Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jun 17, 2015 22:54:13 GMT -6
Four boots squelched through a muddied dirt road of southern Santaruz as Lord Edward Zobek and Princess Eleonora Marie Cyriacus made their way across the Lycian countryside. Neither looked as their titles would indicate, as they wore very little in the way of glitz or glamour. The older man, his hair pulled back in a short, white ponytail, was fairly unassuming, bearing a thick leather cloak over his traveling clothes and walking with a plain yet solid looking iron walking stick. The younger girl, on the other hand, had a typical hunter’s getup: some light leather armor, a loose fitting shirt, leather boots, a knife belt, and a bow and quiver which she kept strung to her back. Of the two she would no doubt get the most of a passerby's attention, and ironically look the more dangerous, what with the weapons and the scar on her arm. But upon seeing her one would hardly think her the rightful princess of Etruria.
“How are you holding up, Eleonora?” the older man asked, walking just a bit ahead of the much younger girl. He glanced over his shoulder. They hadn’t spoken much over the last couple days, as Eleonora had decidedly remained silent, her use of speech limited to requests for food at meals and inquiries as to when they would stop for rest. It obviously wasn’t just teenage surliness. The girl seemed deep in thought, and the mage knight could in no way blame her. Her life, and everything she knew, had just been turned upside down for a second time in a very upsetting way. Her family had been butchered years ago, and only now was she realizing the true the extent of the evil that had been inflicted on her. It had to be soul crushing.
Edward had lost a wife to the heartless grasping hands of death, and had seen his son driven from his homeland and his daughters tucked away like gems in a strongbox. He would never again get to hold his wife in his arms, and if things didn’t go well for him, or for Etruria, he might never see his children again either. And yet even with all his years of experience under his belt, Edward couldn’t quite understand just what Eleonora was going through. There was no hope left for her family. She was very and truly alone, and in truth Edward was impressed that Eleonora hadn’t collapsed with grief. But she was a strong girl, even if she needed time to herself to sort everything out, and she would find new hope for herself. He knew she would.
“If you need to stop, let me know,” the traveling viscount continued. He put a hand to his brow and looked up at the sky. The sun was still nearing its zenith, and yet they were only a few hours away from Ancona, which was their stop for the evening. “We’re well ahead of schedule, so it won’t hurt to take a couple minutes for ourselves.”
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Jun 18, 2015 11:33:55 GMT -6
A few days ago, Nora’s biggest worry had been whether or not Monroe would keep his promise to take her on another hunting trip. It was ironic, considering now they were miles away from Wilderose, and once they passed through Santaruz she’d be as far north as she’d ever been in the past seven years. It was everything the young woman had wanted, but the timing and parting still felt bittersweet.
As much as she loved being on the road, Nora had always imagined it would be Monroe taking her through Lycia, not Sir Zobek, the old mage she barely knew. But now, she was still furious with her former protector, his omissions of the truth almost too many to forgive. Maybe one day she’d be able to understand, but Nora couldn’t see it now. At this point, she wouldn’t mind if she never saw him again, which was why she’d been adamant about not seeing him off as he escorted her kidnapper to prison.
And the reason for her trip now, too, was much different than expected. Leisure or adventure were not their goal; no, instead she was to go home to Etruria, assume the life the Prophet had taken from her and her family, and try to pick up the pieces for the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives he’d destroyed. It was still a difficult concept for the magenta-haired girl to wrap her head around. Sure, there would be advisors, but she still remembered some of the arguments her father would have with his when he decided to go against their wishes. Ultimately a lot of important decisions would be placed on her, and Nora could barely decide things for herself still. How could she handle guiding an entire country down a path to recovery, after what she had been through?
Nora just felt numb. Her life had split at the seams again, and this time there was no Monroe to run to, no glimpse of hope that she might see her mother and brothers again. It was just her now, and she felt incredibly alone. Sighing, she rubbed the exposed scars on her arm self-consciously. She’d forgotten her armband in the last arm they’d stopped in, so she wouldn’t be able to cover it up again until they reached their next stop in Ancona. The thing looked dreadful, and she hated looking at it. It reminded her of Monroe.
