Much Needed Rest

[maiden]

From the Ilia mountains when one descened the first place once would pass would be the plains belonging to the nation of Sacae. A land full of nomadic tribes and apparently a place that many skilled swords wielders rose from. Every land seemed to have its strong suits: Ilia had Pegasus Knights, Sacae the swordsmans and nomads, Bern was a strong military land, and Etruria said to harbor many powerful mages. Only thing she feared in lands of the nomads were those who might wield bows...

The number one rule of a pegasus knight was to avoid every and all things wielding a bow and arrow. An innate fear that threatened not only her own life by the life of her beloved steed. Tapping Ayriss's neck she directed her to take them towards the ground, the had been traveling almost at a non-stop pace for some time now and surely a walking pace on the white winged horse would surely be relieving.

As they came to a soft landing on the ground she looked around curiously, "So this is Sacae mother told me about? How interesting..." The girl tilted her head a little out of curiousity, the stories running through her mind as to stories of her mother's time as an active Pegasus Knight. "Lets see if we could find you something to eat and drink, I'm sure you need it after that long flight from Ilia."

[maiden]

Having found a small pool of water, Persephone had both Ayriss so that she could have her fair share before the two would take off again. No apples had been scrounged up on her search of the plains, but Ayriss had made do grazing upon the grass for a small period of time. Persephone had pulled a small rolls from her pack to nibble upon a little bit before deciding that perhaps it was best she make a decision as to where they were going. Tucking away her source of nourishment she looked towards the sky.

"The wind is blowing to the West Ayriss." She said looking to the Pegasus before moving to hop back upon its back, "The city the monks and mages come from is that way. Etruria..."

"Let us head there!" She said with a small smile upon her face, pressing her legs into Ayriss's side the hint was given and the two were in a run to become airborn once more.

[Rayl Torien]

He had been riding non stop for some time now, even if he had many friends at Laus, he knew it wasn't the place for him...maybe that was why he left in the first place..but oh well. He had his horse begin to stop, as in all honesty: He had absolutely NO clue where he was! he looked in every which way after stopping, only to gaze upon a see of grass, which his horse had been grazing upon since they had stopped.

"Well...so much for honor and glory when you get lost..." he mummbled, as the two moved on, finnally finding a small pool of water, and he dismounted his horse, and led it to the water, allowing it to take a drink, while he filled an empty glass bottle with the cool water: he'd use that for cooking awhile later, then helped himself to some of the water.

"I bet I could use water as clean as this for quite a good stew..." He then lifted his head up and wiped his mouth with him arm, before watching a girl and her pegasus heading off due west...there was something about her that intrigued him, and, due to having nothing else to do, he saddled up, and faced the direction he had seen here leave off to

"Let's head after her, old boy!" and at the moment, the two were off in chase of the mount and rider, even if it is technically hard to catch up to someone when they can fly and you cannot

[maiden]

One thing about plains that was nice, was the lack of trees to block ones vision or serve as random obstacles of Ayriss to suddenly have to dodge. The wind she had thought was there was a little dryer then she desired, nor was it as powerful. That was always a problem with the plains, the wind came and went as it liked.

Thats went the faint sounds of hooves beating against the ground drew her attention. Looking over her shoulder the young woman blinked in surprise at the Cavalier that sat mounted upon his horse following below. Was he following after her? Why? Was something the matter, had she perhaps forgotten her spears?

Perhaps he was lost and hoping she knew the way out of these plains. "Ayriss, do you think we ought to see why he's following?" She looked to her companion with a curious expression. The pegasus extended her neck a little signalling something causing Persephone's expression to change a little. "No, we aren't going to race them Ayriss, even if we do land... We ground ourselves." A heavy sigh escaped the pegasus as she followed her rider's command. Why was that creature so competitive, lord if they ever found a wyvern rider that she'd desire to out fly the winged lizards.

The two began to fall back until they were descending from the air sinking until Ayriss began was galloping motion. So as she hit the ground she fell right into step easily. One ground Ayriss was slower then she the Cavalier's horse, so him catching become less of a problem. Turning to look to him she called all, "Can I help you??"

[Rayl Torien]

About time she decided to land... the cavlier thought to himself, before he finnally caught up, a semi false smile on his face," Salutations to you...and yes, I was wondering, could you perhaps...well...this is sort of embarressing for me to admitt, but doAyou have any idea where is it in which we now both stand?"

