Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 20, 2015 21:53:20 GMT -6
His eyes lazily opened halfway at best, Jude followed Mel down the side of the river, heading north, avoiding the main road. The day was hot and muggy, and in truth, Jude wasn't sure why he kept with her. He could've turn tail at any moment-- after all, he had no reason to believe that his sister was this way, and he'd only met Mel the day before... Why keep pace with her?
Jude's currently half-dead red eyes trained themselves on the back of Mel's head as he followed, ignoring the pretty view that was the river down beside him. He sighed heavily, venting his frustration. He hadn't slept well, he had been cold, he was now starving, he still hadn't gotten his weapon back, and he wasn't sure exactly where they were headed. Mel had mentioned something about the importance of going this way, but he'd only been half-listening, paying more attention to his own thoughts: where he would go next, what he would do, where he would find what he was looking for. Most of his questions didn't have answers.
The pink haired boy yawned loudly, then finally picked up his pace from a slow drag to keep up with the much shorter silver haired girl he'd made friends with the evening before. "Today sucks. Can't we call it quits? It's so hot, and there's literally nothing this way..." His voice trailed off as he looked ahead of him, cocking his head to the side. The road picked back up. Was she meaning to travel off road, or could they pick the road up and go faster?
Suddenly, Jude realized he actually had the ability to talk to this girl and ask what the hell was going on. "Mel, where the hell are we going, anyway? I'm kind of tired of following you around!" He scoffed halfheartedly, crossing his arms as he walked. He turned his gaze away from her. Honestly, he wasn't sure he would ditch her even if he could. Another adventure with her could be fun. Plus, he remembered, he still owed her for the beating she'd given him yesterday in their town scuffle.. And the money she'd stolen from him.
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Jul 23, 2015 18:19:25 GMT -6
Mel trudged alongside the river bank sullenly, her cloak knotted around her waist to keep it out of her way in the sticky and heated temperatures. It certainly didn't help that she wanted to jump off into the water to receive some momentary relief, from both the humidity and the pesky insects that were hovering about in swarms. By the time she squashed one in time to prevent it from digging in another was prodding her on the opposite side. It was maddening, and the teen had forgotten how much she hated the sticky summers.
She hated Jude too, for the moment. The irritating tree of a teen had found it fit to follow after her without much rhyme nor reason, and she was positive half of the cloud of insects were only there because of him. Sure it was likely that he would be hassled by the city watch if he returned inside after the prior day's incident, but it was certainly not any matter that she had to take responsibility for. However, she didn't quite feel like shooing him away just yet. While there was all that she despised, the snarky little quips and him speaking in the first place, Jude certainly made for a little bit of company to keep herself from boredom and dull thoughts of what she had missed.
At that very moment though she was regretting ever allowing him to follow her, growing irritated with every word that came out of his mouth in complaint of their traveling conditions. What was he? A child? She sharply inhaled and rolled her eyes, chest rising up whilst the teen counted to ten in an attempt to push through his stupidity. No further delay was necessary, and she needed to completely finish this chapter in order to remove it from her mind completely. Guilt was eating at her, and Mel could not fathom living with the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach for any longer. How could people live like this?
The next time Jude opened his mouth to complain her hand flew out without warning, Mel acting on her irritation as she slammed her palm across his cheek. There had been the momentary thought that beating him might make her feel better, it seemed to be a long standing method of stress release from how frequently she came across it. The act though did little to help the twisting feeling in her chest, rather it seemed to just feed to the feelings she was working her hardest to suppress. While she supposed she could be considered sorry, she refused to say anything. Jude was annoying enough without an apology.
After the stiff moment of silence after the ringing slap Mel turned her gaze to her palm and held it up to show him, a fat mosquito splattered across it. Without missing a beat she sighed, tone measured and soft. "There was a bug." A perfect excuse.
She spun on her heel and peered about, the bugs something that she could actually do something about unlike the larger and more irritating pest. But if having less of the little buggers would stop him from whining it would be victory. Mel could accept that. And to her luck her eyes caught sight of a few sprigs of a plant she never would have felt so thankful to see under any other circumstance. If there was one there had to be more nearby, and she veered off the makeshift path to crouch by it. Her fingers reached out, parting the tall grass as she peered down at the pale purple blossoms. Lavandula. Her savior.
