Warm By the Fire (Open)

[Claira]

Inside a cave off the beaten path was Claira who has a good size fire roaring. Her Jade green eyes watched the snow falling down on the outside of the cave. "OF all days I choose to leave Sacae, I end up in Ilia and in a blizzard. Just Lovely....blah. Can't complain, better her then with them..." Letting out a sigh, she had anked out her dagger and stabbed it into the ground next to her away from the entrance of the cave. Feeling warm and toasty, the young thief stood up and stretched her legs and arms. The sound of her joints cracking was noticable. Now leaning against the cave wall, she kept looking outside. 'Very bad storm out their. Well, if people see the smoke and need a place of shelter...I guess I can share this spot.' Now looking at the ground, she began to remember her time as a slave. But it all snapped out of focus when she shook her head and rubber her eyes with her right hand. Looking at the glove carefull, she saw that there was a beed of blood. Touching her nose and looking at her fingers, her nose was bleeding. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tilted her head back til it stopped. Spitting on the ground, a good amount of her spit was nothing but blood.

[Samuali]

Burr... Samauli could mind the cold, but this was extreme. The wind howled as snow blew into his face and frost nipped at his exposed face. He needed to get out of the weather, and soon. Looking up he could make out smoke coming from somewhere, hopefully warm. He pushed off towards the smoke and soon came across a cave. Well this was the source. Not having a good recorded with the roads around here he drew his lance as he neared the source. Not seeing and threats right outside he slipped in and banged the but of his lance on the rock twice before calling in; "Hello? Anyone here?" He then proceed out of the weather and into the cave.

[Claira]

Hearing somebody walking towards the cave stirred her as she was in deep thought. When she was able to see the person, she couldn't tell if he was a slaver or not. Slowly leaning down, she yanked her curved dagger out of the ground and stood up. Her body was against the wall away from the recruit. Studying him before she would answer would be the better choice. Young in age, using an Iron lance. As he slammed the butt of the lance down, it made her flinch a bit. But she would answer him.

"Yeah, there is a person in here. You don't have to shout to get one's attention. Since you asked a question, I'll ask one in return. Who are you and what do you want?" Pushing herself off the wall, she made her presence known as she kept her dagger out of sight. If there was going to be a fight, she would need all the advantages she would need since she doesn't know is that this person is the lesser form of either a Knight, Soldier or even the Cavalier. Her black clothing made it hard to see the frame of her body as she would step forward away from the fire, with his line of sight would be looking at her and the Abyss of the cave. The only things able to be seen was her right arm and her head. The dagger was laying up against the sking behind her arm so thtat this, Male wouldn't be able to see her weapon of choice.

[Samuali]

Samuali could instantly feel the warmth once he was in the cave. A voice answered him and asked him to identify himself in return. His eyes searched the darkness for the source and he manged to make out a head and a arm, the rest seemed to melt into the darkness. He slowed worked his way against the wall away from the head and out of the cold, he held his lance tight to his body. He responded back. "My name is Samuali, i am a poor traveler caught in the blizzard outside. I seek no trouble, just some shelter." Samuali slowly bent down a put his lance on ground to show he came in peace. However, he placed it pointing the voice and could recover it very quickly if need to be. He started to brush off snow and casually asked the head and arm; "Would you mind stepping out of the shadows?"

[Claira]

Listening to him, she watched him put his lance on the ground. But the way he had it laying on the ground, it was pointing towards her. 'Ah, you tricky little bugger.' Stepping alittle closer towards the fire, her outline was seen faintly. Her jade green eyes looked at him then at the fire. "Not much of a place to spend the night due to the blizzard....but atleast I made it warm before it started to come down heavy. I'm Claira, but people call me raven." The sound of the dagger being sheathed was heard as the handle guard hit the sheath with the sound of it CLICK into place echoed further into the cave. She sat down opposite of Samuali. Going through her bag, she grabbed a few blood roots and began to cew on one of them. THe sound of the root crunching inside her mouth much that of a carrot was heard.

