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Post by Bryson Desmonia on Jul 25, 2012 20:12:36 GMT -6
Bryson grumbled, raising an eyebrow. All too common, it seemed, that bandits just destroyed everything without fear of any consequences... Almost like some kind of destined thing to bring people together. But he knew better; it was just a horrible coincidence. "How 'bout any relatives elsewhere. Got any o' those?" he asked, and then took a step towards her. "I'd be more than happy to take ye to them, outta harms way." He stopped, thinking, and then looked at her with a slightly softer expression. "Or are we birds o' a feather, with nowhere left ta go?"
That was a depressing thought, that was. If her immediate family had been killed in the raid that led to her capture, and she, like so many, didn't know of any other relatives... Bryson's family would never accept him again, after what he had done all those years ago. Besides, he'd come too far to go back to that existence... He had a good life for a while, before the attack on the... His village. He had had good friends, a well-organized militia, a decent farm, and only a handful of regrets. "At worst, I can keep ye safe from any other thieves while we take ye where ye need ta go."
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Michaela
Cleric
Posts: 26
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Derick
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Post by Michaela on Jul 25, 2012 20:31:02 GMT -6
Michaela absentmindedly ran her right hand through her hair. She half-wondered if the man wanted to be rid of her, the way he kept thinking of places for him to take her. A small smile spread across her face, "Actually...I am...was?...an orphan." The knight's expression relaxed a little bit, and he posed his second possibility. Michaela's smile grew a little smaller, she looked at him with saddened eyes. "It would appear so..."
The knight looked a little lost himself, as she silently listened to him. When he talked of family, of others, his eyes got a little glassy, as though he were lost in though when he said them...It was time to stop moping. "That would good," she replied briskly, but with a smile. "In the meantime, I could pay for your services by keeping you healthy." Michaela knew much more than healing, being the eldest female orphan in the abby, she had learned a little of how to sew and cook as well. Yet in her heart...I'm helpless...
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Post by Valclaud on Jul 25, 2012 22:25:54 GMT -6
Valclaud was bored. Ever since he left that bandit fortress behind with all those fun people, he's been searching for something to relieve his boredom. All he got was wandering around, with no sense of direction or motive. Climbing another hill, this changed for him. Below was a scene that Valclaud was happy with; dead corpses, fresh blood, the smell of ripe decay in the air. All positive effects on his character. The only bad news was there was people still alive; but they probably wouldn't interrupt a hungry, sadistic, cheerful child looting corpses.
Casually walking down the hill, Valclaud made his presense known by whistling a tune off key as he just strode onto the scene. [white]"Hello. Pardon me, but I was in the area and I noticed these corpses just lying about. Excuse me as I go through their stuff for food."[/white] he told them as he crouched down and rummaged through one of the bandit's pockets. The two people were a man in a suit of armor, and a girl about his age. Pulling out a thing of lint, Valclaud looked around for better loot stashes. Spying a dead man on the ground with a scachel, though the axe embedded in his chest means he wouldn't object. Rummaging through that, Valclaud discarded everything that wasn't food; books, quills, ink, coin purse, scrolls. The only things he kept were a hunk of cheese and a dead rabbit. Tearing fur off and eating raw, blood trickled down his face and hands until they were dyed in blood from his fingertips to his forearms, and across his lower face. Turning around and smearing excess blood on his robes, Valclaud addressed the pair with a simple [white]"Hello"[/white] as he flashed a bloody smile.
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Post by Bryson Desmonia on Jul 26, 2012 13:59:49 GMT -6
Bryson raised an eyebrow, smiling a bit. "Pay me back? Don't worry 'bout it, lass, unless ye can get these blasted dents out o' my armor with that staff o' yers." He laughed, and took a few steps toward her, preparing to depart the area. No, the bandits didn't deserve a burial (let whatever scavengers there may be pick at their worthless bones), and his old employer wasn't worth much more than those men to Bryson. Again, he would have liked to have the other horse with more supplies to take along, but the bandit's horse should work just fine, for now. He looked pretty decent for having been kept by three less-than-decent men, and Bryson had a feeling that, if there came a time where they didn't need him anymore, they could sell him for a fair amount. For now, however, the horse would be a good ride for Michaela. "This one got a name?" Bryson asked, moving to the horse and checking a few things here, readjusting a couple straps there. "Or do ye think he needs a new one?"
And then down from a hill came a robe-wearing boy, probably around Michaela's age, who promptly set to cleaning the pockets of a bandit, and then to his ex-employer's satchel. At that point, Bryson was kind of irritated, but it was eating the raw rabbit, getting blood all over himself, and then just smiling at them and saying hello that made his blood boil. It was, for one, quite unnerving, and, second, reminded him too much of how he thought of bandits and highwaymen. So the Bern man shifted his lance over to his right and, held it, point-first, at the boy, and growled. "What business do ye have here?"