Drawing her knife she gathered a fistful of stalks and cut them free, holding them above her head to check them for insects against the sun with a trained eye. With them deemed clean she hummed, slipping them into her cloak-belt and starting with two. Nimble fingers began to weave them together, the teen adding in another once a stalk grew too short to use. It gave her something to do with her fingers, channeling the irritation and discomfort into something a little better than gritting her teeth. "Now..." she glanced up a the pink-haired teen, fingers continuing to work as she removed her attention from them. "I'm going to visit my parents. If you didn't want to come, you didn't have to. But feel free to stay...well..." she cocked her head to gesture to their horrid surroundings. "Or would you rather to make camp somewhere tolerable?" She phrased it as a question, but it was quite clear by the way that she continued to stride ahead that it was nothing of the sort. "Some pirate you are, whining away at a little heat."
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 23, 2015 18:55:11 GMT -6
Jude's eyes were narrowed, as if he were sleepwalking. The bugs that buzzed around his head didn't faze him-- they landed on his skin, bit away, flew near his eyes, and yet he walked on, depressed-looking, slumped over as though he were ready to crash and die. He watched Mel with an unamused gaze as her hair gently blew around in the light, sticky breeze. What an annoying little elf. In truth, Jude wasn't sure why he'd followed her; he only knew that it was in his best interest to do so. Either because she was fun, or because he might get to do something exciting if he stuck with her. Besides, after their tour of the Bernese town before, she was probably done hurting him.
And then the slap came, almost out of nowhere, perfectly invisible as the girl's hand came up to meet his face, her eyes stern and irritated. The slap felt like a sharp, cold knife, and his skin stung as if someone had peeled an entire layer away from his cheek. Since he was walking when Mel turned to slap him, Jude immediately lost his balance, tripping over himself a little, his eyes wide open, stunned, and fell into the bank beside them. His body crashed in clumsily with a loud thud, splashing water back up on top of the bank. He felt the cool water surround his body and provide momentary relief, and for just a split second, Jude closed his eyes and enjoyed the presence of the water. He could hold his breath forever... Perhaps if he just stayed here for a while...
But then, like the lightning speed of Mel's hand, Jude's red eyes flashed open, the flames therein burning deeply, even though the water. He swam to the surface, ripped his body out of the water and forced himself quickly back onto the ground. He immediately dashed forward to her, stopping just short of her face, as if an invisible wall prevented him from getting any closer. His teeth were gritted together so fiercely that he might gnaw away at the bone, and the water dripped from his hair and down onto his skin, attracting more bugs. His breathing was heavy and angry, and he was so blinded that at first, he couldn't speak. And then she presented the bug on her hand, her gaze soft and unenthused.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!?" He shouted loudly. Birds flew out of the trees around them and down further south from their position, rattling the leaves. The bugs were unaffected. "DAMN IT, Mel! There was a bug, my left ass cheek! Geez!"
He wanted to hit her. He wanted to destroy her. She was a half-pint. He could do it. So why didn't he?
Before he knew it, the anger dissipated as quickly as it had come over him. He closed his eyes and sighed, allowing his posture to relax as Mel walked away from him, forward, towards some plants. His eyes were soft and hurt as they followed her towards the plants. What had he done? Was he... Was she okay? Had he overstepped a boundary? He was, of course, too proud to admit such a thing, and yet the thought weighed on him.
As he shut his eyes to listen to the sound of nature around him in an attempt to calm himself, Jude was forced to maintain the anger a little longer. Through closed eyes his temples and his upper lip twitched. Some pirate? What did she know about pirates? Probably nothing. Very likely nothing.
Quickening his pace, Jude caught right up to the girl who was weaving some useless plants together. "Shut up." he snapped in a dull, monotone voice. He reached down and ripped her plants away from her and examined them. As he held them, the insects seemed to avoid his hands, at least a little more so than they had with it. He looked down at her through condescending red eyes. "This is mine now."
He laid it atop his head like a small crown of flowers, pulling it down until it was snug against his head. "I don't care." Jude could be such a child, but when people told him that, he quite often ignored them. He moved forward, ignoring her, passing her, and continuing on down the path.
"Come on, half-pint. You'll die if we camp here. Too many bugs." A little further, Jude thought. A little further, and he'd fish for her again.
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Jul 29, 2015 9:06:53 GMT -6
The corners of Mel's lips curled up into only the slightest smile, the teen bemused by Jude's displeasure and the antics that blossomed from it. It was certainly easier to manage his company when he was not uttering complaints every few steps with gusto. Honestly she was not very irked by having her little project wrenched from her hands, there was far more than enough gathered to weave more. After hours on end of trudging through mud, tall grass, and hoards of pestering insects the immaturity was almost refreshing.
Her footsteps quickened to match his long strides, hand darting out to grip his scarf and give a harsh tug to direct his attention. If Mel merely called after him to pause she had a feeling that the other teen would ignore it, treating it as if she was attempting to get the wreath back. "We have to cross here" she explained in a placid tone, tightening her grip and pull on the fabric. Almost as if it was a rope she lifted her feet off the ground, placing all of her weight on it while she clambered up onto his back.