“I thought I asked you to call me Nora,” the girl huffed defiantly, ignoring Sir Zobek’s question of her well-being. She didn’t mind her given name, but it felt so strange listening to the older man as he said it; every time he did, Nora felt like she was a little girl again, being scolded by mother or teased by her brothers. She had been Nora for what seemed like a lifetime now, and she didn’t want to feel like she was back in Etruria. Not yet, anyways.
The idea of stopping for a bit was appealing, but Nora didn’t want to do so to rest. The path they walked was cutting through a small wooded area which had Nora itching to go deeper in the trees to see if she could bag anything. It had been weeks since her last real hunting trip.
“We can...” Nora started, slowing her pace as she looked off into the tree line, her voice perking up, “as long as I can go into the woods for a bit. I can get us a rabbit, or a bird, and we can have a real lunch!” Their travel days had consisted mostly of subsisting on trail rations until they made it into town, and Nora was tired of the routine. Her eyes lit up, likely for the first time since Sir Zobek had taken up guardianship of her, as she became committed to the thought of being able to hunt their lunch.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jun 20, 2015 17:16:35 GMT -6
"You did," Edward replied as scanned the immediate vicinity. Seeing a shaded clump of trees just a ways off the path, but not quite part of the forest, he adjusted his trajectory accordingly. "But using one’s full name is a sign of respect, and while you may not be ruler yet, you are indeed a princess, and your house is worthy of respect.”
It might seem stuffy and overly strict of Edward to be this way, and it wouldn’t be the first time the old knight had ever been accused of being as such, but to the viscount names and titles were of great importance. What you call someone and how you address them is not just a passive thing. It demonstrates what you think of someone, and can affect how someone thinks of you return. Edward never allowed the people of his viscounty, or the soldiers under his command, to call him “Ed” because it bred familiarity when he needed to project an aura of authority and respect. Likewise he would never walk into a room with another noble of rank and address them by anything but their full name and title unless he was purposely trying to insult them.
“When you call something by name, you assign that thing an identity. When the first man called a dog a dog, he created an identity. So now, so many years later, that name is more than just a sound. It holds meaning; that is, all the traits and attributes of the animal called ‘dog’. You can’t just call something that is not a dog a dog and have it make sense unless you are looking to insult, and likewise you cannot just call a dog a ‘do’ or an ‘og’ because that is not what it is.”
“Do you know what Eleonora means?” Edward asked as they arrived at the trees. He slipped off his pack and set it down next to the trunk of one of the taller, shadier plants. “It means ‘light’. So when the King and his wife called you Eleonora, they gave you an identity to strive for. Likewise I am to be a ‘guardian’.” The old man broke his normally stoic look and smiled as he sat down, placing himself between two larger roots. “Oddly appropriate, don’t you think? You will be the light for Etruria to follow, and I will be your guardian.”
Then the knight’s gaze wandered over to the forest’s edge. Ah, he'd ignored Eleonora's terms, hadn't he? He'd been rambling, hadn't he? Edward had always had a bad habit of imparting his life lessons unsolicited, and it seemed to only get worse the older he got. Teenagers hardly had the time for it, though Edward was of the opinion they should have more. That said. he didn’t want to let the girl out of his sight, not out here, but this was the first time he’d seen her eyes light up since they’d left Pherae, so Edward was inclined to make it work somehow. No, he had never been much of a hunter, but he had been a soldier. He knew how to set traps, he knew how to ambush, and he knew how to kill.
“But yes, wild game sounds delicious,” the old knight spoke, turning to look at the magenta haired princess. He rubbed his hands on a his pants as he stood up once again. “Though I'll be shamed if I let you run off alone. I will most definitely be coming along.”
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Jun 25, 2015 15:43:17 GMT -6
Cen had enjoyed climbing trees as a small boy, but around the time he turned fourteen, he had gotten his growth spurt, and climbing had become more daunting. Being as tall as he was, he had a lot of body to move, and it was hard to keep it all safe once he was off the ground. So for a long time, Cen had managed to avoid the entirely voluntary practice of climbing trees. Today, he had decided to break that streak. Well, partially decided. His massive stallion Thunder had been behaving oddly when Cen had woken up. He was not being aggressive or refusing to follow Cen, but the big horse seemed somehow off. It was like something had startled him, and he hadn't gotten over it. In an attempt to remedy the situation, Cen had decided to climb a tree for the first time. A wild apple tree.