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Post by Valclaud on Jul 26, 2012 14:25:25 GMT -6
[white]"Wellllllllllll.........I'm lost. Lost, lost, lost, lost, lost. I'm lost you see, and I headed in one direction. After a couple days I arrived here, rummaged through these fellows pockets and then ate a rabbit before saying hello. I'm Valclaud, and I'm a shaman. Pleased to meet you"[/white] he told the man before greeting the girl with a whimsical bow. [white]"Hello, it'd be an honor to know the name of one not dead. Nice to meet you"[/white] he says as he shakes her hand with his still stained with blood, smearing some on her hand.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Valclaud started to whistle (poorly) as he took out a knife and cut his hand, drawin blood immediately without even flinching. Watching it, Valclaud's perky attitude changed to a more serious tone. [white]"People are afraid the sight of blood, making them squirm as it flows out of a person like a small stream or a river; depending on the cut. Me? I like the sight of it, the smell, the taste, the color and how it shines in the light. It's just not blood, I desire pain as well; the feeling of when your skin is shredded, a limb is missing, the overload of when you feel a strong nerve cluster being blasted apart or when you're ripped slowly to shreds, bit by bit. Pain and blood walk hand in hand; and I love it"[/white] he finishes before releasing his grip, fresh blood flowing out of his left hand and sprinkling the ground with it.
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Michaela
Cleric
Posts: 26
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Derick
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Post by Michaela on Jul 26, 2012 14:30:19 GMT -6
Michaela laughed along with the man. From what she remembered of Miss Grey's teachings, he wasn't to far enough. 'hammer' staffs...or something like that, could repair equipment, but Miss Grey had said they were really rare. Michaela did her best not to look at their surroundings, there was a lot of blood and it her reminded too much of...don't think of his name!...yesterday. Michaela's mouth twisted at the inquiry of the horse's name. "They had plenty of names for that horse..." She cringed, even without knowing three quarters of the words they yelled at the creature, she knew they weren't good. "...The poor thing deserves better." She said stoutly, frowning as she did so.
The conversation was promptly disrupted as a robed stranger climbed over the hill. Michaela noticed him with a gasp and darted behind Bryson. "Is it another bandit?! A highwayman?!" She whispered frantically into his ear. But Bryson seemed unperturbed, if anything, he just seemed angry as the figure rummaged through the bandits' belongings. She started back with a small shriek as the boy stood up from one of the bodies with blood on his mouth. As he started to speak, michaela realized with a start that he was about the same age as her.
He approached them and introduced himself before asking Michaela's name. She gave a small cry of disgust and dodged away from his proffered hand, refusing to take it. "I-I'm Michaela." She watched wide-eyed as he sat on the ground and drew blood from his hand. As the wounds stretched threw his skin, Michaela felt as if a cold wind was blowing from them. She shivered and drew her cloak tighter as a trail of blood poured from the man's arm. Refusing to give in to the cold feeling of death, Michaela just stared at the boy blankly. "A-are you feeling all right?"
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Post by Bryson Desmonia on Jul 26, 2012 15:01:17 GMT -6
As the boy set to answering his question, Bryson rolled his eyes, hearing just what the boy had been doing, not actually answering his question. And then this... Shaman started forward, shaking Michaela's hand with his own blood-stained hand, and Bryson growled again. "Don't ye dare touch her." he said forcefully, moving a little closer to the little healer. The boy sat down again, cutting himself and talking about blood, and that was it. Bryson tromped towards the boy, grabbing him by the collar of his robe, and lifted him up, so they could look each other in the eyes.
"I swear, keep this up an' I can promise ye pain the kinds ye wouldn't be all too fond o' experiencin'." he snarled, and then dropped the shaman back on the ground. "Michaela, don't even think of offerin' him any healin', ya hear me?" The man walked away from Valclaud, back towards Michaela, grabbing the little girl by the shoulder and pulling her away from the creepy boy, so they're backs were towards him. "I don't think he's a thief or anythin' like that, but I ain't too keen on lettin' him come with us, either." he said in a hushed tone, and then stood back. "He seems a little wrong in tha head, if ye ask me." He didn't care to lower his voice that time.
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Post by Valclaud on Jul 26, 2012 16:48:46 GMT -6
After being given a stern "talk" by the older man, he tossed Valclaud on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Just laying there all stretched out, he heard the comment said about and didn't even flinch at it. Closing his eyes, Valclaud slowly started to address the two. [white]"Wrong in the head? Yeah, you're right. Maybe I am sadistic, but how's one supposed to act after they've seen THEIR MOTHER BURNED AT THE STAKE. TELL ME HOW I'M TO ACT NOW? ALL I SEEM TO KNOW NOW IS THAT PAIN IS A COMMON FEELING WE HAVE; IF I CAN'T SHARE IT WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? TELL ME!"[/white] he shouted again as tears flooded down his face, moistening the dirt around him as he attempted to stand but fell from tripping on his own feet. Looking at the two, Valclaud's face showed only sorrow. [white]"I still remember...........the screams......of my mother and the others in the night air....screaming."[/white] looking up, Valclaud looked directly at Michaela as he softly spoke. [white]"I've tried to stand all by myself in the world, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't deal with being alone. Please, I don't want to be alone anymore. Help me."[/white]
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Post by Bryson Desmonia on Jul 26, 2012 20:13:19 GMT -6
Bryson glared at the boy, and then took a step forward. "My father wasn't tha nicest man ye'd ever hope ta meet. I left home tha first chance I got. I regret that decision every moment o' my life, because I left my siblings an' mother with that man. I wandered my home fer a number o' years, an', one day, I settled down. I had a good life, fer a while." His voice was quite calm, but it held a decent amount of venom. "I had friends. I had a home. Everythin', destroyed in an instant. Everythin' I'd worked fer, left my family fer, gone. My... Best friend, axed in tha head, in front o' me. My home land is currently bein' ruled by another country."