With her knees locked into place on either side Mel leaned forward, curving in her stomach to protect the sprigs from being crushed. "It's not that deep. You can wade across." She hollowed a cheek and chewed it gently, drawing a spring of lavender from her makeshift belt carefully pinched between two fingers. "Be wary of snakes" the girl added as an afterthought, fiddling with the crown of flowers already mounted firmly on Jude's head, weaving in more.
"After we cross head into the trees, there should be less insects and shade."
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 29, 2015 9:28:45 GMT -6
"Tch! Hey!"
Jude's frown and furrowed brow grew fiercer as the small woman Mel pulled on his scarf. How dare she touch his things? He was miffed, but not so much that he put up much of a fight. It did knock him off balance, though, and as she pulled him in the right direction he almost fell, but he saved himself by hopping on his grounded foot backwards so he could turn towards the right direction. Across a disgusting looking creek? Seriously? How out of the way was the pink-haired boy going to have to go for her?
He sighed heavily, but shut his eyes and allowed Mel to climb atop him. He instinctively reached beneath her and held his arms under her thighs to support her, and to even his own great surprise, allowed her to play with his lavender crown. She was like... Someone familiar. This seemed familiar. As he felt Mel's warm breath in his ear, Jude blushed a little, but tried to contain it by speaking loudly and quickly so she might not notice. He hadn't ever really been this close to a woman before.
"Maybe I don't want to cross here!" He hissed, his piercing red eyes turning back to meet her blue ones. "But I guess I have to. I'll do a lot for some shade right now. Fortunately your stupid flowers actually work, so I guess that's... okay..." He felt sort of like he was being given a massage on his head as Mel weaved flowers in and out of the crown atop his pink hair.
Deciding it was finally time to cross, Jude let out an obviously perturbed sigh that he wanted her to hear for dramatic effect. Seriously? She was atop him because she couldn't cross it herself, he bet. And the snakes... Wonderful. He hated snakes. He might've prayed a quick prayer, if he had known how, but then Jude stepped into the water, his arms firm under Mel's thighs. The water was cold, but not terrible... The gentle current felt nice against his shins. It really wasn't that deep. Unfortunately, he couldn't see much around him; the water wasn't clear. If he was going to get bitten, and with his luck he would, it would be soon.
As Jude made his way slowly across the river, he became less angry. He didn't want to consider that Mel was calming him down, but in truth, she may have had something to do with it. He would never tell her, though. No satisfaction was she allowed to have. He hummed quietly a tune that he'd heard growing up, and then with a surprisingly calm and happy voice, he looked back at Mel and spoke.
"You know when I was little, I used to carry my sister around like this..." His voice trailed off, and he refocused on the path, making slow, cautious steps across the river. "Her name was Bee. She was about your size, I guess... Really annoying. Like you! You know, how sisters are, I... guess..." He spoke about her as if she was dead, but he had no reason to think like that. Quickly attempting to push the thoughts out of his mind, he shifted his thought back to Mel. Since she wasn't his sister, this was a little different for him... And almost embarrassing.
Finally, the red-eyed boy made it across the way and stepped onto the bank. He had, by the skim on his teeth, made it across the creek. Finding a spot of shade, he stopped and turned back to the girl. "Do we, uh... Do we stop here?" It wasn't often that Jude found himself distracted, but on rare occasions, when he let himself feel something besides pride and anger, it happened...
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Jul 29, 2015 10:50:17 GMT -6
"You figured out their purpose. Color me impressed."
A musical tone took hold of her voice, Mel leaning forward with her palms pressed onto his shoulders so that she could watch his expressions. The words lacked the usual sprinkling of mockery, instead seasoned with an unexpected drop of momentary integrity. He was carrying her through the water without the complaints that she had anticipated, and for that the girl supposed that she needn't go out of her way to antagonize him.
For the moment.
They both were oddly silent as Jude carried her through the cool waters, Mel's fingers deftly adding ever more flowers to his claimed crown. It was surprising that she even remembered how to make such a frivolous accessory, years had passed since the last time she even considered it. Muscle memory was impressive, with hard thought her mind was blank as to the method. However, when she simply allowed herself to fiddle with it the motions came so naturally that it was almost maddening. Not because Mel was impressed at how easily it came, but because she must have done it many times over and was unable to recall most of it.
Her fingers momentarily wove themselves into Jude's soft hair, combing through it to dislodge any delicate petals that had been trapped between the strands. "No, we continue north a little ways longer." Mel would have left him to determine the direction by himself, but she wanted to get to their destination soon. Besides, the bickering had lost it's luster and provided amusement. She craned her neck, determining the sun's position before jabbing a finger off in the decided direction. "Straight this way."
