Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 24, 2017 10:19:49 GMT -6
|Music|Things hadn’t really gone the way Selunae expected. Her departure from Bern had certainly occurred, and she was indeed upon the plains of Sacae, but this insufferable horse was not part of her plans. Starchaser had been such a majestic and well mannered mount compared to this chocolatey brown beast. She had selectively forgotten that Starchaser was only lent to her for her trip home, and was truly shocked when she was not allowed to ride her to Sacae as well. Roddrick had been so unflinchingly stern with her as well. The softness he had regarded her with was completely gone. The arrangement as he put it had been, if she proved herself capable with the beautiful mare, then the wild horse currently being broken in would be hers upon her return. The job obviously wasn’t finished. The feral beast, whom she’d named Seren, commonly refused the attempts to guide her. Other simple inconveniences included the mare’s thirst and availability of water rarely matching up. Sure, Seren would take Selunae’s last drop of water on the road, but once led to a small stream or river the horse would bear no interest in quenching her thirst. It was sooo frustrating! All of the traveling thus far had been a mix of forests, rocky declines, and the occasional open field. For something like that to become monotonous, the sea of grass that spread before her should have been dreadfully boring, yet the verdant expanse held a majesty that filled the itinerant Bernese national with a sense of wonder. How many days of stubborn forest, and cold nights by the campfire had it taken to reach this land? Honestly, she had forgotten to keep track. Her thoughts had been on the ones she’d left behind. She’d not seen hide nor hair of Kyra since the day after escaping the pursuing Skullhound bandits. Alphonz was duty-bound to remain in Bern. Delia on the other hand, she had so badly wanted to accompany Selunae, but the archer had insisted that she stay behind. Someone had to appease her mother while she was abroad in Sacae. Elle had completely lost it when Selunae declared her intent to leave. It certainly made the first steps easy to take. Roddy had left Selunae with several clear warnings before she had left. Much of Sacae held a grudge against the nation of Bern over wars fought in the past. Hargus had been a madman, sure, but he’d been representative of the country as a whole to outsiders and some might view her as being just as evil due to the land of her birth. Had that been all he told her, the archer would have given up this journey on the spot. Truthfully, she had given up when the dragon knight had expressed that point. However, he had gone on to explain that some tribes of Sacae enjoyed friendship with Bern and that so long as she respected the land, customs, and the people, that she would be fine. That seemed fair enough to her. Where was she to go now, though? In each direction, the rolling plains melted into a cerulean afternoon horizon, save for the path back into the mountains she had rode here from. Certainly one of the somewhat beaten paths would lead her to whatever Sacaean civilization consisted of. There had to be a town or village of some sort somewhere right? The huntress was naive enough to not even have a real answer to that beyond her own uneducated assumptions. Idly ruffling Seren’s chocolate mane with her fingertips, Selunae nervously gazed off into the distance, hoping a faint hint of structures would come into focus along the distant skyline. The rich greens of the plains offered her no hints thus far. She would just have to ride onward, and she would have done just that, had Seren not simply snorted and lowered her head to munch on the luxurious grass that surrounded them. “Silly silly Seren. Guess the grass really is greener on the other side, huh. Well, if yer gonna eat, I’m gonna eat too.” With that, the young archer pulled an apple from her pack and polished it lightly with her palm. Her eyes drank in the scenery of the plains as she thoughtfully held the fruit to her lips. A satisfying crunch punctuated the silence as her teeth sank into the sweet flesh of the apple, drawing a knowing reaction from the hungry mare. The sepia horse became excited at the scent of the apple, though Selunae had no intention of sharing her snack. A second crunch manifested as the girl enjoyed a second juicy bite, taking her time to enjoy the mellow sweetness. Seren began to grow impatient as she waited for what was clearly supposed to be a treat for her, but still had not been offered. When the third crunch sounded, the excited horse twisted her neck to seek the apple for herself. “Uh, Seren? What are you trying to.. – Hey..! That’s mine!” And just like that, the mare plucked the apple straight from Selunae’s hand, chomping through the remainder in one bite. “Really, Seren? Really?! Ugh..!” The archer pouted with an exasperated sigh as the chocolate mare gave a satisfied whinny in victory. So much for enjoying that apple. “Alright, you apple thief, let’s get movin’.”Without any real sense of where to go from here, the archer pressed on riding northeast across the plains.