He felt ashamed to actually have to ask directions, as he horse seemed to laugh in amusement, before grazing in the grass again, as the cavalier looked the pegasus knight over out of curiousity, after all: she was the first of them he had ever seen, being surrounded by cavaliers and footsoldiers all the time, it was only natural to think so.

"Which reminds me, I believe you may have left something back there...but I may have just been seeing things..."

"But I do believe introductions are in order: The name's Rayl, knight of Laus...and I hate to admit this to, but it's my first day actually out on my own...heh heh..." he held out his right hand, which was shakeing slightly, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the weapon in his left, for something in the back of his mind told him something bad was about to happen...but then again, last time that was actually true, all the other new cavaliers had a little snowball fight, followed by being scolded harshly....the memory made the smile on his face actually real, as that was the day he realised he would have to become more serious in order to actually make it as a knight.

[maiden]

So he was lost, poor knight must of not been familiar with this area. Then again why would someone from Laus have much of an idea? In fact the very idea was rather silly because Ilia and Sacae were some of the more remote regions that mattered little when it came in comparison to the big picture of politics and the like. Tilting her head a little the woman smiled slightly, "We are both standing with in the lands they call Sacae, Sir Rayl of Laus."

Motioning towards the grass lands she smiled a little, "The great plains below the northern mountains of the nation of Ilia in which I myself hail from...I am Persephone, Pegasus Knight of Ilia."

Left something? She had her slim lance, what might she have possibly forgotten? Rayl moved the conversation too fast for her to recall what might of been left. Hopefully it hadn't been anything overly important. Maybe the roll had fallen out. "Oh really? I myself have just left Ilia to find work not so long ago, actually a day or so. Are you trying to find any place in particular from these plains? Or are you simply wandering looking for work?"

[Rayl Torien]

Rayl nodded his head," Alright, Sacae was it...? well, in my defense, I daydreamed about slaying monsters rather than focusing on my studies...heh..." it was around he that he began to wonder: was it he who had forgotton the thing back at the pool...? Nah, probably not, he had everything he needed.

Well, it's an honor to meet you lady Persephone...and to answer your question, I am indeed traveling across this country, just setting out a few days ago myself, seeking work with a mercenary band, but with my luck, I doubt I'll even meet a single person who'd even want work together..." he then looked down to his stomach, when he had remembered what he had forgotten to do before he left: eat.

"Bah, there is always something I forget..." he complained, before walking over to his horse, taking a bag from the right side of the saddle, dropping it lightly to the ground, before then looking around the sea of grass,"Shame...no firewood around here, guess I can't make anything..." he frowned, before putting the bag back to the saddle, taking his trusty cookbook from it's hidding spot, just to make sure it was still there, before slideing it back into place.

"Say, why don't we find a place to eat? after all, this ocean of green has to have a town somewhere, right." he was talking to Persephone, but it was clearly obvious he was talking to his stomach more there, before getting back onto his horse, and started to ride off, though stopped and went back," Yeah...where is the nearest town, if any...?" that was his biggest problem: he always did something stupid which could have easily been avoided if he had just waited for two seconds for instructions.

(OOC: speaking of which,I actually am hungry, one second :] )

[maiden]

What a strange fellow, though she was no person to be able to judge. Every person had their quirks and she couldn't hold the fact he often ignored geography as a subject with in his studies. Persephone herself would be often neglect small details when it came to magic, just due to sheer lack of interest. The distinguishing between mages hardly suited her, but again to each their own.

"A pleasure Sir Rayl." Persephone still atop of Ayriss bowed her head, "and my friend here is Ayriss."

"I would find it very hard to believe that anyone would dislike working with you, Cavaliers are strong and can easily protect people who are in need of it." The pegasus knight replied wondering what would cause such doubt with in his mind. Quietly she watched him as he dismounted and began searching for something, causing the knight to tilt her head a little. "Well any idea where you would like to go?"

"Oh...um." Persephone smiled a little nervously, "There are no actual towns around here Sir Rayl. The Sacae plains are populated by mainly nomadic tribes who constantly are moving around following after the herds they hunt to survive." Placing her finger upon her lip she tried to think of a solution before speaking up. "I do have some basic provisions if you'd like, they're nothing absolutely grand but something to sustain one until we reach some sort of town."