"I have a brother" she mumbled after another period of silence, Jude seeming rather sheepish after the little mention of his sister. Mel felt a slight twitch of discomfort at his embarrassment, unable to explain why she felt the need to say anything about herself to help with the tense air. "He's younger than me, by five or so years I guess. I used to carry him though through our village when our parents were busy." As much as she detested acknowledging it, speaking made the hopeless feeling in her gut wane just a bit.
"He was heavy, and I would carry him in front of me. He was stupid and wouldn't hold on properly, but he was also only a babe. He would always end up swinging his legs while I walked, and kick me in the shins over and over." She sighed, pausing with her work and leaning in to rest her cheek on Jude's shoulder comfortably whilst she spoke.
"He's still awfully small, and he thinks that he knows best and all that shitte. Easily offended, though he's still a wuss and cries. Worse than a sister, but I wouldn't really know." A light hum rose in her throat, Mel not quite sure what to say next about the matter.
"If you're a pirate, why are you all the way over here. I would think you would be far to the west."
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 29, 2015 11:35:31 GMT -6
Jude tried to sound angry, but a smile broke out across his face as he walked and he had to stifle a laugh to maintain his facade. "Oh, whatever! I know what these things do!" He said, referring to the crown atop his head. He rather liked it... But he wouldn't mention that to her. He didn't need to. She probably knew he found it useful. "I'm not an idiot!" In truth, part of him was humbly proud that he had impressed Mel. For whatever the reason, though he wanted to detest her and treat her naively as a rival, he couldn't. She really wasn't all that bad... Most of the time. That's what he was comfortable telling himself.
The boy's red eyes stayed focused and determined, carrying the girl easily through the woods towards the direction in which she had pointed. For once in his life, he listened intently to her story, trying to imagine the picture as she laid it out with words. It didn't seem all that dissimilar to his own situation, and even more so because the two were obviously no longer together. She did make it sound like he was still alive, and for whatever reason, that comforted Jude. As wounded as he felt sometimes, he never really wished for people he liked to feel the same way. He was glad that she still had family, and he was also glad that she was going to visit her parents. He could just stand at the side while she did, more than likely.
"Hmph," he began, finally deciding to speak. "Sounds like you're just really weak." He was mostly teasing, and the gentle smirk on his face would've indicated that. As Mel leaned her cheek against him, he sighed heavily, realizing that at some point or another he would likely have to address the issue that she raised. Of course, in his mind, Jude was still a pirate... Once a pirate, always a pirate, as he had been told a few years back, when he still sailed with his gang. Even though he liked the title, he wasn't sure how true it was anymore. But she didn't need the whole story. Would she even care? Jude wasn't sure. Maybe another time.
He decided to give her the abbreviated version; after all, he still didn't really know her intentions. He 'hmmmm'ed longly and loudly, deciding where to begin. "Well," he said, topping a hill that overlooked some more trees. He could see an old-look, decrepit village a good ways away, past a few winding roads and clusters of trees. That wasn't where they were going, was it?
"I was far to the west. I, uh, was raised in Nabata, ran with a gang in the Isles for a bit, but I... just didn't really like their style," the boy lied. That wasn't the reason. But it was embarrassing to admit that he, a pirate, had been essentially kicked off the crew for being young and inexperienced. "Stopped off in Lycia few years back, decided I'd um... Bee is... gone, so... I decided to look for her." He swallowed hard. Why was it so hard for him to talk about this? He supposed it was because he never had.
He looked down at his feet as he walked, his pink hair falling a bit into his face as the beads of sweat fell down his face. "Didn't really know where to begin. Honestly, Mel, that's why I was in Bern. I'm just... looking for leads, I guess." He sighed again, trying to maintain his vivacity by picking his face up and steading his shoulders, gripping Mel tightly against him.
"But hey! You better believe I'm still a pirate, damn it. Someday I'll be back out on the open seas, Bee and me, and it'll be a pirate's life for us." He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Mel or himself.
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Jul 29, 2015 12:32:32 GMT -6
Mel waited patiently for Jude to find his mental footing for the story, taking his momentary silence as the pink haired teen evaluating how to phrase his story. She wasn't quite sure why she was interested in the answer to feed her curiosity rather than as further ammunition with which to vex the self proclaimed pirate. She listened closely as he finally drummed up the words, offering no distracting little noises that would lead him astray or cause him to clam up in worry. Instead she drew herself back, once again running her fingers through his hair while he spoke with gentle strokes.