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Aug 24, 2017 13:07:28 GMT -6
Aea was relieved to have almost reached Bern. She still wants sure where Theo had gone off to. He ran off somewhere earlier that morning, but had yet to return and never gave a word where he was going. She assumed that he'd be able to find her easily enough with his speed, hearing, and scent, though. Thus, she had continued walking until reaching a small village near the border of Sacae and Bern, though she continued walking a ways past it, since she had no need for anything in the humble town at this point in the day. It was much better to make good time and keep moving. However, as she crossed over a hill about a mile from the town, she saw a horse standing idly, munching on something, with a young girl, who had short but vibrant red hair, riding atop it. She had a bow on her back, but didn't seem to be any real threat, or even threatening to Aea in the first place. In fact, it seemed she was starting to struggle to even keep the horse in check.
Hmm, she must be either very inexperienced at riding, or that is one stubborn horse. Perhaps it's even both, who knows? She doesn't appear to be Sacaean either, so maybe she's lost... Well, guess I should see if see he needs any help. It's not like I'm in any sort of hurry to get to Bern, after all.
Walking further towards the rider, Aea spoke up, loud enough for the rider to hopefully hear her over the light breeze that had just started, blowing her almost excessive amount of deep purple hair every which way. "H-hey there! I noticed you were just s-sort of sitting there, and I didn't know i-if you were lost or something. Do you need any help?"
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 25, 2017 7:02:25 GMT -6
Another break, another stare into the distance, another moment of disobedience from the stubborn mare. Selunae was rather unsure how to handle Seren, as she’d been spoiled on her previous horse. Starchaser hadn’t always been the most welcoming of strangers, but the two were instant friends from the moment they met. Just like Kyra.. and there the archer went thinking about the novice again. Selunae leaned forward to rest against the reluctant horse’s mane. Softly running her fingers up and down Seren’s neck, the archer pondered Kyra’s whereabouts. Had she returned from the Tournament yet? Had the girl dropped by for a visit only to discover she’d already left? A muffled sigh escaped into Seren’s mane.
A gentle balmy breeze swept through the plains, casting a myriad of shimmering waves as the tall grass danced to and fro. The glum archer stared listlessly at the beauty before her, loneliness nearly robbing her of the ability to appreciate its splendor. She should have brought Delia with her at least. Anything was better than simply being alone out here in an unfamiliar land. Well, almost anything. There had already been several recent events that were much less pleasant than a little homesickness, though understandably the girl blocked them from her mind at every turn. Growing weary of the silence and introspection, Selunae gave a flick of the reins, but once again the chocolate colored horse lowered her head and snorted. “C’mon Seren.. Why won’tcha jus’ go? I know the grass is pretty here. I bet it’ll still be pretty when we find some nice village to rest in too. Please, wouldja jus’ get on with it?”
Seren paid her rider no mind lazily nosing about in the grass, casually chewing away at leisure. Selunae may very well have been road-weary but the horse had nothing better to do and nowhere better to be in this moment. Muttering under her breath, the red-haired archer didn’t notice she had attracted the attention of a young lady. Being so absorbed in Seren’s antics, the demure voice of the violet-haired newcomer greatly startled the huntress as she’d believed herself to be alone on the plains with the rebellious mare. “Eep! W-where d-did you come from?” Selunae frantically glanced in several directions before catching sight of the assumed Sacaean’s comically billowing tresses. For a brief instant, the archer could have sworn she caught sight of a pointed ear poking through the girl’s beautiful hair, but that was silly. Sacaeans didn’t have pointy ears, she must have imagined it. Once the wind subsided and the unruly locks were tamed once more, there were no pointy ears sticking out. What a silly notion, looking for something like that on the first Sacaean she had come across in her journey. After all, Vassin’s ears had been completely normal, just like anyone else. Stop being weird, Lunie!
