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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 13:01:55 GMT -6
Flynn gazed upon the plains from the hill where he and his horse stood. The wind ruffled his ruby hair as he looked out to the open greenery before him. The young man interpreted the open area as a symbol for his life to be. Free, open, unmarked. A blank canvas where he could paint his story. A symbol for a new beginning and a fresh chance to do something great. Flynn grinned and spurred his horse. He was eager to begin.
As his horse galloped over try grassy hills, Flynn debated his plan of action. Namely, how he would get his name out there. He didn't expect people to come flocking to him for protection and other deeds when he has yet to even show he can successfully defend people. The best idea he could come up with was ride to a town and ask if they were having troubles with bandits. Either that or just ride around until he found a group of bandits and stop them. That would be less than preferable, though. Flynn didn't want to run the risk of finding the bandits he was looking for and not know they were bandits. No need in sullying his name before he even started. That would entail a one way ride back to his old tribe and boring night guard duty. He would probably have to do extra shifts during the night for running off so unceremoniously and without approval. Not to mention his mother and father would give him one of the worst tongue lashings he had and ever will receive.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 20:27:55 GMT -6
Irenes had been on the road for a few days now, stopping to rest every now and then. She had the hood of her cloak up over her head right now, as though to hide herself from... nobody. She hadn't seen a single person since departing the last village that had let her stay the night. They were pleasant enough but warned her against bandits. While she wasn't looking for a fight, she was sure looking for the results of one. People who would be injured and would need some healing.
As her horse crested a small hill, she stopped and stretched out luxuriously, moving her cloak off for now. It was such a beautiful day out here; she couldn't see why people said this place had problems. The purple-haired girl leaned back in her saddle some to take in some of the sun's rays for a moment. Her left hand still held onto her staff, though more out of fear of dropping it than anything else. "This is so much better than being cooped up in the city." She tells her horse before sitting back up. She leaned against the front of the saddle now, looking out over the fields curiously. No signs of bandits, or fighting. Not even any wounded animals to tend to.
After a moment of searching through the field, she dismounted to stretch her legs some and have a quick snack for herself and her mount. She had some fruit from the previous village that was rather sweet, just the way she liked it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2014 21:54:06 GMT -6
Flynn crested another hill on his horse. He scanned the surrounding fields once more. Still nothing. No roads, no villages, no nomads, no merchants, not even a rabbit. The red haired young man had forgotten what it was like to be alone. And the emptiness of the plains was more apparent when no one was with you. There was no sound of his fellow tribesmen, no children laughing, none of the hustle and bustle of living off the land. It was almost surreal. Going from a life of noise to a life with only the wind rustling the grass for company. The young man began to actually feel homesick. He was tempted to return home, but he'd set out on a mission and he wouldn't return until he was worthy of it. He sighed as he scanned the fields once more.
Flynn saw a person resting on a hill a little ways in front of him. His jaw dropped in shock. Someone was actually out there. Someone he could talk to and keep his sanity in one piece. The red haired youth didn't hesitate another moment. "HYAHH," he shouted, spurring his horse. The horse galloped across the small dip in the terrain. Flynn stopped his horse next to the person, who turned out to be a purple haired woman. The young man smiled happily as he spoke.
"Thank the gods someone's actually out here. I thought I was alone," Flynn said excitedly. He dismounted his horse and stood next the purple haired woman. He extended on hand, asking for a handshake. "The name's Flynn. Pleasure to meet you.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2014 9:45:31 GMT -6
Irenes could hear the other rider approaching and turned to watch. She initially had the thought that this was a bandit descending on her but was able to brush it aside when she figured that logically, a bandit wouldn't travel towards a potentially armed person alone. She settled down, resting against her horse while waiting for him to arrive. A native, by the looks of him. He almost looked majestic there, hair in the wind as his horse came across the plains. At least it was someone to give her directions! She would stand up as he approached, still holding onto her staff. A light smile formed on her lips as he got closer, trying to be friendly already with him.
"It has been quite some time since I have seen another person, yes." She explains, quickly looking him over as he dismounted. She was still a little wary after seeing the sword but quickly chastised herself for being so quick to judge him, especially after his enthusiasm for seeing another person. She gives a little curtsy at his extended hand. "My name is Irenes." She would say before the sudden feeling of awkwardness kicked in that she realized she was meant to shake the hand. She flushed slightly in embarrassment and held her hand out to shake his. "Nice to meet you as well."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 4:35:41 GMT -6
Flynn studied the woman. It seemed strange to him for a random healer to be out in the plains. He couldn't think a logical explanation for it, other than her possibly acting as bait for unwary travelers so a group of bandits could pounce. That wasn't a logical explanation for her being here, as bandits would have ambushed him as soon as he stepped off of his horse. The woman seemed friendly enough, anyways, so worry left the young man's mind.
