An Empty Quiver (Open)

[Luke Pendragon]

Luke was glad that it appeared that both Tamaya and the stranger were fine. From an encounter like that one could never be too sure if everyone came out alright. Even in a moment of joy one could over look an injury that could end up biting them in the butt later. Last thing anyone needed right now was for people to start getting hurt. Luke would begin to think that his family curse was beginning to affect other people instead of himself. That would certainly be quite the turn of events, though despite it being a good thing for Luke he didn't wish that fate upon anyone.

It would of course be his weight to carry and something he figured he'd carry to his death bed, hopefully a death bed that wasn't on a battlefield. Dying on the battlefield did normally bring great honor but it Luke's case it would be bittersweet. Luke decided not to dwell on these thoughts anymore and began to focus more so on what was going on around him. Marric seemed like a fine fellow, if not a bit confused as to what just happened to him but that looked like it had passed by now.

Luke laughed a bit at Tamaya and the ax. "Well I'm sure that your friend here didn't mean for you to trip over the ax," He said before thinking what their next course of action should be seeing how Merric then joined them. "I think we should head into town. It'll give you two some time to catch up and a place to get cleaned up and situated as long as you're all alright with that," Luke suggested figuring it might be a good idea for them all to get moving. Of course he didn't mind staying around here.

[Tamaya]

"Luke, this is Marric. He saved me in a brawl once. Marric, this is Luke. I just met him when I was making some arrows.

Um... You said your name was Merric? Well, I would offer for you to travel with us, but I think we should take Luke's advice and go to town. So would you like to accompany us there?"

What was Marric mouthing?

Weed...Fishhook...traitor?

What?

"Here's an axe, Marric. I assume it's yours... Maybe you'd want to keep a good grip on it, so that you don't lose it, hmm?"

Laughing lightheartedly, Tamaya joked with her friend the axeman before calling Shikoba, walking to her pile of new arrows, and loading her quiver up. Taking her bow and then calling again to her horse, the nomad moved over to the others.

"Shall we?"

[Deleted]

Merric smiled at the woman. "Yes it is. And you're Marric... interesting. I should hope and pray you are not a criminal as we share our names." He jested with a blank smile. The sort that had meaning behind it. The one that says he is dead serious but not going to be rude.

Marric looked like a rough man likely by his nature. That isn't his fault, but his choice of weaponry, carry and look screamed bandit. I don't think I like him too much, he thought. But with a slight shake of his head he shrugged the thought away. No he would give the man a chance. He hadn't done anything wrong, yet. Plus the woman said he had saved her previously.

"Go to town with you? Hmm..." Producing his coin he gave it a flip, and swiping it out of the air he took a look. "Looks like I'm your man. So, does this town have a name? I do very much so enjoy knowing all the places I've been."

[Marric]

Good to know ya' pal. Marric clasped Luke's shoulder in a rather unformal greeting roughly, almost enough to seem antagonistic, but that could be attributed to his nature. The lad seemed a bit younger than Marric, and his armor was too clean and unscarred. It could indicate a greenhorn, or maybe the lad took good care of his gear; Marric wagered it was probably both judging from Luke's manners and smile. He smiled at Tamaya, and used Luke's suggestion to help clarify his silent suggestion in case it had gone over Tamaya's head. Yeah, we'll catch up then if you'd like. Hopefully she could understand what he'd meant now if she hadn't already.

Tamaya explained who Marric was too, but he humbly shook his head with a smile. Roin did far more than me. In truth he didn't feel like a savior at all. In fact he had helped her more to save his pride than to help someone in need. It was a fact he was very embarrassed about. Luckily, she didn't seem to know it, and was happy to deflect any gratitude by giving the credit to another who deserved it. He took his ax back and smiled at her suggestion, and didn't explain that it was meant to be thrown; no reason to spoil laughter with a boring correction. I'll keep it in mind!

The axe-fighter then turned to the rather shifty Merric who had made something of a jest that Marric hopefully wasn't a criminal. Joke or not, it rubbed Marric the wrong way, and the look the lad gave only added to his insulted pride.