“Oh, sorry.. I uh, was jus’ tryin’ to find my way to a city or village or somethin’ where I could rest. I’ve been travellin’ for so long and I’ve never been to Sacae before. Uhh.... this is Sacae, right? Do you know where a village or anything is?” The nervous teen chattered inanely, her words coming swiftly like a flood. The girl was dressed similarly enough to Vassin, she had to be in Sacae, right, and why wouldn’t a Sacaean know her way around Sacae? As if realizing she forgot something important, she continued blurting out more words before the quickly overwhelmed Sacaean girl could respond. “Oh..! My name’s Lunie, I’ma hunter from Bern! Well, Lucerne really, but Lucerne is in Bern, so..”
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Aug 25, 2017 23:09:10 GMT -6
Aea was a bit amused by the girl's surprise at seeing her. Obviously she must have been very distracted or lost in thought to have not noticed her, even if she had been calling out from a decent distance away. Approaching closer so as to minimize the necessity of shouting, Aea responded to the jumble of sentences that the red haired girl was uttering. "Haha, yes, don't worry, you are in fact in Sacae. Barely, albeit, but you are in Sacae. There is actually a small village just over the hill there, which is where I just passed through. If you want, I can take you there. I'm in no hurry, really. All I do is wander around mostly, traveling across the land, whether Sacae or places beyond, with the same ease as the flowing winds. I'm headed to Bern at the moment, though for no particular reason... yet. Oh, and how could I forget! My name is Aea. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lunie. Now come on, let's get you ad your horse to a spot to rest."
Motioning with her hand, Aea began leading Lunie and her horse towards the village, which finally came into view as they got to the top of the hill, now easily less than half a mile until they reached the edge of the quaint little place. Aea still didn't have too much intention of lingering longer than she needed to, but sheshe definitely wanted to make sure that Lunie was headed off in the correct direction once she would leave here, as it seemed she didn't know which way her goal was just a few minutes ago. Sigh, I suppose it's the fire of youth, wanting to head off somewhere half prepared, and barely able to figure out where things are. I hope this girl knows what she's doing...
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Post by Midori on Aug 26, 2017 11:54:06 GMT -6
OOC-Now seems like a good time to jump in here. Midori and Lucy are passing through the plains on their way home. Aea and Lunie should be able to see them from where they are. -- The pink haired maiden let out a soft yawn. Her morning was spent in one of the branch communities on the fringes of the Chaklai territory. She was acting as a both a messenger and a delivery girl. Messenger because she had given the community chief the news of the village for the morning and deliverer because she had a small wagon of goods with her. Mostly seeds for the community to plant and prepare for the new season. Lady Lucy was with her as usual. Both of them had empty carts tied to their horses. The wagons made a rickety rackety noise with each step of the horses hooves.
Another yawn.
"Long night Midori?"
"A bit yes. I've been slacking a bit on my scripture. The travels make it difficult for me to refresh my mind and my spirit. So I spent a good portion of the night reading and meditating." The pink haired lass stretched an arm up to the sky.
"I fell asleep in a meditative sit and woke up with a crimp in my back." She put a hand over the portion of her back that hurt.
"Slowed down my whole routine for the day."
"Hmm.. we've still got some time before we arrive at the village gates. You could take a nap in one of the wagon carts if you like. I won't tell." The blonde Valkarie spoke as she motioned a thumb over to the carts.
"No, it's quite alright Lady Lucy. It's my burden to bare." The pink haired priestess nodded at her companion. The two of them kept riding down the path through the plains.
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Aug 27, 2017 6:52:01 GMT -6
“Oh, good!” The huntress addressed the approaching stranger as she neared. “I’ve never left home before, so I wasn’t sure if I went the right way or not.” With a pause to consider her words, it was only a few seconds before she contradicted herself. “I mean, I’ve left ‘home’ before. I haven’t ever left Bern though. Tha’s what I meant.” A nervous chuckle squeaked from the young archer as she dismounted the horse. If this village was so close, it wouldn’t hurt to leg it the rest of the way. With Seren being stubborn again, it would likely be quicker and not to mention less embarrassing. With a brief pause first to lovingly stroke the mare’s neck, Selunae took hold of the front of the reins to guide her and strolled along towards Aea. At the mention of traveling like the flowing winds, the teen’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “That sounds wonderful! I wish I could do that.. My mama woulda chased me down by now if she knew I was tryin’ to leave Bern. But anyway.. Yer name’s Aea, huh? Sounds like a weird name, but I guess mine prolly sounds strange to you, too, though. Nice to meetcha!” A frown slowly spread across Selunae’s face as she pondered if that was rudeness or just silliness. “I think I only met one person from Sacae before. Nice guy, named uhh.. Vaster.. or somethin’.” Chuckling at her own absentmindedness, the girl gave up on remembering the chocolatier’s name. It wasn’t really a vital detail anyway. She was still being a little verbose from her nervousness, but it could have been worse.