He certainly was from off to the west, she had after all come to that conclusion the prior night but it was refreshing to have her assumptions reinforced with direct fact. While she herself had been in that area of the continent it had been, well, she had not quite paid attention to anything outside of a frivolous goal. Having spent a good month at the very least wandering about the island region Mel was disappointed that she could not even think up a single staple of life there. Sacaens had their tea, stews, music, and all sorts of other little bits that jumped out to her as foreign from her own. Had she really been so single-minded on a childish aspiration?
If the silver haired girl had been paying any attention she would have taken note of the sky darkening above them, thick clouds rolling in. The temperature gradually began to decline, a change in the air signalling a storm starting to roll itself in.
Instead she had her attention held by Jude, continuing to awkwardly stroke his hair for reasons unknown to herself as she heard him out. "Where did you lose her? How long ago?" Mel assumed he meant his sister was still among the living, at least by the way that he spoke of the child it was suggested. His sister's name was certainly odd, and she declined commenting on it just yet. There would always be another time to poke and prod Jude to eruption.
"For someone from Nabata you certainly complain about the heat more than I would expect. Are you sure?" The words were light, playful, and obviously harmless. It was clear that she was not doubting his story, nor attempting to mock him in any way less than simple good natured teasing. However, her voice dropped back to a somber tone at her next query.
"Have you ever had any leads? Children these days are certainly resourceful..." Shugo had surprised her when she had seen him, but then again she couldn't deny that he had been tossed into a sea of responsibility and forced to sink or swim. Mel did not know a thing about Jude's family other than his sister, and didn't feel up to asking about such things. Instead she fixed her eyes to the dilapidated village that they grew ever closer to, fingers stilling as she tried to reform it back to her childhood in her mind.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Jul 29, 2015 12:48:16 GMT -6
Before he was able to notice it, Jude felt a drop of rain mixed in with the sweat on his face. Despite the heat and humidity, the weather was becoming more tolerable as the sky threatened to spit rain and lightning. He heard a long, distant roll of thunder, and internally sighed in great relief. He could handle rain so much more easily than heat and sticky air. As he continued to walk down the path towards the next major road, down the hill, he estimated in his head how many more minutes it would be until he was there. It would likely be cooler down there, after all.
Feeling Mel's hands run through his hair was more refreshing and relaxing than the coming rain would be, he was sure. He hadn't ever had his pink hair played with, but it felt great, and more than once Jude felt himself lose his train of thought as he became entranced by the comfort of Mel's small fingers gracing against his scalp, pulling his hair gently around his head. He could fall asleep in no time at all if he were lying down. Occasionally, as Mel spoke, he turned to make eye contact with her, but it never lasted long, as the boy inevitably started to blush every time he did so.
For whatever reason, despite her comments that he might normally snap at, Jude found himself calm and collected, able to respond more reasonably than he might if the girl weren't around his back, playing with his hair. The closeness and the simple intimacy of feeling his pink locks being massaged was enough to keep him in an abnormal trance. "Pfft, whatever. I didn't lose her," he said, grinning back at the silver-haired girl. "I uh... crap, Mel," he said, sighing heavily. "I don't really want to talk about it. Town got sacked, mom died, kids get taken off, you know the drill. That's how those small villages in Nabata always end up destroyed. Same old story, year after year... And one year it happened to us." His red eyes lost their fire for a moment and sunk down to the ground.
"Hah! Whatever! We Nabatans," he began proudly, the smile returning to his face, "can handle the heat. But gods, this humidity is awful... The air is so thick and sticky here. Back home, it's clear and crisp. Hot, but the aroma of salt in the air, the way the wind feels on your skin... Honestly, there's nothing better. Maybe sometime I could--" But Jude stopped himself, starting to blush again. His face got red and hot.
"Anyways, no, I um... No, no leads. I don't have any idea where she is, orrrr.... if she's even alive." He didn't really want to talk about it, but for some reason, it seemed safe to do so with Mel. "What about you? Where's your brother?"
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Aug 3, 2015 23:50:48 GMT -6
Mel's eyes narrowed as she leaned ever forward, digging her fingers into Jude's shoulders for a firm grip as she soaked up the view. The building closest to them had taken a little bit of thought to recall, shoveling away through old thoughts to find the right piece of the puzzle. While she could not remember the name of the family that had lived there very clearly, the teenager did remember mashing mud into the hair of their daughter only a few years her senior. As for why, she was quite sure it had something to do with the silken locks that she envied, golden and ever so perfect. Of course as a child such things were important, and in comparison to her own dreary strands Lilian made her feel-
Lillian. That was the girl's name, however the family name still eluded her and she didn't wish to delve any deeper down that rabbit hole of memories. However, now that once piece had fallen into place the rest soon began to paint a mental picture of the town it once was. Mel urged Jude forward down the overgrown road, grass peeking up between the sparse cobblestones that remained. The next house was that of the baker, a faded sign still hanging above the splintered doorway. It was clear that nothing positive had happened here in the past, the buildings farther in showing charred beams and walls. The tavern was gone, no sign of impressive gathering place among scorched and mossy wreckage.
