Thunder Road (Alex/PM for entry)

[Alex]

"My name's Alex." He said simply, no longer putting any emotion into his words. He thought it best to not try and irritate Tamaya. Being but a child, he still did not realise just how much his actions worried Tamaya, even if he knew by now that they were dangerous. "I'm...going to go travel with you...to Sacae...and further...if that's alright with you?" Alex wondered silently how long it would be before he would be forgiven. What he had done was wrong, but had not also done good as well? He decided he wouldn't become involved in anyone's business anymore. Perhaps avoiding conflict was the best thing to do? If he just kept to himself, he could never really be responsible for anyone else's misfortune, right? His mind was so full of turmoil right now. Had he finally understood what it meant to be an adult? He was still only 16, but had he matured? Did maturity bring painful choices and confusing situations? How did Tamaya react to such things? She seemed so stoic, but then how was she was so magnetic in her personality? He can't have just been randomly drawn to trust, could he? Or was he just misguided in his trust? Tamaya obviously wasn't an inherently bad person, but was she someone Alex should be able to trust so easily? So many difficult questions...Alex decided the best thing to do would be to wait until they had stopped, washed and rested before asking anything too deep about Tamaya's life, or whether she also saw him as some kind of sibling or that she really wanted to take care of him at all. Alex was desperate to have someone who he could call family. It had been far too long since he had embraced anyone who he could be close enough with to count as a relation. While he had often been surrounded by people, Alex had been lonely for the longest time and, well, that sort of trauma can change a person...

[Tamaya]

"Alex. Well met."

The two continued a little while in silence, and then Tamaya responded.

"Yes. You will travel with me to Sacae. You will learn composure."

The Nomad clucked her tongue motherly. That was it. Where was this boy's parents? Why was he wandering the edge of the plains alone? What kind of parenting was that? Where was the extended family, the endless aunts and uncles and cousins and the community, helping shape him?

"Child... Where are your parents? How came you to be wandering these plains alone? I know how you came to be in a tight situation that I rescued you from; you said something about a woman and a girl and I don't really care to hear more. But I do want to know how you came to be alone out here. This is not the place one commonly comes for a day trip. And I know not any parent who would allow their child to simply wander among the grasses... The towns come and go, and the plains hide many secrets. It is not just beautiful - it can also be deadly.

My conscience would not me rest if I did not find the truth. So what are you?

Orphaned? Abandoned? A runaway? An escapee? I care not; I am continuing to my tribe in Sacae and you shall accompany, lest you care to die by starvation on your own."

Tamaya shook her head, looking at the boy. He would not last a night on his own; he was too frail, too young, and too inexperienced. She would have to care for him like a younger brother... And a truculent one at that.

[Alex]

"I...don't think I have any parents...I lost my memory...I see visions of my past sometimes. They...they're painful. I've just been wandering since I woke up in some bushes a few months ago. I just came to visit a nearby town, just seeing the world...but it was overrun with bandits and, well, you know what happened from there..." It felt like a long time since Alex had been this open with someone about his past. Even though it was always painful for him to think about, he did his best to hide it, but here, he felt comfortable telling Tamaya. He could tell she would look after him, and if they were to trust each other then Alex couldn't hide anything from her. After some more conversation, Alex noticed that the sun was beginning to get low. "Uh, Tamaya? Are we going to stop for the night or are we going to ride through?" Alex didn't really mind doing either, but he felt it'd be nice to know what was happening so he didn't have to prepare for one situation only to find himself in the other. That and he had begun to run out of things to talk about. Looking out into the distance, Alex could see beautiful, grassy plains stretched out for miles upon miles. He'd never really been to Sacae, so all this was new and exciting to him. However, Alex checked himself. He could already infer from Tamaya's words that being instinctive and hyperactive would get him nowhere, save for an early grave.

[Tamaya]

"You lost your memory. You woke up in bushes and now you wander, hopelessly lost, on the fringes of the Sacaean plains. Ai, child... You are far from whatever home you came from. But don't worry. I will take care of you. Unless it is by your own foolhardiness, you shall not come to harm. I will guard you like the mother lion guards her cubs."

And so they continued in silence for a while, the sound of the rustling grasses broken by brief snatches of conversation and terse answers from the Nomad, who was scanning the plains and looking for... something.

Suddenly, she grabbed Alex and accelerated Shikoba to a gallop, closing in and then stopping near a herd of antelope. The animals stood warily watching as the woman hunter dismounted, crept forward, and then fired a shot from Mphezi-Manja at a young antelope. The arrow flew true, crunching through the skull of the animal and killing it. Tamaya retrieved the young animal, brought it back over, dragging it unceremoniously through the grasses, and then laid it down before ripping up grass and tamping down the soil in one location.