[Rayl Torien]

(OOC: for the record, you forgot the the [/img] part at the end of your signature, in case you were interested :] )

"Oh...well then, I bet I could make SOMETHING good out of them..." he laughed, before taking his cook book out from it's place again, and opened it, scanning through a couple pages," YOu should just sit down, if your coming all the way from...Ilia was it, the mountainous area, correct?" it was easy to see that geography wasn't one of his best area of expertise, though he stopped when he listened to her explain more about the place they were in,"Well, I can see you paid attention to your studies!" well, this was an amusing situation: he was skilled in combat, but he lacked in his studies in terrain, and she was the opposite, but he wasn't sure on that just yet, but he'd probably figure it out soon.

He decided to not really dwell upon that, as he was still more focused on his stomach, as he then sat down," Sooo...why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, after all, we are two armed strangers just sitting here, last time that happened to me, we fought each other...so you know, if we get to know each other, that's not going to happen, ay?" he laughed at the memory of it all, before continuing," Allow me to start: I am actually from Caelin, but I traveled o Laus to become a cavalier, but I wound up working as a baker for some time, until I finnally had my chance...which explains my cook book here."

He held it up for her to see, before putting it away then scratched the back of his neck,"and...well...other than that, there isn't really anything that big about me, unless we have to go into the whole: what is your favorite... questions that kids ask one another."

[maiden]

[OOC: Heee ^^; Roomie just busted me on it too... then I messed it up again! ;-; Finally got it right though!]

Persephone finally dismounted off Ayriss, giving her companion a little pat on the neck, "Go ahead and take a rest girl, don't stray too far okay?" The steed gave her a look before beginning to graze, as the Pegasus Knight removed her pack again holding it out towards him with a small smile upon her face. "Here, I'm sure theres something that you could mess with to create a dish."

Glancing around she looked for a spot to sit. Much to her luck there was a rock not to far off that would hold her form with ease, so she took her seat watching the knight begin with preparations to make something for the two of them to eat. It was rather comforting to find that this cavalier was no enemy though, nor did he wield any sort of bow. Not that it would ever affect anything, she just became very unnerved around people with bows, but it was for good reason!

"I as I stated come from the mountain country of Ilia." Persephone started though already feeling a little repetition sink in making her fear that what she had to say might come off dull. "I come from a line of women who were Pegasus Knights, I sort of felt it was my duty to continue the tradition of doing so. Sort of left the academy after graduation so that I could prove to myself as a Pegasus Knight am capable of working without the others always trying to help me out..." A rather disappointed expression crossed her face, "Not that I'm bad or anything, but noble line so... well you get the picture, the thought is that simply due to name I passed through that academy due to name alone, so I came out here to do that..."

It would be then she realized she had sort of rambled on in some tangeant just as she had often warned her mother to avoid. "Sorry, the females of my family happen to have a habit of often rambling on certain subjects without much warning. Not the most lady like thing for us to do. But a cook? That must help with survival skills, I mean while one is out travelling the need to make sure to eat healthy and stay in shape."

[Rayl Torien]

The sad part was that Rayl had stopped focusing on what she was saying, and was really just wondering one this: why were the uniforms of pegasus knights SO small! When she finished though, he looked up from her uniform, and shook his head," Wait- what, I was thinking of...um...what to make us!" he looked from left to right nervously, before getting back on task.

"Well, I'm not a perfect chef...I just got into it when I was working as a baker...I'm not too sure how on earth I actually never set myself on fire..." that was meant to change the subject, but he decided to ask her a few questions about the little tid bits he had actually heard," Royalty...well, I guess that fits you, seem seem regal, unlike a certain someone around here...and I can see one thing we have in common: we are both out to impress a person or group of persons...but if your after learning a thing or two about being a knight, I guess I can help you there...so...if you want to spare, just ask." he had finished setting out some of her provisions, before putting the rest of it back in the sack, and tossing it lightly to her, before putting together a slight fire, then taking his spear, and looking out into a group of trees that was nearby," One second lady Persephone,I'll go and hunt something down, make the meal abit better." he smiled, before whistling for his horse, and riding into the trees, to hunt down a deer or something, still slightly ashamed of his looking at her uniform like that, he'd apologize when he got back.