Mel's heart twisted up into her throat and her grip on the boy's shoulders loosened, over the last few minutes unconsciously she seemed to have tightened to quite frankly an impressive degree. If Jude had words she was quite sure he would have complained, yet the pink-haired teen was strangely quiet. For once she wished that he'd speak up, saying anything to break the thick lump growing in her throat. She knew what was waiting for her further in, Shugo had certainly been frank with what had occurred to leave their home in such a state.
"My brother..."
Had her voice always been that high pitched? She spoke to break the silence, answering Jude's question from what felt like years before. Mel swallowed, shifting her grip on his shoulders once again before continuing. "He's off in Lycia I think. Squirt became some sort of military pup for some reason, but his armor doesn't even fit him properly. He looks ridiculous." She forced herself to chuckle, the sound hollow and joyless with a weak smile that refused to fit properly on her suddenly stiff features. Her knees quivered, and the silver-haired girl squeezed Jude's sides tighter to hide the faint sign of fright.
Afraid wasn't the right word.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Aug 4, 2015 8:41:56 GMT -6
"Hmph."
Jude assessed the growing situation, watching the dark clouds roll in, ominous looking in appearance, threatening to spit rain out on them. And within minutes, as Jude waded through thick, tall weeds littered with the occasional stone, denoting a once-traveled path, the rain came down hard and fast. The lightning and thunder, for the time, stayed in the distance-- but the sky, dark grey and blue, cried all over the immediate area, almost immediately soaking the duo with nice-smelling, cold rain. It was actually a nice reprieve, and Jude took a moment to shut his eyes and let the rain wash down his dirty, sweaty pink hair.
"Hey, watch it, damn it!" Jude snapped back, turning his head towards Mel, whose own head was deceiving close to his. He gasped shortly a moment, as if he'd seen a ghost, realizing the closeness of the girl's head. He could see immediately her wounded, empty eyes... And he wondered what was wrong. He was going to drop her for clinching down on his shoulders, but something in him compelled him to, for the moment, leave her alone. He let out a small grunt and faced forward again, with only a moment's pause in step, as he crossed over the barren, wet road and into the old, torn village. As he walked forward, he became increasingly unsure of their situation. This didn't look right. Jude figured literally no one could live here. There was no way.
As they walked, Jude stopped a moment, in the middle of what looked to be the town's main street-- at least, what it would have been, back when it was operational. As Mel spoke, Jude's heart dropped and his stomach flipped. His eyes grew wide, and he became increasingly nervous. What was wrong with her? He looked back at her but found that there existed some sort of fierce, emotionally stopping wall between them, close as their heads were. She seemed hurt by something, obviously troubled by the weight of what her brother's absence had meant to her.
In that moment, Jude could feel himself becoming more vulnerable to this girl, more open, more willing to listen and talk. And it absolutely terrified him. Immediately, he raised his guard, doing his very best not to let her in, not to try to pry into her affairs himself. He turned back around, his eyes cold and focused, trying to block out the growing emotion in his heart towards this woman... What that emotion could be called, he wasn't sure, but for now he wanted it gone. It terrified him, and as her legs gripped more tightly around him, Jude became increasingly wary of it.
His eyes fell down to the trodden yet growing weeds and grass below him. This was where she wanted to go?
Part of Jude wanted to ask what was wrong with Mel, but his fear dominated, his fear of growing close, of letting himself be vulnerable. So he chose not to. "Whatever, Mel," he said coyly, walking forward again. "I'm sure it's not a big deal. He's probably fine and you're probably being dramatic." He was satisfied with the walls he'd built for himself. Screw letting her get to him... That wasn't safe. Right?
"Now stop being so dramatic, and tell me where I'm supposed to go. Hate to tell you, but your stupid parents probably aren't here. There's no way any living person has graced this beautiful landmark in years." His voice was snappy and sarcastic, his eyes narrowed with distaste.
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Aug 4, 2015 10:32:50 GMT -6
The rain had gone unnoticed until it was upon them at full force, Mel's hair plastered to her forehead as she shivered ever so slightly. The weather was certainly fitting, she would even consider it oddly poetic if her mind had been off in other areas. However, the rain brought nothing but further discomfort with it, soaking the two teenagers beneath the heavy downpour. The dust and the haze settled, and the ruins grew ever more clearly about them as Mel urged Jude forward. His discomfort at the entire situation that he had been thrust so unexpected into was left ignored albeit not consciously by the girl.