“So, um, you were headed to Bern? Well, there was a big Tournament recently. I bet it’s over by now though. Guess it’s kinda dumb to mention it.” Smooth. Hopefully the idea of watching it wasn’t particularly exciting to Aea. As the huntress attempted to find another subject, another subject found her. In the distance ahead, the hollow rattle of empty wagon carts clacked and clopped. The racket had been quiet enough earlier that Selunae hadn’t noticed it in the excitement of meeting Aea on the road. After all, when someone is chattering inanely in such a manner, it takes a bit of a distraction to pull them away. It was nearly impossible to ignore now, and it seemed there were more travelers crossing paths with the Bernese archer this day. Scanning the sea of grass, Selunae finally picked up the sight of two horse-drawn wagons, both being steered by women. From this distance, it was hard to pick up any relevant details, other than that the wagons were empty. That would likely mean the women were returning home, possibly to this village Aea was leading her to. Yeah, that was probably it.
Caution was a tricky maneuver. On one hand, Selunae wanted to throw her arm in the air and give an exaggerated wave, shouting a greeting to the women like a loon. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be mistaken for a highwayman.. err.. highwaywoman? Whichever, whatever. On the other, other hand, wait, how many hands were there here? Anyway, she didn’t want to look like she was trying to sneak up on them either. The more she thought about it, the more nervous it made her. Master Flint had regaled her with stories of the mighty nomads of the plains and the deadly aim of their mounted archers. If these women were anything like that, then provoking them could be the last mistake she would ever make. By this point, the anxiety showed clearly on her face, and the deathly silence she’d fallen into was also very obvious as well, especially when juxtaposed with her garrulous prattling from a moment ago.
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Aug 28, 2017 19:55:48 GMT -6
After she debated on whether she should have taken offense to Lunie calling her name weird, and deciding it wasn't worth the effort, Aea responded to her comment regarding the only Sacaean that she knew. "Vaster, huh? Hmm.. Vaster.. Vaster... Nope, I don't think I know anyone by that name unfortunately, so I guess I'll just have to take your word for it." Aea could tell Lunie was growing increasingly nervous, but whether it was due to being somehow intimidated by the her, or because of simple nervousness, or possibly something else entirely, was completely unknown to her. Ah well.. I'm sure she'll be alright once we finally reach the village. It isn't much further, after all, and I have a feeling the people there will warm up to Lunie quickly, and vice versa.
At the mention of a tournament, Aea simply shook her head a bit before answering Lunie. "A tournament, hm? Well, I must say that whether it was still happening or not, I can't say that I'm much of a fan of watching people beat each other up for sport. It seems quite barbaric to me in some ways. To be honest, wouldn't you think it's a bit abhorrent that other humans would actually pay to watch their own kind get the living hell beat out of them? Who knows, perhaps my not being from Bern gives me a unique perspective. If that sort of thing is what the Bernese enjoy, then I suppose I'm glad I've never visited during such an occasion. Not that I don't like the Bernese. Quite the contrary! It's just that that specific thing, which I'm sure isn't exclusive to them, is rather reprehensible as far as I'm concerned."
Just then, Aea spotted two Sacaean women, both on horseback, who seemed to be riding back to the village she was leading Lunie to. Hm, they don't seem hostile.. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to approach them. As Aea and Lunie continued at a steady pace, Aea spoke up, not quite yelling, but loud enough for the riders to hopefully hear her. "U-um.. hello there! You wouldn't happen to be heading to the village up ahead as well, w-would you?"