"Sacae does tend to be pretty empty," he replied, taking a moment to look out at the great fields of nothing. He returned his attention the troubadour in front of him. "But it was lucky of us to find someone. It can prove to be difficult at times."
The mercenary nodded as the woman introduced herself as Irenes, "Nice name you have, Irenes." He glanced at his hand positioned in the air. Slightly awkward, but Flynn pushed passed it. He watched as Irenes gave a little curtesy before realizing that his hand hung there. He smiled warmly and laughed a little bit as the troubadour shook his hand and flushed in embarrassment. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault for expecting a handshake. A bow is more suited, correct?"
Flynn leaned over, bowing in a very flamboyant manner. He looked up at Irenes and smiled before standing up straight once more.
"So," the mercenary started, "what brings you out here to our humble plains? They can be a dangerous place to wander."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 18:16:51 GMT -6
Irenes felt a little uneasy as he looked her over, her inner shyness kicking in. She needed to remind herself that he wasn't being some sort of predator sizing her up and was just ensuring the same thing she had done to him on arrival. However, even that little compliment made her cheeks flare into a blush which she quickly tried to hide with a giggle as his overly done bow.
"W-well.. I'm not really used to the customs out here. Far be it from me to force someone else to adapt to my culture, yes?" She asks, giving another smile. He was pleasant enough, which was always welcome. Most of the Sacaens she had run into were kind, actually; although there were a few exceptions.
"I was actually trying to find a place that might need a healer. I've heard about bandits and the like and figured there must be some decent people out there who fight them off that might need some healing. Whether by magic or just the comfort of speaking to someone." She explains, holding up her staff to emphasize 'magic'. "Might you know of such a place? Or perhaps you're a bandit fighter yourself and could use the company?" She offers. Safety in numbers, after all. Plus, if she had really found someone who was fighting bandits, that was a good deed two-fer. Helping by healing AND ridding the place of bandits seemed ideal in her mind. Of course, if he wasn't, she could just keep in her way until she found the next village.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 23:37:09 GMT -6
Flynn felt a small bit of satisfaction as Irenes giggled. It wasn't much, but it was something. He was glad to have made her laugh, as it showed his people skills were not limited to only Sacaen nomads and he would be able to mingle with city folk when the time came around. The mercenary took it as a victory and he felt more ready to talk to people who needed a good sword.
He returned his wandering thoughts and attention to Irenes as she spoke again. He mulled over her words thoughtfully when she had finished, scratching his chin. "Well, out here, we don't have uniform customs," he responded. "Each tribe is individualized from the others, so things could work differently from one tribe to another."
Flynn waved his hand dismissively in response to Irenes, "I wouldn't be too concerned about using your culture. I would honestly like to learn how things work in the surrounding countries. Learning how to adapt to each country could help me land more work for myself."
The young man hoped this would serve as an indicator for her to talk about where she was from. He wasn't exactly subtle about it, but he wasn't direct about it either. He'll just have to see what she says, if she says anything at all about her home. Flynn nodded in response to Irenes'reasoning for being out there.
"That's very kind of you to worry about healing people," Flynn said. "I can't recall any villages around here, nor any bandit camps. But we could join up and ride together and maybe find a village or bandit camp. Let's stick together and head in one direction. We'll have to hit something eventually."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2014 0:27:23 GMT -6
Irenes gives a little 'eh?' at the mention of different tribes having different customs. "Well... none of them will try to kill me for giving a curtsy, right?" She asks hopefully. That would be pretty bad if she angered some nomad tribe by being improper.
"Well.. I wouldn't exactly call myself the best teach when it comes to Etrurian culture, either. Sure, I have things I picked up along the way, but I'm far from someone more educated than myself." She explains with a weak smile. "Although I'm sure there are plenty of people back there who would be more than happy to teach you those sorts of things. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to teach me as well, if I could afford such lessons."
