An Empty Quiver (Open)

[Tamaya]

Tamaya sat in the grass, her hair flowing over her face as she bent over an arrow, using a knife to carefully shape the wood. Her quiver lay empty by her side, and various small hides were open as she crafted arrow after arrow and laid them in a pile. Soon, she'd be done, and then she'd need to head into town for a meal. But the meadow was peaceful and beautiful, the sun warm and inviting, and the grass sweet-smelling and soft.

Shikoba stood nearby, alternating between nibbling on plants and wandering the meadow. It was a serene morning, and as the day matured, he took the opportunity to relax in the shade, occasionally nickering softly. It was a peaceful morning. The secluded meadow was full of small animals and beautiful flowers, the occasional tree, and, of course, one young Sacaean woman.

[Luke Pendragon]

This would be Luke's first trip to the territory of Pherae, a place that Luke had wanted to visit for a while now. The other places he wanted to visit in Lycia being Ostia and Laus. The trek here was a peaceful one, which Luke was a bit thankful for though it did feel a bit dull for a bit. His quest for adventure wasn't filled with danger in excitement but Luke wasn't complaining all that much. He'd rather a peaceful walk than a campaign through hell that he probably wouldn't survive. Though some would say it was a miracle that Luke was still alive.

It seemed that the infamous Pendragon curse hadn't claimed Luke's life yet which brought a confident feeling to the boy. He was however, more focused on the tranquil surroundings he was currently walking through. Pherae was much more beautiful than he expected to be, and peaceful. Walking through the grass fields and forests Luke wondered if the outside world had even reached this part of Lycia yet. He could have just not made it to any area that has faced what was going on, but he honestly wished he was wrong about this paranoia of his.

Luke walked through a meadow, a town in sight not that far from where he was, as he noticed that he wasn't the only one here. A woman that appeared to be accompanied by a horse was sitting in the grass enjoying the beautiful day and peace. "Hello there!" Luke happily said, calling out to the stranger. "Beautiful day isn't it?" He added as he got a bit closer to her. This person seemed friendly enough so Luke didn't have his guard up and instead greeted the woman with a big smile on his face. After all, who would want to cause trouble on such a nice day?

[Tamaya]

As she worked, Tamaya hummed softly to herself, repeating a song passed down through her tribe. Soon, all but two of her arrows had been built or repaired, and the woman's fingers quickly finished the penultimate projectile as she smiled at her craft. Her father had passed it down from his father, and his father from his father, and so forth. Her family prided itself on their beautiful bows and arrows, and Tamaya was quickly becoming adept at both archery and the creation of archery-related tools.

Suddenly, Shikoba stopped eating and moved next to her, standing still and staring off at something.

"Hm?"

Looking up, Tamaya saw a young man approaching her. He didn't look like he was much older than eighteen or twenty, by his youthful face. What really struck her, however, was his bright violet eyes. They gleamed of spirit and energy, and shone like his white armor.

"Peace, Shikoba," she said, putting her hand on her horse's flank to calm him, and then resuming her work on her last arrow. "Good day!" she called out, the Sacaean lilt evident in her voice. "It is indeed a wonderful day. I've been enjoying the sun and calm all morning. I am Tamaya, of the Cathecassa clan, and this is Shikoba. He's quite gentle, I assure you." Smiling at the friendly man, who appeared to be some sort of knight, by his armor and polite demeanor, Tamaya extended her hand to shake in a cordial gesture.

[Luke Pendragon]

It was a bit disheartening to see that it seemed that Luke had bothered the horse. Luke didn't take it to heart all that much seeing that the horse was probably just being protective of its master and a stranger could mean danger. Anything, man or beast, would protect those they can about so it was respectable and showed the bond between rider and stead. Back on the farm there were a few animals that Luke looked after that he shared a close bond with. Nothing like this for sure but Luke figured it might have been a bit similar.

Luke took her hand with a smile and shook it like he would to anyone in any situation. "It's a pleasure to meet you Tamaya, of the Cathecassa Clan. I am Luke Pendragon," Her name, it was a bit different from the names he heard usually. If it wasn't obvious from her clothing and appearance, which Luke was just now really beginning to pay attention to, her name was definitely a big red fan that she was a foreigner. Where was she from exactly? The different possibilities ran through Luke's head as the hand shake ended and he thought about it a bit more to figure it out.

"What brings you to Pherae? You don't seem like you're from here," Luke said, trying to get to the bottom of his suspicion. It would be interesting to meet someone not from Lycia. Luke didn't know many people outside of Lycia and honestly wanted to meet more. This would lead to learning about new cultures and the ways of their people and that was also interesting. Though he could be completely wrong and look like a complete fool. He really hoped that didn't happen, last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself.