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Post by Midori on Sept 1, 2017 19:38:57 GMT -6
Midori and Lady Lucy exchanged idle banter as they continued riding down the path towards their home village. They spoke of many things. Lady Lucy filled Midori in on most of the going on's in the village. As a priestess Midori was usually stuck doing all sorts of things for the village in the name of the clergy. Most of it going around from place to place healing and tending to the sick. Or going out into the little patches of wilderness that dotted the frontier of their home village for medicinal herbs. The new season would bring about a decline in plants and crops. This was the busy season for the village, they needed to prepare for the harshness of the storms to come. As they spoke, two women approached. Lady Lucy was quick to assess them. A young red headed woman and a younger looking purple haired girl. Neither of them sported the tribal colors of the Chaklai. And the purple haired one's question secured that they weren't from around here. That wasn't uncommon in these parts, bandits, war, natural disasters, all these things could contribute to the loss of a village, and the need for two young souls to travel. Or they could just be messengers from the other neighboring villages.. or travelers.
Lady Lucy sighed softly. She saw no reason to singe these two young ladies with her light magic. Midori didn't see anything wrong with these two women either. She smiled warmly at the two of them and spoke in a calm voice.
"Yes we are. Do you two need some assistance?"
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Sept 2, 2017 9:38:42 GMT -6
The animated face of Aea was cause for light concern to Selunae. It seemed that she had indeed offended the girl with her words somewhat, though the purple haired youth hadn’t said such. The archer needed to be more cautious when opening her mouth else she would certainly find herself in trouble. It was the truth though – she’d never come across a name quite like Aea in her entire life. Speaking of which, when she heard the girl repeat ‘Vaster’ aloud, she realized that it definitely wasn’t the name of the proprietor of the Sweet-toothed Sacaean. Ugh, so terrible with names..! Well, the huntress just couldn’t remember his name anymore, but it didn’t matter. Not right now anyway. At least this was a stranger that wouldn’t likely know him anyway, and not the man himself.
Unfortunately, the mention of the tournament was another faux pas in Selunae’s attempt at small talk. At some point in the middle of Aea’s volley of opinions, it started to feel more like the youth was lecturing her. However, Selunae was distracted by an oddity – specifically, the way the Sacaean regarded other humans and ‘their own kind’ felt rather off. Perhaps it was simply that she used the term human itself. It’s not like there were any alternatives, were there? In any case, the young archer furrowed her brow and pursed her lips at the notion. Aea was a strange individual, for certain. “I.. uh.. actually, I’ve never been to any of the tournaments. I was, thinkin’ ‘bout goin with my friend, but I guess I have more important things to do with my time than watchin’ people beat each other up.” Selunae felt the tone Aea used to be somewhat accusatory, though the words themselves didn’t seem to implicate it. It didn’t, by any means, help to put the itinerant archer at ease. It was likely for the best that she let the remark about humanity slide.
The leisurely pace of the two girls brought them ever closer to other pair of travelers ahead. Though Selunae was unsure at which point it was most acceptable to hail the ladies, it became a non-issue when Aea preempted her with a somewhat stumble-tongued greeting of her own. The huntress suppressed her protests with an understated sigh, accepting readily that a fellow Sacaean would be more likely to receive a warm welcome than a Bernese nobody like herself. Still, if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that if these two travelers were hauling wagons without an armed escort, it was because they could handle combat by themselves. Closing in, though, they both appeared to be unarmed as they exchanged idle chatter in a capacity that didn’t quite carry to the archer’s ears. In fact, the two seemed to cast an aura of grace and tranquility about them. That is, aside from the unnerving way the older of the two glanced her over, sizing her and Aea up.
It was the younger that spoke up, affirming they indeed were heading to the village Aea mentioned and inquiring if they needed assistance. Selunae made a move to hasten ahead of the purple haired youth to speak up, but Seren didn’t increase her pace at all. The result was the archer teetering on one leg precariously the instant she ran out of rein strap. A single snort of protest sounded from the stubborn mare, frustrating the embarrassed girl to no end. Of course Seren would still find a way to humiliate her in front of all these strangers. The girl’s cheeks still flush, she called out a response to the pink haired troubadour, reciprocating the warm smile with one of her own. “Y-yeah, I was lookin’ for a place to rest ‘n I haven’t been to Sacae before. I’m Lunie ‘n this is...” Oh Gods, she suddenly couldn’t remember her impromptu companion’s name. She’d just said it aloud moments ago, too. Was it Ayla? Oh! “..Aea! She was jus’ leadin’ me to that village up ahead.” The huntress’s voice squeaked out a nervous chuckle, half because of Seren almost causing her to take a spill and half because of she nearly forgot Aea’s name. Also, half because she was a bundle of nerves right now. Well, that was more halves than were necessary to make a whole, but that was neither here nor there.
