alluring for everyday wear. 

The last thing she needed was to hold the attention of every stranger in this land. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she lowered the dress. It once again began to dawn on her that she had no idea where she was in the first place.

“How do you keep your hair like that?”

She was surprised to hear a voice addressing her. How embarrassing; she hadn't even noticed there was somebody else here. She hoped her damp clothing had already dried off somehow...but she could still feel the slightest bit of cold touching her skin.

“Oh my, sorry, I am Ishtar. You just have really thick and beautiful hair.”

"Oh... Thank you." She touched a hand to her ponytail, eyes meeting with the girl's in a curious daze. She had to blink a few more times to realize the girl had actually asked her a question before that. She wouldn't so often receive a compliment about her hair before. At least...she hadn't for a long while. The last time was before her tribe...

No. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. She smiled.

"I don't do much with it, really. I simply have it tied up each day and let it flow."

What else could she say? It's not like she used a special tonic to keep it this way... It was just natural. Not that it was anything to brag about. And even if it was, the thought would never occur for her to do so. 

"Oh, and my name is Lyn. Are... Are you from around here?" 

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

Between the leaves [ Lyn / Sue ]

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

There it was, the opportunity Sue had been waiting for. Lyn however had thrown herself into danger to earn it, and the young nomad would not let her companion’s effort go to waste. Kana had been trained to avoid any obstacles while being stuck in battles and although the many trees proved to be quite bothersome, Sue was sure that her horse would be able to handle manoeuvring on her own, providing her with a chance to let go of her reigns.

Quickly drawing an arrow from her quiver, Sue braced her bow and aimed; wasting no time, she sent the arrow flying immediately. It struck the beast right in it’s head and with a loud THUMP! it fell down and remained lifeless. While that in itself was definitely a progress, the wild animal had dropped right on top of her companion, which left Lyn in a rather unpleasant looking position. 

Sue quickly secured her bow on her back and steadied Kana’s speed, until the horse had calmed down enough to be left on her own. Without further ado, the young Kutolah dismounted and hurried to her new friend’s aid, dragging the beast to the side to the best of her ability; it was rather heavy and thus no surprise that a creature like this had been able to pin down the swordswoman so easily.

“Lyn, are you alright?”, Sue asked anxiously and offered the other a hand to help her off the ground. If there was one of these animals around, there might be others; the sooner they left the vicinity of this forest, the better.

[caelinlord-blog]

...Finally.

Lyn released a frustrated breath of relief when the creature dropped dead, despite being crushed under its weight. It wasn't the most pleasant sight to behold, nor the most comfortable, but it gave her relief to know that the battle was over. Lyn helped to push the creature away from her body before smiling gratefully up at her young friend. What a skilled archer she was. The arrow had pierced right through the creature's forehead...

Taking Sue's hand for support, Lyn stood to regain her balance. 

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Sue."

She held her head, feeling slightly dazed from the fall. Maybe she wasn't completely fine, but she was sure she'd go back to normal soon. There was no need to have Sue worrying about her, of course.

"And you're okay too?" she looked the girl in the eyes with an almost motherly concern before checking for any scratches or injuries, gently grabbing a hold of her arms and flipping them over. 

"Did your father teach you how to shoot? Your archery is impressive!"

[armads]

Child's Play: The Aftermath

[armads]

Even though she withdrew her arm as soon as she could, it was enough for Hector to see that, despite her wounds were superficial, it was best for them to tend to theirs soon. Especially her: Hector knew she was strong and could handle them and all that, but there was only so much skin could do and her focus wasn’t defense anyway.

“Now you talk sense, eh? Bah, some woman…” He replied with a grunt. “Well, all right. Let’s try going… this way here.”

Not bothering to wait for Lyn — funny, considering she was the only one who had a decent weapon —, Hector ran down some bushes along his newfound direction and started making a path through the woods. Eventually, sound of water flowing became clearer and clearer: they found a tiny stream of water going left and, following it, they reached a small meadow without trees where the water gathered in a small pond.

“Oh… Hey, look at that. That seems nice enough.”

He looked around to see if there were signs of danger nearby, but everything seemed quiet and safe. The only sound was the gurgling of the waters.

[caelinlord-blog]

And off he went, not even bothering to look and see if she would follow. Was she going to take that as a compliment for trusting her that much? She chuckled. No, of course not. If her focus wasn't defense, Hector's focus was definitely not speed. She'd catch up to him easy. He knew that. At the very least it was better than dragging her arm along as he ran to wherever it was he had planned on going. And so she ran to catch up to him.

Which really didn't take long.

Now, wasn't this quite a peaceful area... And a nice body of water that Hector led them to. Looking sideways at him, she couldn't help but smirk as she thought up her next course of action. He was too busy looking elsewhere to notice. That was good. Stepping backwards and sideways, she let out a playful "Ha!" and pushed the lordling into the water.

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

Between the leaves [ Lyn / Sue ]

[sacaeanwolfcub-deactivated20130]

“…I see. I hope you can return to him soon”, Sue replied. Even if she didn’t threw a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm it, it was obvious that the topic must be painful to Lyn. The younger girl could relate to it all too well. Her grandfather, too, was her only living relative left in this world. He was her anchor, he kept her calm when Sue was about to lose her way. Imagining having to live without him from now on… it was not an option. “We will find a way to return to Sacae”, she stated, for both their sakes.

It was in that moment that Sue registered a new noise, not very far from them - a noise that quickly approached them. They were in a seemingly big, dense forest… Was  it a wild animal - or bandits? “Lyn, danger”, she warned her companion. Tugging Kana’s reigns tightly with one hand, she withdrew her bow from her back with the other hand. It would be harder than usual to take aim, with all these enormous trees in the way. Could she rely on Lyn’s sword?

But before Sue had even managed to draw the first arrow, a huge wild beast jumped out of thicket, its gaping mouth revealing two sets of razor-sharp looking teeth - it was fast and quickly closing in on them.

“Can you distract it?”, Sue asked Lyn, while she brought Kana to dodge the best’s attack, just in time to not get hurt. The young nomad would have to bring the animal down somehow, but she needed a moment to ready her arrow. Apparently, they had underestimated this forest. If there were more of these beasts… she’d rather not think about it.

[caelinlord-blog]

Upon being warned of danger, Lyn placed a hand near the hilt of her sword almost immediately. And when the beast jumped out of the thicket she took the weight of the sword, drawing the blade from its sheath as she jumped off the horse. Sideways, she rolled on to the grass and focused her glare at the beast. It still seemed highly intent on bringing the horse down. It was almost as though the beast had not noticed her jumping off the horse when Sue commanded it to dodge.

It brought its claws down once, and missed, but now it was coming closer... Moving in to attack once more. It did not seem likely that Sue would be able to dodge this time; not with a tree behind them, no. She did not know if Sue was aware of it, but yelling a warning would only prove senseless at this point. She had to move.

Bringing her feet forwards as fast as she could, she sliced up a wound in the creature's chest, triggering a loud cry of anguish and spurts of blood on her skin and clothes. She had brought herself close enough to attack, but being in the creature's close proximity had also brought her three steps closer to danger. She moved to jump backwards, but it became much less of an evident surprise when the angered creature had her pinned against the ground, snarling as it stared into her eyes with what she could read as deep hatred in preparation its for vengeance.