She seemed to be trailing off now and getting quieter, as if becoming sad to be talking about back home. She perks back up at the mention of riding together. "Oh, that would be great! While I certain hope we find a village first, I suppose finding some bandits wouldn't be too harmful anymore since we're travelling together." She says, a smile on her face again. Sure, the thought of running into bandits was a bit intimidating, but at least she would have somebody else with her. Somebody with a sword who looked like he knew how to fight. She could just... stay back a little and keep him healed and they should be fine. At least, that's how it would go ideally in her head. She starts to get up onto her horse once he's ready, a little clumsy compared to someone who was raised around horses, like Flynn.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 10:29:05 GMT -6
Flynn shook his head with an amused smile. "I wouldn't think so, but it's not something you tend to see around here. The most you will receive from other tribes is most likely a look that shows they know you aren't from around here," he said with a chuckle. The mercenary knew he couldn't really speak for the other tribes, but the woman in front of him didn't know that. His tribesmen, on the other hand, rarely ever bowed or curtsied. The nomadic life had little time devoted to proper manners. For the most part, his tribe wasn't very proper. Everyone's hands were calloused and everyone was usually doing something, so a quick handshake was the typical greeting. Flynn subconsciously flexed his hand and rubbed his fingers together, feeling the rough skin of his hand.
"Well, you're the only one around here who can teach me. So that makes you the best currently." Flynn said. His smile then fell away to confusion. "People... charge money? To teach culture? That is, by far, the strangest thing I've ever heard. That's like taking your friend fishing and charging him for every fish he catches simply because he is using your fishing rod. It makes no sense."
Flynn mulled over this for a minute before noticing that Irenes seemed sad. He wondered why, but before he could ask, the troubadour perked up. It was a sudden change, but Flynn didn't let it bother him. He have a confident smile at the mention of bandits. "You've got nothing to worry about, Irenes. I'll keep the nasty bandits off of you!" With that, he quickly hoisted himself on to his horse. He looked back at Irenes, "Shall we be off?"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 18:25:00 GMT -6
Irenes was up in her saddle now, shifting to get comfortable some. "Fishing is a different matter, though, I would think. It's just that people view their time as valuable where I come from so requiring anything that takes more time from someone's day is something you usually get charged for." She tries to explain. "It's like... imagine trying to ask someone to devote their time to training you with the sword. Wouldn't they ask for something in exchange? Even an exchange of service?" She questions. Although, she does accept his logic of proximity. Sure, she wasn't anywhere near somebody who had been raised with all the formal manners, but she figured she would be more knowledgeable that the random nomad in the art of proper etiquette.
"Well, I will try my best then." She says in an amused tone, a light blush on her cheeks as well. She was ready to go and watched him mount his horse. The difference in horses was easier for her to see, noticing that this plains horse was... seemingly stronger than her own. The result of being raised in a city for a noble and in the plains for a nomad. At his bandit-slaying enthusiasm, she gave another smile and lightly tapped the head of her staff against her forehead.
"And I'll keep you healed in case if there are too many." She comments quickly. "If you could, please lead the way. I honestly don't have the slightest clue as to where I am or where I'm going."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2014 6:23:09 GMT -6
Flynn turned his horse to look at Irenes and nodded uncertainly, "I suppose that makes sense. Time isn't so precious in my tribe, unless you are a hunter. Most people do menial tasks that aren't time sensitive. Our night watchmen, myself included, wish that time would move faster, partially from boredom, partially from wanting morning to come so we were less vulnerable. And in terms of combat knowledge, most everyone knows their way around a blade or bow except young children. You had to be able to earn your food, so if you didn't know how to do anything to help us, you were dead weight and we didn't need you."
The mercenary knew that was a harsh way of looking at it, but it was true. Everyone needed to pitch in for the tribes survival. If you didn't help, then you didn't eat. Though, he guessed that wasn't how it worked in the cities. He nodded in response, appreciative of her willingness to help him, "Thank you very much, Irenes. Should I pay you for teaching me. I don't have much but if I'm taking up your time, I can pay you some." He watched her tap her head with her staff and an idea came to him. "Or we could do an exchange of service. I'll protect you from bandits and you can teach me city culture. Sound fair?"
With that, Flynn turned his horse back around to face the plains. He scanned the area, looking for one of the landmarks he'd been taught to look for. That would indicate where they were and which way to go. He found one, a large, strangely shaped rock, flicked his eyes up to the sun, and pointed in what he estimated to be the direction towards a town.
"That way," he said, turning his horse in the direction.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2014 14:20:15 GMT -6
"Ah, but what about the sick and injured? Would you abandon them simply because they couldn't perform a task that was helpful?" Irenes asks curiously as they began to head out. That would be truly harsh if they did such a thing. At his question of payment, she couldn't help but giggle softly.
"As I said, I'm far from a good teacher for such things. I could teach you what I know, sure." She muses. "I'll consider exchange of service being I heal you when bandits come at you. The city culture is more of an added bonus, yes?" She offers, shifting to get comfortable in her saddle again. She likely wouldn't be able to understand the nomad culture easily. Then again, at least it wasn't like back in Etruria now. They were overall accepting of people and there was no ever watching eye monitoring their every movement.