"Light this grass. We will build a fire for a little while to cook this antelope to eat, and then we will sleep. I will show you how to make bedding from dirt and grass, bedding as comfortable as the bed in an inn."

The Nomad set to cleaning the animal, skinning it and cutting out the meat, carving it away from the bones expertly. She was no stranger to the hunt.

[Alex]

Alex however was, and he was also squeamish, wincing and cringing as he witnessed Tamaya going about methodically preparing the antelope. Really, he just wanted to have a bath and go to bed. While he would usually eat as if there were no tomorrow (something which would be hard to believe given his somewhat short and lean body), something about seeing an antelope getting gutted just made him lose his appetite. In spite of this, Alex did as he was told, using his tome to light the grass indicated by Tamaya with one small bolt. Then he looked up. And then around. "So...you wouldn't happen to know where there's a lake or...something nearby would you?" He asked. Normally Alex wasn't so fussy about being squeaky clean, but the small skirmish from that morning had left Alex all sorts of dirty, covered in soot, manure and blood, both his own and of the bandits.

As he stood there contemplating his situation, Alex remembered something he hadn't told Tamaya earlier. "I said I'd lost my memory, didn't I? Well, I know for a fact that I was born in Etruria. I can remember that much." However, Alex quickly corrected himself, lest Tamaya perceive this statement to be out of longing for home. "Though I still want to travel with you, if that's OK. I'm...pretty sure my parents are dead anyway..." He continued, fighting back tears once more. He was okay now. He had someone to call family. "I would love to travel with you. I don't think I ever had a sister..." He was becoming sentimental. "Being with you...it just makes me feel safe." Alex sat down on the ground and sighed. He was tired now. So much had happened to him today. He almost lost his life several times, but it was all worth it in the end, because now he had a sister who would look after him and care about him, something which meant a great deal to a child who had been alone up until now.

[Tamaya]

"Hah! A lake?"

The Nomad made an improvised stand out of arrows and began cooking the meat over the fire that Alex had started. It took constant attention to keep the fire burning and to keep the meat from burning. The child's question was dealt with in the way of the tribesmen of Sacae - short and swift.

"Nay. We will cross a river tomorrow, but until then no water. I have plenty of drinking water with me, child. If you were thirsty, you should have just asked!"

Tamaya took out a skin of water from the bag on Shikoba and gave it to the pupil, smiling and turning the meat. Once it had finished cooking, she gave a piece to him, as well as a chunk of bread, and then served herself, beginning to eat ravenously. Soon, she had finished her portion and set to cleaning the bones and the hide, carefully scrubbing them and then packing them away in her bag for later use.

"You will still travel with me, Alex. You are coming to Sacae. There I will present you to the tribe, and we will decide what to do with you from there."

The Nomad then took out a strange-looking rock and began to firmly scrub her skin, rubbing it until it became pink and warm. She liked to clean herself after every battle, to get the sweat and oil off of her skin. Lastly, the Nomad pulled out two soft skins, throwing one to the pupil, and then pulled some grass, tamping it to make a small 'nest.' She took off her bow, laying Mphezi-Manja beside her, and then covered herself with the skin. It was time for sleep.

[Alex]

"Uh, I meant to wash..." Alex didn't hold out much hope for this request to be fulfilled, so he instead began to cautiously eat the hunk of antelope meat, washing it down with water as he went. The meat was surprisingly delicious, if lacking in some sauce or salt. Alex took a quick glance at Tamaya. She looked rather young, maybe in her mid-twenties, but at the same time very experienced. She must have been travelling for a long time to be able to do things like this so efficiently and quickly.

Alex slipped off his shoes and cloak before attempting to make a bed in the same way Tamaya had just a metre away from hers. It looked...acceptable, but it was clear to see Alex had a long way to go before reaching Tamaya's level of skill. He then lay down, wrapping the skin around himself and assuming a foetal position to keep warm and cosy. He looked up at the stars, listening to the ambient sounds around him. Then, a thought struck him. "Tamaya, are you sure there won't be any, uh, bandits riding through here while we sleep? I mean, you would have your life spared and you'd be taken for...um, but...yeah..." He felt a little awkward touching upon such subjects with his foster sister, but he was worried for their collective welfare and wanted to make sure Tamaya had already given consideration to such things before setting up camp for the night ahead.

[Tamaya]

The boy set to eating, and Tamaya watched him with satisfaction. Good. He needed his nutrients.

"Washing? Ai, you are a soft child... Take this rock, and scrub yourself. It will clean your skin. That is all you need - washing every day is a luxury plainspeople cannot afford. You do not smell, so you are fine without a bath."

