Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 19:23:02 GMT -6
The journey from Ostia to Laus had been quiet and uneventful. They'd taken side roads to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves, and the result was a slightly longer trip then he would have liked. Jya had seemed better lately, but also very tired. Maybe she wasn't sleeping well.
Today they'd stay at a local inn before they decided where to go from here, and he really was out of leads.
So he sat in the inn they'd decided to stay at tonight, wondering just where he could go from here? The entire countryside had been preparing for war, and more then a few times he had been given cold glares and had the guards causing trouble. The fact that he brought an entourage of refugees was the only thing that saved him, and he was thankful for that.
The dirty glares he could live with. If that was the worst of it then it was a good day.
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Post by Jya on Dec 27, 2009 19:34:22 GMT -6
Jya stretched out her body like a cat, finding that boredom had done its worst. That monstrous city seemed liked a distant nightmare, but this was no time to relax, especially with the current situation of things. She wasn't sure how to deal with all the cold...looks from people towards Valorian, they just didn't like him. These people didn't even know him! A part of her understood the current situation of things, but not all bishops worked for this Prophet.
"So...umm, are we staying here for only the day, this place doesn't seem so nice," she said, not sure how to start a proper conversation.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 19:44:23 GMT -6
Val looked over to her as she stretched out. He'd grown accustomed to her little quirks, and he learned to just leave them be. He smiled and responded to her, swirling a drink in his hand. "I imagine we should rest here for the night. After all, who knows when the next time we'll get to sleep in a bed will be? And eat a real meal, we should enjoy it while we have the chance." He glanced over at her, his gaze was stern, but his voice was soft.
"And you are eating a real meal even if I have to tie you down." He said with a grin. It had been a losing battle to make the girl break such habits, she wasn't a little kid anymore. Time would come that people would seriously start judging her for her odd behavior, and while he didn't mind, life should never be harder then it had to be.
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Post by Jya on Dec 27, 2009 19:55:05 GMT -6
Jya turned away from Val and made an annoyed face when he spoke of a real meal. During the time of the travel, the priest had tried to correct some of her habits that developed since she started travelling by herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t like eating real meals, but rather didn’t bother. Her taste bud had abandoned her long ago. Even some strong alcohol often tasted light, almost watery. For all she knew, the whole thing probably involved the medicine that she was given from various healers.
“Well, fine,” she replied still looking away with her childish why-couldn’t-I-get-what-I-want face still on.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 20:02:30 GMT -6
Val laughed out loud. "Sometimes I wonder if you aged but a day since your youth. Ah well, I suppose that innocence is what makes you who you are." He had some simple fruit, bread and small piece of meat brought over. He plucked a grape from the tray and bit into it, enjoying the juicy taste.
He sat there smiling, even in such a hostile atmosphere, he couldn't help but enjoy it. He was oblivious to the nearby conversations of the patrons. He wasn't really trained to be attentive.
Two men spoke at the bar. 'Hey, I was just at this inn out east, they had a fighting ring in the back and a cleric on service there too. It was a grand old place, but man was it crazy. The bouncer there, he threw people out of windows! There was a little brat running around setting things on fire...and that bartender.' He shivered. 'Jeez, she had that kinda gaze that would send a battle hardened soldier running. You gotta come back when I go there, it's a great time.'
And more conversation about whatever locale this was.
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Post by Jya on Dec 27, 2009 20:10:59 GMT -6
Jya looked over at what Valorian was eating. It was a purple fruit thing, what did people call them? Grapes? Well it was food, but she wasn’t sure if she liked it exactly. Moving her head over to the bundle, she eyed it cautiously, flicking her tongue out and licking the skin of the fruit. It was tasteless, but perhaps it the inside tasted better. Opening her mouths, she bit down on a branch of fruits, stems and seeds all, but the stem was tough. She dragged all the fruit along, when she started to true. Before long, she was smacking the grapes against the table, like a predator would slam and fling its prey around to kill it, until finally her branch broke off.
“Its crunchy…and juicy,” she said.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 20:19:23 GMT -6
Valorian eyed Jya suspiciously as she smacked the grape twig around the table. He restrained a laugh at the scene, it was like teaching a little kid to eat. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about you being mistaken for nobility." He pulled up the loaf of bread and cut himself a small piece, then cutting another and laying it aside for her. "Heh, I suppose old habits die hard and all that, you must be used to fighting for your meals. Let's see if we can't remedy that a little bit, after all, no reason to live out in the wild if we don't have to."