Her chest constricted as they rounded the bend, having almost been greeted by a familiar site until her sight twisted back into focus. A ruin was all that met her eyes, a rusted anvil peering out amidst the wreckage and scorched beams. Mel's breath hitched at the sight, behind her forehead into Jude's shoulder to avoid looking at it any longer. She had wanted to come, see her parent's graves and rid herself of the meddlesome nettles ensnaring her chest. Bearing witness to all of this, this utter devastation of her home was far more painful that she could image. All Mel wanted to do was shove it away to the back of her mind, ignore it until the sharp jabs were nothing more than dull throbs.
"Past it, just follow the path erm..." Mel pursed her lips and painted a mental map of where they were going, recalling the way the narrow path spun past her mother's forge. To others the outside of town might have been the entrance, back the way that they had passed. Yet to Shugo and herself who lived off on the outskirts a little ways away from the rest of the buildings, the outskirts were alongside the path off into the woods.
"You're right. No living people reside here, not for years."
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Aug 4, 2015 11:02:48 GMT -6
At this point, Jude was absolutely ready to quit. As he felt the rain pour down on him, he grew more uncomfortable. He was fine with Mel's weight, but it became more annoying to him as they walked through this completely ruined village... There was seriously nothing left, nothing that indicated anyone lived there, and even with these revelations unfolding as they walked, Mel kept urging Jude forward. Within a few moments, it was all Jude could do not to throw Mel off of him and demand to know what was going on. She had clearly taken them to the wrong place.
"Mel!" He began, irritated. A flash of lightning struck to their side, and the loud, ominous roll of thunder followed, indicating that they were, in fact, heading towards the storm instead of away from it. if the day could get any worse at all, Jude was sure that it was no doubt about to. "We're going to wrong way! No one lives here!" He hissed, looking back at her, his angry red eyes shining through the darkness the storm had created. When before he felt himself slipping into an emotionally vulnerable state, he could now feel himself having successfully avoided, and was now moving to anger and disgust. Why on earth had they come here? It was evident that Mel was leading them on a wild goose chase.
For a moment, Jude kept walking until he passed an old forge and a collection of ruined buildings. Beside them stood a cluster of trees, one larger than the rest, and forward, a hill. This was, by Jude's estimation, near the edge of the village. Another flash of lightning struck, the rain came harder, and then the roll of thunder followed, like a call and response of the dangerous wilderness, of the thrashing storm that was now coming down fully upon them.
As if to respond in direct call to the thunder and lightning, Jude dropped Mel, tossing her aside not gently to the ground beside him. He folded his arms and looked around, totally fed up with this little journey. "I'm done!" He shouted, looking down disdainfully at Mel. "I'm done. This has been great fun and all, but I'm absolutely done. I'm not going to follow you around if you're gonna lead me straight to hell!"
Another charge of lightning, another harsh, biting growl of thunder.
Jude turned around and shouted, pissed off that the rain wouldn't let up. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "We're not in the right place. Your good-for-nothing parents don't live here anymore, you idiot. So let's go!"
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Mel
Thief
Posts: 187
Profession: Professional Asshole
Affiliation: Bandits and Tiger and Bears, OH MY!
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Mel
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Post by Mel on Aug 4, 2015 12:03:11 GMT -6
Another crack of vibrant lightning trailed by the deep rumble of thunder overhead. The storm was growing closer, rapidly so as the lapse between the two storming brothers shrank. The air was strangely charged as they were pelted by fat rapid globs of rainwater.
Jude dropped her so suddenly that she neglected to find her feet in time, reflexes dulled by the matters pressing on her mind. Mel wasn't quite herself, normally able to completely slice away any personal grudges to focus fully on a task laid out for her. However, she found herself wrist deep in mud, troubled blue eyes focused off behind Jude at the crude stone tombstones. They certainly weren't marble, nor carved by an expert in any stretch of the imagination. However, she could imagine that through the eyes of a child the little pockets of milky quartz were something impressive. The stone slabs were jagged, and she assumed that Shugo had dragged them from the banks of the river. The inscriptions upon them were rough, his writing certainly having not improved although Mel assumed that it was certainly not an easy task to carve.
The wind howled and lightning struck again with an earth shattering crack, Mel's gaze snapping skyward to catch the flash of light illuminate the irritation carved deeply into Jude's face. For a moment she had nearly forgotten all about him standing there with his teeth grinding away in frustration, unable to understand just why she had come all the way out to such a desolate shell of a village. He had been dragged along for a ride that he was surely unable to comprehend, and Mel was not quite sure of the guilt that further embedded itself into her chest. For having ignored so much of it over the past few years she was at a loss as for what to do with it.