Clinging to a high branch with both his legs and his right arm, Cen reached desperately for one of the odd shaped apples hanging from the tree. His finger tips brushed against it, and the apple's stem broke, the fruit falling to the ground. Cen sighed and began moving back along the branch towards the trunk. He wondered if horses cared whether an apple was bruised or not. His legs were far from gangly, but with his body so out of sorts so high above the ground, the young man's legs were not exactly deft about transitioning from being around the branch to letting the young rider grasp the trunk. After a second of shifting, his foot slipped, and Cen would have fallen from the tree if not for his arms clinging to the branch.
For a moment Cen dangled from the tree by his arms. He began to breath harder as he attempted to lift his legs up to reach the tree with his core. After two failed attempts he managed it. He didn't allow himself to rest, as each moment he clung to the tree was a moment his strength left him. He managed to make it down the tree, falling on his back a second after he hit the ground, panting. Cen closed his eyes, and after maybe a minute, sat back up and began looking for the apple he had dropped.
He did not have to look very far. Thunder had walked over to the wild fruit, and began eating it, not even looking at his rider. Cen rose and walked over to him, putting both hands on his hips. The young Rider spoke incredibly loudly, attempting to convey just how annoyed he was with Thunder, "Well, Ah'm glad to have such uh considerate mount. A lot of horses wouldn't show this amount of concern for their rahder. When most rahders risk their lahves, climbin' a tree to get an apple for their horse because their horse is acting antsy, their horses are completely indifferent. You though! You're just a deep well o' empathy." Thunder lifted his eyes towards Cen, and let out a low whinny. Cen sighed and patted the big beast on its side. "Well, I hope it tastes good."
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Jun 26, 2015 23:07:22 GMT -6
Nora rolled her eyes as Sir Zobek lectured her, crossing her arms with her eyes lazily drifting towards the trees. The girl only half listened as the older man imparted his words of wisdom that seemed lost on the jaded teen. To her, it didn’t matter if it was meant as a sign of respect or whatever the excuse was. No one had used her full name since she’d left for Wilderose with Monroe, so now it was tainted by sorrowful memories of her childhood and her family.
Her attention still split as she followed Sir Zobek to the clump of trees he’d led them to, Nora nearly ignored the old man completely as he drew his conclusions about their names’ meanings. Realizing she might have needed to respond in some way, she mumbled a half-hearted “yeah” as she tore her eyes from the animal path she’d been scoping, itching to take to it and hunt.
Reaching to take off her own pack, Nora instantly stopped as Sir Zobek gave his permission to let her hunt. The magenta-haired girl beamed, instantly grabbing her bow from her back and, adjusting her pack so her quiver would be easily reachable. It was annoying that he insisted on coming with her, but she couldn’t object, not when it had been so easy to convince him! Why couldn’t Monroe have been so easy to convince?
“Just don’t make too much noise, you’ll scare all the animals away!” Nora exclaimed before quickly dashing into the tree-line, her feet hitting the ground light and silently as she narrowed her eyes, looking for something to shoot.
While she was no expert hunter, Nora clearly demonstrated she knew what she was doing. Straying slightly from the animal path, Nora bent her knees, lowering her already tiny body to look even smaller as she stalked through the trees as slowly and silently as possible with her bow held at ready. Narrowed eyes surveyed the forest floor ahead, scanning for any movement. Two fingers rested anxiously on the taut bowstring, almost quivering with delight as she heard the smallest rustle in the leaves ahead.
Eyes locking onto the source of the sound, Nora stopped as soon as she saw the rabbit sniffing a small patch of grass. Its empty eyes showed no awareness to Nora’s presence, thankfully. The girl slowly reached behind her back to grab one of her arrows, drawing it forward and nocking it on the taut bowstring. The small animal still not acknowledging her presence, Nora took a careful step forward, pulling back the nocked arrow as she aimed for a kill.