[Tamaya]

Tamaya smiled as the man shook her hand. Well, he certainly was friendly and polite. That made a good impression on her. Honestly, the many people she'd met all seemed so different and unique. What an interesting mix. It was like the cloth she used to weave on the plains. The different colors all were so varied and distinct, but together they blended to make a wonderful image. As the man asked his question, Tamaya laughed, a clear and bright laugh, full of mirth and free of any condescension or other negative elements.

"Your observations are correct, Luke." Luke. What a ...different... name. She'd met a few outside of the clan... Roin, the Sacaean one, Marric, the twiggy one, Harmonia, the funny one, Kate, the confusing one, and Vaan, the foggy one. Now she'd met Luke, but the question of which 'one' he would be was yet to be answered.

"I am from the plains of Sacae, Luke." Boy, that was a fun name to say. It had sharp sounds and smooth ones, too. Llllllll-oooooooooooh-Kuh. Loook. Luuuuuuwk. What fun!

"I left my tribe to learn about the ways of the other people, and one day soon, I will return and share my knowledge. Hopefully, that will help us so that we can preserve our way of life.

Are you from Pherae, Luke?"

Oh, but that name! It was impossible not to enjoy every morsel of it, every syllable, every last drop of it. Luuuuuuuuuuuhk.

[Marric]

When Marric first came to Pherae, he had intended on learning how to shoot a bow as well as the sacaen woman he'd helped defend in Arphen, it would be quite the useful skill indeed for one of his profession. Though he never expected the instructors to give him another axe in the place of the more refined weapon that was the bow and arrow. "Go, see if you can't get it to stick into the trunk of a tree in the woods." the man suggested for the Ilian mercnary. Go throw a perfectly good axe at perfectly harmless trees. He was beginning to fear he'd wasted the time coming here to learn, he might as well have used it to find Tamaya. After Roin and her took off, Marric was left fending for himself as he trekked the long journey across Elibe. He'd done some serious training, and even started to bulk up a bit more. He never was all that scrawny to begin with, he just had the build of a myrmidon rather than that of an axe-fighter. And although he thought learning how to shoot a bow would better serve his needs, the young, yet battle-tested mercenary knew that the instructor had more authority than he did on the finer points of Ranged combat. If anything, Marric was probably sent out here to prevent any possible accidents such as someone getting and axe in their skull. He'd been shown some basic techniques on how to throw the weapon correctly, but like any other axe, it was likely to be a bit more volitile than other weapons of its same function.

His first attempt at trying to throw the weapon ended in near disaster as it simply bounced off of the tree's trunk (Not the one he'd been aiming for either), and flew back at the mercenary's head. Luckily, Marric was able to dive out of the way, but it certainly didn't ease his worries that his time coming here was in vain.

What's the use of throwing a perfectly good hatchet... I guess if anything i could use it as a back up. The memory of Tamaya turning what would have been a fist-only brawl outside the tavern in Arphen into a deadly duel where Marric was left without his axe was still very much clear in his head. He managed to take one of his opponent's weapons after a bit of trickery he wasn't overly fond of, but he knew if the man hadn't been drunk before hand, Marric would have been slaughtered. Despite his growing reservations, he decided to keep trying until he got it right.

His second attempt went better than the first in terms of not nearly killing himself. But much worse in terms of how he was going to recover the damn thing. With a huff of anger at his lack of skill with the weapon he stomped into the woods looking for it. And only a tad too late did he realize the ground beneath his boot disapear and he was sent tumbling in a loud, crashing spectacle onto the gravelly bank of a brook. He hadn't noticed that there were others on the opposite bank due to his face being planted on the ground. Seriously could things be any worse? He wasn't in Pherae trying to learn how to throw stuff, he was here trying to learn how to shoot arrows, and now because his instructor had insisted he try the axe first he was going to have a few more bruises on his skin, and no doubt he'd have to wash himself and his already pretty worn clothing for the umpteenth time to get any mud or dust he'd collected off of him.

Damn it all to hell! He shouted frustratedly. He had never had much trouble with learning new things, and the feeling of not only being awful at it, and the pain from the fall made him more than ready to hack some bandits to pieces. He pushed himself up and would have taken comfort in the knowledge no one had seen his little accident if it hadn't been for the two obvious figures of people standing not too far away. Great, now he would look like an idiot and feel like one too. This whole idea of coming to pherae on his way to areas filled with mercenary work that needed doing was beginning to shape up as one of the most unpleasant experiences he'd ever had outside of being tortured... among other things he'd rather not bring up in his mind. With all the noise from the fall and his shouting, he could almost feel their judgemental gazes. Defeatedly, he gave them an awakward wave to at least signal he wasn't some clumsy bandit.