Marric was taken aback by the comment, but only nodded in understanding. I'm just a mercenary, you've nothing to worry about. Merric's look seemed to say he had a discomfort about Marric's presence, it put him off a tad. Who was this newcomer to judge a relatively honest and honorable fighter, and for what reasoning? He didn't give off his thoughts with any dirty look or insulted body language and decided to brush the look off as if it didn't happen.

[Luke Pendragon]

Marric seemed like a nice fellow, though maybe a bit clumsy with his weapons? Luke wasn't sure what the story behind all of that was exactly but Luke hoped the guy didn't make a habit of it, didn't sound like a good one to have. He wondered what this brawl was that Marric had saved Tamaya from. Hopefully the two didn't make any enemies that would hold a grudge. Something like that normally led to people having to check their backs constantly just to make sure no one has a knife to their back. That was no way to live that's for sure

The name Roin stuck out for Luke. He was curious as to who this was and how he contributed in this brawl of theirs. Luke always enjoyed hearing stories of fights and battles with strong warriors and if Roin was one then Luke was game for hearing about it. The boy was pleased to hear that everyone seemed to be in agreement with going to town. When Merric spoke of the two that had similar names Luke almost laughed as he didn't notice that at first. While Luke didn't think Marric was a criminal or someone to worry about he was pleased to hear the same out of the ax wielder's mouth.

Now that it seemed that everyone was ready Luke started to move in the direction of the two. "Sorry but I don't know the name of this town, first time in Pherae to be honest with you," Luke replied to Merric's question. The trek to the town wouldn't be that long, the sun should still be up by the time they reach it. Of course it would probably be wise of them to rest there for the night and plan their next move. He wondered if any of them were still going to travel together after reaching town.

[Tamaya]

As everyone began to move towards the town, heading across the field, Tamaya began making her judgements on the character of the men around her. There was Marric, of course; a strong warrior in battle and a fine friend out of combat, she had deep respect for the man and loved spending time with the fellow.

Then there was Luke, the young one. He seemed gentle and affable, a wandering swordsman who brought with him an air of easygoing joy and friendliness. She couldn't speak of his abilities, but he seemed like a very nice person from what she'd been able to gather.

The other one, Merric, seemed to have a... strange sense of humor. He was a lover of chance, it seemed, and a wanderer. She would reserve judgement for later, when she had more information as to his true colors.

"It's just across the field from here. Come, Shikoba! We're going."

Mounting her trusty steed, the woman slung her bow on her back and her newly filled quiver at her side, on her leg-mount.

"So... Are you all warriors and mercenaries, fighting for your living?"

[Deleted]

Merric almost looked indignant at the very idea. "No, I am a researcher of the anima branch. I am looking ever forward in my pursuit of expanding the limits and conventions of the art. Anima is locked into the physical realm thus it suffers against the likes of shamans who attack our inner realm. My goal is to find a way to turn those tables." Merric hated dark magic. It was creepy, it was evil, and he couldn't fight it well.

He walked up beside Shikoba and secretly prayed the woman wouldn't think to take off in a gallop leaving the three behind. "I will however take the occasional odd job in order to keep on with my pursuits. Speaking of he really needed to find one. "If you are asking to work together I think I can do that. Should we ever get into a tough altercation I just ask you call on Luke. Two Merrics could get confusing."

[Marric]

My friends used to call me Twig. That'll clear it up, eh? Marric laughed and gave a well-meaning, yet a bit forceful pat on Merric's shoulder as he followed Tamaya. The others could probably tell by now that behind Marric's thousand yard stare, his gruff exterior, and deep voice, he was a rather friendly guy. They could also probably tell he was a killer. He had no qualms with the action of taking life if there was good reason or coin behind it. Marric had a certain look in his eye like he was always ready to fight, always ready to kill. Marric had learned very much in his time as a mercenary, and indeed in his time alive; most of which consisted of various ways to fight.

If any of them had listened to him closely, they probably caught the words 'used to', when he spoke of how his friends had once called him Twig. To most, a simple statement like that would be brushed off, and even Marric hadn't thought much of it, but it had a deeper meaning than just a way to differentiate between two Marrics. His friends had been killed, and now no one called him Twig. He missed the name, even if it was created to make fun of how skinny he was. He may not be all that skinny anymore, but it was a part of his past he would rather keep alive.