Just before she let her arrow fly, though, a loud thump sounded from afar, causing her hand to slip, the arrow flying off in the entirely wrong direction as her target scurried away. “Damn,” she cursed, looking for the source of the loud sound. Too far ahead to be Sir Zobek, she believed, but too close for comfort. Especially when, after another few seconds, a loud, booming voice broke the silence of the forest’s air. Eyes wide, Nora darted behind a nearby tree, another arrow drawn, quickly this time. The last person she’d met in the forest had tried to kidnap her, and while Sir Zobek, she still didn’t want to be seen by whoever the stranger was. Hopefully whoever it was would pass, and they could all go on their way.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jul 4, 2015 12:13:13 GMT -6
Edward let out an audible chuckle as Nora reminded him to stay quiet. At least she wasn’t protesting his company, which was more than he could say about Monroe. Poor man. “Yes, yes, I’ll keep my lips shut and my steps soft,” he said, tossing his pack again over his back and letting Eleonora take the lead.
The two crossed the remainder of the field to reach the forest edge proper, and immediately Eleonora began demonstrating her hunting knowledge, clearly eager to be given this small taste of freedom. She took position, adjusted her stance, and slowly stalked through the brush with her bow out and her fingers on the bowstring. Edward did likewise, though minus the bow. He wasn’t planning on doing any hunting himself, that was Eleonora’s treat. He was just here to keep the princess safe, and presumably not make too much noise.
In due time Edward noticed, along with the princess, their first target: a hare crawling amongst the leafy ground cover. Lord Zobek halted, himself unsure of exactly what it took to startle a rabbit, but Eleonora approached the creature, silently drawing close the gap between the two of them, and nocked an arrow in her bow without alerting the rabbit. Frankly Edward was impressed. From the way Eleonora had spoken of Monroe the latter had given her no freedom whatsoever, but clearly he had imparted at least this skill to her. He doubted she had learned to kill wild game from her mother.
Before she could loose her arrow, however, there was a loud thumping noise some distance away. A deer? A bear? Whatever it was, it had sent their would-be lunch scampering away in fright. Eleonora’s arrow whizzed harmlessly through the air. A botched kill. A delayed lunch. They’d have to try again.
But no more than few seconds later did a loud voice cut through the air. It was no more than a mutter to he and the princess at this distance, but the sound of a human voice was unmistakable in the relative arboreal quiet. Clearly Eleonora heard it too, because she scuttered behind a tree and nocked another arrow. There was fear on her face. Edward frowned. Unfortunately the pirate boy had left a lasting impression.
His rod tight in his left hand, Edward drew up next to the princess. He too pressed up against the tree, and in a fluid motion removed his glove from his right hand and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He placed his hand on Eleonora’s shoulder, saying not a word but hoping the contact would reassure her that he was, indeed, there to keep her safe. Then he looked off in the direction the voice had come from, hoping whomever it was was of no ill-intent.
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Jul 6, 2015 18:20:59 GMT -6
Thunder made quick work of the apple, and with a click of Cen's tongue, stood more at attention. Cen went to the base of the tree, and took his lance and quiver from where they rested against the trunk. As Thunder's tail batted away flies, Cen noticed it had just a bit more spring, which Cen hoped was because of the apple. Apparently, a bruised wild apple was a treat unlike any other when you're a one thousand two hundred pound horse.
Cen slipped the ash lance through the sort of holster on the right side of Thunder's saddle. He then fastened the quiver stuffed full of Javelins onto the horses left side, and took the long parcel that was sticking out of the horses left saddle bag. It was wrapped in a wool cloak of sorts, but Cen could feel the cold hard shape through the softer wrapping. He quickly peeled back the wool, and revealed the simple arming sword that he had purchased a few days ago. The weapons was long, like its owner, but not in any sort of unsafe range.
Cen strapped the sheath into his sword belt then, only with a little added difficulty from the addition of the new sword, Cen mounted Thunder. Clicking his heels, Cen started the horse on a brisk walk. As the beast's hooves clopped against the ground, Cen began to tilt his head from side to side as he hummed. For a moment the tune he hummed escaped his mind, but then he realized it was one he had picked up in Bern. In taverns in Bern.