Ah, the child... What an interesting boy she had found. He was clearly reliant on her, and he seemed to act as if he was quite attached to her. He was almost like a little brother - if any Sacaean child could be so ignorant of the ways of the world. Adopted, then. An adopted brother.

"Bandits? Nay, child. Bandits are attracted to towns, to gathering places... A bandit cannot make money hunting down one or two people. They would starve. Perhaps if this were a major road, I would be concerned about highwaymen, but this is the middle of the plains... Few travelers are seen wandering the plains. We are safe; do not worry. But if it makes you feel more secure, I sleep more lightly than a gazelle. In fact, you might hear me rustling. I often wake up and move throughout the night."

The Nomad stood up, kicked out the fire, and then curled back up in her nest.

"Good night, child. I will see you at sunrise - we will leave again then. Sleep soundly, Alex. You need the rest."

The poor child... Lost on the plains... What had she stumbled across?

[Alex]

Sitting up, letting the skin drop to his waist, Alex took the rock from Tamaya, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. He attempted to wash himself in the same way Tamaya had, rubbing his face, neck and arms. "But what about in Sacae? There will be some bath houses in the towns of Sacae, right?" He said, somewhat nervously. Not only would Alex need to have a proper bath eventually, he needed to wash his hair each morning in order to keep it tame. Being rather self conscious, the thought of walking around during the day with bed hair terrified Alex. When he was done scrubbing himself, Alex handed the rock back to Tamaya and settled down once more, once again assuming a foetal position. He still had a lot he want to say to Tamaya and lots of questions to ask, but he knew they both needed sleep. Regardless, there was just one last question he wanted to ask her for the day.

Already dozing off, Alex looked up at the stars and imagined the journey which lay ahead of him. He didn't take Tamaya for the sort of person to put down roots, and Alex still had a long way to go before coming a fully fledged Mage. Tamaya, however; She already seemed to be the perfect warrior to Alex; Every shot she fired seemed to find its mark and her horse was too fast to let her get hit. Taking all this into account, Alex finally took a deep breath and asked: "Tamaya? Do you always talk like that?"

[Tamaya]

"Oh, child. You amuse me! There may be bath houses in the major cities, like Bulgar... But for the most part we use rivers, lakes, and rocks. You must have come from some sort of fancy family, before you lost your memory, for only the rich bathe every day. Goodness, child. You don't smell!"

After he returned the rock, Tamaya chuckled, laying with her arms behind her head and her eyes closed. This one was a bundle of mysteries. His skin held many things she could not see yet, and she was interesting in figuring out just who he was and where he had come from.

The child's last question was an odd one, and her brow furrowed as she thought about it.

Did she talk like what? Nothing about her speech was... Different. She had been raised to speak that way, and no one had ever commented on it before. Sure, she had the familiar lilt, but Lycians had an accent too, as did Nabatans and Ilians and Bernese... Not to mention those Etrurians, ai... So hard to understand.

"What? Talk like what? I don't understand your question, child. Is it the way I order my words? The way they sound? What is it you find... unusual?"

The Nomad turned her head, her eyes still closed but her brow no less furrowed.

"Is it an issue to you?"

Tamaya could not understand what he could be reacting to. She felt confused, even slightly offended. What made him think that her speech was not usual?

[Alex]

Alex was surprised that Tamaya hadn't noticed the vast differences between the way the two of them spoke. "I think it's your...vocabulary? I'm not sure, you use a lot of funny words..." He was so sure that Tamaya spoke in a peculiar way before, but when he was pressed for details, Alex just couldn't put his finger on it. After Tamaya's next comment, Alex became very defensive. "No! No, I didn't mean it like that! I just...think it may take a bit of getting used to for me..." He decided he should probably go to sleep before he got himself into trouble. "Uh, anyway, 'night, Tamaya!" He said as he rolled over the other way in embarrassment.

Once he fell unconscious, Alex slept soundly throughout the night and into the morning. When he woke up, he could already feel his bead hair; Standing on end in some places, placed in such a ridiculous way that one could see Alex's scalp underneath his hair, an impressive feat considering how thick it was. Doing his best to smooth it, Alex was wondering if he'd have to put up with this for the rest of his travelling days. Once he and Tamaya got into Sacae, he'd need to make a point of purchasing some kind of container in which he could hold water to smooth his hair. Looking around, Alex realised it was still early in the morning; The sun hadn't started to rise just yet, and the sky was a kind of pastel blue. The fire had also gone out, so Alex had become very cold as well. He considered snuggling up next to Tamaya, but decided against it. Carer or no, they had only met yesterday. He would just have to be content with shivering in his foetal position until it was time for them to move on again.