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Sept 4, 2017 8:35:46 GMT -6
After Aea went on her tirade regarding tournaments, she noticed that Lunie didn't grow any less uncomfortable. She hadn't intended to cause the girl to feel bad, but in hindsight, she could now see that her words must have stung in some way to the young archer. Taking a deep sigh, Aea tried to reconcile what she'd said. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to sound like anything was your fault, or that you're a terrible person solely for wanting to attend a tournament such as that. I was merely stating, well, venting more likely, that I don't really understand why people would want towatch such a thing. I suppose my lack of knowledge caused me to be rather cold towards the subject. I hope you can forgive my hotheadedness..."
Once they had approached the two Sacaean women, the older of the pair seeming to be very suspicious of them, Aea prepared to answer the pink haired girl who had answered her greeting. However, before she could, Lunie took charge, pretty much saying everything that needed to be said about her situation. Probably for the best, seeing as she was the one actually in need of assistance. "Y-yes, pretty much everything that Lunie said. She needs somewhere to rest, as she seems to have been travelling for quite some time. It doesn't help that she isn't familiar with Sacae whatsoever. As she already stated, my name is Aea, and I found her just a few minutes ago on my way out of the village. I don't know that I'll stay long, but I want to ensure that Lunie at the very least gets some well needed rest."
Aea hoped it wasn't a big deal for the two to assist Lunie, or at worst to just ignore the pair of travellers. The problem was that the older companion of the pink haired girl seemed on edge around them, even though they didn't honestly look to pose too much of a threat, especially since they would theoretically be face to face with two people on well trained horses, while Aea had none and Lunie's horse seemed to be somewhat stubborn.
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Post by Midori on Sept 4, 2017 16:29:03 GMT -6
As the two women heard the girls speak, they both turned their heads to face each other. Lady Lucy didn't like how hesitant they were and showed it with a scowl. Midori, on the other hand, kept her warm smile and had a bit of a brighter demeanor. Lady Lucy sighed softly as she kept staring at Midori's happier face and gave up. The older, battle hardened blonde, shook her head and spoke.
"We can guide you to the village." She spoke with a slightly sour undertone to her voice.
"Well, guide you to the village" She pointed at Lunie.
"And guide Miss Aea back to the village. I'm surprised you even ventured out of the city at this time. Few patrols at this hour things can get a bit hairy." She turned again to look at Midori. Who stopped wearing her smile and had her head tilted to get a better look at the two women. She didn't recognize their brand of a horse.
"You folks come from Bern, Sacae, or Lycia?" The pink haired priestess asked as she waved for them to follow. The two of them lightly kicked the sides of their horses in order to get them moving again. Midori was eager to hear what they had to say and where they had come from. If they had come from Bern, what did they know of their recovery efforts? If Lycia, if they knew anything with regards to the monsters and magic the academies there had produced? If further north into Sacae how did the war efforts fare?
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Sept 5, 2017 8:23:14 GMT -6
As Aea’s tone took a turn towards calm remorse, Selunae pondered if she had flinched or somehow shown her bewilderment over what felt like chiding from the Sacaean girl. The apology was appreciated though, as the young archer had already started to feel unwelcome even though the ire in Aea’s voice had never been truly directed at her. Still, it was met with the same nervousness that the Bernese huntress had so prominently shown. “Oh, i-it’s okay.. I d-didn’t know ya felt that way ‘bout tournaments ‘n stuff. I jus’ ‘membered it ‘cause my friend was excited about it ‘n thought ya might be tryin’ to go that way too.” Punctuating her explanation with a sigh, the redhead left the final part unspoken. Guess not. Judging by that reaction, it was safe to assume that Sacaean culture didn’t include anything like arena battles. It would be a good idea not to bring it up again, though it didn’t seem likely to reoccur anyway.