Cen started to sing, quietly at first, but got louder as he went. For a moment, he sung to high, but quickly found the right note. "She was a lass of raven hair, with a smile wide from here to there, her name was Jenny her eyes were green, yes Jenny was fair but her brother mean. A lad stole into Jenny's room one night, and when he saw her brother he was in for a fight, but her brother said boyo you're in luck, if you got the right coin she's good for a..." Cen trailed off as he saw something strange from the corner of his eye. An arrow, in the dirt. "F***."
Squinting, Cen could see that the grass around where the arrow had landed was still as green as the next blade, meaning that the arrow must have been shot sometime recently. It could have been more than a few days since someone shot the arrow, but Cen doubted anyone would have simply left a perfectly good arrow behind. Besides, the young man was cautious. His eyes darted around the surrounding area. His keen gaze saw just the smallest bit of what looked like a cloak peeking out from behind a tree.
Cen quickly pulled a javelin from his quiver. Then Cen spoke in his most threatening, but not too threatening voice. Like, yeah he would kill you, but hey if you didn't want to fight: fantastic. "Okay, I don't know why highwaymen are so far away from an actual highway. Ah'll tell you what you're not doing, killing me. Ah don't have anythin' valuable, and I'm not exactly an easy target. So, why don't you just go on ahead and come out, and nobody has to get hurt." Good, straight, tough, and to the point.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Jul 12, 2015 7:23:58 GMT -6
Nora didn’t know what to do. She tried to keep her breathing as low and quiet as possible, but her heart felt as if it could have been heard a mile away, the way it thumped in her chest. Sir Zobek’s hand caused her to flinch, but she didn’t stumble, knowing any movement would give their position away. She closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds of his movements, trying to determine if the intruder on their hunt was coming this way.
After a few seconds the young woman could hear the far-off sounds of what sounded like horse hoof-fall, and after another moment it seemed the horse’s rider had decided to sing a tune. Nora would have laughed at the crude tune if she hadn’t been so scared of what the man’s intentions might have been. After the happenings of Wilderose, she just couldn’t shake the feeling like another person might try to come and do the same thing Ephraim had done. Why it was happening now, she didn’t know, but it was a very present thought.
Then, the man suddenly grew quiet, as if he’d seen something or stopped. Nora leaned closer into the tree, hoping he hadn’t seen a nip of her shoulder, or maybe even the arrow that she’d shot at the fleeing white rabbit. But he’d seen something, of course, calling for whoever it was watching him to reveal themselves and, in turn, they wouldn’t be hurt.
Nora saw two options in her not so experienced mind: either keep hiding until the man came and found them, or show that they were dangerous too, which should make him back off and go on his way. Making sense to her in the moment, Nora sighed through her nose, tightening her grip on her bow as she spun out from behind the tree, breaking the gentle hold Edward had on her shoulder. As soon as she spotted the green armored man on the horse, Nora raised her bow to point her arrow at the man. She had absolutely no intention of actually firing at him, but she needed to threaten him in some way, especially since he was aiming a javelin her way. Great.
“Just keep going and I won’t have to shoot this arrow into your neck,” Nora said, though her voice was shaky and not as confident as it should have been. Sure, the girl was spunky, but she’d never threatened to kill anyone before. “We don’t want any trouble, just like you.”
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jul 15, 2015 15:37:25 GMT -6
Edward stifled a disciplinary hiss as Eleonora jumped out in front of whomever was approaching them, her bow drawn and ready to attack. She even had the bright idea of aiming it at the man’s head. Foolish girl! Had he told her to act? No! What was she thinking, jumping out in front of a strange man like that? Even a friendly stranger could be jumpy in a situation like this, and it only took one mistake to end a life. Gah, she’d get herself killed acting like this!
Not wasting a second, the old viscount whirled out from his hiding place behind the tree. With his left arm he grabbed Eleonora’s nocked arrow, while he aimed his right arm, holding his rod, directly at the stranger’s javelin. In little more than the time it took to blink did a loud crack and a bright flash erupt from the tip of the mage knight’s rod, the magic missle launched right at the horseman's readied javelin. Fortunately for the stranger the attack was not intended to kill but disarm, and Edward was more than skilled enough to make sure the spell did not stray from his intent. He clearly had to make sure neither of these foolish alarmists needlessly killed each other.