Her hand rose out of the muck, finger pointing off at the stones that he had missed in the midst of the battering storm and confusion. "Those good-for-nothings ar-" The deafening roll of thunder drowned out her voice, the earth beneath them quivering under the sheer strength of the storm. Her hair slapped about in the violent winds, obscuring her vision of Jude's expression. However she felt the mud ooze out from under his boots as the pink-haired teen spun around to see at just what she was pointing at.
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living, and no one is truly dead to the world until they are forgotten." Her mother had uttered such words after her grandfather had passed away from illness, and Mel hated those hollow words of comfort that sounded so patronizing. Nothing could ever bring back the dead no matter how much one yearned for it.
She was not quite sure what she had expected when they arrived, the monstrous thorns of guilt that she thought would be cut free only stabbing into deeper more tender parts of her heart. Her stomach contracted, bile rapidly up in her throat as she gagged. Mel slapped a muddy hand over her mouth and turned away from Jude, eyes squeezed tight. Another clap of thunder masked the sound of her vomit, the teen averting her eyes from the chunks that were washed away down the slight hill.
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Jude
Thief
"Lotta things you learn in this life. I still don't know what the hell's going on."
Posts: 118
Profession: Wannabe Pirate
Affiliation: Jabal's Pet and Human Weapon
Guild: Mel's Miniature Muppets
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Jude | Tracker
OoC Alias: Tiz
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Post by Jude on Aug 4, 2015 12:34:14 GMT -6
He breathed out slowly, but his body wouldn't let him inhale. His eyes had been wide with anger, and now, they slowly grew wider with horror, the fire dying out of the red orbs. He couldn't find his words, and he couldn't swallow. He felt like he couldn't breathe. His eyes trained on Mel as she tried to speak over the loud, cracking thunder, he was at a loss for words. He tracked her muddy finger to a few crude headstones to the side of them, looking at them now with his full attention. It felt as though he'd been pierced with a blade and unable to move, as if he had stabbed himself, and Mel was unable to help him.
"I..."
Jude tried to speak, and still no words came. The thunder struck again, and Mel grabbed her mouth and turned away from him, after saying her piece about the dead-- something Jude had been relatively unconcerned with, but that was because he figured they were visiting her parents, who were still living. But her real intention was to pay homage to their headstones, in remembrance of where she had come from... Out of respect... Out of love for them... Or something...
Jude's eyes quivered inside his head, and he mumbled a few unintelligible sounds as he tried to walk towards Mel, but again, his body stopped him from moving. As she turned away to vomit, Jude outstretched his hand to her, and it felt like reaching for the doorknob at the end of a long hallway. What had he done? In all his recklessness, he had... Disgraced her, disrespected her and her feelings, and thereby, he had disgraced the memory of her parents. Jude knew all too well what it was like to lose a mother, but he had no idea what it must be like for Mel, who had seemingly lost both parents.
With a violent crash, Jude fell to his knees, the mud slopping up around him, coating his legs and part of his arms. His legs had become too weak to keep him standing, and he looked down at himself as he became covered in the wet filth. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Mel, and every time the lightning struck, he could only look at her shadow a few feet in front of him. He still couldn't speak, and the pink haired boy was still at a loss for words.
Jude never needed to think about his actions. He'd been independent for far too long, self-sufficient, able to pick himself up time and time again after falling... But was it because he'd never been close to anyone? He thought it was silly, but given the current situation, he entertained the thought for a moment.
"I'm... sorry..." The words were too soft to reach the girl; he hadn't the volume he needed for her to hear him over the thunder. He felt constricted, like his body wouldn't even let him speak as loudly as he had been the whole day long. "I'm so sorry..."
Finally looking up at Mel, Jude's red eyes had all but died, the tears that were now streaming down his face masked by the rainwater. If it weren't for the redness below his eyelids, it would be totally impossible to see how much the boy was crying. He felt, and acted, like a child. He crawled his way towards her, inching ever more quickly as she leaned over herself, vomiting onto the ground. The rain washed it away, and more came, and Jude tried his best to make it to her.
When he was close enough, he quickly shot his arm out and grabbed at the back of her collar, pulling down, trying to get himself closer to her. "I'm so sorry..." He wept, his head hanging down so she couldn't see his weak, disgusting face. He reached up with his other hand and grabbed a portion of her clothing next to the bunch he'd already grabbed. He let half of his weight hang on that grasp, desperately trying to connect himself to her in a last-pitched effort to absolve himself. And yet, the only words he could repeat: "I'm sorry, Mel. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
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