[Luke Pendragon]

So it appeared that Luke's assumption was right, Tamaya wasn't from around here at all. She was someone from the plains of Sacae, a place that Luke had heard about but had never met anyone from their nor ever been there. Sacae was definitely a place that Luke wanted to visit one day as he heard good things about the Sacaen people. They were a kind of honest people which Luke respected greatly. Too many people nowadays lied and cared only for themselves just for the sake of getting 'ahead' in life. It was nice to see a group of people held up honesty instead of lies.

Tamaya's quest was something to be admired. She could change a lot of things for her tribe and possibly make things much better for many in Sacae outside of her own tribe. Lycia was quite far from Sacae so Luke figured that Tamaya must have been on her journey for quite some time now. She probably had many tales of adventure that she could share with him sometime. Luke would love to hear more about the people of Sacae as he was always curious about their history and culture. Wasn't every day you could get someone to tell you everything first hand.

"Oh, I'm not from around here. Where I'm from is much closer to somewhere like Ostia so I'm a bit far from home," Luke said with a bit of a laugh at the end of his words. Before he would follow with a question his attention was taken away from Tamaya and onto loud noises that was coming from somewhere not far from them. When he looked around he noticed a man that was probably the cause of the noises Luke just heard. The boy waved back at the man with a puzzled look on his face. "Are you alright?" He asked.

[Deleted]

Merric had been walking through the Pherae wilds studying his fire tome. There must be some secret in here that he had yet to find. All the while he would cast a spell into the sky seeking varied effects. He was like a walking flair. Taking a moment to rest he pulled out his map and noticed he was near a local village. "Oh good, I'll be sure to swing by the library," He thought to himself. Then again, I'm running low on funds. Maybe I should pick up a job instead.

Watching the place of the sun he decided if he was to reach the village by sundown he'd best keep moving. As he was approaching the village he noticed a trio of people off in the distance. They weren't far from town so they must be villagers he thought. Perhaps they could use his assistance. Taking out his coin he decided heads he would see them and tails he would go to town.

Flipping the coin he reached out to grab it but instead knocked it away losing it in the grass. "Curses, of all the rotten luck." After searching for sometime he noticed he had been noticed. No getting out of it, he concluded as he found the coin. It was heads anyway.

[Tamaya]

As Tamaya listened to Luke, she suddenly saw Shikoba stop eating again and look over towards the nearby brook. What...? Was someone hiding there? Suddenly she saw some sort of weapon come flying out and bounce on the rocks, landing in the middle of the meadow nearby. Someone was being attacked!

In a flash, her bow was in her hands and an arrow was nocked as a man came out of the woods, rolling and tumbling to the ground, and cursing like a sailor. Wait, that voice. That face... That was...

"MARRIC!!!"

The Sacaean woman had leaped to her feet and was now racing towards the man, bow and arrow forgotten near her now-comfortable steed, and her new friend left in her metaphorical cloud of dust. As she got a meter or two away, her foot snagged on the handle of the weapon, and she was sent flying out of control right into the man, who she grabbed onto in a bear hug. Maybe he wouldn't notice she'd tripped. That would be embarrassing...

"How are you?! Where have you been?!"

[Marric]

T-tamaya!? He took a step back out of sheer surprise at her shouting his name and rushing forward toward him, W-wait where's Roi-- AGH! his questions silenced by her "tackle-hug". He couldn't tell if she meant to pounce on him like a cat pounces on mice, or if she just tripped but he managed to catch her regardless so that he wouldn't be knocked into the mud for a second time that day. The excitement the girl was giving off was even more unexpected than her being in Pherae in the first place, and the hug made the hard-mouthed, veteran mercenary blush. Sure, his horde of adoptive mothers in Ilia did the same thing when they recieved a rare visit from him, but they were family, Tamaya... He didn't even know if he considered her a friend. He certainly respected her ability with a bow, but it was because he stood up for her and Roin against other mercenaries. If it weren't for her he wouldn't be a fugitive to his own homeland. He didn't know whether to drop her in the mud or just be happy that at least someone he knew was happy to see him in one piece. His confusion was apparent in the look he gave back to her as she asked how he was, and where he'd been. He set her down before replying so he could decide on whether to yell at her or just try and put the past in the past and enjoy some friendly company for the first time in weeks.

I uh... He looked down at his boots. By the saint herself, he was so torn between his anger and relief he was starting to look like he didn't know how to answer simple questions.

I'm just shocked you're here. He looked it too, at least his answer sounded friendly and was neautral enough to give him more time to think on how he should treat the situation.

[Deleted]

Merric was fast approaching the group of fellow travelers. They struck him as an odd team but then he'd noticed Tamaya. Another from Sacae; always a pleasant surprise. Waiting to interrupt the joyful hugging and apparent reunion of the "lovers" as they appeared to him he approached Luke instead.