At this point, Bryson was right in front of him, and roaring. "So ye ask what ye should do now, if not share yer pain." His voice leveled out, back to a reassuring calmness, with no venom now. "Ye move on. Ye try ta make yer mother proud. Life live, kid. I don't know yer whole story, and I honestly don't want ta, but it sounds ta me like ye've still got a life worth livin'. Yer whole, got all yer limbs, and seem ta have some intelligence." Bryson stood back, and then started walking away again. "Make somethin' of yerself that would make yer mother... Yer family proud." he finished, and set to fixing the straps on the saddle of the still unnamed horse, quite a bit more forcefully than entirely necessary. Bryson looked back at Michaela, sighed, and then looked back at Valclaud. "If ye can keep up with us, feel free ta tag along."
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Michaela
Cleric
Posts: 26
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Derick
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Post by Michaela on Jul 26, 2012 21:45:47 GMT -6
The boy's change from casual to sorrow should have been heartbreaking, and it was, but it also frightened Michaela, if only a little bit. "Th-that's--" her eyes were sparkling, but her voice firmed up as she swallowed. "I watched my best friend....." She couldn't say 'die', she just...couldn't..."Y-yesterday he....." Just move on, Michaela! "You're not alone," Her voice was cool and confident as she glanced over at Bryson. "W-we've all had...things...happen." She could hear Miss Grey chiding her in her head, "but you can't let that stop you...it can't stop any of us." The second part of the sentence was a somber mumble, directed at herself.
Michaela looked around, they were in the middle of the countryside, with no clear direction. "S-so.....with that in mind...Where shall we go next?" She looked to Bryson as she said this, he was the adult, but her tone was open and friendly, if just a tad too bossy.
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Post by Bryson Desmonia on Jul 28, 2012 10:42:15 GMT -6
Bryson listened to Michaela's little addition to the story, his back facing the other two. He sighed as she finished, and turned back around to receive her question. "Well, ta be honest, I don't know. I'd suggest Bern, but I ain't exactly sure that would be tha best plan right now. There's Sacae... Or, we could stay here in Lycia an' try ta find a city or town ta stay while we figure out somethin' else ta do." He looked, first at Valclaud, and then at Michaela. "Now, ye said ye could do some healin', and I'm sure Val' here has somethin' he can do ta help out. We could attempt ta do some merc' work fer a while, if that happens ta interest either of ye." At this point, Bryson was pacing back and forth, almost looking a little irritated. It may have seemed like the irritation was the two children in front of him, but... In truth, it came from a lack of a plan and nothing to busy himself with.
"There's a decent amount o' money in guardin' people who want ta travel countryside these days... An' we have ta eat eventually." He stopped again, looking at Michaela and Valclaud again, and shook his head. "All right, listen. If either o' ye have some place ye want ta go, ye best tell me now or ferever hold yet peace." He focused his attention on Michaela. "I don't know 'bout ye, but..." He focused his attention to Valclaud. "If ye don't want to come along, we can drop ye off somewhere. Maybe spending some time at a church or somethin' would do ye some good. If not... Our story, if anyone get's curious, is that we're a family recently driven from our homes by some bandits, which is true enough."
Bryson was back to to the horse, grabbing it by the reins and leading it to Michaela. "Ye'll ride tha horse, which I remind ye still needs a name." He pointed at Valclaud. "Me an' you will travel on foot. We travel north until we find ourselves a town or somethin' similar, where we'll rest until we can come up with a plan."
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Michaela
Cleric
Posts: 26
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Derick
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Post by Michaela on Jul 28, 2012 21:15:46 GMT -6
Michaela touched a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "I have no experience in...in battle.....keep that in mind..." She frowned, starting a slow place in front of the two males. "..We could just keep following the road, th-those...men," she spared the corpses a frightened glance, "mentioned a little town up ahead where they could..." Harm innocent people until they stole a house, "...Find a bed." Michaela nodded at Bryson's advice. "I don't know if anything would think we're related but...stranger things have happened!"
Any inch of a cheerful mood vanished when Bryson brought the horse over. "What? Because I'm a girl? I'll have you know that I am just as capable of walking as either of you." She stared down both of the men haughtily before climbing up onto the horse's back. "We'll take turns riding Gale," she said simply as she sent the horse into a trot. What she saw when they crested over the hill caused her to dismount.
She turned to the two males with a roguish grin, "better yet, you two can take turns on Gale, I'll ride Breeze." Without further explanation, she ran down the other side of the hill, vanishing from her companions sight before returning a minute later on the smaller horse that poor man had been riding. "He was eating the wildflowers by the side of the road," she explained cheerfully before she set off riding her new friend.
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