[Tamaya]

"Funny words? Ai, Alex. You must have forgotten. I am Cathecassa. You are Etrurian. We have different histories, child, different backgrounds. Of course I talk with funny words - I might say you do as well, but I am too... Ai, in the tribe we call it "ulemu," but you might say it... tact? Politeness? I do not bear ill will, child, but learn to check your tongue until you have worn the skins of he or she who you criticize. It will serve you well, especially when dealing with others who might not be as kind or welcoming as I."

The child had stammered and rolled over; soon, she could tell by his breathing that he had fallen asleep. Good. He needed the rest. And so she too slipped into a light slumber, content and warm in her furs.

Come morning, there was a layer of dew covering them, and she looked over to see the boy shivering, trying to keep warm. A late sleeper, hmm? Clucking her tongue softly, so as not to wake him, she stood, taking off her furs, leaving her in a hand-sewn halter top and a small underskirt. Taking the rock, she quickly and firmly cleaned herself, scrubbing her pores and then using the dew to moisten her skin. Redressing, she took a bone comb from her bag and viciously attacked the tangles in her hair, eventually pulling the golden waves into some semblance of order. Taking out two small hunks of bread, she set to eating one, waiting for Alex to awaken. If he slept much longer, she'd just wake him up - they had much ground to cover.

[Alex]

A few hours after he'd fallen asleep for the second time, Alex woke up, his face felt heavy and his eyes still somewhat drooping. He palmed the sleep out of his eyes to make himself feel more awake and then checked his hair with his hands. "No..." His thick hair had decided to stick itself straight upwards on one side of his head and weave itself into a tangled mess on the other. Eyeing the bone comb on the ground, Alex shot a pleading look at Tamaya, and upon receiving some form of an accepting nod, Alex grabbed the comb and began smoothing out his hair into its usual casual yet stylish look. He then found some nearby bushes to hide in while he changed he sheepishly changed his underwear, out of Tamaya's sight.

Upon returning to the makeshift camp, Alex gratefully took the remaining slab of bread from Tamaya and began gnawing at it. "Hm...needs relish." He thought to himself. After the two had finished breakfast, Alex ensured his limited number of possessions were all together in his satchel before they set off once more. Keen to chat and get a better idea of Tamaya as a person, Alex asked: "So...do you have any family in Sacae?" He then paused to consider "How would they react if they knew you just picked up some orphan on the plains?" He said, somewhat ashamed. He already knew that Tamaya had accepted him as if he were a younger brother, but he still couldn't help but feel out of place.

[Tamaya]

"Family? Ai, child. I have a whole tribe. We are over one hundred strong, a bold clan of hunters and herders. We fought in the great Battle at the City of Heroes, and defended our land against the advances of Hargus and his vile army of fiends. We are a great and mighty tribe, Alex, with proud history and traditions."

To his next question the Nomad gave no answer until they were moving, Shikoba trotting across the plains along a path only Tamaya could see - to the child, it would look like they had simply picked a direction and started going. But Tamaya knew the way home, knew the hills and the streams and the other landmarks. The way home was as familiar as her hands.

"They would laugh, child, at your silly ways and your customs. They will of course treat you with ulemu, but amongst ourselves we will all chuckle at the scrawny boy from the other country, the one who Tamaya found running from bandits on the plains. You will forever be "wamng'ono," little one, and I will always be your caretaker, even after you leave. Yes, child, the tribe will greatly enjoy your presence. You will bring much laughter to us. It is not often we find one of your type sniveling in the great sea of grass. Wehehe, you will be babied by every old woman in the tribe and will run foot-races with every boy. You will be spared nothing, and I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to make an archer of you."

[Alex]

"Make an archer of me? Isn't it a bit late for that?" Asked Alex, clutching his arm self-consciously. "And, uh, I'm not really one for foot-races..." He continued. He then addressed the other aspect of Tamaya's reply; The one which concerned him the most. "When I leave...you'll come with me, right?" He started to clutch Tamaya's sleeves a little tighter. He wasn't sure what he would do without her. "I mean, it's not that I can't do anything without you, but...I don't want to have to say goodbye either..." Whether they were still getting to know each other or not, Tamaya was the closest thing Alex had to a family, and certainly wasn't going to give that up any time soon. At the same time, Alex also wanted to go travelling and see the world. He still had decades ahead of him and he didn't want to just settle down in any old place without seeing everything life had to offer first.

"Aren't you going to see more of the world too?" Alex would do anything to stay with Tamaya while still fulfilling his dream. "We could go do everything together!" He said desperately, starting to clutch tighter. "You've got your big, shiny bow! Wouldn't it be boring to just practice with it in the same place all the time? Come on, you're not really just going to stay in your homeland the whole time, are you?" Alex didn't know what else he could say to convince Tamaya.