“Stop!" he shouted. His voice and eyes were stern just like they were whenever he had disciplined his men... or his children. Both of these two were of the age to qualify as either. His hand remained affixed to the arrow that Eleonora had threatened the stranger with. He forced the bow down with a gentle push. His other hand, his rod wielding hand, now pointed at the horseman's javelin quiver. It was a statment as strong as his brows: do not try to draw another.
"Lower your bow, girl," he ordered, careful not to use the princess's name in mixed company. "And you, horseman. You're armored like a knight, but what knight wanders the woods like a highwayman? Explain yourself."
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Jul 19, 2015 20:43:31 GMT -6
Cen was shocked to see that the cloak he had spied from behind the tree was not the figure that soun out to look at him first. Instead, it was a very short girl, maybe sixteen, with hair the color of a ripening strawberry. She was pointing a bow at Cen's face, which was the first time that had happened since... wow, this was the first time he had ever had a bow pointed at him in the a forest by a girl who had clearly never killed someone. At least, that was Cen's assumption, maybe she was a very good actress. Cen's face slowly turned from an attempt to intimidate to utter confusion. His mouth hung open, and his eyes softened. His eyebrows which had been knit in anger lowered over the squire's eyes as he looked at the girl completely unsure of what to say. Thunder started to make small grumbles under Cen, and move his feet. Cen placed his left hand, still holding the reins against the horses neck. The young man was just about to open his mouth and say whatever came to it first when the cloak finally showed who was wearing it.
It was an old man. An old man with hair the color of a rotted strawberry that was growing odd hair of its own. As soon as he had appeared, a odd bolt of light erupted from a staff the man carried, and took Cen's Javelin on the tip the second it had appeared, with the force of an arrow fired by someone much bigger than the girl who'd been aiming one at Cen. The rider's javelin was ripped from his hand, but the heat the thing felt shot through all of his body. It was the hottest in his right arm, feeling like he'd been hit with a hammer that was on fire, which admittedly Cen had never felt, but he imagined that that was what it felt like to have a weird bolt of light fly out of an old man's staff and hit your javelin. The second after the magic had dissipated, Thunder reared viciously, letting out a powerful angry whinny. Cen could feel that the noise was more of fear than aggression, but doubted either of the people in front of him could have discerned that.
Cen tucked his legs tightly on the horse's stomach, and pulled roughly with the the reins in his left hand. Thunder bounced again as his front hooves hit the ground, but Cen placed his hand back on its neck, and leaned down, whispering into his horses ear. In calming down his horse, Cen had managed to ignore almost all of what the old man had just said to him, only managing to hear the man tell him to explain himself. "You want me to explain mah-self? Ah'm not the one who jus' decahded to throw a weird magicy thing at a stranger in the woods, which," Cen looked down at his javelin now on the ground, that's metal tip had melted at the point so that it now looked almost flat. "Which hits his weapon, and makes it completely useless. So no. No, you'll be explainin' yerselves. Why is a girl, who ah could believe was a hunter, travelin' with a man who can shot weird bolts a' magic stuff?" Cen's face became a bit more commanding again, but he made no move for another Javelin. He wasn't trying to be aggressive, just not afraid.
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Jul 21, 2015 21:27:43 GMT -6
Nearly crying out as the old man grabbed her bow and shot a bolt of magic towards the armored rider, Nora scowled as she was essentially scolded for her actions - while his words weren’t specific to that, she could hear the agitated disappointment in his voice. What, had Sir Zobek expected her to simply sit and wait behind the tree, even after the man had made it clear he knew they were there? Nora wouldn’t just sit idle! That wasn’t her style, especially when their safety was on the line. She was small, but she could loose an arrow at least to scare the intruder off!
But of course, she wouldn’t be afforded the chance, not with Sir Zobek taking control of the situation. So with a hefty, frustrated sigh, Nora lowered her bow to her side after having it pushed down by the old Knight. With narrowed eyes, the pink-haired teen glared towards the intruder. He seemed younger than she’d initially pinned him to be, though she wasn’t sure how young. Men were hard to read like that, but this guy had a bit of a baby face.