[Samuali]

"Nice to met you, Claira." The sound of a sheath alerted him but the sound of the click put him at ease. The he could now make the women out from the darkness and she sat herself across from him. She pulled something from her bag and started to crunch on it. Samuali, not feeling threatened anymore, sat down and rolled his lance back over to him. He search his own supply and pulled out some cold jerky that was wrapped in some cloth. He ripped a piece off and chewed on it in silence for a little. "So what are you doing around here?" He asked Claira. He reached for another piece of jerky when curtsy reminded him. "Oh, would you like a piece?"

[Claira]

Looking up at him, as he asked his questions. Looking at her blood roots, she would hand one of the bigger pieces over to him as a trade in return getting a piece of the jerky. Taking a small bite from it, she would reply to him. "I'm from Sacae orginally. At an early age, I was taken from my village by Slavers. I managed to break free from them a few years ago and they've been hunting me down. So I left my home country in hopes of being out of their grubby claws. First Bern, then here in Ilia. One of their men who was the scout of the group found me in a small village. A young man helped me who rode a Wyvern. Not taking any chances, I decided Ilia would be one of the better places to hide due to the snow and the harsh weather climate. Very unpredictable....thank you for the meat. Haven't had meat in about a month or so. It's good to have something besides Blood root." The handle of her dagger was irratating her back.

Reaching behind her, she pulled out the curved bladed dagger and began to cut the blood root into pieces so that she wasn't biting and ripping the hunks off the root. Looking at him again as she popped into her mouth another piece of blood root and mixed it with a small piece of jerkey. "So what brings you out in this storm Samuali? It's a bit....how to say without offending? Weird, a man of your stature is walking in a storm like this." Her eyes, her jade eyes stared at him and doesn't blink. Much like a ghost watching it's soon to be host for a long while.

[Samuali]

Samuali listened in to the women's story. She was kidnapped by slavers, and the whole thing seemed very bleak. She managed to escape, but was most likely being tracked down at the moment. "I'm sorry you have to go through that. Your more than welcome for the jerky."

Samuali watched wearily as Claira pulled out a dagger and cut her blood root and ate it with a piece of jerky. Samuali broke a piece of the root she traded with him and tried that combination himself. He had eaten much better.

"So what brings you out in this storm Samuali? It's a bit....how to say without offending? Weird, a man of your stature is walking in a storm like this."

She looked at Samuali in such a way that made him shift uncomfortably. He had to divert his gaze from her green eyes before he answered. "I am looking for... Someone... and a friend. I was not looking for you of course." There was a considerable gab before and after he said "Someone".

[Claira]

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch was heard from her side of the cave. Grabbing a log and a few dried up broken branches, she tossed them into the fire. The flames jetted upwards for a brief moment but subsided back to it's normal size. The heat kept the cold of the cave as she then broke her gaze and looked outside. Darkness had consumed the land outside of the cave. But the heavy down pour of snow was still visible to them both. 'Someone' echoed in her mind. Letting out a slow exhale, she slowly stood up and stretched her arms and legs. Once she moved her right arm, the light from the fire lit up the scars that went up to her shoulder. Seeing her scars, she quickly hid her right arm behind herself as she leaned against the wall again.

[Samuali]

Samuali munched with Claira watching the snow fall outside. She stretched a little and when she moved her right arm into the light, scars showed quite clearly and harshly. Samuali choked on the root and jerky in his mouth for a couple of seconds before getting it down. He had heard her story but was hardly listening to it. The scars made then entire thing hit home. "Oh my- I- that's-" Samauli stammered with mixed emotions of anger and guilt. Finally he manged to take a few breaths. Seeing how she hide them, it was most likely she did not want to talk about it. Trying to change the subject he asked a question. "So what is your plan once the weather clears? Do you have anywhere to go?"

[Claira]

Claira could feel the awkwardness in the room as he then began to choke on his food. But after he asked his questions, "So what is your plan once the weather clears? Do you have anywhere to go?" She kept looking outside. It was a good question because she didn't really have anywhere to go. "...no, I don't have anywhere to go. My family don't know me anymore since it's been so long or they're dead by now. Running has always been the first action for me. No stopping, no setteling down. Nothing...the only things I own is on me."