As Aea added to and built upon the sloppy case Selunae had presented, it became rapidly apparent that she wasn’t really faring any better at handling the social awkwardness the valkyrie’s facial expressions afforded the chance meeting. If not for the troubadour’s calming presence and smile reining in the elder’s standoffishness, there would likely be no assistance offered whatsoever. It was expected to be regarded with cautious step though. Selunae had expected this, or perhaps even worse. After all, she was just a stranger and outsider roaming the indigenous lands of these people without even the knowledge necessary to understand or respect their customs. Back home, Selunae had never been one to stand on ceremony, but here on foreign soil when such an act could be the difference between aid and scorn, she had no idea how to. It was only by the grace of the pink haired troubadour that she wasn’t being cast aside as it was. Finally, the blonde, sufficiently softened by her young companion spoke up, offering guidance to the archer and unbeknownst manakete. The woman did little to conceal the disdain in her voice, as if the words were a poison she was forced to spit out. The lady’s tone evened out gradually as she spoke though, and finally she segued into idle observations of the timing of their travel.
While Selunae was mulling the words over in her head to try to give a response to the valkyrie that wouldn’t cause her to reverse her offer, the troubadour added her own bit to the exchange, inquiring of the point of origin their journeys began from. That sounded like the best way to soften them up, at least if she could squeeze in her intentions before being judged too harshly for her Bernese blood. “Well, uh.. Lessee.. I came here all the way from Lucerne, well actually a small village right next to it by the Rhine River.” The archer paused in thought before continuing. “It’s way out in the middle of Bern. I’m just a simple hunter though, lookin’ for some trainin’.” The words seem to come a little easier to the teenage huntress as conversation moved along, and the nervousness eased away as the younger lady’s acceptance of the pair more than countered the valkyrie’s reluctance. Selunae had to stop herself from speaking on behalf of Aea, partly because she suddenly realized she didn’t know where the girl truly hailed from. She’d made an easy assumption that the purple haired girl had been from Sacae without even considering the possibility that she was wrong. Maybe if she shut her trap and listened, she’d find out. So, that is what she did. As she picked up the pace to keep up with... hmm.. Oh.. right, neither the valkyrie nor troubadour had entrusted her with names yet, but well, she’d worry about that in a minute. For now she intently listened for Aea’s answer, more from idle curiosity rather than a burning need to know.
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Aea
Manakete
"Music can heal even the most broken soul."
Posts: 54
Profession: Wanderer/Entertainer
Affiliation: Sacae
Affinity: Wind
Dragon Element: Air
Profile: ~Aea~
OoC Alias: Kyra
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Post by Aea on Sept 8, 2017 19:25:02 GMT -6
Aea chuckled a bit when the younger rider mentioned her leaving town when there weren't many patrols out. "Well, I may not look like it, but I like to think I can handle myself well enough to get by, even by myself. I appreciate the concern though. Although, I was travelling with another companion, but he ran off a ways back, and he has yet to return, despite me waiting almost an entire day for him. He's more than capable though, so even if he doesn't find me, I'm not too worried about him."
As the two riders began to guide their horses towards the town, the younger one again spoke up, this time asking where they were from. Lunie of course explained that she was from Bern, as Aea already knew. Once she's finished, Aea spoke up with her answer. "I'm actually from Sacae myself. Not around this specific area though. I lived for a few years in a small village at the foot of the mountains separating the Sacaean plains from Ilia. It was nice and quiet, but wanderlust got the best of me, and so I've been travelling across eastern Elibe since then."
After a moment of pause, Aea asked a question of her own. "I take it the two of you are from around here then? Oh, and, um.. it seems I'm still not privy to either of your names." Aea hoped she wasn't being rude in the way she was asking for their names, but it was true that neither rider had introduced themselves, despite carrying on the conversation after she and Lunie had introduced themselves.
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Post by Midori on Sept 10, 2017 16:29:53 GMT -6
Bah. Nothing useful. Lady Lucy thought to herself as she begrudgingly guided her horse forward. Midori guided Ashes to slow down a bit to match the pace of the two new companions.