So thats it then? We'll travel together for a bit? He asked as he fell into stride with the others.

Sorry, but I can't stay with you three for too long. I have to find my little brother. He left Ilia to escape the possible noose that he thought would wait for him, but he had been planning to search for Samuali between jobs since they had been separated in Bern. The ilian hadn't found much luck with the search, but he wouldn't stop looking for the lad. They'd gone through enough to warrant Marric's worries.

[Luke Pendragon]

Tamaya's question was a good one, it wasn't everyday that you met up with three…er two armed people and a magic user, even if one of the weapon users is a friend. Luke was a mercenary and he supposed fighting was one way of making a living but he didn't want to limit himself to that. He focused more so on answering the question rather than the comment that Marric had made. It would be easy for Luke to tell the difference between the two, name pronunciation and everything so the young lad wasn't all that worried. Now that Luke thought of it, he hadn't really been hired to do much.

"I guess I'm fighting for a living but my main goal is to prove false this supposed curse that's been put on my family. While fame and money would be nice it's not all that important ," Luke would say, hopefully giving a suffice answer to Tamaya's question. Merric's response was an interesting one but that was mainly because Luke was no expert when it came to magic. He was taught the basics of it by his teacher so if he ever came in contact with a mage on the battlefield at least he would know what to do.

Luke could sympathize with Marric as Luke had his own family problems to deal with and he understood that sort of thing was more important than traveling with some strangers. "That's understandable, I wish you all the luck and hope you find your brother," The young blonde would say to Marric. So far things were going rather well and Luke was enjoying the company, it was definitely a welcomed change of pace that was for sure. While Luke was alright with being alone, being with a group was much better.

[Tamaya]

"Yes, I assume so. I don't mean to just assume leadership, I'm sorry. You all are free to stay or leave as you see fit. In fact, I'm not even sure where to go, so I suppose any traveling beyond the town over there would be a matter for discussion.

Marric, I'll be sorry to see you go again, but I understand. Family comes first. If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know, and I will ride to your aid. Oh, and before you leave, I want to talk to you for a moment, when we get to town.

Luke, Merric... I'm glad to have met you two, and I'm glad that we'll spend time together. As a group, we are strong... Perhaps we could even take on a job, as Merric suggested, to earn coin and bring honor to our names."

Smiling, the Nomad brushed her hair back and looked around as they neared the town. It was peaceful, and so she felt at ease. In fact, it was a beautiful afternoon, as the sun began to slide down lower in the sky.

"Perhaps we could all share a meal together, to cement our friendship and get to know each other better?"

Tamaya was interested to hear more about all of her new friends. What Marric had been doing while they were separated was but one piece of the puzzle. She was also intrigued by what Luke had said. A curse? What on earth could that be? And as for Merric... Well, he was a funny one. She never really understood magic, but he was polite, so there was nothing to complain about there.

THREAD RETIRED DUE TO INACTIVITY

[Deleted]

Merric stepped forward to catch himself when Marric clapped his shoulder. It was not malicious in nature but it certainly left a sting after. He hissed sharply and looked at the man but he went unnoticed. Marric was following Tamaya. At least he confirmed it himself that he would not be around forever. He fully meant to part ways to look for someone else. He was a bit relieved by this. The name confusion aside he looked like a bandit. "Good luck with finding him." Merric did not really know what to tell him, so he stuck to the basics of courtesy.

Merric thought little of curses. To him the idea was a foolish notion and it was good to hear that this Luke could sympathize with him. Magic was one thing but when you let it carry over into superstition then it was a fools game. Part of the reason he disliked dark magic as much as he did. The other bit was because they had an advantage over him. But he did not hold a grudge over it, nope, not at all.

"Always nice to meet a man with better sense than to think curses are real. It is all just chance. Some are luckier than others but ultimately it is all 50/50." His life motto.

"The feeling is mutual Tamaya. I feel a nice hot meal would be good. Also I can have a bit of fun with a game or two. It is tragically boring not being able to have a good game or trick in a while."