[maiden]

Persephone had been used to men toning out things she was saying, after all her father did that to her mother all the time. He'd nod his head and seem to be listening, occassionally slip out a 'yes' or 'uh-huh' but she hadn't come to realize that there was a grave difference in tuning out and getting distracted. When she had finished her eyes shifted to Rayl to realize he was staring at something, on her. Quickly the girl looked down trying to figure if something was on her, like some bug or if she had accidently bruised her leg. He however snapped out of it only to send her in a little more confusion...

Then he went of before any word or questions could really be asked by her about what had just occured. His statements were a little odd, and she felt the need to correct a bit, "Oh not royalty just nobility," She slid out and on the issue of sparing the girl blinked, wait little her spar with him on horse and she on pegasus or would it just be the two of them. Once more before she could gather herself to reply the young man excused himself to go hunt for their meal.

What had just happened?

Suddenly the echoing words of her mother's on coming tangeant
from the day she had left rang in her mind. 'If only the skirts were...'

Waaaaaait. He had been.....he wouldn't.... would he? Persephone's face flushed a vibrant shade of red as he and his steed trotted out of sight. He had been staring at her skirt!! What was it with men and their fascination with the Pegasus Knight's skirts, she remembered how boys of Ilia liked walking by the academy so often... Suddenly she was feeling very self-conscious.

[Rayl Torien]

(OOC: best...conversation...ever!!! xD)

As Rayl ventured through the trees, the guilt keep getting bigger and bigger...so he decided to do something to help make it better. He dismounted his horse, as he knelt down and picked some of the flowers, then twisting and tying them up and together into a sort of wreath, then working up and even more makeing a slight crown in a way...he learned to do stuff like that in decorating cakes and such. For safe keeping, he put it on his horse's head, so it wouldn't eat it, then stopped to and bent down low and into the shrubs, spying a rather nice deer close by. he readied his lance, yet stopped to look at it for awhile, and at it's grace and beauty, then watched it run off, startled, yet it had not noticed him...which was odd...

He heard the snap of a twig, and turned from his hideing spot to see a group o bandits, who were about to rummage through his stuff, and jumped from the spot, and ducked under an imcoming axe swing, efore saddling up and riding off. That would have been one of the moment in which he would have thought he could take them on with his skills, but he had Persephone, his new comrade, to think about, that and the fact that the arrow that was in his armor was something for him to worry about, as he burst from the trees, soon arriving back at the 'camp'.

"Persephone, we should...no...MUST leave now! Bandits, and some of them have bows!" he picked up what they had set up: so much for a much needed rest,"Where shall we head now, lady persephone...?"

(OOC: heheh...I guess this means we are moving from this area of Sacae, or all of Sacae? Then where to?)

[maiden]

She had been sitting there looking down at that skirt of hers rather wishing that her skirt was an inch or two longer at the moment. Awkward... awkward... awkward. Would she mentioned it to the knight as he made his return with the game or would the two of them sit and act as though nothing would happen. The first would be far more favorable as pretending it didn't happen... well made everything a nice little blank slate.

"Sir Rayl?" Her eyes shot up as he began back her direction with a rather distraught tone of voice. He spoke of bandits, and some with bows and arrows. Persephone's face paled to nearly to the color of her hair at the moment. Jumping up onto the back of Ayriss she nodded her head, "Ah...Etruria! We can find a break there, its to the west. We'll ride low on the ground so we won't be caught off by the group of them." Persephone's replied to them.

(OOC: Lets move to Etruria, pick a certain healer up so my roommate isn't all by her lonesome!)

[Rayl Torien]

"Alright then, to Etruria!" he nodded his head, before begin to ride due west, all the while making sure the whole crown thing was hidden from view for now, which was hard to do, assuming the fact they were being chased and all. the entire time he was wondering as well: what was persephone thinking...? did she know what he had been doing when she had been talking...? Was she angry at him, or incredibly nervous and uncomfortable...? Either way, he'd have to figure that out later, as they had to alot to trvael upon, and alot of trouble behind them, but there was something about these bandits...they seemed more dtermined as they began to left the sea fo grass....

(OOC: sorry about the shortness, but I wasn't sure on what to do, now...to Etruria! :] )