"Evening. I am Merric and lady chance has seen to it I would come to meet you and your... group is it? I was wondering if any of you could perhaps require aid of any sort. I'm not a picky man and my purse is light as of late."

Merric produced his fire tome to stress his value to the young mercenary. Mages were fairly rare these days.

"If not then would it be alright to travel with you at least until we reach town?" If there was no work Lady Chance had him here for something else, but what?

[Luke Pendragon]

Luke was quite confused at first as he watched Tamaya run toward the stranger and practically tackle the man after, and Luke wasn't positive on this, tripping on something and rolling towards him. It didn't take Luke long to put two and two together and figure that she knew this man. The sight of the Sacaen woman tackling the man was an amusing one, though Luke did feel kind of bad for the guy as it didn't look like he exactly saw the girl coming. Luke was glad that it appeared this person was a friend and not some brigand looking for a fight or something. Luke wasn't in the mood to ruin such a nice day with fighting.

Before Luke would go to join the other two he noticed someone approaching him. Today was certainly a day for meeting new faces it seemed. It was a bit odd to hear that the person was offering aid, something that Luke surely did not need at the moment. He felt a bit bad for the fellow traveler, Luke knew what it was like to be suffering in the money department. Luke himself didn't exactly have much, he had just enough to get by for the most part. There was no way he had enough to hire anyone though.

"Sorry but I do not require any aid but I do not mind you traveling with since it seems we're both going in the same direction. I cannot speak for the other two," Luke replied as he looked back to the other two not far from where they were. The young blonde then made a hand gesture toward the other two signaling for the new arrival to follow. "My name is Luke Pendragon by the way, nice to meet you," He added as he walked toward Tamaya. "Are you two alright? That was quite a hug," A small laugh escaped Luke's lips as he said this, he did hope they were fine though.

[Tamaya]

"I have no idea where Roin is. He helped nurture me back to health, and then we went back to the town. We spoke to the tavern owner, and the guards, and it turns out that those ruffians were wanted for crimes anyway. They were apparently part of a bandit group under the guise of a mercenary alliance. Anyway, Roin got us cleared, and you too, and then he went to get something. He never returned... I think he probably snuck away to head back to Sacae. I've been traveling and learning, and I came to Pherae to hone my archery skills.

Why are you here, anyway?"

There seemed to be quite a group gathering nearby. Hopefully she hadn't attracted too much attention...

Responding to Luke, Tamaya picked up what appeared to be an axe of sorts off of the ground.

"Well, some people just have a habit of leaving their weapons anywhere."

[Deleted]

Merric smiled at Marric and Tamaya. It was a pity she seemed interested in this warrior fellow. He had always found a more, how would he put this, rough beauty more appealing than the noble dame. "Good afternoon to you two as well. As I was telling your friend here my name is Merric Lafay. If I could be so rude lady chance dictated that I should see about accompanying your group." With a slight bow he added, "It is always welcoming to meet another of the plains on the road."

[Marric]

What did she just say? Marric wasn't a fugitive? All the negative thoughts he'd held back about her character disapeared in an instant and held back the urge to kiss the woman out of pure joy. He couldn't however resist the urge to return her excited hug. So thats why she was so happy to see him! The both of them had been blessed by the circumstance. Marric gave her a big celebritory lift, cheering at their good fortune. He was so distracted by the news that he didn't even notice the audience of two that approached them.

TAMAYA! This is AMAZING! He couldn't hold back his laughter, the weight of the crime was lifted and he was now able to return home without being arrested or hunted down. He barely even heard her question; Oh, I'm here to learn-- His outburst was ended when Luke's armor directed a flash of sunlight into the corner of Marric's eye. The axe-man quickly set the girl down with an embarrassed smile still on his face, and turned to the two younger boys watching him.

The blonde one seemed alright by Marric, he had a charming air about him and asked if they were alright which indicated a kind heart at the very least. Marric simply nodded, idicating he was alright, and also in an attempt to play off his earlier outburst. The other one seemed to look disapointed about something, Marric couldn't exactly put his finger on what. The Ilian didn't particularly like the kid's over-mannered speech or the fact that they shared a similar name. He wasn't one to judge books by their covers but for some reason this kid rubbed him the wrong way. When he mentioned that he wished to join the three of them in their travels Marric almost laughed. He jusst reunited with Tamaya and didn't even know the other boy's name, this new 'Merric' was a rather presumtious fellow, wasn't he?

He didn't answer Merric, he wasn't part of whatever group Tamaya and Luke had formed. Maybe he could travel with them after he learned how to throw a bloody axe. He did nudge Tamaya subtely and mouthed the words "We'll catch up later." hopefully she could read lips.