A strong wind gust into the cave almost knocking the fire out. She jumped off the wall and stood infront of it making the wind divert around her. Her scarf flickered a bit as her hood shot upwards covering her head. The fire stayed alive. The wind died down quickly. Scarf falling back to where it was orginally. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch, spit, splat. Once the fire grew back to it's orginal size, she finished her statement. "We all got to do things that we aren't proud of to stay alive. I'm no saint...but as hard as times are and with the slavers always around the corner or the feeling that they are close, I'm always on the move and not in one place for to long. Not able to hold a job for that very reasons."

Feeling a bit shamed of how her life became, she lowered herself down and kept her eyes focused on the ground. Taking her curved blade dagger, she stabbed the ground infront of her.

[Samuali]

"Running has always been the first action for me. No stopping, no setteling down. Nothing...the only things I own is on me."

Samuali thought hard on what she said. And the more he thought the more similar Claira and Samuali seemed. Both of them were running. Both felt that they had to ran on, not stopping, both not making a home. Saving only what was on them. As she blocked a rouge gust from putting the fire out he looked at her in a knowing way. Similar indeed.

"We all got to do things that we aren't proud of to stay alive. I'm no saint...but as hard as times are and with the slavers always around the corner or the feeling that they are close, I'm always on the move and not in one place for to long. Not able to hold a job for that very reasons."

Samuali jumped when she impaled the ground in front of her. It must be terrible to be hunted, never having safe of mind. But what was the source of the problem? Thinking back to his hunting days he recalled tracking. "So, how are they finding you if you keep moving?" He asked the thief which a sincere look to want to help.

[Claira]

"They send out their low ranking members and hire trackers. But since the last one is now permentally Retired to being Full Dead, I think I bought myself some time. Leave no trace and get the hell out before the storm comes down around you." She had the look of thinking across herself as she placed a hand over where the brand mark was on her chest. Undoing the scarf and unbuttoning the top three buttons, she opend up her shirt a bit and showed Samuali the Branding that they did to their 'Slaves'. The Raven with it's wings open fully laid in the middle of her chest.

"They brand the children on both sides so that the trackers have Something to look for when on the hunt. Thats how they are able to find us that were able to run away." Sitting down fully, she left her shirt open a bit as the scarf just sat there on her shoulders.

[Samuali]

Samuali felt no sympathy for the slaver that was now scavenger food. He glanced outside at her mention of "before the storm comes down around you." The storm was defiantly coming down now. So perhaps it was not a danger, but rather a safe heaven? Interesting way to look at it.

A little to Samuali's surprise she started to loosen her shirt and she showed him her "brand". It was a raven with its wings open wide. So that's why she was called raven. She was marked, like one would mark livestock. Samuali was starting to get worked up. This clear evidence of inhumanity and ownership of a human was grinding into his head. Owning a human like they were a tool. Samuali was a tool once too. A object of amusement sent to kill or die for others amusement. "Ondolus" He spoke the word harshly and violently stood up, clearly agitated, but his eyes were full of terror and sadness. "I saw some fire wood, i'll be right back." With that he headed out into the weather leaving his lance and pack.

He returned shortly with a handful of dry wood. He put in a log and sat the rest down with the rest of the wood. The occasional light would gleam of a frozen tear. Sitting down to where he was before he let out a yawn as he looked at the thief in front of him. Like indeed.

[Samuali]

After some time the weather outside slowed down to a light snow fall, reveling a land buried under a blanket of white. Samuali stood up, still half asleep, and stumbled around a little before leaning against the wall to stop from tipping over. He was close enough to the exit to feel the cold air to start to wake him up. He let out a sigh thinking about his destination and Claira. They were no doubt worrying about him right now, but he could not just leave Claira. He turned to Claira. "Claira, if you want you can come with me to the next town. They are good people and would gladly let you stay for a little while. If not, well i wish you good luck."
He tossed her the last of the Jerky and headed out into the snow covered landscape, continuing on his way.

(Samuali exits thread)