"I've been to Bern a few times. Though it was mostly for charitable work." The young priestess recalled the time she and a few other members of her tribe, as well as some volunteers, went to Bern to provide aid for those lost to a land slide. She also recalled the various times that she went as a result of her tribe doing other things. The Chaklai traded with Bern for things like Lumber. In return they traded back things like rice, fruit, and certain artisan crafts. The younger of the two ladies adressed the issue that neither Midori or Lady Lucy had introduced themselves. Lady Lucy had no intention of introducing herself to the two ladies. She was much more focused on making sure that they got to the village safely.
"My names Midori. And it's nice to meet you both Aea and Lunie." The pink haired priestess nodded softly at the two young ladies.
"Lucerne ... That is towards the lake is it not? And Ilia is that not the land of snow and ice?" Midori had seen snow before once. The year of her twelfth birthday the land was unusually cold. Their mountain tops saw snow for the first time in decades. She remembered a terrible frost that killed most of the crops and they were forced to travel outwards for more resources. She wasn't allowed to travel outside the village herself during that time but she did remember others leaving the village. She kept walking along side them.
"The way to the village is full of hills so be prepared for that."
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Lunie
Nomad
A Bernese hunter that always seems to get in over her head.
Posts: 141
Profession: Wanderer
Affiliation: Bern
Guild: Order of the Bear
Affinity: Fire
Profile: ║ Selunae ♦ Journal ║
OoC Alias: Edgewind/Lunie
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Post by Lunie on Sept 11, 2017 12:19:50 GMT -6
As Selunae took in Aea’s response, she found at least small relief that she was correct in her assessment that the girl was indeed Sacaean. She’d suffered enough embarrassment for one day just from the horse alone. It wasn’t as if she’d openly declared Aea to be from Sacae, though she’d felt dangerously close to doing so just a moment ago. The combination of her nervousness and her energetic impulsive nature lent to causing some interestingly awkward scenarios in the past, or in some cases it was simply rude. Disaster averted though, even if she had blurted it out it at least would have been true. As the young manakete continued to speak, the two groups merged together with both pairs heading in one mutual direction. With even further diminished interest, the blonde valkyrie took point and plodded gradually ahead, where she could still keep a cautious ear tuned to the newcomers without feeling obligated to contribute to what seemed to be a pointless conversation. It seemed quite a bit rude, especially to the point she still declined to give her name when everyone else had been introduced already.
The younger pink haired troubadour had introduced herself as Midori. That was a strange name as well for the huntress. Still, odd or no, the Sacaean names sounded pretty to her. It was two out of three. Aea and Midori seemed to be fine with Bern, but the older woman? Well, who knows? That cold shoulder deflected Selunae’s attention back towards the troubadour, who seemed to know where Lucerne was, after all. The archer’s face beamed with a smile as she took her turn speaking once more. “Nice to meet you too, Midori! Have ya ever been to Lucerne? It actually is kinda close to a huuuge lake. If yer ever in the area, you should go see it. It’s sooo pretty ‘specially when the leaves start turnin’. It’s quite a long walk though from the city, so ya prolly should stick to the horse if ya go. I’ve uhh only been a few times, but the trees there have these pretty leaves that turn red, orange, and purple before they fall off.” Gods, she was starting to do it again, saying more than what was necessary and probably coming off as weird and awkward.
So, Ilia was a land of snow and ice? Snow wasn’t unfamiliar to the archer. It did leave a tranquil blanket of white across the mountains of Bern on seldom occasion from late fall to early spring. Mainly, it fell in the southeast where the peaks rose the highest – those same peaks also acted as a barrier to prevent it from traveling further. Sure, Selunae had heard that it was rather cold in Ilia, but snow and ice? Wow.. She had no idea. Back to the matter at hand, if there were many hills like this one on the way to this village, as Midori said, it would probably be better to ride than walk. “Well girl, you’ve had a little bitta rest. Once we get to that village there’ll be plenty more time for ya to rest.” With a gentle pat on the flank, Selunae set into position to heft her light frame onto Seren’s saddle. The rebellious mare never slowed down for a second though and the moment the huntress shifted her weight to jump, she tumbled backwards. Collapsing squarely on her rear before ultimately rolling onto her back, the teen let out a startled cry that ended in a whimper of pain. “Seren! Gods, I jus’ dunno what to do with you!”
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