He looked out the window for a moment. "Say Jya, did you ever wonder...where it's all going? I mean, I've seen some crazy things in my life, and I know they are connected, but it's hard to see how they are. It's like I have all the pieces to the puzzle, but I'm playing with them face down." He realized how silly this was, he wasn't going to get a profound thought out of Jya, she was uneducated. "Hah, never mind, I was just thinking aloud. So, did you explore around the city yet? Find any interesting places?"
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Post by Jya on Dec 27, 2009 20:27:50 GMT -6
“Well, you can’t help what you can’t believe right?” Jya muttered something half mindedly. “Why don’t we head over to a few shops and maybe we can find somewhere to have some real fun in,” she replied, practically hopping off her seat. She took a piece of meat and devoured the morsel, before rushing out of the inn. She just wanted to run, just for the sake of feeling it or rather get rid of jitters.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 20:37:19 GMT -6
Valorian watched her jump up and run for the door, and barely had a foot on the ground as she ran out the door. "J-Jya! Wait up!" He called, slapping some coin down on the table and grabbing a bit more of the food himself.
Anything to get out of a meal that wasn't rodents or bugs, she was a crafty one.
He cleared the inn door and looked up and down the street, Jya had escaped from his line of vision...how? She couldn't have been more then five to ten seconds in front of him, so how?
"Jya?" He called from the street, wondering where the girl had run off to.
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Post by Jya on Dec 27, 2009 20:46:01 GMT -6
Jya had shifted through the crowd or rather merged with the villagers and such. It wasn’t hard to be like everyone else or seem to be part of a group, that was one of the first lessons taught by her teacher. She weaved herself in and out, waiting for Valorian to come out of the inn. Before long, she moved towards him, in plain sight, yet still hard to make out, when she had got behind him, she pounced.
“Ha!” she surprised herself by her loud remark.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 27, 2009 20:52:01 GMT -6
Valorian jumped when he felt someone latch onto his back. He glanced over his shoulder to see the familiar mane of dark hair, and laughed.
"Jeez Jya, you nearly scared me out of my skin." He turned to look at her with a smile. "A sneaky little one aren't you? Hah, so you wanted to find some real fun? Ok, I'm game for that. So what do you suggest? I haven't been to Laus in a very long time, so I'm not too sure what is around here...hey wait a minute." He pondered for a second. "You said you wanted to look through some shops, what kinds of shops? I mean...normal girls are clothing and jewelry, but that doesn't seem like your style."
Indeed, the idea confused him, what was she thinking about?
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Post by Jya on Dec 28, 2009 18:43:16 GMT -6
"I dunno, stuff, like umm, stuff," Jya responded, not sure exactly how she could explain. More than often, she would find herself going around aimlessly looking around shop. She never looked for anything in particular, just hoping to find something.
"I really don't know..." she said somewhat depressed now.
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 28, 2009 18:50:00 GMT -6
Of all the endings of that conversation, why'd she have to get depressed? Agh, women could be so frustrating. Maybe it was because she felt insecure not acting by the definition of 'normal?' But he hardly fit that either, there wasn't anything wrong with that.
"Hey now, cheer up." He said, moving to guide her down the streets. "I imagine you haven't had much money for shopping, so today I'll treat you. Find something you want. It's on me for today." He said with a smile to her.
"After all, what good is money if it can't make people happy?"
Looking over Jya he could think of a few things she might need. New clothes for one, these were old and worn, probably didn't offer much warmth. A cloak might help, or even a new bag as hers was nearly bursting at the seems.
"So now we know what to look for, something you want. Shall we go then?"
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Post by Jya on Dec 28, 2009 19:13:50 GMT -6
"Right stuff I want," Jya said to herself more than Valorian. This was somewhat new to her, it wasn't often that people thought of her and attention sure was embarrassing. She could practically feel blood rushing to her head.
"Alright, lets see what there is to offer here," she said out loud, before taking a step and somehow falling and ripping her cloak, again. She had horrible coordination for awhile now, especially with her clumsy feet.
"Ouch."
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Dec 28, 2009 19:33:02 GMT -6
Valorian used to be quite clumsy, but he'd gotten better in recent years. He reacted quickly and caught her arm, holding her slightly before she finished falling. Her cloak had still be torn, since her foot had been on it when her body tried to move it, but she herself had not fallen to the cold stone.
"Hah, well maybe a new cloak to start. Hmmm, what about a new outfit? Those look like you've been wearing them for years, you should probably get a new set before they fall off." He added with a grin. Ok, so he was taking Jya clothing shopping. That was a new idea.
Why not though? Not like he was opposed to it.
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