The normally mouthy teen stayed quiet as he began to answer Sir Zobek’s questions. Well, at least it seemed like he was going to, until he started asking why they were here; he seemed serious too, and fairly confident in himself, which was more than Nora could say for her attempt to be threatening. Slinging her bow over her shoulder, Nora scoffed, shaking her head. “We’ve got every right to be out here, thank you very much, magic and all,” the young woman said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
Nora began spouting off a story to explain their presence here, her voice indignant and spunky. “I’m learning how to hunt, but my father doesn’t let me go out alone - probably because people like you are stalking through the woods. So Papa comes with me,” she said, using a more commoner term for ‘grandfather.’
Uncrossing her arms and resting her hands on her hips, Nora continued to glare his way. “So what, you’re just out here to sing your stupid songs while riding around on your stupid horse?” Nice one, she thought, knowing she could have been a bit more… creative with her accusation. But she was angry and peeved that her attempts to handle the situation had been blocked.
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Jul 22, 2015 14:46:56 GMT -6
Not a word came from Edward when Eleonora began mouthing off at the horsetop stranger. As far as keeping their cover was concerned, she was passing with flying colors, but the more time the viscount spent with the once-lost princess the more he realized that none of this was an act. She didn’t play the commoner girl, she was the commoner girl, at least in her mind. Clearly Sir Monroe had spent little time instilling in her any sense of propriety or decorum, but perhaps it had been a conscious decision. Given the intelligence resources of the Inquisition, it was no small feat on the knight’s part that it had taken almost eight years for the girl to be discovered. Was this why she had passed undetected for so long? Her attitude? After all, who would expect this girl, of all people, to be the sole successor to the Etrurian throne? Surely not Edward if he hadn’t already known better.
But he could worry about Eleonora later. She hadn’t killed them yet, so Edward returned his thoughts to their acquaintance. The man was right, of course, to refuse giving an explanation. Why explain yourself to two relative strangers who had, up until this point, shown nothing but hostility towards you? If the man had been a soldier under Edward’s own command he’d have been punished for such a lapse in judgement. But while Eleonora had been rash in her appearance, she had not been the one to approach a stranger on horseback with a weapon drawn, which in Edward’s opinion was an even greater lapse in judgement. Forcing a conflict when no such thing was required was a risk no wise man ever took, and thus this man was wrong to think he’d be getting any information out of the two of them either.
“If you have no explanation for me than I have none for you,” Edward declared, lowering his rod. He gestured towards the road. “I suggest you continue walking. Towards the road, further into the woods, wherever you feel is best, as long as you remain at a distance from us.” The viscount placed a hand on Eleonora’s shoulder, to steady her. He wasn’t threatening the man any longer, but his eyes were as steely as ever. “We have no business with you, and you surely have no business with us.”
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Cen
Cavalier
Cowards die many deaths, the valiant taste of death but once.
Posts: 196
Profession: Bodyguard
Affinity: Light
OoC Alias: Selibas
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Post by Cen on Jul 25, 2015 10:19:01 GMT -6
Cen didn't say anything as the girl hurled insults at him and the old man feigned indifference. When they finished, he looked first to the girl, "Well, scathing as that was, mah," Cen closed his eyes and let a little air escape his nostrils. He needed to keep his emotions in check, and his accent only ever got this thick when he was upset. "My horse isn't stupid." Cen ran his hand along the left side of Thunder's neck as he denied the girls insult. Thunder wasn't stupid, but he also wasn't anywhere near smart enough to understand that the girl had insulted him. The only one hurt by the slight to the beast was Cen. As he thought about just what all she had said, he thought that it was likely she'd be learning to hunt, and that she'd have someone with her, but grandpas who could shoot out bolts of light weren't exact in surplus throughout Lycia.
Inwardly the squire was more upset about the girl calling the song stupid. Not that he didn't agree, it was a dumb drinking song, just that he wished a girl hadn't heard him singing it. His ears reddened a bit at the tips as his hand left Thunder's neck. Cen then looked at the old man, "Look ah-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare either of you or anythin' like that. I was just making my way through the woods earlier today and," Cen looked at the girl and patted Thunder's neck once more, "this stupid horse was acting skittish. So I had left the path to try and find him something he might like, which I did actually," a smile flashed on Cen's face for a split second.