"So... do you mind telling me a little about yourself? I'd like to know more about the person I'm travelling with, after all." She says, trying to keep the conversation going. This was not her strong point and she felt it hard to even keep it up. Hopefully, she would be able to relax soon and just let conversation flow casually. She never seemed to have social problems when it came to dealing with people she was helping, but she always felt so awkward speaking to people plainly like this. She sets her staff back down on the saddle in front of herself once the horses start going.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2014 20:03:34 GMT -6
Flynn looked back at the woman behind him, giving her a look that visibly read, "Seriously?" He rolled his crimson eyes.
"Oh, those people," the young mercenary said sarcastically. "We dump them on the side of the road as soon as we find out. It's their fault for getting sick or hurt, so we ditch right then and there. Leave them for the bandits and monsters" He rolled his eyes again, dropping the tone, "Of course we take care of them. It's more skill based. If you can't do anything useful when you're at your best, then your useless to us. We don't worry about the sick, the injured, or the old. We take care of them until they get better."
Flynn's face flushed slightly at her giggle. He thought he was being reasonable and adapting, but now he just felt silly. He nodded at Irenes' offer, "That sounds like a fair deal to me. And as a little bonus from me, I'll tell you what I can of life on the plains. How's that?"
The young man felt satisfied. Now he was sure no one was getting shortchanged on their time. He spurred his horse and began a slow trot in the direction he had pointed. He listened carefully as the troubadour behind him spoke. He sat quietly for moment, thinking.
"Sure, I guess," he responded before starting his story. "I came from a nomadic tribe here in Sacae, as you already know. I was raised by my parents and my father hoped I would someday be a great archer. The results of my time with a bow were... less than satisfactory. So I took up swords. I excelled and when I was about 16, I was put on night guard duty. The most boring job on the planet. So, three years later, I ran off and here I am. A no name mercenary looking to find adventure and something to make life interesting."
He went quiet again, thinking about his tribe, before looking back at Irenes, "So, what's your story?"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 15:21:41 GMT -6
Well, she didn't want to just assume things! However, at his sarcastic tone, she blushed a deep red in embarassment. "Well, that certainly does make more sense." She says quietly, looking down her saddle. She lurched slightly in her saddle as her horse automatically picked up the pace to keep up with Flynn's mount.
"I honestly don't think I could do much with a sword, myself. That seems to require more strength and agility than someone like me can handle." She starts to explain. "What was being on night guard for? Bandits or monsters? I would think it would be a rotating shift so as to prevent a monotony, yes?"
She felt a lump starting to form in her throat when asked about her story. She didn't like to talk about it, but it was only fair since he had given her his. "Well, I never met my parents, actually. I was raised in an orphanage over in Etruria. While the matron was... pleasant, she wasn't exactly the most observant of people. She wouldn't notice when kids began to bully smaller children so it ended up being... available to me to help people. At first, it was just simple things like mending clothes and cooking, of course." She pauses a moment to look around the surroundings. How Flynn even had the slightest idea of where they were going was beyond her. Then again, she didn't anywhere near the trained eye he had for picking out landmarks.
"Eventually, I started to pick up the healing magics. It felt natural to me to be able to help people. Plus it saved the orphanage from a lot of sickness when I was able to just heal up wounds other children would get from playing or bullying." She says with a slight smile as she is reminded of the thanks she often received when she had first began healing the other and before it had become expected of her.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2014 15:33:29 GMT -6
Flynn smiled at Irenes. He felt bad for acting like that, "It's alright. I didn't give you much of a reason not to think that.
Flynn thought for a moment on what the woman said, "Well, we have a healer. That's about it for staying alive when injured. So, to us, you'd be very useful." He paused as she spoke again. "I was told that we were watching for whatever threatened our camp for the night, so bandits or monsters. I never saw a monster myself and bandits only came around once in a blue moon. There were rotating shifts, but it was still boring. The days were even more boring because I never got to do anything interesting except fight the random bandit troop when they happened across us while most others were out hunting."
The young mercenary watched Irenes intently as she told her story, checking every once in a while to make sure they were going the right way. When she finished, he stayed quiet for a moment.
"Helpful since a kid," he said finally. "Better than I was. All I did was beat other kids with a stick when we played knights and dream of going on adventures. Becoming some legendary hero, like in the stories we all heard as children."
Flynn drooped his head a bit, before picking it back up and smiling at the woman with confidence, "But I will get to that level! And I'll go back to my old tribe a hero! Nothing's ever going to stop me!"
Flynn turned his attention back to tracking, watching the landmarks and keeping them on course.
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