He had another question to answer. Why would a knight be out here. The answer was that a knight wouldn't be. A knight would be in some hall affecting their lords decisions in the matters of state. A knight would be taking a battle to some group of bandits who had terrified his people. Cen was the one out here, because he was no knight. He sighed, "I'm not a knight, just a... A bodyguard without a charge." Cen hated calling himself a mercenary, it made him feel like a hired killer. He wasn't a sword, he was a shield. "I'm passin' through here in the first place because well, work is hard to find."
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Nora
Archer
Posts: 48
Profession: Pain in Edward's A$$
Affiliation: The Etrurian Throne
Affinity: Light
Profile: Link
OoC Alias: Charlie
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Post by Nora on Aug 24, 2015 11:30:52 GMT -6
Nora frowned as she listened to the young knight, though the disdain and frustrations she had been directing towards the green-haired knight were starting to fade as he apologized. Despite the whole Ephraim situation, Nora still liked to trust people, and to be frank this man didn’t seem like someone to fear. Ephraim had given off a creepy vibe the moment he’d “happened” upon her, whereas the mounted man simply seemed, well, to be going about his day. She even felt her lips twitch into a grin as he echoed her calling his horse “stupid.”
The grin quickly faded back to a disappointed, almost sad look as he mentioned how work was hard to find for him. He looked young, but then again, Nora forgot that most, if not all, people around her age were already working to help their families if they were not still in school or well off. She’d even helped Monroe on occasion, but it had never been for life or death survival, making sure food was always on the table. Somehow, things like that always had taken care of itself for her whole life, even with Monroe in Wilderose. But not everyone had that luxury.
“Well,” Nora interjected, even though Sir Zobek had made it clear they should all keep to themselves. Unfortunately for the old knight, that wasn’t in Nora’s plan. “I’m sorry for calling your horse stupid...” The young woman could feel her cheeks heat up with a blush, the action particularly strange for the bull-headed woman. But she tended to know when she was being irrational, and she could admit that this had been one of those times.
“And I’m sorry it’s hard for you to find work,” the young woman added, crossing her arms but not moving out from under Edward’s hand on her shoulder. “I wish there was something we could do to help.”
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Edward Zobek
Sage
Posts: 46
Profession: Viscount of Ligure
Affiliation: Knights Radiant
Affinity: Light
Profile: Edward Zobek
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Post by Edward Zobek on Aug 24, 2015 16:29:11 GMT -6
Edward let out a frustrated snort as both Nora and this green armored rider failed to heed his advice. It wasn’t that the older knight actually thought this man a legitimate threat, no, he was probably exactly what he claimed himself to be, but even still, the two of them had nothing to gain from consorting with him. It went without saying that idle chatter was wasted time, but if there were Inquisitional agents biting at Eleonora’s heels, and Edward knew that was a very real, very likely possibility, just the knowledge this man now possessed of their presence could be used against them. If someone comes along, bag of gold in hand, and offers it up to anyone who can tell them the location of the old man and the magenta haired girl, who’s to say this rider wouldn’t jump at the opportunity.
The viscount wanted to run a hand across his face, throw back his head, and sigh loudly, but he remained composed. He wasn’t a naturally suspicious man; remaining so suspicious of others had taken years of disappointment, loss, and betrayal, and even then its newfound necessity wasn’t something he particularly appreciated. Jumping at every shadow was tiring, and seeing the threat in every man was maddening, but Edward did it anyways because he knew his duty to his country, and the old knight was no stranger to forfeiting his own needs and desires in the name of duty. Over the years he had fostered a deep friendship with sacrifice, and in some respects it was all he had left. The old knight had been forced to give up nearly everything he had to see his land restored. Even his own children.
“I could give you coin to aid you,” came Edward’s reply. He shook his head, “but you don't seem the type to beg for handouts. I empathize with your hard times, but we all have our own challenges in life. We cannot help you.” The old knight’s hand drifted down to Eleonora’s upper back as he patted it twice, then began walking forward past the horse and rider.
“Come now, let’s be on our way.”
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